The Carroll Center for the Blind Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 042106173
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Newton, MA, USA
- Phone
- 6179696200
- Rating
- 73
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Eye Diseases, Blindness and Vision Impairments
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $11,269,777
- Expenses
- $8,707,585
- Assets
- $18,252,518
- Liabilities
- $628,576
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
27 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- GREGORY DONNELLY (PRESIDENT & CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- GREGORY DONNELLY (PRESIDENT & CEO): $388,700 total reported compensation
- DARA DALMATA (CHIEF DEV/COMM OFFICER): $173,323 total reported compensation
- SCOTT HITCHCOCK (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $171,155 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The mission of the carroll center for the blind is to empower those who are blind and visually impaired to achieve independence and lead a fulfilling life. Established in 1936, the center serves blind and visually impaired people of all ages by providing rehabilitation, skills training, and educational opportunities to achieve independence, self-sufficiency, and self-fulfillment and by educating our communities regarding the potential of persons who are blind and visually impaired. For over 80 years, the center has pioneered innovative services for the blind and visually impaired by developing methods for people with low vision to learn the skills to be independent in their homes, in class settings, and in their workplaces, preparing them for diverse opportunities for success and independent living.
What it reported doing in 2024
Rehabilitation training programs: vision rehabilitation programs are designed in a residential setting for adults who have had a significant loss of vision. These intensive programs provide training and support to encourage the physical and emotional adjustments needed to live with blindness/low vision as well as to develop daily living skills, vocational readiness, and computer proficiencies to live independent and fulfilling lives and obtain jobs. Summer programs are held for teenagers and young adults to develop the skills to transition to adulthood and achieve independence. 90 individual clients received 642 weeks of service in fiscal 2025.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 61% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 54
- Transparency & Controls: 87
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 69
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 53.6%; rating input score 54
- Program expense ratio: 67.2%; rating input score 67
- Fundraising efficiency: $4.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 22.7%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.1; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 14.6%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -0.3% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 53.6% of revenue deployed · 67.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $5.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $389K · 27 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $963K reported
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 54/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 17/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.