The Fred Hollows Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
822851329
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2017
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
6462415163
Rating
57
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Eye Diseases, Blindness and Vision Impairments

Reported finances

Revenue
$16,549,047
Expenses
$3,941,536
Assets
$13,476,818
Liabilities
$100,507

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOHN BRUMBY (PRESIDENT/CHAIR)

Highest reported compensation

  • ANDREA SANSEVERINO GALAN (PUBLIC OFFICER): $299,914 total reported compensation
  • STEVEN BENINI (PRINCIPAL & TRANSFORMATIONAL GIFTS): $188,461 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The fred hollows foundation is an international development organization working towards ending avoidable blindness for human beings afflicted with blindness and related sight problems worldwide.

What it reported doing in 2025

In furtherance of the organization's exempt purposes, the organization conducts and supports activities designed to end avoidable blindness, including but not limited to: (i) surgical and other medical procedures, treatments and related activities to treat or prevent blinding conditions, (ii) education and training for doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers relating to the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders, (iii) research relating to, and the development of effective medical and non-medical solutions for, improving, preserving and restoring eye health, and (v) other educational activities such as conferences, workshops and other convenings, as well as outreach and awareness raising among healthcare providers and the general public, and (vi) the development of collaborations and partnerships, among other activities, all with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of people suffering sight disorders around the world.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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

MIXED - Most voting board members are independent and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 43
  • Transparency & Controls: 51
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 18.1%; rating input score 18
  • Program expense ratio: 76.1%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $36.37 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 76.2%; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.42; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.4%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 34.6% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 46.5% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 54.9% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 18.1% of revenue deployed · 76.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $300K · 10 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 19 of 19 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2018 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 18/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.