The Vision of Children Foundation
Legal name: The Vision of Children
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 954271785
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2013–2025
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- San Diego, CA, USA
- Phone
- (858) 314-7926
- Rating
- 69
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $664,851
- Expenses
- $494,256
- Assets
- $1,460,303
- Liabilities
- $217,399
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
12 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Samuel A Hardage (CEO & Chairman)
People named in this filing
- Samuel A Hardage (CEO & Chairman)
- Elizabeth Dole (Honorary Co-Chair)
- Debora B Farber PhD (Chief Scientific Advisor)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Vision of Children Foundation is committed to funding groundbreaking research, supporting families, and raising awareness about hereditary vision disorders—working toward a future where no child has to live with hereditary blindness or vision loss. For over 30 years, The Vision of Children Foundation (VOC) has funded research to find cures for hereditary childhood blindness and genetic vision disorders. The Vision of Children Foundation (VOC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in San Diego. Our work has far-reaching impact. Over the past three decades, we have funded groundbreaking research around the world, and we have been a driving force in the quest to find a cure for genetically caused eye disorders. We have been able to accomplish all that we have to date, because of the support of our donors and partners. Learn More.
What it reported doing in 2025
The Vision of Children provides information to the public and gives researchers an opportunity to arrange for collaborative research projects by hosting a biennial symposium. Additionally, through newsletters and our website, we inform the members who make up our family network. The Vision of Children provides adaptive vision aids to school districts. These computer monitors and handheld magnifiers alleviate the stress and strain that students with low vision may face when they are at school. Further, the Vision Hero Video Series are videos of inspiring young people who are able to overcome their vision challenges. Vision Heroes mentor and motivate other young people born with genetic vision disorders to persevere, pursue their goals, and reach their full potential in spite of having a vision disorder.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 89% of its reported program spending out as grants.
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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 36
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 71
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 35.5%; rating input score 35
- Program expense ratio: 45.3%; rating input score 45
- Fundraising efficiency: $5.48 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 25.7%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.95; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -11.5% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 35.5% of revenue deployed · 45.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $224K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 12 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2013 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 35/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 45/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 18/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 29/100.