Form 990 for tax year 2023

Totals

Total revenue

$4,500,373

Total expenses

$4,170,847

Contributions and grants received

$3,237,973

Grants paid

$614,895

Program service revenue

$0

Investment income

$1,262,400

Other revenue

$0

Total assets, end of year

$36,340,516

Total liabilities, end of year

$256,339

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$36,084,177

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$3,123,481

Management and general expenses

$221,488

Fundraising expenses

$825,878

Program service expenses (Part III)

$3,123,481

Program services were 74.9% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2023

• BRAILLE PUBLICATIONS AND PROGRAMS - CONDUCTED AND PARTICIPATED IN PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES EMPHASIZING BRAILLE AND TACTILE LITERACY, EDUCATION, AND INDEPENDENCE INCLUDING: THE FREE BRAILLE BOOKS PROGRAM WHICH SENDS A NEW BRAILLE BOOK TO OVER 4,000 BLIND CHILDREN EACH MONTH; EARLY PRE-READING AND TACTILE EXPLORATION PROGRAM FOR BLIND CHILDREN FROM BIRTH THROUGH AGE EIGHT; BRAILLE READERS ARE LEADERS CONTEST TO IMPROVE READING SKILLS AND ENCOURAGE MORE BRAILLE READING; DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRONIC BRAILLE READY (BRF) FILES FOR ONSITE PRODUCTION OF HARD COPY BRAILLE; SHARE BRAILLE.ORG AN ONLINE COMMUNITY TO CONNECT PEOPLE WHO HAVE BRAILLE BOOKS THAT THEY NO LONGER NEED WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR BRAILLE READING MATERIAL; OUTREACH TO LOCATE INDIVIDUALS IN NEED OF BRAILLE INSTRUCTION; MASS COMMUNICATION PROGRAMS TO RAISE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORT FOR REQUIRING ADEQUATE BRAILLE READING AND WRITING INSTRUCTION FOR BLIND CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS; AND COLLABORATION WITH OTHER ENTITIES MAKING SIMILAR EFFORTS TO MAKE BRAILLE AND BRAILLE INSTRUCTION AVAILABLE TO ALL BLIND PERSONS. ALL BLIND PERSONS AND PERSONS WITH VISUAL DISABILITIES IN THE UNITED STATES (APPROXIMATELY 7 MILLION AS REPORTED BY THE U.S. CENSUS DEPARTMENT) ARE POTENTIALLY BENEFITTED BY THESE ACTIVITIES.

  Expenses $549,327 · Grants $71,145

• TOOLS FOR INDEPENDENCE - GAVE WHITE CANES, SLATES AND STYLUSES FOR WRITING BRAILLE, AND BRAILLE CALENDARS AT NO CHARGE TO BLIND INDIVIDUALS UPON REQUEST. APPROXIMATELY TEN THOUSAND SUCH ITEMS WERE DISTRIBUTED DURING THE YEAR.

  Expenses $73,169

• SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS AND SERVICES - CONDUCTED AND PARTICIPATED IN ACTIVITIES TO ELIMINATE MASSIVE SYSTEMIC BARRIERS TO FULL PARTICIPATION BY BLIND INDIVIDUALS EMBEDDED IN EDUCATION; EMPLOYMENT; TRANSPORTATION; GOVERNMENTAL SERVICES; COMMERCE; RECREATION; HOUSING; RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS; MEDICAL FACILITIES; WEB-BASED AND AUTOMATED KIOSK AND TOUCH-SCREEN BASED INFORMATION SERVICES; AND ALL OTHER FORMS OF EXCLUSION BASED ON NON-VISUALLY ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND TOOLS AND UPON MISUNDERSTANDINGS OF THE TRUE NATURE OF THE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY LACK OF EYESIGHT AND THE RESULTANT LOW EXPECTATIONS. THESE ACTIVITIES ARE MULTIFACETED AND INCLUDE: DIRECT SERVICES TO BLIND INDIVIDUALS; SUPPORT FOR PARENTS OF BLIND CHILDREN; MASSIVE, BROAD-BASED COMMUNICATIONS TO AND INTERACTION WITH INDIVIDUALS, GOVERNMENTAL, EDUCATIONAL, CULTURAL, AND BUSINESS ENTITIES AIMED AT MAKING WIDESPREAD AND PERMANENT CHANGES TO PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS ABOUT BLINDNESS; LEADERSHIP TRAINING; SUPPORT FOR SELF-ADVOCACY AND SELF-ORGANIZATION GROUPS; LEGAL ACTION TO ENFORCE EXISTING LAWS AND GOVERNMENTAL REGULATIONS; SUPPORT FOR CREATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF NEW TACTILE METHODS FOR ACCESS TO INFORMATION; EFFORTS TO LOCATE BLIND PEOPLE NEEDING ASSISTANCE; AND COLLABORATION WITH OTHER ENTITIES WORKING TOWARD SIMILAR GOALS. ALL BLIND PERSONS AND PERSONS WITH VISUAL DISABILITIES IN THE UNITED STATES (APPROXIMATELY 7 MILLION AS REPORTED BY THE U.S. CENSUS DEPARTMENT) ARE POTENTIALLY BENEFITTED BY THESE ACTIVITIES.

  Expenses $2,500,985 · Grants $543,750

As filed on the 2023 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

• JACOBUS TENBROEK MEMORIAL FUND

  $300,000

  BLINDNESS PROJECTS

• NATIONAL FED OF THE BLIND

  $175,000

  BLINDNESS PROJECTS

• 3D TANGENDI CORP

  $66,000

  BLINDNESS PROJECTS

• BLIND INC

  $34,500

  BLINDNESS PROJECTS

• TOWSON UNIVERSITY

  $26,500

  BLINDNESS PROJECTS

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2023

Filed

8 May 2024

IRS schema version

2023v5.0

Source object

202441359349305204

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