Form 990 for tax year 2023

Totals

Total revenue

$10,471,206

Total expenses

$10,871,930

Contributions and grants received

$9,888,771

Grants paid

$3,351,860

Program service revenue

$0

Investment income

$930,312

Other revenue

-$347,877

Total assets, end of year

$29,389,184

Total liabilities, end of year

$750,396

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$28,638,788

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$7,828,374

Management and general expenses

$1,792,177

Fundraising expenses

$1,251,379

Program service expenses (Part III)

$7,828,374

Program services were 72.0% 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

• VISIONSPRING WORKS TO INCREASE LIFELONG EARNING, LEARNING, SAFETY, AND WELL-BEING THROUGH EYEGLASSES FOR PEOPLE VULNERABLE TO POVERTY. IN 2023, WE SCREENED MORE THAN 2.6 MILLION PEOPLE AND CORRECTED THE VISION OF NEARLY 1.9 MILLION, PROVIDING EYEGLASSES TO LOW-INCOME EARNERS AND LEARNERS SO THEY CAN SEE WELL AND DO WELL. MORE THAN HALF OF THESE INDIVIDUALS RECEIVED THEIR FIRST-EVER PAIR OF EYEGLASSES. THIS YEAR ALSO MARKED OUR TOTAL DISTRIBUTION OF EYEGLASSES TO 12 MILLION PEOPLE AND UNLOCKED AN ESTIMATED $2.6 BILLION IN INCOME-EARNING POTENTIAL FOR HOUSEHOLDS LIVING ON LESS THAN $4 PER DAY SINCE THE ORGANIZATION'S FOUNDING IN 2001.IN 2023, VISIONSPRING CONTINUED ITS FOCUS ON OPTICAL SERVICES AND EYEGLASSES SALES, GROWING AT A RATE OF 16% YEAR-ON-YEAR. OUR TARGET CUSTOMERS WERE REACHED IN OVER 20 COUNTRIES, INCLUDING OUR LARGEST MARKETS IN INDIA, BANGLADESH, AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. VISIONSPRING'S PROGRAM ACTIVITIES ARE IMPLEMENTED THROUGH TWO MODELS: VISION ACCESS PROGRAMS AND INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS.IN 2023, OUR VISION ACCESS PROGRAMS (VAP) CORRECTED THE VISION OF 846,000 PEOPLE IN WORKPLACES, FACTORIES, SCHOOLS, TRANSPORTATION HUBS, AND RURAL AND INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS. VISIONSPRING SPECIALIZES IN IMPROVING THE LIVELIHOODS OF WORKING-AGE ADULTS, SUCH THAT 81% OF THOSE SERVED WERE REACHED THROUGH OUR SEE TO EARN PROGRAM, WHICH IS PART OF VAP'S IMPACT. OUR VISION ACCESS PROGRAMS ADVANCE OUR IMPACT ALONG THREE THEMES: SEE TO EARN, SEE TO LEARN, AND SEE TO BE SAFE.SEE TO EARN: WE PARTNER WITH PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS, GOVERNMENTS, AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OFFICES OF MAJOR BUSINESSES TO BRING FREE VISION SCREENINGS AND LOW-COST GLASSES TO ADULTS ENGAGED IN THE INFORMAL AND AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIES. WE DEEPENED THE MARKET PENETRATION OF OUR LONGEST-RUNNING PROGRAM, WHICH SHIFTS THE TASK OF CORRECTING BLURRY NEAR VISION TO COMMUNITY PROVIDERS. READING GLASSES FOR IMPROVED LIVELIHOODS (RGIL) EXPANDED WITH HEALTH ENTREPRENEURS IN ZAMBIA, SERVED NEW DISTRICTS WITH COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS IN UGANDA, AND EXTENDED INTO A NATIONWIDE NETWORK OF MICROFINANCE CLIENTS IN BANGLADESH. ADDITIONALLY, OUR CLEAR VISION WORKPLACES (CVW) PROGRAM, POWERED BY AN ALLIANCE OF LEADING BRANDS, DRAMATICALLY INCREASES EYEGLASSES COVERAGE RATES AMONG WORKERS WHO PRODUCE TEXTILES, GARMENTS, AND HOME GOODS.LIVELIHOODS IN FOCUS (LIF) IS OUR STRATEGIC INITIATIVE TO DRAMATICALLY INCREASE EYEGLASSES COVERAGE RATES AND ASSOCIATED PRODUCTIVITY AND INCOME IN COMMUNITIES ENGAGED IN VISION-INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE AND ARTISAN CRAFTS. IN 2023, WE EXPANDED LIF IN ASSAM, INDIA, FOR TEA WORKERS AND IN ASHANTI, GHANA, FOR COCOA FARMERS. WE ALSO INITIATED NEW LIF PROGRAMS IN KARNATAKA, INDIA, FOR COFFEE WORKERS AND ARTISANS, AS WELL AS IN UGANDA'S TEA AND VANILLA GROWING DISTRICTS. IN TOTAL, WE BROUGHT LIVELIHOODS INTO FOCUS FOR 127,000 PEOPLE THROUGH LIF AND SET THE STAGE FOR SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN 2024.SEE TO LEARN: EYEGLASSES INCREASE A STUDENT'S ABILITY TO SUCCEED IN SCHOOL, BOOSTING LEARNING OUTCOMES EQUIVALENT TO AN ADDITIONAL HALF YEAR OF SCHOOLING ON AVERAGE. IN 2023, WE CONTINUED OUR FOCUS ON THE SEE TO LEARN PROGRAM IN INDIA, SCREENING THE VISION OF 505,000 SCHOOL CHILDREN AND DISPENSING 95,000 PAIRS OF EYEGLASSES.SEE TO BE SAFE: EQUIPPING DRIVERS WITH EYEGLASSES ENABLES THEM TO SEE MORE CLEARLY, THEREBY MINIMIZING ROAD HAZARDS. TO LOWER THE INCIDENCE OF VEHICLE ACCIDENTS AND THE ASSOCIATED RISKS OF INJURY AND MORTALITY, WE SCREEN THE VISION OF TRUCKERS, BUS DRIVERS, AND ALLIED TRANSPORT WORKERS IN MAJOR TRANSIT HUBS WITH CORPORATE SPONSORS AND MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION PARTNERS. WE REPLICATED OUR SEE TO BE SAFE PROGRAM FROM INDIA TO AFRICA, LAUNCHING IN NIGERIA AND ZAMBIA IN 2023. THERE, GOVERNMENTS HAVE INCREASINGLY PRIORITIZED ROAD SAFETY TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 3.6. WE KICKED OFF WITH PARTNER TRAINING AND WORKSHOPS TO SURFACE INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES FOR INCORPORATING VISION CORRECTION INTO NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY INITIATIVES. IN 2023, VISIONSPRING SCREENED 163,000 DRIVERS AND TRANSPORT WORKERS, BRINGING OUR SEE TO BE SAFE TOTAL TO 692,000 SINCE 2018.THROUGH OUR INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS, VISIONSPRING SELLS BULK QUANTITIES OF EYEGLASSES, COUPLED WITH TRAINING AND MARKETING SUPPORT, TO OUR NETWORK OF HOSPITALS, PHARMACIES, EYE CARE CENTERS, NGOS, AND GOVERNMENT PARTNERS. OUR PARTNERS RELY ON VISIONSPRING'S QUALITY PRODUCTS, TIMELY DELIVERY, FAVORABLE PAYMENT TERMS, AND SELL-THROUGH SUPPORT TO EXPAND THEIR VISION SERVICES TO LOW-INCOME CUSTOMERS. IN 2023, WE SOLD 1 MILLION PAIRS OF EYEGLASSES TO OUR PARTNERS, WITH 61% DELIVERED TO INDIA, 28% DELIVERED TO OUR KEY MARKETS IN AFRICA, AND 11% DELIVERED TO PARTNERS IN OTHER COUNTRIES.TO SUPPORT VISIONSPRING'S GLOBAL REACH AND IMPACT, WE HAVE TEAM MEMBERS BASED IN MULTIPLE COUNTRIES, INCLUDING BANGLADESH, GHANA, INDIA, KENYA, NIGERIA, UGANDA, VIETNAM, AND ZAMBIA. THESE TEAMS ADVANCE OUR ORGANIZATIONAL MISSION THROUGH LOCALIZED STRATEGIES AND PARTNERSHIPS, ENSURING THAT OUR PROGRAMS ARE CULTURALLY SENSITIVE AND EFFECTIVE. ADDITIONALLY, OUR SUPPORT OFFICE IN THE UNITED STATES PROVIDES ESSENTIAL BACKING, ENABLING US TO EXCEED OUR TARGETS AND CONTINUE EXPANDING OUR SCOPE. THIS INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN OUR ABILITY TO DELIVER HIGH-QUALITY VISION SERVICES TO LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD.

  Expenses $7,828,374 · Grants $3,351,860

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

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Related organizations on this return

Schedule R Part II: tax-exempt organizations related to the filer by control. It does not record shared board members or money.

• VISIONSPRING INDIA CO VISIONSPRING

  PROVIDES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE & ADVICE REGARDING OPTICAL INTERVENTIONS · IN · controlled entity

  Directly controlled by VISIONSPRING INC

• VISIONSPRING SOCIETY

  PROVIDES EYE-SCREENING, PRIMARY EYE-CARE SERVICES, AND EYE-HEALTH ADVICE · IN · controlled entity

  Directly controlled by VISIONSPRING INC

• VISIONSPRING FOUNDATION CO VISIONSPRING

  PROVIDES ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE EYE CARE TO POOR & MARGINALIZED PEOPLE · IN · controlled entity

  Directly controlled by VISIONSPRING INC

• VISIONSPRING GHANA LIMITED BY GUARANTEE

  PROVIDES ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE EYE CARE TO POOR & MARGINALIZED PEOPLE · GH · controlled entity

  Directly controlled by VISIONSPRING INC

• VISIONSPRING NIGERIA EYE HEALTH INITIATIVE COMPANY LIMITEDGTE

  PROVIDES ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE EYE CARE TO POOR & MARGINALIZED PEOPLE · NI · controlled entity

  Directly controlled by VISIONSPRING INC

Taxable family on this return

Schedule R Parts I, III and IV, as filed. These record ownership and control, not shared board members or money moved.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2023

Filed

12 November 2024

IRS schema version

2023v5.1

Source object

202423179349308417

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

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