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American Academy of Optometry at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Public charity

American Academy of Optometry

To maintain and enhance excellence in optometric practice.

$353k
Granted FY2024still arriving
4
Grants FY2024still arriving
3
States reached
$250k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Health$1.7MEmployment$550kEducation$50kInternational$35kScience & Tech$22kPhilanthropy$5k
02FY2024 · 4 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 4 grants below total $330,000, the rows itemized in this filing. The $353,356 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $23,356 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • $10k–50k2 grants · $30k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
  • $250k+1 grant · $250k
$50,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$15M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY FOUNDATION$250,000
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM$50,000
GP LENS INSTITUTE$15,000
CONTACT LENSE MANUFACTURER ASSOCIATION$15,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 97% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%UMASS CHAN MEDICAL SCHOOL: $100k → 11%CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CORPORATION: $50k → 16%VOLUNTEER OPTOMETRIC SERVICES TO HUMANITYINTERNATIONAL: $5k → 12%CONTACT LENSE MANUFACTURER ASSOCIATION: $15k → 13%SANFORD UNIVERSITY: $7k → 7%SUTHERN CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY: $50k → 10%UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA: $100k → 10%SUNY STATE COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY NEW YORK: $50k → 17%UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY: $100k → 16%AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY FOUNDATION: $281k → 13%UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM: $50k → 16%WORLD COUNCIL OF OPTOMETRY: $25k → 11%OPTOMETRY GIVING SIGHT: $5k → 7%AKRON'S CHILDREN HOSPITAL: $100k → 13%THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY: $50k → 15%ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES OF OPTOMETRY: $50k → 8%THE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY: $50k → 16%VOSH INTERNATIONAL: $5k → 12%GP LENS INSTITUTE: $15k → 13%SUTHERN CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY: $50k → 10%SUNY STATE COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY NEW YORK: $50k → 17%AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY FOUNDATION: $278k → 13%UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM: $50k → 16%THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY: $50k → 15%THE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY: $50k → 16%AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY FOUNDATION: $250k → 13%CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CORPORATION: $50k → 16%AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY FOUNDATION: $119k → 13%AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY FOUNDATION: $94k → 13%AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY FOUNDATION: $71k → 13%AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY FOUNDATION: $66k → 13%AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY FOUNDATION: $66k → 13%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

NY
MA
OH
CA
CO
NE
MO
MD
AL
TX
FL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

78%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.8M · 8 repeat orgs$510k to everyone else

8 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2024, 6 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

8
7

Total granted

$1.8M
$480k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+60%
+76%

Still filing today

63%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 91% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $30k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
HealthEducationPhilanthropyCommunity ImprovementOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • AA
    AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY FOUNDATION INC
    8× · 2017–2024 · $1.2M · revenue +102%
  • CH
    Children's Hospital Corporation
    2× · 2021–2022 · $100k · revenue +60%
  • TN
    THE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY
    2× · 2017–2018 · $100k · revenue +26%

Funded once

  • RO
    REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY
    one grant, 2019 · $100k
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
    one grant, 2023 · $100k
  • UO
    UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
    one grant, 2022 · $100k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
American Academy of Optometry

To maintain and enhance excellence in optometric practice.

Education
2
World Optometry Foundation
Health
3
American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Inc

The american society of ophthalmic plastic and recontructive surgery (asoprs) was founded to establish a qualified body of surgeons who have training and experience in the highly specialized field of oculofacial plastic surgery. the…

—
4
Association for Ocular Pharmacology & Therapeutics

To serve as a global forum and network for the publication, dissemination and exchange of information and knowledge of eye diseases.

Health
5
American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

American college of occupational and environmental medicine (acoem) provides leadership to promote optimal health and safety of workers, workplaces and environments by: educating health professionals and the public; stimulating research;…

Arts & Culture
6
Manhattan Eye & Ear Ophthalmology Alumni Foundation Inc
Health
7
Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary

THE MASSACHUSETTS EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY ("THE INFIRMARY") IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT TEACHING HOSPITAL CONDUCTING PATIENT CARE AND RESEARCH. THE INFIRMARY IS A TEACHING HOSPITAL OF HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL AND AN INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR RESEARCH.…

Health
8
California Optometric Association

The mission of the california optometric association is to support and advance the profession of optometry to assure quality health care for all californians.

—
9
American Board of Ophthalmology

None

—
10
American Society of Clinical Oncology Inc

See schedule o:asco is a professional oncology society committed to conquering cancer through research, education, and promotion of the highest quality patient care.

Health
11
American Academy of Ophthalmology Inc

The mission of the american academy of ophthalmology is to protect sight and empower lives by serving as an advocate for patients and the public, leading ophthalmic education, supporting research, and advancing the profession of…

—
12
Texas Ophthalmological Association

Education in advancing ophthalmological medicine

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is American Academy of Optometry Foundation Inc; the most unlike its peers is Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

12 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 12 of the 18 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
12/12
Grantees still filing
8/12
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY FOUNDATION INC: $1,224,725 · HealthAMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY FOUNDATION INCChildren's Hospital Corporation: $100,000 · HealthChildren's Hospital CorporationCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER OF AKRON: $100,000 · HealthCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER OF AKRONREGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY: $100,000 · OtherREGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFOR…STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BINGHAMTON: $100,000 · OtherSTATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BING…UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS: $100,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTSUNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON: $100,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF HOUSTONTHE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY: $100,000 · OtherTHE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRYUNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM: $100,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAMTHE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY: $100,000 · OtherTHE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITYWORLD COUNCIL OF OPTOMETRY INC: $25,000 · Other+2 more: $25,000 · OtherMARSHALL B KETCHUM UNIVERSITY: $100,000 · EducationASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES OF OPTOMETRY: $50,000 · EducationTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $6,572 · EducationGP LENS INSTITUTE: $15,000 · Community ImprovementOPTOMETRY GIVING SIGHT: $5,000 · Philanthropy
Health$1,424,725Other$750,000Education$156,572Community Improvement$15,000Philanthropy$5,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetAMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY FOUNDATION INC: $1,224,725 over 8y, 18% of budgetChildren's Hospital Corporation: $100,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY: $100,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetMARSHALL B KETCHUM UNIVERSITY: $100,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER OF AKRON: $100,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES OF OPTOMETRY: $50,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetWORLD COUNCIL OF OPTOMETRY INC: $25,000 over 1y, 5.3% of budgetGP LENS INSTITUTE: $15,000 over 1y, 3.0% of budgetCONTACT LENS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION: $15,000 over 1y, 3.8% of budgetVOLUNTEER OPTOMETRIC SERVICES TO HUMANITY INC: $10,000 over 2y, 5.8% of budgetTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $6,572 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetOPTOMETRY GIVING SIGHT: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

AbbVie FoundationDonor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
AbbVie FoundationIL12.1× affinity4 shared granteesties to 3 of 3Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: AbbVie Foundation · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization American Academy of Optometry funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from American Academy of Optometry. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%1%5%11%20%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →median 10%
  • Children's Hospital Corporation: 10% of income from government
  • The New England College of Optometry: 2% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
2get no government money at all
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 18 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2025) is on record and reports $96k of grant expense, but none of it to a named recipient. On a Form 990 that can mean grants abroad, filed by region only (Schedule F), grants under $5,000, which are not itemized, or a schedule referenced as an attachment the e-file does not carry. The figures above are therefore from FY2024, the most recent year this funder named its grantees.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on American Academy of Optometry’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home