Skip to content
Plinth

· Private foundation

Boston Center for Blind Children Inc

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$231k
Granted FY2025still arriving
14
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$41k
Largest
01What you fund
0199% classified

What you funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year — across FY20172025.

Health$696kEducation$424kArts & Culture$264kHuman Services$230kRecreation & Sports$168kEnvironment$110kPublic Safety & Disaster$100kYouth Development$53kOther$0
02FY2025 · 14 grants

Where the money goes

Your grants by size, and where they go.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $10k
  • $10k–50k12 grants · $221k
$15,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$5.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
PERKINS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND$40,500
CARROL CENTER FOR THE BLIND$27,000
NATIONAL BRAILLE PRESS$25,000
ASSN OF BLIND CITIZENS$23,000
WHEELOCK FAMILY THEATER$20,000
LOWELL ASSN FOR THE BLIND$15,000
POLUS CENTER$15,000
MASS AUDUBON SOCIETY$13,050
NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY$12,050
GUIDING EYES FOR THE BLIND$10,000
ADAPTIVE SPORT OF NEW ENGLAND$10,000
THE SEEING EYE INC$10,000
COMMUNITY ROWING$5,000
LEARNING ALLY$5,000
02The need
03

Do your dollars go where the need is?

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

show:

Your human-services grants (FY19–25, $208k) land where the poverty rate runs at 8%, against an area that typically sits at 7%. 38% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Your grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 7%GUIDING EYES FOR THE BLIND: $15k → 9%LEARNING ALLY: $12k → 11%GUIDING EYES FOR THE BLIND: $10k → 9%LEARNING ALLY: $10k → 11%GUIDING EYES FOR THE BLIND: $10k → 9%LEARNING ALLY: $6k → 11%LEARNING ALLY: $6k → 11%LEARNING ALLY: $6k → 11%LEARNING ALLY: $5k → 11%ASSN OF BLIND CITIZENS: $23k → 7%ASSN OF BLIND CITIZENS: $23k → 7%ASSN OF BLIND CITIZENS: $18k → 7%ASSN OF BLIND CITIZENS: $18k → 7%ASSN OF BLIND CITIZENS: $18k → 7%ASSN OF BLIND CITIZENS: $18k → 7%ASSN OF BLIND CITIZENS: $11k → 7%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount

Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty linein the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP; grantee ZIP can differ from where services are delivered.

US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are actually delivered. Need from public data — U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA — shown as context about the area, never attributed to your giving.

03Your edge
repeat funding

Who you back again

Which organizations you funded more than once, and which you funded a single time. Each grantee is matched to its own filings.

94%of every dollar goes to organizations you’ve funded before.
$2.0M · 21 repeat orgs$133k to everyone else

21 repeat relationships — 13 still active in FY2025, 8 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

21
3

Total granted

$2.0M
$123k

Still filing today

67%
0%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 96% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $10k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Human ServicesHealthEducationArts & CultureEnvironmentCrime & LegalOther

First-time = a grantee’s first year in your filing window; renewed = funded in an earlier year too. As a portfolio matures the renewed share naturally climbs — once funded, an org stays “renewable” — so the signal is the years that buck it (a new-grantee intake wave). 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

  • PS
    PERKINS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND
    9× · 2017–2025 · $359k · revenue +49%
  • TC
    THE CARROLL CENTER FOR THE BLIND INC
    9× · 2017–2025 · $211k · revenue +53%
  • NB
    NATIONAL BRAILLE PRESS INC
    9× · 2017–2025 · $205k · revenue +8%

Funded once

  • BR
    BOSTON RESILIENCY FUND
    one grant, 2020 · $100k
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2017 · $23k
  • CV
    CANTERBURY VISION CARE
    one grant, 2024 · $109

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

04Your field

The map has a center of gravity: the average direction from the rest of the sector toward the organizations the foundation funds — the shape of its giving. Scoring every nonprofit along that direction surfaces the ones that look most like the portfolio. These are the closest matchesthat aren’t grantees — a resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
New England Eye Institute Inc

To improve the visual health of populations through excellence in collaborative and community-oriented patient care, education and research.

Human Services
2
Blindness-Learning in New Dimensions Inc

BLIND, Inc. was founded by blind Minnesotans who believe that, given the proper training and opportunity, blind people can lead normal, independent, and fulfilled lives. We believe that blindness is respectable and that with proper…

Health
3
The Blind Childrens Center Inc

The mission of the Blind Children's Center, Inc. is to prepare infants, toddlers and preschoolers of all abilities to thrive through inclusive, family-focused early childhood education, with a specialized focus on children who are blind or…

Education
4
The Boston Foundation for Sight Inc

Our mission is to improve quality of life by transforming the understanding, treatment, and care of the ocular surface.

Human Services
5
Audio Journal Incorporated

Audio Journal, Incorporated's mission in Central Massachusetts is to connect individuals who are blind, visually impaired or have an inability to access printed material, to their communities through broadcasting of local news, information…

Human Services
6
Schepens Eye Research Institute Inc

Description of organization mission the schepens eye research institute ("schepens") fights blindness by developing new technologies, therapies and knowledge to retain and restore vision. through a continuum of discovery, the institute…

Health
7
Beyond Blindness

Beyond blindness empowers children with visual impairments and other disabilities to achieve their fullest potential.

8
Audio & Braille Literacy Enhancement Inc

Able provides audio and braille transcription services to increase access to a wide variety of information for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or print disabled. materials can be produced in braille, tactile, or audio digital…

Health
9
Braille Institute of America Inc

To positively transform the lives of those with vision loss. (See Schedule O)

Human Services
10
Visability

Provide innovative training and tools for people who are blind or visually impaired to help them achieve their goals and dreams

Human Services
11
Florida Center for the Blind Inc

The mission of the florida center for the blind is to foster hope, confidence and independence in individuals with visual impairments; and to educate the community about preventing vision loss.

12
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

For reference, the grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Carroll Center for the Blind Inc and the most unlike its peers is Hearts and Noses Hospital Clown Troupe 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

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

Each one resolved to its own IRS returns and tracked year by year — your grant beside their revenue from every source. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

Counted here: distinct organizations you funded across 20172025, not grant rows in a single year — so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 17 of the 25 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile; the rest are funded organizations whose filings we could not track year by year.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
15/17
Grantees still filing
14/17
Grew since you first funded

Where your money sits — by cause, then by grantee

THE PAUL CENTER — $155,000 · OtherTHE PAUL CENTERTHE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY — $135,550 · OtherTHE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRYPaul Center for Learning & Recreation Inc — $114,000 · OtherPaul Center for Learning & Recreation In…BOSTON RESILIENCY FUND — $100,000 · OtherBOSTON RESILIENCY FUNDOUR SPACE OUR PLACE INC — $53,000 · OtherOUR SPACE OUR PLACE INCCOMMUNITY ROWING INC — $44,000 · OtherCOMMUNITY ROWING INCPOLUS CENTER — $39,500 · OtherHEARTS & NOSES CLOWN TROUPE — $36,000 · Other+4 more — $65,109 · Other+4 morePERKINS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND — $358,800 · EducationPERKINS SCHOOL FOR T…CHILDRENS CENTER FOR COMMUNICATION INC BEVERLY SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF — $19,767 · EducationTHE CARROLL CENTER FOR THE BLIND INC — $211,000 · HealthTHE CARROLL CENTER…LOWELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND INC — $125,000 · HealthLOWELL ASSOCIATION…+1 more — $11,000 · HealthASSOCIATION OF BLIND CITIZENS INC — $143,300 · Human ServicesASSOCIATION OF…Learning Ally Inc — $45,000 · Human ServicesLearning Ally …GUIDING EYES FOR THE BLIND INC — $35,000 · Human ServicesGUIDING EYES F…THE SEEING EYE INC — $35,000 · Human ServicesTHE SEEING EYE…NATIONAL BRAILLE PRESS INC — $205,000 · Arts & CultureNATIONAL BR…MASSACHUSETTS AUDUBON SOCIETY INC — $109,830 · EnvironmentCHILDREN'S TRUST INC — $35,000 · Crime & LegalADAPTIVE SPORTS NEW ENGLAND INC — $10,000 · Recreation & Sports
Other$742,159Education$378,567Health$347,000Human Services$258,300Arts & Culture$205,000Environment$109,830Crime & Legal$35,000Recreation & Sports$10,000

Each org by its size and your share of it — top-left is where you’re load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ your share of their budgetPERKINS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND — $358,800 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetTHE CARROLL CENTER FOR THE BLIND INC — $211,000 over 9y, 0.4% of budgetNATIONAL BRAILLE PRESS INC — $205,000 over 9y, 0.6% of budgetASSOCIATION OF BLIND CITIZENS INC — $143,300 over 8y, 18% of budgetTHE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY — $135,550 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetLOWELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND INC — $125,000 over 9y, 3.7% of budgetPaul Center for Learning & Recreation Inc — $114,000 over 3y, 9.1% of budgetMASSACHUSETTS AUDUBON SOCIETY INC — $109,830 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetOUR SPACE OUR PLACE INC — $53,000 over 6y, 14% of budgetLearning Ally Inc — $45,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetCOMMUNITY ROWING INC — $44,000 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetGUIDING EYES FOR THE BLIND INC — $35,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE SEEING EYE INC — $35,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetCHILDREN'S TRUST INC — $35,000 over 2y, 2.3% of budgetCHILDRENS CENTER FOR COMMUNICATION INC BEVERLY SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF — $19,767 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetHearts and Noses Hospital Clown Troupe Inc — $11,000 over 2y, 6.1% of budget
Go grantee by grantee — a decade per org, and how each moved after you funded them

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

  • Who funds PERKINS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND
  • Who funds THE CARROLL CENTER FOR THE BLIND INC
  • Who funds NATIONAL BRAILLE PRESS INC
  • Who funds ASSOCIATION OF BLIND CITIZENS INC
  • Who funds THE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY
  • Who funds LOWELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND INC
  • Who funds Paul Center for Learning & Recreation Inc
  • Who funds MASSACHUSETTS AUDUBON SOCIETY INC
  • Who funds OUR SPACE OUR PLACE INC
  • Who funds Learning Ally Inc
  • Who funds COMMUNITY ROWING INC
  • Who funds GUIDING EYES FOR THE BLIND INC
  • Who funds THE SEEING EYE INC
  • Who funds CHILDREN'S TRUST INC
  • Who funds CHILDRENS CENTER FOR COMMUNICATION INC BEVERLY SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
  • Who funds Hearts and Noses Hospital Clown Troupe Inc
  • Who funds ADAPTIVE SPORTS NEW ENGLAND INC

The grantmakers whose grantees overlap with yours far more than size alone predicts. Each orbits closer the stronger the alignment; the arcs between them show where they also fund each other. Here it reads as a tightly interlocked camp — most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Eastern Bank FoundationMA16.9× affinity6 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Eastern Bank Foundation · The Peabody Foundation Inc · The Gibney Family Foundation Inc · Cummings Foundation Grants Inc (Fka Oneworld Boston Inc) · Verizon Foundation · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. A research starting point: overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Government reliance of your grantees

Every dot is one organization Boston Center for Blind Children Inc funds. Left–right is the share of its income from government; up–down is the share from you. Bigger dots raise more. Filter to federal, a single department, or state — and drag the year to watch it move.

2024
202122232425
no gov · 30%1%5%11%20%your share of their income ↑0%15%30%45%60%share of the org’s income from governmentmedian 3%
  • Lowell Association for the Blind Inc49% of income from government
  • Perkins School for the Blind7% of income from government
  • Learning Ally Inc4% of income from government
  • Children's Trust Inc3% of income from government
  • The Carroll Center for the Blind Inc3% of income from government
  • Community Rowing Inc2% of income from government
  • The New England College of Optometry2% of income from government
  • Massachusetts Audubon Society Inc1% of income from government
  • Childrens Center for Communication Inc Beverly School for the Deaf0% of income from government
  • National Braille Press Inc0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
3get no government money at all
1report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–60%
typical government reliance, FY2025

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 your grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first — a floor, not 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 12–24 months.

05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Boston Center for Blind Children Inc?

Find your warmest path to Boston Center for Blind Children Inc through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

On method. Every financial figure here is read directly from IRS e-file XML — your own 990/990-PF and the multi-year returns of the 25 grantees we resolved across every year we hold, several hundred filings in all (a different count from the grant rows on the cover, which are one fiscal year)— each linked to its source. Grantee achievements and outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III); we read these as association with sustained funding — the foundation is one of several forces — suppress low-confidence name matches rather than guess, and say so where a figure rests on a single grant or filing. Not everything on this page is a filed figure, and the difference matters. Filed is what you reported on your 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. How we build these →

Generated from your IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

More from the funding graph