PLATINUM2023

VISION TO LEARN

Focus on the Future

Los Angeles, CA   |  www.visiontolearn.org

Mission

Vision To Learn provides students the glasses they need to succeed in school and in life. Our mobile vision clinics help to provide vision screenings, eye exams, and glasses directly to underserved children at schools and communities, free of charge.

Notes from the nonprofit

In November of 2022, Vision To Learn was selected for the Kristof Holiday Impact Prize, an annual award given to three non-profits selected by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. We couldn't have said it better than Mr. Kristof did in his column: "Vision To Learn is making sure that access to a pair of glasses never stands between children and their ability to see the board, read as book, or participate in class. It is such a cost-effective yet powerful way to improve a child's learning experience and make sure they do not fall behind. Vision To Learn helps some of hardest-to-reach children and your donations will mean more students receiving the eye care and glasses they need to learn and live clearly."

Ruling year info

2012

President

Ms. Ann Hollister

Main address

12100 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 1275

Los Angeles, CA 90025 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

45-3457853

NTEE code info

Primary/Elementary Schools (B24)

Ambulatory Health Center, Community Clinic (E32)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

A staggering two million children in America need glasses and cannot access them because of inequities driven by race, immigration/language status, rural isolation, and poverty. One in four kids naturally needs glasses yet, in underserved communities, 95% of kids who need glasses do not have them. Students with uncorrected vision problems often avoid reading, suffer headaches, and have trouble focusing in class, as 80% of learning during a child’s first 12 years is visual. Students with uncorrected vision problems are more likely to fail at least one grade, less likely to read at grade level by third grade – a milestone critical to preventing dropout – and more likely to engage in antisocial and delinquent behavior. In fact, up to 70% of juvenile offenders have uncorrected vision issues.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Free Vision Screenings, Eye Exams, and New Prescription Glasses for Children

Vision To Learn solves a problem affecting as many as 2 million children nationwide who lack the glasses they need to see the board, read a book, study math or participate in class. Children in underserved communities and children of color are disproportionately affected. The problem is one of access as most of the children, for a host of reasons, do not get to an eye doctor. Vision To Learn solves this problem by bringing mobile vision clinics directly to the children at schools and community organizations, and providing vision screenings, eye exams, and new prescription glasses, free of charge.

Since our founding in 2012, Vision To Learn has helped provide more than 1.5 million children with vision screenings, 325,000 with eye exams, and 260,000 with glasses in more than 500 underserved communities across the country. VTL currently operates in 13 states: CA, CT, DE, GA, HI, IA, MD, MI, NJ, NC, OH, PA, SC and the District of Colombia.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Where we work

Awards

The Pacesetter Award 2014

The Campaign For Grade- Level Reading

Resolution 222 - Recognizing VTL as a national leader in providing childen with prescription glasses 2019

United States Congress

Annual Kristof Holiday Prize 2022

Annual Kristoff Holiday Prize

Number of children who received prescription eyeglasses

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Related Program

Free Vision Screenings, Eye Exams, and New Prescription Glasses for Children

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

All children prescribed glasses by Vision To Learn receive a free , brand new pair of prescription glasses. They choose their own frame. Lost or broken glasses are replaced - free - within one year.

Number of children provided an eye exam.

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth

Related Program

Free Vision Screenings, Eye Exams, and New Prescription Glasses for Children

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Vision To Learn provides non-dilated eye exams to every student who fails a vision screening at targeted low-income schools. *3/2020: operations suspended due to the COVID, and resumed 8/2020

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Vision To Learn has developed a low-cost model to equip children in underserved communities with vision care. Our goal is to ensure that every child in America has the glasses they need to succeed in school and in life.

*Serve children in underserved communities throughout the nation.
*Continue to provide access to basic vision care and deliver consistent high-quality vision services.
*Ensure program remains cost effective.
*Continue to support independent research on the impact of Vision To Learn.
*Build additional partnerships so that Vision To Learn reaches as many children as possible.

In our nearly ten years of operation, Vision To Learn (VTL) has grown from a single clinic in Los Angeles to a nationwide organization with 31 clinics operating in 13 states plus the District of Columbia. Along the way, we have developed key capabilities, which we highlight below.
• Proven Service Model – VTL has established a scalable, low cost, high-quality service delivery model.
• Extensive Community Based and Local Philanthropic Relationships – To achieve our rapid growth, VTL has stewarded partnerships with school districts nationwide, major sports organizations, medical partnerships, Rotary Clubs, Boys and Girls Clubs, local funders and champions, and coalitions of private and public funders.
• Measurement - Vision To Learn tracks vision screenings, eye exams, glasses dispensed, and vision correction in a secure, cloud-based Electronic Medical Records (EMR) database, updated in real-time by optometric staff in our mobile clinics. We use this data to support reporting requirements to our funders and internally against geographic goals for the number of exams and glasses provided across all our clinics operating in the region.
• Evidence of Impact – Two rigorous independent studies have validated the impact of our work.

UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital Study found that children helped by VTL can expect to receive the following benefits:
• Improved Access to Care: 92% of teachers and 90% of parents surveyed felt their students would not have received glasses without Vision To Learn.
• Prevention of Blindness: Students with more serious eye conditions like amblyopia and strabismus were referred to follow-up care, reducing their future risk of permanent blindness.
• Academic Improvement: Students receiving glasses from Vision To Learn showed improvements in math and reading GPAs in the year following the intervention.
• Higher Self Esteem: Group screening and exams reduced the stigma traditionally associated with wearing glasses for students and encouraged children to wear and protect their glasses.

Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University Study
Students with glasses made higher gains in reading and math, at levels exceeding the gains of other common educational interventions like charter schools, extended school days, or one-on-one technology. In fact, on average, students made additional gains on the level that would be expected from adding an additional two to four months of class time. For students previously scoring in the lowest quadrant of test scores, and those taking Special Education classes, the gains were even larger – comparable to adding four to six months of additional class time.

Since our founding in 2012, Vision To Learn (VTL) has helped provide more than 1.5 million children with vision screenings, 328,000 with eye exams, and 262,000 with glasses in more than 500 underserved communities across the country. VTL currently operates in 13 states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina), and the District of Colombia.
VTL has received national recognition for our work helping children in underserved communities. In 2013, VTL received the "State Gold Award" from the California Teachers Association. VTL was recognized by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics by President Barack Obama, named one of the Initiative's 2015 "Bright Spots In Hispanic Education." In addition, VTL was called a "Pacesetter Program" by Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, reflecting VTL's commitment to improving academic achievement and a child's life prospects. In 2019, Senator Chris Coons (D-CT) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) presented bi-partisan Senate Resolution 222, co-signed by 43 U.S. Senators, recognizing VTL's contributions. Additionally, The Washington Post, PBS, NBC Nightly News, and ESPN have all spotlighted our critical role in supporting children's health and education.

What’s next? Currently, we have an urgent plan to provide children in need with vision services so that they can recover from learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, we believe that Vision To Learn has the opportunity and the potential to serve the majority of the two million children who need glasses and cannot access them today.

Financials

VISION TO LEARN
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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VISION TO LEARN

Board of directors
as of 02/02/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Mr. Austin Beutner

Founder and Chair - Vision To Learn

Term: 2012 -


Board co-chair

Mr. Mickey Kantor

Co-Chair - Vision To Learn; Partner, Mayer Brown

Term: 2015 -

Austin Beutner

Founder, Vision To Learn

Mickey Kantor

Partner, Mayer Brown

Virgina Beutner

Co-Founder, Vision To Learn

Cynthia Watts

Vice Chair, Vision To Learn; Partner, Blue Waters Research

Dr. Glenville March

Former President and CEO of March Vision Care

Steve Shafran

Senior Advisor, Centerbridge Partners

Renee McColl

Co-Founder, Vision To Learn, Charlotte

Denita Willoughby

CEO of The Willoughby Group

Jake Weinbaum

Founder and CEO, Brighter.com

Dan Rabinow

Co-Head, Creative Artists Agency Motion Picture Literary Department

Laphonza Butler

President, EMILY's List

Dr. Thomas Lee

Director, Vision Center, Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Ann Hollister

President, Vision To Learn; Ex-Officio Board Member

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 2/2/2023

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data