Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation's (CEIF) Mission is to preserve and improve sight. CEIF provides access to eye care services for the most vulnerable and the underserved in the region. It also advances the education of eye care professionals, it educates the public about vision-related issues, and it funds eye-related research. CEIF has found that the most effective and efficient way to achieve its mission and goals is through the sharing of resources, the exchange of information, and the forging of collaborative partnerships with other community groups, agencies and like-minded individuals. CEIF has come to realize that it takes a community-wide effort to ensure that all individuals living in Greater Cincinnati have access to the eye care they need. This philosophy has led to CEIF's opening free clinics in partnership with other providers in neighborhoods of high poverty and high unemployment.
- Income
- $959,816
- Spending
- $942,445
- Spent on programs
- 87%
- Reserves
- -1.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 97%
- Employees
- 5
- Volunteers
- 10
- Highest pay
- $185,120, president & ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 62 out of 100. Higher than 19% of charities in its peer group (medical research, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 13% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 58% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1587% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 91 out of 100. Higher than 76% of charities in its peer group (medical research, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2510 of 10 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $762,694 spent. The CEI Foundation's Vision Clinics located in the neighborhoods of Covington, Florence,Newport,Price Hill, and College Hill/North College Hill provide free and or reduced cost comprehensive dilated eye exams by ophthalmologists and optometrists. These clinics serve the poor and uninsured population of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The household income of patients seen at all CEIF Clinics are at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. These Clinics provide patients with comprehensive, dilated eye exams, tests for eye disease, assistance with pharmaceutical indigent care applications for free or reduced price medications and vouchers for free prescription eye glasses including lenses and frames. CEIF Vision Clinics continue to be the only free or reduced cost resource for adult and children in the region.
- The Richard Kerstine Vision Outreach Program provides free preventive eye screenings and lectures on maintaining eye health and eye disease throughout the Greater Cincinnati community. The Vision Outreach Program targets all adults aged 60+ and adult African Americans and Latinos because of their higher prevalence rates of eye disease due to diabetes and other diseases. The Program works directly with local nonprofit agencies, community centers, senior center, churches, and retirement communities to provide onsite screening and lectures on preventing and treating eye disease. Follow-up services are provided to participants needing additional testing or care, including assistance in obtaining medical appointments with local eye care providers, or through charitable agencies including The CEI Foundation's Vision Clinics.
- $49,870 spent. The Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation (CEIF) continues to support the education of eye care professionals in the region through continuing education programs for Doctors of Optometry, through promotion of professional certification of Ophthalmology technicians, and CEIF's continued supports Ophthalmology Residents in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine. The hope is that once their residency is complete, these residents will remain in the Greater Cincinnati area to practice.In 2013, CEIF joined with the OneSight Foundation, the Cincinnati Public School System, the Cincinnati Health Department and the Ohio Optometric Association to establish the OneSight Eye Clinic at Oyler School in the lower Price Hill area of Cincinnati. The CEI Foundation provided the design and business model for the Clinic which became the country's first, financially self-sustaining eye clinic within a school based health center.
- $5,304 spent. The Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation (CEIF) supports ophthalmology research through our IGNITE grants. These grants are designed to provide early-stage seed funding for research projects that point the way to new treatments and possible cures for eye disease.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since September 2006.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.