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Project Orbis International Inc

EIN 23-7297651 · New York, NY

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair67 out of 100GovernanceStrong90 out of 100Impact evidenceReports resultsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

ORBIS BUILDS STRONG AND SUSTAINABLE EYE CARE SYSTEMS GLOBALLY THAT PUT TREATMENT AND PREVENTION WITHIN REACH

Income
$259.2 million
Spending
$255.6 million
Spent on programs
91%
Reserves
1 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 79%
Employees
74
Volunteers
190
Highest pay
$509,913, 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: 67 out of 100. Higher than 57% of charities in its peer group (international, over $100m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 1.0 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 14% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    12 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 1% of income.

  • Income trend

    10 of 15

    Income fell 0% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    91% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 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: 90 out of 100. Higher than 8% of charities in its peer group (international, over $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    17 of 18 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    0 of 10

    Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports 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

Reports results. Its tax return states measurable results. These are its own figures and nobody has checked them.

Results it reports

  • Supported over 2.1 million eye screenings.Work delivered
  • Supported over 35,000 eye surgeries.Work delivered
  • Conducted more than 38,000 trainings.Work delivered
  • Prescribed over 72,000 eyeglasses.Work delivered
  • In Ethiopia, 8,678,494 doses of azithromycin and tetracycline eye ointment were distributed.Work delivered
  • In Ethiopia, 17,768 trachomatous trichiasis surgeries were performed.Work delivered
  • Community outreach in Bangladesh's tea gardens screened 199,190 patients.Work delivered
  • In India, school-based referral systems led 85% of children to a vision center within four days.Change achieved
  • Surgical volume in India increased 164% over the prior year.Change achieved
  • Community-led efforts in Ghana reached over 30,000 individuals.Work delivered
  • Safeguarding practices were implemented across 40 facilities in Ethiopia.Work delivered

Read from the return by an AI model and shown only where the wording was found in the return. These are the charity's own figures.

Programs described in its return (1)
  1. $233.7 million spent. IN 2024, ORBIS INTERNATIONAL'S GLOBAL PROGRAMS WERE DEFINED BY THREE INTERCONNECTED FORCES: EMPOWERMENT, OPPORTUNITY, AND TRANSFORMATION. ACROSS 11 COUNTRIES: BANGLADESH, BOLIVIA, CHINA, ETHIOPIA, GHANA, INDIA, MONGOLIA, PERU, SOUTH AFRICA, VIETNAM, AND ZAMBIA. ORBIS CONTINUED TO IMPLEMENT COMPREHENSIVE EYE CARE INITIATIVES IN COLLABORATION WITH HUNDREDS OF STRATEGIC PARTNERS. WITH A TOTAL OF 54 ACTIVE PROJECTS, OUR WORK SPANNED EYE SCREENINGS, EXAMINATIONS, TREATMENT, TRAINING OF HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, AND AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS SUPPORTED BY 352 PARTNERS. BY THE END OF 2024, ORBIS SUPPORTED OVER 2.1 MILLION EYE SCREENINGS, SUPPORTED OVER 35,000 EYE SURGERIES, CONDUCTED MORE THAN 38,000 TRAININGS, PRESCRIBED OVER 72,000 EYEGLASSES, AND ENABLED OVER HALF A MILLION PATIENT VISITS TO HEALTH FACILITIES. IN ETHIOPIA, 8,678,494 DOSES OF AZITHROMYCIN AND TETRACYCLINE EYE OINTMENT WERE DISTRIBUTED AND 17,768 TRACHOMATOUS TRICHIASIS (TT) SURGERIES PERFORMED TOWARD THE NATIONAL GOAL OF TRACHOMA ELIMINATION. EMPOWERMENT TOOK ROOT IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES, WHERE INDIVIDUALS WERE TRAINED AND TRUSTED TO LEAD. LOCALLY LED COMMUNITY BASED OUTREACH, IN BANGLADESH'S TEA GARDENS, HELPED ORBIS SCREEN 199,190 PATIENTS. WITH SUPPORT FROM THE COMMUNITY, SEVERAL EYE CARE WORKERS, INCLUDING A VISUALLY IMPAIRED FEMALE COMMUNITY EYE CARE WORKER WERE TRAINED CONTINUING OUTREACH BEYOND PROJECT TIMELINES. IN INDIA, GOVERNMENT OPTOMETRISTS WERE TRAINED TO BECOME KEY PROVIDERS IN PEDIATRIC EYE CARE, CREATING SCHOOL-BASED REFERRAL SYSTEMS THAT LED 85% OF CHILDREN TO A VISION CENTER WITHIN FOUR DAYS. THE INCREASE IN SCREENINGS AND REFERRALS LED TO AN INCREASE IN SURGICAL VOLUME OF 164% OVER THE PRIOR YEAR. ORBIS' COMMUNITY-LED EFFORTS IN GHANA SUPPORTING COMMUNITY CURSES AS WELL AS SCHOOL HEALTH COORDINATORS TO INCORPORATE VISION SCREENING INTO ROUTINE HEALTH CHECKS, REACHED OVER 30,000 INDIVIDUALS. TRANSFORMATION WAS EVIDENT ACROSS REGIONS. IN ZAMBIA, A NATIONWIDE CATARACT SURGICAL RATE ASSESSMENT GUIDED LONG-TERM HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING, WHILE BICYCLES ENABLED FRONTLINE WORKERS TO REACH REMOTE PATIENTS. IN SOUTH AFRICA AND VIETNAM, CYBERSIGHT AI INTEGRATION INTO DIABETIC RETINOPATHY SCREENING DRAMATICALLY REDUCED WAIT TIMES AND EMPOWERED NEWLY TRAINED SCREENERS. IN ETHIOP[IA, A SAFEGUARDING TRAINING OF TRAINERS INITIATIVE EMPOWERED LEADERS TO IMPLEMENT PRACTICES ACROSS 40 FACILITIES. IN MONGOLIA, ORBIS SUPPORTED THE FIRST EVER CLINIC IN A HOPITAL IN AN INFOMAL HOUSING AREA (GER DISTRICT), BRINGING ACCESSIBLE SERVICES TO OVER 166,000 UNDERSERVED RESIDENTS. CHINA SAW RENEWED COLOBORATION THROUGH THE FIRST IN PERSON COORDINATION MEETING SINCE THE PANDEMIC, AND WECHAT BASED TOOLS MADE DIGITAL TRAINING MORE ACCESIBLE TO CLINICIANS. IN PERU, A NEW VISION CENTED BECAME THE COUNTRY'S FIRST TO OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY AND SUSTAINABLY. CYBERSIGHT REMAINED PIVOTAL IN 2024, CONNECTING OVER 100,000 PROFESSIONALS TO EDUCATION AND EXPERT SUPPORT. THE PLATFORM EXPANDED AI-BASED SCREENINGS, HOSTED WEBINARS, AND DEEPENED IMPACT ACROSS HOSPITALS AND CLINICS GLOBALLY. THE FLYING EYE HOSPITAL (FEH) CONTINUED TO DRIVE INNOVATION. THE INTRODUCTION OF PHACO VR SIMULATION TRAINING NOT ONLY MARKED AN ADVANCEMENT FROM PREVIOUS FEH PROGRAMS BUT ALSO SET THE STAGE FOR IMPROVED TRAINING STANDARDS. THE FEH TEAM ALSO EMPOWERED LOCAL INSTRUCTORS TO LEAD ONGOING TRAINING BEYOND THE PLANE, THROUGH STRUCTURED TRAINING OF TRAINERS (TOT) AND CO-LED FACULTY DEVELOPMENT, ENSURING THE CONTINUITY AND SCALABILITY OF HIGH-QUALITY OPHTHALMIC EDUCATION.

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since May 1973.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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.