irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $974KThe Eye-Banks Ocular Tissue Research Program supplies donor eye tissue to medical scientists researching cures and treatment of eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma and diseases of the retina. The Eye-Bank also provides adult human Retina Pigment Epithelial (ah-RPE) cells to a growing number of researchers across the country who are conducting studies on the potential for transplanting RPE cells in the future. In 2024, The Ocular Tissue Research Program expanded its ability to fulfill requests for even more specific types of tissue for customized research. The Eye-Bank also hosted a third annual reception at the 2024 meeting of ARVO (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) which enabled us to meet in-person with researchers currently using our donor tissue and cultivate new opportunities for our Research Program to collaborate. In August, 2024, The Eye-Bank hosted its 7th Wing Chu, MD Cornea Fellow Day which provides a didactic session about eye banking and a wet lab for a DMEK surgical procedure to a group of cornea fellows in attendance. Throughout the year, The Eye-Bank routinely invites groups of ophthalmology residents from area hospital systems, to visit and tour the Ocular Laboratory which gives them an awareness of how quality tissue is provided for surgeries. Also in August, The Eye-Bank was inspected by the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) and achieved a three-year Accreditation Certificate, the highest ranking offered by the Association. EBAA Accreditation ensures safe, quality ocular tissue by confirming that its Medical Standards are consistently followed by all eye bank staff.
- #2 $760KThe Eye-Banks Public Education Program offers resources and materials about eye donation to the general public including brochures and a newsletter, eye-to-eye, which is circulated to more than 15,000 transplant recipients, friends and supporters of The Eye-Bank and an effective website that also offers valuable information in Spanish as well as English about eye donation and cornea transplantation; how to write to your donor family; and how to enroll in the NYS Donate Life Registry. In addition, The Eye-Bank increased its presence on social media platforms with videos featuring transplant recipients as well as cornea surgeons and dedicated staff members which help to inform the public about the importance of eye donation.
named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Marketing Program
Runs a multimedia campaign across TV, radio, print, and digital platforms to promote enrollment in the NYS Donate Life Registry.
Ocular Tissue Research Program
Supplies donor eye tissue and adult human Retina Pigment Epithelial (ah-RPE) cells to researchers studying cures for cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal diseases.
Public Education Program
Provides educational materials, a newsletter (eye-to-eye), and multilingual website content to inform the public about eye donation and cornea transplantation.
Wing Chu, MD Cornea Fellow Day
Annual event offering didactic sessions and wet lab training on DMEK surgical procedures for cornea fellows.
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Vision Research Funding 2 activities
- Supply ocular tissue for medical research and disease studiesProvides donor ocular tissue, including unsuitable transplant tissue and specialized cells such as adult human Retina Pigment Epithelial (ah-RPE) cells, to support research on blinding diseases including cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinal diseases, and neurodegenerative and metabolic conditions. In 2023, distributed 190 donor tissues to researchers, a 121% increase from 2022, and expanded capacity to provide more specific tissue types for customized research purposes.
- Support research to fight blindness through funding and tissue provisionFunds and advances research into cataracts, glaucoma, retinal diseases, and future RPE cell transplantation through legacy gifts and direct tissue provision. The Patricia Dahl Ocular Tissue Research Program supplies customized control and diseased ocular tissues to support studies in ocular, neurodegenerative, and metabolic conditions.
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Healthcare Education Scholarships and Fellowships 1 activity
- Award scholarships for education and public awareness in eye donationProvides an annual $3,000 scholarship to high school seniors and college students who engage in public education and awareness efforts about eye donation, as well as to students pursuing STEM fields.
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Public Awareness and Educational Outreach 1 activity
- Conduct public education and outreach on eye donationOperates a Speakers’ Bureau and conducts public outreach at schools, health fairs, and community events to educate the public about eye donation. Runs a multimedia advertising campaign in the New York metropolitan area in English and Spanish, and has historically distributed educational content through channels such as Eastern Airlines seat pockets to promote enrollment in the Donate Life Registry.
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Organizational Newsletter Production and Distribution 1 activity
- Distribute educational materials to promote eye donation awarenessProduces and distributes the newsletter 'eye-to-eye' to over 15,000 recipients and maintains a bilingual website with information on eye donation, cornea transplantation, donor communication, and registry enrollment.
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Medical Professional Education & Training 1 activity
- Provide professional education and training for ophthalmic professionalsOffers didactic instruction and hands-on surgical training for cornea fellows, including on DMEK procedures, and provides regular laboratory tours for ophthalmology residents. Also delivers professional education programs to healthcare providers on eye donation and collaborates with researchers on study design, grant writing, and manuscript development.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Provide donor ocular tissue for corneal transplants and ophthalmic surgeriesRecovers, processes, and distributes donor corneal tissue for transplantation and a range of ophthalmic surgical procedures, including penetrating keratoplasty, endothelial keratoplasty, anterior lamellar keratoplasty, limbal stem cell transplants, orbital reconstruction, and glaucoma implants. The organization operates a 24/7 ocular laboratory to ensure tissue availability for emergency transplants within 24 hours and distributes most donor tissue within three to four days of recovery.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$13.58M
Contributions & grants$639K5%
Program service revenue$5.64M42%
Investment income$7.35M54%
Other revenue$-40K
expenses
Total expenses$10.44M
Program expenses80%
Admin / overhead12%
Fundraising8%
Salaries & benefits$5.80M
Grants paid out$13K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$89.17M
Cash$892K
Investments$78.15M
Liabilities$2.45M
Net assets$86.72M
Liquid reserves90.9 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +16.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 6
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patricia Dahl | CEO/Exec. Dir. | 40 | $376K |
| Edwin Roberts | Associate Director | 40 | $246K |
| Karen Bardavid | Dir of Development | 40 | $234K |
| Hortense Kendall | Laboratory Manager | 40 | $209K |
| Noel Mick Moschetta | Dir Communications | 40 | $199K |
| Dana Arifi | Dir Fin & Admin | 40 | $178K |
board members · 19
- Andrea Nordquist — Director
- Audrey MacIsaac — Secretary
- Courtney DiTullio — Director
- David R Adler — Treasurer
- Dennis R Tarzian — President
- Giovanni F DiCenso — Director
- Jaclyn D Newman — Director
- Jeanne McCooey — Director
- Joan Larson — Director
- Joseph J D'Ambrosio — Director
- Joseph J Shaheen — Director
- Kieran Powell — Director
- Leo J Corbett — Director
- Manish Krishnan — Director
- Michael Zambrelli — Director
- Michele A Masucci — Director
- Paul Kayaian — Director
- Rachel A Heisler — Director
- Rachel Miller — Director
relationships · 28
Who they work with
- ARVO (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) Partner — Hosts annual receptions at ARVO meetings to engage with vision and ophthalmology researchers and foster collaboration.
- Department of Motor Vehicles Government — Collaborates with the DMV to promote eye, organ, and tissue donor registration among New Yorkers.
- Donate Life Partner — Partner organization through which individuals can register as eye, organ, and tissue donors via a referral link provided by The Eye-Bank.
- EBAA Government — Accredited by the Eye & Tissue Bank Association of America (EBAA).
- EBAA Government — Accrediting body for The Eye-Bank, indicating compliance with standards in eye banking.
- Eastern Airlines Partner — Distributed Reader’s Digest articles about eye donation in seat pockets on all flights for one year.
- Eye Bank Association of America Government — Accredits The Eye-Bank through inspection and awards a three-year accreditation certificate, the highest level offered.
- Eye Bank Association of America Government — Provides accreditation standards for The Eye-Bank's operations.
- Eye Bank Association of America Network — Founding and accredited member of the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA).
- Facebook Network — Member organization using Facebook for fundraising and outreach.
- Facebook Partner — Presence on Facebook for outreach and engagement.
- Instagram Network — Member organization using Instagram for fundraising and outreach.
- J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency Partner — Created the first public educational brochure on eye donation titled “A Gift Like the Gifts of God.”
- JustGiving Partner — Platform partner for peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns.
- LinkedIn Network — Member organization using LinkedIn for professional engagement.
- Medical Advisory Board Partner — 24-member board of physicians and surgeons who advise on medical issues related to corneal transplantation and eye disease.
- Milbank Foundation Funder — Provided $25,000 in start-up funding for The Eye-Bank.
- New York State Donate Life Registry Government — Partners with the registry to facilitate donor enrollment and promote eye donation among New Yorkers.
- New York State Donate Life Registry Partner — Collaborates with the registry to enroll donors through the New York State donor registration system.
- New York State Health Department Government — Licensed by the New York State Health Department.
- New York State Health Department Government — Regulatory oversight of The Eye-Bank's on-site ocular tissue laboratory.
- Patricia Dahl Ocular Tissue Research Program Partner — Research program operated by The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration that supplies donor eye tissue for scientific studies.
- Reader’s Digest Partner — Published a widely distributed article on eye donation in 1945 that significantly increased public awareness.
- Rob Hankins Partner — Major and Planned Gift Specialist facilitating legacy gift planning for The Eye-Bank
- The New York Times Magazine Partner — Published the first major story on The Eye-Bank’s mission in February 1945.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration Government — Registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration Government — Regulatory oversight of The Eye-Bank's on-site ocular tissue laboratory.
- X Network — Member organization using X (formerly Twitter) for outreach.
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Posthumous Tissue Donation to Cure Blindnessmethodology: tissue_donation_for_transplantBy recovering and transplanting donated ocular tissue after death, sight is restored for recipients and blindness is cured, because the donated corneas directly replace damaged tissue essential for vision.
- Research-Driven Tissue Utilizationmethodology: tissue_utilization_optimizationBy directing medically unsuitable corneal tissue to research and education, the organization advances ocular science and systemic disease understanding, because even non-transplantable tissue provides high-value biological material for discovery and training.
- Story-Based Outreach to Increase Donation Uptakemethodology: story_based_outreachBy sharing personal narratives from donor families and transplant recipients, the organization increases public willingness to register as donors, because emotional storytelling fosters empathy and demystifies the donation process.