Kirchgessner Vision Foundation
Sherman Oaks, CA · EIN 68-0530356. Reported 134 grants totalling $3,286,015 to 57 recipients across tax years 2020-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Kirchgessner Vision Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $25,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $4,015 and $35,000; the smallest was $120 and the largest $123,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vision to Learn | Los Angeles, CA | $260,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| California Community Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | $245,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Venice Family Clinic | Venice, CA | $176,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Blind Children's Center | Los Angeles, CA | $175,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Marshall B Ketchum University | Fullerton, CA | $175,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Wayfinder Family Services | Los Angeles, CA | $175,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Western University of Health Sciences | Pomona, CA | $153,338 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| The UCLA Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Los Angeles City College Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | $145,574 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Braille Institute | Los Angeles, CA | $140,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Valley Community Healthcare | North Hollywood, CA | $140,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Beyond Blindness Formerly Known As Blind Children's Learning Center | Santa Ana, CA | $135,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Therapeutic Living Centers for the Blind | Reseda, CA | $135,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Guide Dogs of America | Sylmar, CA | $122,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Healing California | Alhambra, CA | $120,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Saban Community Clinic | Los Angeles, CA | $110,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Helen Keller International | New York, NY | $105,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Choc Foundation | Orange, CA | $92,847 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Children's Hospital Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $90,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Blind Children's Learning Centerbeyond Blindness | Santa Ana, CA | $80,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Artsupla | Los Angeles, CA | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Family Health Care Centers of Greater Los Angeles | Commerce, CA | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Children's Hospital of Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Cre Outreachartsup La | Los Angeles, CA | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| International Guiding Eyes Inc Dba Guide Dogs of America (gda) | Sylmar, CA | $28,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| St Jude Medical Center | Fullerton, CA | $24,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Unlimited Possibilities | Santa Ana, CA | $22,700 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Academy of Music for the Blind | Monrovia, CA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Jvs Socal | Los Angeles, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Southern California Conservatory of Music | West Hills, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Visitation School | Los Angeles, CA | $10,600 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Visitation Church | Osage, IA | $9,300 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The John Thomas Dye School | Los Angeles, CA | $7,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| St Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church | Orlando, FL | $6,285 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| St Margaret's Episcopal Church | Baton Rouge, LA | $4,300 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Stone Canyon Community Foundation | Tucson, AZ | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College Michele Rusinko Endowment Fund | Saint Peter, MN | $3,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Archer School for Girls | Los Angeles, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Gospel Rescue Mission | Tucson, AZ | $1,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Pasadena Community Orchestra | Pasadena, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Teen Challenge of Arizona | Tucson, AZ | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Conservation Fund | Arlington, VA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Visitation Church | Elmhurst, IL | $600 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Samaritan's Purse | Boone, NC | $550 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Exponent Philanthropy | Washington, DC | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Alzheimer's Association | Chicago, IL | $400 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St John's Seminary | Brighton, MA | $350 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| CASA Pacifica | Camarillo, CA | $300 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Feeding America | Chicago, IL | $300 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Women for Women International Global Support Center | Washington, DC | $300 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Tucson Museum of Art | Tucson, AZ | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Arizona Sonora Desert Museum | Tucson, AZ | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Principles of Success | Tarzana, CA | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Salvation Army | Hoffman Estates, IL | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| American Red Cross | Washington, DC | $151 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Gary Sinise Foundation | Nashville, TN | $150 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St Coletta of Wisconsin | Jefferson, WI | $120 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
33 of 57 (58%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 71%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- California Community Foundation
TO WORK WITH CCF TO SUPPORT VISION-RELATED PROJECTS IN THE GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA - Vision to Learn
TO CONTINUE A PILOT PROGRAM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES (CHLA), THAT WILL CONNECT CHILDREN SEEN INITIALLY BY VISION TO LEARN'S MOBILE OPTOMETRIC PROGRAM TO COMPREHENSIVE EYE CARE PROVIDED BY CHLA. WESTERN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY IS ANOTHER PARTNER. - Healing California
TO DIRECTLY SUPPORT ITS VISION CARE SERVICES IN LOS ANGELES, ORANGE, VENTURA, RIVERSIDE, AND/OR SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES IN 2023. - Beyond Blindness Formerly Known As Blind Children's Learning Center
TO EXPAND ITS LOW VISION CLINIC AND COMMUNITY-WIDE VISION SCREENINGS. - Guide Dogs of America
TOWARD THE TRAINING OF GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED - Marshall B Ketchum University
FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE UNIVERSITY'S PEDIATRIC LOW VISION PROGRAM, AND EXPAND THE SCOPE OF THE PROGRAM TO PROVIDE UNDERSERVED, PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH IN-PERSON COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS AND CARE, AS WELL AS THE LOW VISION DEVICES THEY NEED TO SUCCESSFULLY ENGAGE IN DAILY ACTIVITIES.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 79 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 28 | $600,590 | $20,000 |
| 2021 | 31 | $628,124 | $20,847 |
| 2022 | 28 | $764,851 | $26,500 |
| 2023 | 23 | $694,150 | $30,000 |
| 2024 | 24 | $598,300 | $25,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
96% of its giving went to organizations in California. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $25,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in California.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Kirchgessner Vision Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2020-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 14431 Ventura Blvd 266, Sherman Oaks, CA, 91423. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 68-0530356 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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