MIAMI LIGHTHOUSE FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

MIAMI LIGHTHOUSE FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED INC

EIN 59-0637847 · Human Services (P860)

What they do

MIAMI LIGHTHOUSE THROUGH EDUCATION, TRAINING, RESEARCH, VISION ENHANCEMENT and AS A CENTER for LEARNING PROVIDES HOPE, CONFIDENCE, and INDEPENDENCE for PEOPLE of ALL AGES. for NEARLY A CENTURY, MIAMI LIGHTHOUSE for THE BLIND HAS BEEN WORKING to BUILD A MORE INCLUSIVE SOCIETY for THE BLIND and VISUALLY IMPAIRED. OUR INNOVATIVE PROGRAMMING REMOVES BARRIERS to EDUCATION, JOBS and CRITICAL EYE CARE. NO ONES POTENTIAL SHOULD BE DEFINED BY ABILITY, AGE, ZIP CODE, INCOME, RACE or ETHNICITY. OUR PROGRAM OFFERINGS REFLECT THE DIVERSITY of THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE and THEIR UNIQUE NEEDS WHILE REINFORCING OUR MOTTO THAT "ITS POSSIBLE to SEE WITHOUT SIGHTTM". THROUGH OUR STATEWIDE FLORIDA HEIKEN CHILDRENS VISION PROGRAM, WE ENSURE TITLE I STUDENTS and UNDERSERVED SCHOOLCHILDREN CAN ACCESS THE EYE CARE THEY NEED to SUCCEED IN THE CLASSROOM and LATER IN THE WORKFORCE. MIAMI LIGHTHOUSE for THE BLIND and VISUALLY IMPAIRED CONSISTENTLY DEMONSTRATES IT is WORTHY of DONORS PHILANTHROPIC INVESTMENTS.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $84.00 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2025The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders30 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

79.06%of revenue went to mission work84.0% of expenses · Program services

6.47%of revenue went to fundraising6.9% of expenses

$94.07spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

8.54%of revenue went to management and office costs9.1% of expenses

$5.10in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

84.0%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $361,768 for VIRGINIA JACKO (PRESIDENT/CE). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2025

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$14,794,015

Mission workProgram services$11,695,49279.06% of revenue84.0% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,264,0068.54% of revenue9.1% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$956,9646.47% of revenue6.9% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$877,5535.93% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$13,916,46294.07% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2025CurrentExpense mix: 84.0% mission · 9.1% management · 6.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.07% of revenue

2024Expense mix: 84.0% mission · 8.4% management · 7.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.17% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 84.1% mission · 9.3% management · 6.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 70.36% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 85.3% mission · 8.0% management · 6.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 106.68% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 85.8% mission · 6.9% management · 7.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 51.83% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 86.6% mission · 7.1% management · 6.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 53.55% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 85.9% mission · 8.6% management · 5.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 62.19% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 85.2% mission · 8.2% management · 6.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 55.26% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$14,794,015

Expenses$13,916,462

Annual surplus $877,553 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$11,695,492 · 84.0% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,264,006 · 9.1% of expenses

Fundraising$956,964 · 6.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$14,794,015

Expenses$13,916,462

Assets$71,015,305

Income$14,794,015

Contributions$12,426,890

Mission work (program services)$11,695,492

Fundraising$956,964

Management and general$1,264,006

Executive compensation (total)$1,291,972

Stocks and bonds$40,028,052

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2025

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

VIRGINIA JACKOPRESIDENT/CE · 38 hrs/week $361,768Base $330,768 · Other $31,000

RICHARD FERNANDEZCFO · 38 hrs/week $185,202Base $174,719 · Other $10,483

CAROL BRADY SIMMONSCPO · 38 hrs/week $174,039Base $152,666 · Other $21,373

CAMERON SISSERVICE PRESIDE · 38 hrs/week $173,408Base $153,212 · Other $20,196

JOSE J RIOPEDRE CUEVASSENIOR DIREC · 40 hrs/week $157,298Base $136,781 · Other $20,517

MARA GONZALEZDIR. OF MLH · 40 hrs/week $112,386

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (30)

VIRGINIA JACKOPRESIDENT/CE

RICHARD FERNANDEZCFO

CAROL BRADY SIMMONSCPO

CAMERON SISSERVICE PRESIDE

JOSE J RIOPEDRE CUEVASSENIOR DIREC

MARA GONZALEZDIR. OF MLH

LOUIS NOSTRO ESQSECRETARY

ALI MANDSAURWALADIRECTOR

THOMAS E JOHNSONDIRECTOR

STEVE SOLOMONCHAIRMAN

STEPHEN A MORRIS ODDIRECTOR

STACEY W JONES PIDCOMMITTEE CH

SCOTT J RICHEYDIRECTOR

RODRICK T MILLERDIRECTOR

ROBIN SHELLYDIRECTOR

ANGELA WHITMANDIRECTOR

RALPH NIEBLESDIRECTOR

MAURICIO VILASUSODIRECTOR

ANNE E HELLIWELLASSISTANT TR

LAURA LAGOMASINO-SABODIRECTOR

ALAN P LEVITTDIRECTOR

JOSE ABRANTEASSISTANT SE

JILL GRANATCOMMITTEE CH

JEAN PUTMANDIRECTOR

FABIENNE CADET-LABORDECOMMITTE CHA

DEBORAH A MONTILLADIRECTOR

DAVID HARRISONTREASURER

CRAIG MCKEOWNDIRECTOR

CHARLES J NIELSONIMMEDIATE PA

CATERINA SASTRIDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1949
Location: 601 SW 8TH AVE, MIAMI, FL 33130-3209
County: Miami-Dade
In care of: VIRGINIA JACKO
Primary officer: VIRGINIA JACKO, PRESIDENT/CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailcsisser@miamilighthouse.org Phone(305) 856-2288

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2025
Tax period began: January 1, 2025
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: GARCIA SANTA MARIA DE ARMAS TRUJILLO
NTEE classification: Human Services (P860)
IRS tax category: Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities