BRAILLE INSTITUTE OF AMERICA INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

BRAILLE INSTITUTE OF AMERICA INC

EIN 95-1641426 · Human Services (P860)

What they do

to Positively Transform The Lives of Those With Vision Loss. (See Schedule O)

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $71.80 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 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

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

They name their leaders29 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

25.73%of revenue went to mission work71.8% of expenses · Program services

4.98%of revenue went to fundraising13.9% of expenses

$35.86spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

5.15%of revenue went to management and office costs14.4% of expenses

$10.38in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

12.6%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 $469,113 for JAMES D KALES (CEO). 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 2024

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$83,635,133

Mission workProgram services$21,516,09825.73% of revenue71.8% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$4,304,5615.15% of revenue14.4% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$4,166,9124.98% of revenue13.9% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$53,647,56264.14% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$29,987,57135.86% 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

2024CurrentExpense mix: 71.8% mission · 14.4% management · 13.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 35.86% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 72.0% mission · 13.4% management · 14.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 74.08% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 73.2% mission · 12.4% management · 14.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 79.83% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 73.8% mission · 12.1% management · 14.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 56.66% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 73.8% mission · 11.2% management · 15.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 63.32% of revenue

2016Expense mix: 75.1% mission · 10.6% management · 14.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 68.90% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$83,635,133

Expenses$29,987,571

Annual surplus $53,647,562 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)$21,516,098 · 71.8% of expenses

Management and office costs$4,304,561 · 14.4% of expenses

Fundraising$4,166,912 · 13.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$83,635,133

Expenses$29,987,571

Assets$311,341,920

Income$227,494,033

Contributions$10,512,290

Mission work (program services)$21,516,098

Fundraising$4,166,912

Management and general$4,304,561

Stocks and bonds$280,843,194

Accounting fees$122,256

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

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

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

JAMES D KALESCEO · 38 hrs/week $469,113Base $426,599 · Other $42,514

DEBRA MARTINCFO · 38 hrs/week $373,889Base $350,104 · Other $23,785

ANTHONY TAKETASECRETARY · 38 hrs/week $275,342Base $250,835 · Other $24,507

SANDY SHINVP MARKETING & COMMUN. · 38 hrs/week $271,322Base $237,936 · Other $33,386

GARY JIMENEZVP DEVELOPMENT · 38 hrs/week $269,077Base $245,079 · Other $23,998

WILLIAM NELSONVP PEOPLE AND CULTURE · 38 hrs/week $264,950Base $238,048 · Other $26,902

LISA JIMENEZVP PROGRAM & SERV. · 38 hrs/week $231,048Base $212,103 · Other $18,945

MARIA VALDIVIAVP TECHNOLOGY · 38 hrs/week $224,340Base $203,187 · Other $21,153

DHAVAL SHAHDIRECTOR OF IT · 38 hrs/week $183,479Base $161,714 · Other $21,765

JAMIE AUNGCONTROLLER · 38 hrs/week $175,212Base $158,012 · Other $17,200

SERGIO OLIVA ALFAROVP PROGRAM & SERV. (THRU 1/24) · 38 hrs/week $148,499Base $147,244 · Other $1,255

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 (29)

JAMES D KALESCEO

DEBRA MARTINCFO

ANTHONY TAKETASECRETARY

SANDY SHINVP MARKETING & COMMUN.

GARY JIMENEZVP DEVELOPMENT

WILLIAM NELSONVP PEOPLE AND CULTURE

LISA JIMENEZVP PROGRAM & SERV.

MARIA VALDIVIAVP TECHNOLOGY

DHAVAL SHAHDIRECTOR OF IT

JAMIE AUNGCONTROLLER

SERGIO OLIVA ALFAROVP PROGRAM & SERV. (THRU 1/24)

RUSSEL HARDERDIRECTOR (AS OF 09/24)

WILLIAM J LINKDIRECTOR

ROBERTO MEDRANODIRECTOR (AS OF 06/25)

PERCY DURAN IIIDIRECTOR (THRU 07/24)

PATRICIA BRAMHALLDIRECTOR

MICHAEL C CORLEYDIRECTOR

MADHU AYYAGARIDIRECTOR

LINDA A LAMDIRECTOR

LESTER M SUSSMANDIRECTOR

JOHN G NUANESDIRECTOR

JEANNE OLENICOFFDIRECTOR

JAMES J RHODESCHAIRMAN

JAMES H JACKSONDIRECTOR

HARVEY STRODEDIRECTOR

GEORGE E THOMASDIRECTOR

EFFIE D SILVADIRECTOR (AS 05/25)

DONALD WHINFREYDIRECTOR

DIANE WILKINSONDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1963
Location: 741 N VERMONT AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90029-3514
County: Los Angeles
In care of: DEBRA MARTIN
Primary officer: DEBRA MARTIN, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(323) 663-1111

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: GRANT THORNTON ADVISORS LLC
NTEE classification: Human Services (P860)