The Vision Sciences Society INC FY2021 filing

Tax-deductible

Novato, CA501(c)(3)Since 2003Science & TechnologyEIN 13-4244237Revenue $430K in FY2021

On file with the IRSvisionsciences.org19 Richardson Rd, 94949-6171 · Novato, CATax-exempt since Mar 2004Publicly supported charity — 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

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The Vision Sciences Society, INC. (vss) is committed to progress in understanding Vision, and its relation to cognition, action and the brain. Our primary goal is to host a yearly meeting where both new and established investigators from diverse disciplines and scientific perspectives present and discuss their work in a relaxed informal setting. Our interdisciplinary nature is reflected by the board of directors and abstract review committee.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
74¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$25K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2021 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
3 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $5K a year · under 1% of revenue · last 6 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 3 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
74%
of spending
Fine: 74% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$25K
to officers and key staff · 6% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 6% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
16 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 15.8 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $20K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$46K
9% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 9% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
8
of 9 voting members
Looks good: 8 of 9 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$430K
-1% vs prior year
Spent
$398K
To programs
74%
Net assets
$489K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$430K
FY2021▼ -1%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$436K
FY2021$430K
FY2022$868K
FY2023$1.0M
FY2024$1.0M
FY2025$1.0M
Expenses
$398K
FY2021▲ +2%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$390K
FY2021$398K
FY2022$912K
FY2023$957K
FY2024$1.1M
FY2025$1.1M
Net assets
$489K
FY2021▲ +7%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$457K
FY2021$489K
FY2022$445K
FY2023$496K
FY2024$439K
FY2025$384K

From the FY2021 Form 990 (year ending September 2021) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2021 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Mar 2004.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

74 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 74% · $294K Management & general 26% · $105K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

12 people listed on the 990; $25K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2020); the FY2021 filing did not itemize Part VII
Executive Director
$15,000Pt VII · Sec A
Director (resigned 5/31/21)
$10,000Pt VII · Sec A
Director (resigned 5/31)
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
President-Elect
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Geoffrey Boynton’s $10K as Director (until 5/31/25) is at the 1st percentile of top reported officer pay among 363 $1–10M science & technology nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 3 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Shauney Wilson$6,250$6,725$6,650$17,000$15,000$5,085
Geoffrey Boynton$10,000—————
David Brainard————$10,000—

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo

Programs and updates

Hosts an annual meeting to discuss vision, cognition, action, and the brain.

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $294K · in their own filed words · FY2020
01

The main PURPOSE/SERVICE of the society is to hold an annual meeting that brings together in one forum scientists from the broad range of disciplines that contribute to vision science, including visual psychophysics, neuroscience, computational vision and cognitive psychology.

$294Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2022
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$20K
Grants paid · 15 grants · $280K · 2019–2024
Unitemized GrantFY2024$68,500
Unitemized GrantFY2024$6,000
Unitemized GrantFY2024$4,000
Unitemized GrantFY2023$54,600
Unitemized GrantFY2023$9,000
Unitemized GrantFY2023$6,000
Unitemized GrantFY2023$500
Unitemized GrantFY2022$53,500
Unitemized GrantFY2022$6,000
Unitemized GrantFY2022$500
Unitemized GrantFY2021$49,700
Rutgers the State UniversityNJ · FY2021$10,000
Unitemized GrantFY2021$4,000
Unitemized GrantFY2021$1,400
Unitemized GrantFY2019$6,000

By the numbers

The FY2021 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$430K
Ln 12
Fees for servicesLn 2g$390K
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$41K
Investment incomeLn 3$38
Money outPt IX
$398K
Ln 25
Programscol B$294K
Managementcol C$105K
Owns and owesPt X
$489K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$523K
Total assetsLn 16$535K
LiabilitiesLn 26$46K
PeoplePt VI, VII
12
listed · VII A
PaidVII A2
Voting boardVI 1a9
IndependentVI 1b8
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$41K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$390K
Investment incomeLn 3$38
Total revenueLn 12$430K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$194K
SavingsLn 2$328K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$523K
Total assetsLn 16$535K
LiabilitiesLn 26$46K
Net assetsLn 32$489K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 50
VolunteersI 60
Fiscal year endsHeaderSeptember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aNo
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14No
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY21End FY21
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$263K$523K
Total assetsLn 16$483K$535K
LiabilitiesLn 26$26K$46K
Net assetsLn 32$457K$489K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$4K$4K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$27K$27K
Management feesLn 11a$210K$204K$6K
Legal feesLn 11b$8K$8K
Accounting feesLn 11c$8K$8K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$32K$500$32K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$3K$384$2K
Office expensesLn 13$519$519
Information technologyLn 14$921$921
OccupancyLn 16$1K$1K
TravelLn 17$3K$2K$660
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$29K$29K
InsuranceLn 23$2K$2K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$70K$54K$16K
Total functional expensesLn 25$398K$294K$105K$0

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $1.0M$1.1M−$57K$384K 990 PDF
FY2024 $1.0M$1.1M−$57K$439K 990 PDF
FY2023 $1.0M$957K$51K$496K 990 PDF
FY2022 $868K$912K−$44K$445K 990 PDF
FY2021 Viewing $430K$398K$32K$489K 990 PDF
FY2020 $436K$390K$46K$457K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $430,111 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $23,625$40,510
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $412,572$389,563
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $105$38
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $436,302$430,111
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $6,000$4,000
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $10,000$27,000
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $373,834$367,145
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $389,834$398,145
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $46,468$31,966
Part VI · Governance 8 of 9 board members independent, 4 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body9
VI-1b Independent voting members8
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyNo
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyNo
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $430,111 across 5 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$40,510
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$40,510
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $389,563$389,563
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $38$38
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $389,563 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $38$430,111
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $398,145 across 14 lines filed
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $4,000$4,000
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffManagement $27,000$27,000
IX-11a Management feesPrograms $203,627 · Management $6,298$209,925
IX-11b Legal feesManagement $7,929$7,929
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $8,087$8,087
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $500 · Management $31,552$32,052
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $384 · Management $2,434$2,818
IX-13 Office expensesManagement $519$519
IX-14 Information technologyManagement $921$921
IX-16 OccupancyManagement $1,200$1,200
IX-17 TravelPrograms $2,195 · Management $660$2,855
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $29,304$29,304
IX-23 InsuranceManagement $1,727$1,727
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $53,580 · Management $16,228$69,808
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $293,590 · Management $104,555 · Fundraising $0$398,145
Part X · Balance sheet $534,871 assets, 11 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $101,310$194,485
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $161,349$328,386
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $220,000$12,000
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $482,659$534,871
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $24,660$26,406
X-18 Grants payableStart of year $1,000$1,000
X-19 Deferred revenue$18,500
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $25,660$45,906
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $456,999$488,965
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $456,999$488,965
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $482,659$534,871
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $488,965 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$430,111
XI-2 Total expenses$398,145
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$31,966
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$456,999
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$488,965

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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