Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc
FRIENDS OF ARAVIND INC, also identified on its website as Aravind Eye Foundation, is a New York, New York–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit and public charity formed in 2000. It supports Aravind Eye Care System’s work to eliminate needless blindness and to extend its model of high-quality, patient-centered eye care.
Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc reported $1.3M in grants paid in 2025 (a total; its filing lists no individual grants). Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Grants paid (2025)
- $1,273,843 — reported as a total on the IRS filing, without an itemized list
- +196.2% vs 2024
- Total assets
- $10,147,211
- +35.5% vs 2024
- Revenue (2025)
- $3,650,133
- +336.9% vs 2024
- Net investment income (2025)
- $398,237
- +11.0% vs 2024
- Expenses (2025)
- $1,381,010
- +166.0% vs 2024
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc
- Contact
Mailing address: 447 East 57Th Street 7A, New York, NY 10022
Phone: (917) 412-4742
Website: https://aravindeyefoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc funds
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated mission includes supporting Aravind Eye Hospital in India and spreading the Aravind model to other places in India and the world. Its 2025 filing also describes support for eye hospitals in Kenya. Website program descriptions identify work in Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu, India, and rural communities in India.
States
Cities
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $56K (2019) to $1.5M (2021). In 2025 it reported $1.3M in grants paid, as a total without an itemized list.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $10,147,211 | $3,650,133 | $1,381,010 | $1,273,843 | Total only | $398,237 |
| 2024 | $7,487,556 | $835,389 | $519,098 | $430,009 | Total only | $358,746 |
| 2023 | $7,087,513 | $4,636,372 | $451,082 | $365,811 | Total only | $150,141 |
| 2022 | $2,764,816 | $563,859 | $477,312 | $398,438 | Total only | $67,030 |
| 2021 | $3,018,003 | $454,694 | $1,609,075 | $1,533,718 | Total only | $72,260 |
| 2020 | $4,079,307 | $1,484,783 | $586,022 | $509,418 | Total only | $56,013 |
| 2019 | $3,041,771 | $996,369 | $957,818 | $56,174 | 1 | $49,957 |
"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to support Aravind Eye Hospital in working toward the goal of eliminating needless blindness. It does so by promoting the hospital and communicating its activities, supporting its service delivery and organizational needs, and helping spread the Aravind model in India and elsewhere.
Programs described in the foundation’s 2025 filing include support for eye hospitals in Kenya to improve the quality and quantity of cataract surgeries; capacity-building for Aravind Eye Care System; spectacles and comprehensive refractive-error services for schoolchildren; and two new telemedicine-enabled vision centers in areas with limited access to eye care. The foundation’s website also describes support for affordable retinoblastoma genetic testing and treatment.
Grantmaking
The 2025 filing lists program commitments for cataract services in Kenya, Aravind Eye Care System capacity-building, children’s vision services, and vision centers. It says grant commitments are recorded as expenses when the foundation approves recommendations from Aravind Eye Hospital’s Finance Committee. The filing narrative says the foundation directs funds to areas identified as most needed based on those recommendations and receives updates on project activities and grant-fund use.
The website reports that a $20,000 grant from the Jaya G. Iyer Endowment Fund supported Spectacles for Scholars. This was funding received by Aravind Eye Foundation, not a grant it gave. The available information does not identify the foundation’s recent grant totals, grant counts, typical grant size, or awards to outside grantees.
The website describes project-specific giving opportunities, including establishing a rural vision center. It says each center costs $15,000 to establish and operate for its first two years, after which it is self-sustaining.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Donna Campbell as Executive Director; Dr. R. Christine Melton as President; and Dr. Anandi Nagarajan as Secretary. Listed board members are Pavithra Mehta, Dr. Alan Robin, Dr. Aravind Srinivasan, Thulsiraj Ravilla, John Samuel, Sriram Viswanathan, and Dr. R.D. Ravindran.
Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc is led by Donna Campbell, Executive Director on every filing since 2019; 1 of 15 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Donna Campbell
Executive Director
On filings since 2019
30 hrs/week
$42K (2019) → $14K (2025)
R. Christine Melton
President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alan Robin
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
ARAVIND Srinivasan
Board Member
Vice President → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Samuel
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lady Neelam Sekhri Feachem
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Pavithra Mehta
Board Member
Board Member → Secretary & Treasurer, 2024
Secretary & Treasurer → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
RD Ravindran
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sriram Viswanathan
Board Member
Vice President → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
THULSIRAJ Ravilla
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sachin Gupta
Vice President
Board Member → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chitra Prasad
Treasurer
Treasurer & Secretary → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2021
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anandi Nagarajan
Secretary
Board Member → Vice President, 2024
Vice President → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kathleen Stillo
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kiran Sridhar
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: MEENA ROBERTS (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Kathy Stillo (2024) — Board Member
- Former: Todd Robin (2019–2022) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $14K, to Donna Campbell (Executive Dir.).
Frequently asked questions about Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc
How much does Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc give each year?
Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc reported $1.3M in grants paid in 2025 on its 2025 IRS Form 990, as a total without an itemized list of grants. In 2024 it reported $430K in grants paid.
How large is Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc?
Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc reported $10.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $3.7M.
What does Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to support Aravind Eye Hospital in working toward the goal of eliminating needless blindness. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc?
Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check aravindeyefoundation.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
Where does Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc make grants?
The foundation’s stated mission includes supporting Aravind Eye Hospital in India and spreading the Aravind model to other places in India and the world. Its 2025 filing also describes support for eye hospitals in Kenya. Website program descriptions identify work in Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu, India, and rural communities in India.
What is Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc's EIN?
Friends of Aravind Inc DBA Aravind Eye Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-3532410. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 26, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 17, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 2, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 2, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 24, 2026)
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