The Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation

Name

The Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation

Legal name

The Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation

Website

https://ceifoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Blue Ash

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Tax-deductible contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations supporting vision care programs. Accepts gifts of stock, bequests, and legacy planned giving.
2. Third-party donation programs: Funds raised through Kroger Community Rewards (percentage of purchases) and AmazonSmile (0.5% of qualifying purchases) provide ongoing passive revenue streams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation operates free comprehensive adult vision clinics at multiple partner locations across Ohio and Kentucky, providing free eye exams, free prescription glasses, and referrals for eye disease treatment to uninsured and under-served populations. Beyond direct patient care, the foundation funds continuing education programs for optometrists and ophthalmic technicians, sponsors University of Cincinnati ophthalmology residents, and awards IGNITE research grants supporting new treatments and cures for eye diseases.

Product overview

The Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation is a charitable foundation with three core initiatives: Community Outreach, Education, and Research. The Community Outreach pillar includes Vision Clinics (free comprehensive eye care at multiple Ohio and Kentucky locations) and The Dr. Richard S. Kerstine Vision Outreach Program (free screenings and lectures). The Education pillar encompasses Continuing Education Programs for eye care professionals, University of Cincinnati Ophthalmology Resident Funding, The Michael R. Petersen Leadership Lectureship, and the Eye Care Scholarship. The Research pillar supports IGNITE Grants and genetic/surgical research studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vision Clinics Free comprehensive adult vision clinics providing eye exams, diagnosis, and referrals for uninsured and low-income patients across multiple locations in Ohio and Kentucky.
• The Dr. Richard S. Kerstine Vision Outreach Program Free vision screenings and educational lectures delivered to local non-profit agencies, churches, community centers, senior, and retirement communities covering cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic eye diseases, and macular degeneration.
• Optical Store at St. Vincent de Paul On-site optical store opened within St. Vincent de Paul providing prescription glasses to clinic patients.
• Continuing Education Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 11,000+ uninsured/under-served adults provided free vision care
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• HealthPoint Family CarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Federally Qualified Health Center providing space for CEIF vision clinics at three Kentucky locations (Covington, Florence, Newport). HealthPoint serves 40,000 patients annually, providing medical, dental, mental health, and vision services to low-income and uninsured patients. CEIF provides free ophthalmologic care on-site at HealthPoint facilities, with the partnership enabling CEIF to operate the first and only free vision clinic in Kentucky.
• OneSight FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOneSight provides free prescription glasses to CEIF clinic patients. Over 8,000 adults have received free prescription glasses through this partnership, enabling patients to see clearly and maintain independence.
• University of Cincinnati College of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEIF funds 2 University of Cincinnati Department of Ophthalmology Residents each year. Residents work closely with Cincinnati Eye Institute doctors who serve as teachers and mentors. Many residents stay to practice ophthalmology in the community after completing their training. CEIF also supports research studies with UC.
• St. Vincent de PaulcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEIF operates a free adult vision clinic within St. Vincent de Paul Center's Liz Carter Outreach Center in Cincinnati's West End. In 2024, CEIF opened its own Optical Store within the St. Vincent de Paul location. Clinic reopened March 2021 after Covid-19 closure with backlog of 150 waiting patients.
• Good Samaritan Free Health CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEIF operates a free adult vision clinic at the Good Samaritan Free Health Center location, providing care to uninsured and low-income patients.
• Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually ImpairedsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEIF operates a vision clinic at the Clovernook Center location, serving adults with vision impairment.
• Cincinnati Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired (CABVI)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEIF partners with CABVI to provide vision care services to blind and visually impaired individuals in the community.
• St. Elizabeth HospitalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEIF works with St. Elizabeth Hospital to coordinate free cataract surgery for patients who cannot afford treatment. Partnered to provide Henry, a 72-year-old patient, with life-changing cataract surgery at no cost.
• Children's Hospital Medical CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEIF supports research studies in collaboration with Children's Hospital Medical Center focusing on pediatric eye conditions and treatments.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SEE International: Nonprofit that mobilizes volunteer ophthalmologists to provide free cataract and other eye surgeries worldwide. Highly comparable to CEIF in the volunteer-physician-delivered free-care model, though SEE focuses on surgical intervention internationally rather than domestic exams/glasses.
• OneSight Foundation: Nonprofit that provides free prescription glasses and vision care to underserved populations globally. Directly comparable to CEIF's glasses-dispensing mission and is also an operational partner of CEIF, making it the closest functional peer in the charitable vision-care space.
• Cincinnati Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired (CABVI): Local Cincinnati-area nonprofit providing vision services to blind and visually impaired individuals. Direct regional peer and active partner of CEIF, serving overlapping populations in the same Tri-State geography with complementary vision-care services.

Broad incumbents

• Sightsavers: International nonprofit working to eliminate avoidable blindness through treatment, advocacy, and training. Comparable to CEIF in charitable mission and outreach model, but operates globally and is far larger in scope and funding.
• Prevent Blindness: National nonprofit focused on vision health, advocacy, and screening. Comparable to CEIF as a mission-aligned eye-care nonprofit, but operating at national scale across research, education, and outreach rather than direct clinical service delivery in a single region.
• Helen Keller International: Global nonprofit addressing blindness and malnutrition through treatment, prevention, and vision programs. Comparable mission to CEIF but operates at much larger international scale with broader program mix.
• Lions Clubs International Foundation: International service organization with a long-standing vision-care pillar (SightFirst program), funding vision screenings, glasses, and eye surgeries worldwide. Comparable as a large-scale nonprofit vision-care provider, though delivered through a member-volunteer model rather than paid staff.
• VSP Vision / VSP Eyes of Hope: National vision benefits/insurance company with a charitable Eyes of Hope program providing free eyecare and glasses to low-income patients. Comparable to CEIF in delivering free vision care to the underserved, but VSP operates as a large for-profit entity with a foundation arm.

Emerging players

• VisionSpring: Social enterprise that provides affordable eyeglasses to low-income communities globally. Comparable to CEIF in target population and product (prescription eyewear for the underserved), but operates on a cross-subsidized earned-revenue model rather than a charitable donations model.
• Foundation Fighting Blindness: Nonprofit funding research for treatments and cures for retinal degenerative diseases. Directly comparable to CEIF's IGNITE Grants research pillar, though focused specifically on inherited retinal diseases rather than the broader eye-disease portfolio CEIF supports.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation