Second Sense
To inspire individuals to move beyond vision loss and believe in their abilities
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Make your donationAbout Second Sense
Second Sense offers client-centered training in a supportive environment, teaching new skills and building confidence.
Verified certifications
Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.
Mission
To inspire individuals to move beyond vision loss and believe in their abilities
Focus areas & reach
· What they work on and whereHow it stacks up against peers
· vs. 8 similar education in United StatesConcerns
· 1 red flagWhere every $1 goes
· FY2025 · IRS 990 (FY2025)GiveRadar Analysis
Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations
Based on the records currently verified by GiveRadar, Second Sense has a complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources including the IRS.
- Established in 1949, it predates 93% of the education charities in the United States GiveRadar has a founding year for. View this cohort
- GiveRadar holds a more complete profile for this organization than for 93% of the 195,586 education charities in the United States it tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
- GiveRadar holds 6 years of financial filings for this organization, the most recent for fiscal year 2025 - a deeper filing history than 89% of the 90,222 education charities in the United States with filings on record. See the filings
- government registration
- financial records (6 filed years)
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- a donation page
- third-party accreditation
- a contact email
- an owner-submitted profile claim
Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.
Common questions
· Auto-generated from filings + methodologySecond Sense is a registered education nonprofit based in Chicago, IL, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1949 and has been operating for 77 years. Its EIN is 362229565. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 81/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $918K in annual revenue. 42 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. GiveRadar has identified 1 potential concern.
Second Sense's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 362229565. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.
Second Sense has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 81/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 81 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for education charities in United States is 90/100.
Second Sense is located in Chicago, IL, United States. The organization was established in 1949 and has been active for 77 years.
Based on official tax filings, Second Sense has $918K in annual revenue. It allocates 69% of expenses to programs and services. This is in line with the average of 74% for education charities in United States. Its revenue is below the peer average of $7M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.
Second Sense is classified as an Education organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a medium organization. It has $918K in annual revenue. The organization has 42 disclosed officers and directors.
GiveRadar has identified 1 potential concern for Second Sense. Red flags are automatically detected from official data and may include high executive compensation relative to budget, low program spending, or missing financial filings. Red flags do not necessarily mean wrongdoing but indicate areas that may warrant further review before donating.
According to GiveRadar's records, Second Sense holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It reports that 69% of expenses go to programs (the peer average is 74%). You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.
Second Sense offers client-centered training in a supportive environment, teaching new skills and building confidence. Second Sense is classified as an education organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1949.
Among education charities registered in United States: It allocates 69% of expenses to programs, in line with the peer average of 74%. Its annual revenue of $918K is below the peer average of $7M.
Yes, donations to Second Sense are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Second Sense is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 362229565, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.
Filing history
6 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2025): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.
See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.
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Tax-deductibility for donors
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.
SECOND SENSE is registered in United States. Donations from the Netherlands to charities outside the EU/EEA are generally not tax-deductible for Dutch donors unless the charity is listed on the Dutch ANBI register with foreign-recognized status.
Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.
Staff & volunteers
From filings and published profiles
Leadership
From FY2025 filing
Officers & trustees (10)
Source: Public filings
10 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.
Latest news
From global news sources
No recent news coverage found
News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.
Activity timeline
Filings and press mentions, merged
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Sign up to write a reviewCause areas in United States
How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.
Most common causes in United States
Causes charities work on most, with this charity's causes ticked.
Sources and verification
- Registration and legal identity
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
- Financial filings
- IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2025 most recent on file.
- Officers and trustees
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 42 disclosed in the public registry.
- Supplementary verification
- Charity Navigator
Data freshness
What we know and don't know
Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.
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Financial data · FY2025 on record
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Named leadership · 42 officers on file
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Executive pay · Disclosed
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Government registration · Registered with an official registry
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Mission statement · Published
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Official website · On record
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Headquarters address · On file
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Direct contact · Email or phone published
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Tax-deductibility · Verified
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Founding date · 1949
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Programs & activitiesNo named programs listed by the charity
Methodology
GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.
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Quick facts about Second Sense
- What is Second Sense?
- Second Sense is a education publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Chicago, United States. Second Sense offers client-centered training in a supportive environment, teaching new skills and building confidence.
- When was Second Sense founded?
- Second Sense was founded in 1949.
- Who leads Second Sense?
- Brett Christenson serves as President.
- Where is Second Sense located?
- Headquartered in Chicago, IL, United States.
- What is Second Sense's annual budget?
- Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is approximately $100K-$1M. 69% of expenses go to program services.
- Is Second Sense trustworthy?
- Second Sense has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 81 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
- What is Second Sense's registration number?
- IRS EIN: 362229565.
- What is Second Sense's website?
- http://www.second-sense.org