Foundation Fighting Blindness

Supports research in visual impairment through funding and grants for therapies and diagnostics.

Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) is a US-based 501(c)(3) foundation headquartered in Columbia, Maryland. Founded in 1971 by people personally affected by retinal disease, it has raised nearly $996 million to date and channels most of its annual budget into research and public health education. Its mission is to prevent, treat, and cure inherited retinal degenerative diseases.

FFB funds work on retinitis pigmentosa, Usher syndrome, Stargardt disease, and related conditions through grants, fellowships, and translational awards. Its active portfolio includes the Career Development Award, Individual Investigator Research Award, Disease Model Award, Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, Brint Family Translational Research Award, Diana Davis Spencer Clinical Research Fellowship Award, and the PARD Science Award. Awards range from $65,000 fellowships to $1 million disease-model projects, and most routes are open to domestic and international nonprofit institutions.

The foundation's review culture is research-driven and disease-specific: genetic technologies, restorative therapies, novel medical therapies, clinical structure and function, genetics, and cell and molecular mechanisms all sit within its priorities. For some routes, for-profit companies can also apply, especially where translation is the point. The strongest proposals are tightly linked to retinal biology, specific milestones, and a clear path toward human relevance.