Foundation Fighting Blindness Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
TO DRIVE THE RESEARCH THAT WILL PROVIDE PREVENTIONS, TREATMENTS AND CURES, FOR PEOPLE AFFECTED BY RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA, MACULAR DEGENERATION, USHER SYNDROME, AND THE SPECTRUM OF RETINAL DEGENERATIVE DISEASES.
- Income
- $36.6 million
- Spending
- $49.5 million
- Spent on programs
- 75%
- Reserves
- 4.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 84%
- Employees
- 96
- Volunteers
- 2,500
- Highest pay
- $723,931, ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 66 out of 100. Higher than 39% of charities in its peer group (medical research, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.8 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 24% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 35% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 3% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1575% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 29 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 44% of charities in its peer group (medical research, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2524 of 25 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $32.0 million spent. RESEARCH: THE FOUNDATION FIGHTING BLINDNESS, INC. (THE FOUNDATION) FUNDED RESEARCHERS ARE ACHIEVING REMARKABLE SUCCESS IN DISCOVERING, TESTING, AND DELIVERING TO PATIENTS A WIDE RANGE OF PROMISING THERAPIES TO PREVENT, STOP THE PROGRESSION OF, AND CURE BLINDING DISEASES DUE TO RETINAL DEGENERATIVE DISEASES. THE FOUNDATION HAS ENCUMBRANCES OF OVER $36 MILLION, NOT INCLUDED ON OUR JUNE 30 FINANCIAL REPORT, FOR ACTIVE RESEARCH PROJECTS THAT HAVE FUTURE RESEARCH MILESTONES. OUR SCIENCE COMMITTEE'S SPENDING PLAN INCLUDES SPENDING AT AN AVERAGE OF $28 MILLION ANNUALLY TO SUPPORT FUTURE RESEARCH. AS OF THE END OF OUR FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE FOUNDATION'S RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM IS FUNDING 104 GRANTS BEING CONDUCTED BY MORE THAN 133 INVESTIGATORS AT 92 INSTITUTIONS, EYE HOSPITALS, AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE U.S. AND AROUND THE WORLD. A SAMPLING OF THE RESEARCH PROJECTS FUNDED ARE LISTED BELOW: "DEFINING THE UNDERLYING CAUSES OF RETINAL DEGENERATION IN CRB1 DISEASE." JEREMY KAY, DUKE UNIVERSITY DR. KAY AND HIS TEAM HYPOTHESIZE THAT LOSS OF CELL-CELL CONNECTIONS IN THE OUTER RETINA UNDERLIES RP-LIKE ASPECTS OF CRB1-ASSOCIATED DISEASE, WHILE LOSS OF JUNCTIONS BETWEEN EMBRYONIC PROGENITORS UNDERLIES LCA-LIKE ASPECTS. DR. KAY'S TEAM WILL USE MULTIPLE MODELS TO IDENTIFY PRIMARY SITE(S) OF DAMAGE CAUSED BY CRB1 DYSFUNCTION, AND EXPLORE STRATEGIES TO FIX THE DAMAGE. THEY WILL ALSO WORK TO DETERMINE WHETHER THESE CELLULAR FEATURES CAN BE IMAGED IN ANIMALS AND IN PATIENTS AND BE USED AS AN ENDPOINT IN FUTURE CLINICAL TRIALS. "DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW GENE THERAPY FOR AUTOSOMAL DOMINANT RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA" DENISE MONTELL, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA DR. MONTELL IS PIONEERING A GENE THERAPY APPROACH TO COMBAT RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA (RP), SPECIFICALLY THE AUTOSOMAL DOMINANT FORM CAUSED BY MISFOLDED RHODOPSIN PROTEIN. BY PROMOTING THE DEGRADATION OF MISFOLDED RHODOPSIN, THROUGH OVEREXPRESSION OF THE ZIP7 GENE, DR. MONTELL AIMS TO SLOW RETINAL DEGENERATION. ADDITIONALLY, OVEREXPRESSING THE ZIP7 GENEA ZINC TRANSPORTER PROTEINMAY RELIEVE CELLULAR STRESS AND PREVENT PHOTORECEPTOR CELL DEATH IN VARIOUS MODELS OF AUTOSOMAL DOMINANT RP. "CHARACTERIZATION AND MITIGATION OF AAV-INDUCED OCULAR INFLAMMATION" WILLIAM BELTRAN, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA DR. BELTRAN AND HIS TEAM ARE WORKING TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY OF GENE THERAPIES THAT USE VIRAL VECTORS TO DELIVER THE THERAPEUTIC GENE TO RETINAL CELLS. AS MORE IRD GENE THERAPIES MOVE FROM THE PRECLINICAL STAGE IN ANIMAL MODELS TO CLINICAL TRIALS, THERE IS AN INCREASING RECOGNITION OF THE NEED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND GENE THERAPY-ASSOCIATED UVEITIS (INFLAMMATION). THIS INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE CAN IMPEDE THE THERAPY'S PERFORMANCE AND CAN CAUSE RETINAL DAMAGE.
- $3.7 million spent. PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATION: DURING FY25, THE FOUNDATION CONTINUED TO PROVIDE EDUCATION AND SUPPORT TO PEOPLE AFFECTED BY RETINAL DEGENERATIVE DISEASES. THE FOUNDATION ALSO FIELDS A TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS FOCUSED ON EDUCATING OPHTHALMOLOGISTS AND OPTOMETRISTS ON THE LATEST ADVANCEMENTS WITH THE FOUNDATION'S RESOURCES AND RESEARCH ON THE INHERITED RETINAL DISEASE SPACE. TO KEEP OUR CONSTITUENTS AND PROFESSIONALS INFORMED, THE FOUNDATION PUBLISHES EXTENSIVE CONTENT VIA THE WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA/EMAIL CHANNELS; DISTRIBUTES A NEWSLETTER ONLINE AND IN PRINT; PRODUCES AND SHARES EDUCATIONAL PODCASTS WITH LEADING EXPERTS IN THE SPACE; HOSTS VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON EDUCATIONAL AND NETWORKING SEMINARS; AND HOLDS QUARTERLY INSIGHTS FORUM CALLS TO INFORM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS. THE CONTENT INCLUDES THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN RESEARCH AND CLINICAL TRIALS, AS WELL AS PERSONAL STORIES FROM MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. ADDITIONALLY, THE FOUNDATION HOSTS REGIONAL FORUM PRESENTATIONS THAT PROVIDE TIMELY CONTENT TO EYE CARE PROFESSIONALS. CHAPTERS BRING THE FOUNDATION'S MESSAGE AND MISSION TO LIFE. IN FY25, THE FOUNDATION SUPPORTED OVER 47 VOLUNTEER-LED CHAPTERS IN 23 STATES IN THE US AND ONE CHAPTER IN LONDON, UK. OUR CHAPTERS HOST VISION CONNECTION, AN ENRICHING AND SUPPORTIVE GATHERING FOR THE BLIND AND LOW-VISION COMMUNITY. EACH SESSION COVERS EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, FUNDRAISING, AND INTERACTIVE Q&A SESSIONS.
- $1.6 million spent. MY RETINA TRACKER REGISTRY: THE FOUNDATION MAINTAINS A RESEARCH DATABASE OF PEOPLE AND FAMILIES AFFECTED BY RARE INHERITED RETINAL DEGENERATIVE DISEASES. THE REGISTRY IS DESIGNED TO SHARE DE-IDENTIFIED INFORMATION ABOUT PEOPLE WITH AN INHERITED RETINAL DISEASE WITHIN THE IRD RESEARCH AND CLINICAL COMMUNITIES TO HELP ACCELERATE THE DISCOVERY OF TREATMENTS AND CURES. DURING FISCAL YEAR 2025, APPROXIMATELY 8,000 ADDITIONAL MEMBERS WERE ADDED TO THE REGISTRY, BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REGISTERED INDIVIDUALS TO APPROXIMATELY 43,000.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 1973.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.