The BrightFocus Foundation Announces $10 Million in New Funding for Brain and Vision Research, Celebrating the Historic Diversity of Grantees

With more than two-thirds (67%) of new grants awarded to women, the BrightFocus Foundation is an outstanding supporter of women scientists in eye and brain research.

CLARKSBURG, Md. – Global nonprofit BrightFocus Foundation announces $10 million in funding for new research grants for Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration and glaucoma – age-related diseases with no cure that affect more than 335 million people worldwide.

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This year’s new BrightFocus fellows, 42 in total, are the most diverse in the charity’s 50-year history:

67% of new fellows are women, more than double the global proportion of female researchers* and the largest group of women funded by BrightFocus to date.

57% of new fellows identify as a member of a non-white racial or ethnic group.

BrightFocus currently has 157 active neuroscience research projects, an investment of $43 million, and 119 active vision research projects, an investment of $30 million.

Led by scientific advisory committees of leading researchers in the field, BrightFocus-funded research promotes a better understanding of the root causes of disease outbreaks, improves early detection and diagnosis of disease, and helps develop effective treatments and new medicines.

BrightFocus funds international eye and brain research and provides free expert health information to the public. The organization has awarded grants to more than 6,000 scientists in 25 countries, an investment of nearly $300 million.

Women and minorities are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, yet they are grossly underrepresented in scientific research and clinical trial participation. Fellows examine critical gender and race differences in genetics, immunity, inflammation, artificial intelligence, lifestyle interventions and more to understand how to care for and heal all populations. As part of its commitment to improving health equity in brain and vision diseases, BrightFocus has also partnered with Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) to advance continued progress in equitable representation in science.

Examples of this year’s BrightFocus Foundation scholarships include:

The role of the immune system in promoting cognitive decline;
Pioneering new vision tests to monitor the effects of treatments for age-related macular degeneration;
Understanding the mechanisms underlying neuronal loss in glaucoma.

“The research funded by the BrightFocus Foundation serves as a critical starting point on the path to improved health and quality of life for hundreds of millions of people around the world,” said President and CEO Stacy Pagos Haller. “It is an honor to advance the field and support outstanding scientists in the quest to eradicate Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration and glaucoma.”

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Of the $10 million awarded this year, $5.6 million will go to BrightFocus’ Alzheimer’s Research Program, $2.8 million will go to the Macular Degeneration Research Program and $1.6 million will go to the National Glaucoma Research Program.

A list of new research projects will be available on the BrightFocus website this summer. Further details will follow once individual agreements have been concluded with the partner institutions and scientists.

BrightFocus Foundation’s research programs are supported entirely by private donor contributions from public funds, as well as corporate and foundation grants; BrightFocus does not receive any government funding. Find out more about how you can support our work.

BrightFocus encourages researchers with breakthrough ideas to apply for a 2025 fellowship. To apply, visit Brightfocus.org/apply.

*Source: UNESCO

About BrightFocus Foundation

The BrightFocus Foundation is a leading global nonprofit funder of research to combat Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration and glaucoma. Through its flagship research programs – Alzheimer’s Disease Research, National Glaucoma Research and Macular Degeneration Research – the Foundation has awarded nearly $300 million in groundbreaking research funding over the past 50 years and provides the latest research, expert information and resources to strengthen research Millions are affected by these devastating diseases. Learn more at Brightfocus.org.