How to Apply

Grant-making is at the heart of what we do at EyeSight Foundation of Alabama, a nonprofit foundation, in furtherance of our mission to serve as a catalyst to improve eyesight through education, research and access to care.

Our primary beneficiaries are the UA Department of Ophthalmology and UAB Callahan Eye Hospital along with other community nonprofit organizations through the state that provide eye health services.
Deadline for the 2019-2020 funding cycle has passed.

Applications for funding are now being handled through a partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and their online grant application portal. To apply for 2020-2021 funding, check back here or contact our office for instructions in early 2020.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS:

The EyeSight Foundation encourages all applicants to have a conversation with ESFA staff before submitting a grant application. We will talk about your proposed project while conveying realistic expectations regarding our funding priorities going forward.

We welcome the opportunity to continue writing letters of support and making contacts with other funders, to help the worthy organizations we support find the funds they need.

Mission:
The EyeSight Foundation of Alabama, or ESFA, is a nonprofit foundation whose mission is to serve as a catalyst to improve eyesight through education, research and access to care.

Priority Areas of Interest:
ESFA seeks to maximize the impact of its funding by supporting organizations and programs that can effectively and efficiently address needs that fit our priority areas of interest, including but not limited to:

Public education on preventive and routine eye care, and vision screening and referral
Eye care for the medically indigent
Low vision and rehabilitation services
Improved geographic access to general and specialty eye care services
Education and training of eye care professionals and scientific investigators
Research in the prevention and treatment of eye diseases, disabilities or impairment prevalent in Alabama and the development of effective methods of treatment, surgery or rehabilitation
Basic science and clinical research on eye diseases and the vision system.

Funding Criteria:
ESFA gives funding preference to requests that meet the following criteria:

Address a critical eye care need (see the Eye Health Needs Assessment and the Census of Alabama Eye Care Providers on our website www.eyesightfoundation.org )
Avoid duplication of existing services unless they target a population not already being served
Involve collaboration and coordination with other organizations and agencies
Demonstrate a solid base of financial support for the requesting organization
Serve Alabamians, particularly in the service area of the UAB Callahan Eye Hospital
Expand our knowledge base in visual research
Include an effective approach for measuring results and the impact of ESFA’s investment.

Limitations & Restrictions
The EyeSight Foundation of Alabama considers funding applications only from nonprofit organizations that provide services in Alabama and have tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code or are described as an appropriate beneficiary for a foundation under the Internal Revenue Service Code.

No funds are provided to or for:

Individuals for personal needs
Indirect costs associated with a grant project
Religious organizations for religious purposes
Political organizations or candidates for public office.

It is imperative that every applicant have a conversation with ESFA staff before grant submission, so that we may convey realistic expectations regarding our funding limitations and priorities going forward.