Awarded Grants
Search & Filter Awarded GrantsAmerican Printing House for the Blind
Louisville, KY, USAAbout the Grantee
The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is the world’s largest nonprofit organization creating educational, workplace, and independent living products and services for people who are visually impaired.
Purpose of the Grant
To support the development of a five-year business/sustainability plan for the Fund-supported FamilyConnect® web service for parents of children with vision loss and the other blindness-field websites, directories, and 1-800 information/referral services that the agency recently acquired from the American Foundation for the Blind.
Amount
$75,000Term
6 monthsGrant Regions
USA Multi-StateAssociation for the Multiple Impaired Blind
Brick, NJ, USAAbout the Grantee
Residential programs for people with multiple disabilities are what AMIB does with love, patience, and expertise. AMIB operates 14 group homes throughout Ocean and Monmouth County New Jersey and provides supportive services to 66 individuals in residential settings, 17 in day habilitation settings and 3 families with respite.
Purpose of the Grant
To underwrite the purchase of four adpated, handicapped-accessible vans to be used to transport visually impaired and multiply disabled adults from their new AMIB group homes to daily adult daycare programs and to medical appointments.
Amount
$200,000Term
12 monthsGrant Regions
Entire NY Tri-State AreaBenetech Initiative
Palo Alto, CA, USAAbout the Grantee
Benetech continues to be a nonprofit—with a pure focus on developing software for social good. More than two decades after our founding, we’ve grown to include multiple program areas and initiatives that provide software to improve—even transform—the lives of people all across the world.
Purpose of the Grant
To provide 500 additional accessible educational textbooks for K-12 schools in India and to train teachers and blind and visually impaired students in 50 target K-12 schools in using Bookshare’s accessible digital library.
Amount
$499,296Term
36 monthsGrant Regions
International, South AsiaBrother James Kearney Scholarship Program
Multiple LocationsAbout the Grantee
The Brother James Kearney Scholarship Program for the Blind (formerly, the Lavelle Fund College Scholarship Program) aims to help make quality undergraduate and graduate education affordable for U.S. residents who are legally blind, financially needy, and attending any of 12 selected private colleges in New York State, Northeastern New Jersey, and Southwestern Connecticut. The program is currently authorized to admit new students through June 30, 2019.
Purpose of the Grant
To provide financial assistance to U.S. residents who are legally blind, financially needed, and studying at any of 12 partnering private colleges and universities located in New York State, Northeastern New Jersey, and Southwestern Connecticut (Phase 3)
Amount
$318,825Term
12 monthsGrant Regions
Entire NY Tri-State AreaCancerCare, Inc.
New York, NY, USAAbout the Grantee
CancerCare® is the leading national organization dedicated to providing free, professional support services including counseling, support groups, educational workshops, publications and financial assistance to anyone affected by cancer. All CancerCare services are provided by oncology social workers and world-leading cancer experts.
Purpose of the Grant
To support CancerCare®’s Financial Assistance and Support Program for People with Ocular Cancers who reside in the Tri-State New York area.
Amount
$517,000Term
48 monthsGrant Regions
NYC Metro AreaDominican College
Orangeburg, NY, USAAbout the Grantee
The aim of Dominican College is to promote educational excellence, leadership, and service in an environment characterized by respect for the individual and concern for the community and its needs. Founded by the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt, the College is an independent institution of higher learning, Catholic in origin and heritage. In the Dominican tradition, it fosters the active, shared pursuit of truth and embodies an ideal of education rooted in the values of reflective understanding and compassionate involvement.
Purpose of the Grant
To help sustain its Teachers of Students Who are Visually Impaired (TVI) Graduate Program and, by grant year three, to increase by 33% the number of new TVI students annually recruited.
Amount
$258,523Term
36 monthsGrant Regions
Entire NY Tri-State AreaEnrichment Audio Resource Services, Inc. (E.A.R.S.)
New York, NY, USAAbout the Grantee
E.A.R.S. is a nonprofit public charity, providing, free of charge, audio lessons that teach adaptive daily living skills to the vision impaired and their caregivers.
Purpose of the Grant
To provide general operating support for E.A.R.S’s vision rehabilitation service for NYC seniors who are visually impaired — and also to support the agency’s continuing effort to identify and partner with a much larger NYC nonprofit interested in referring clients with vision loss to E.A.R.S.
Amount
$108,000Term
36 monthsGrant Regions
NYC Metro AreaHadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Winnetka, IL, USAAbout the Grantee
The mission of Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired is to create personalized learning opportunities that empower people to thrive – at home, at work and in their communities.
Purpose of the Grant
To support a major updating, restructuring, and multi-media recasting of its popular online course, “Introduction to Braille for Visual Learners”: a course for the sighted family members, teachers, and paraprofessionals who care for and/or teach people who are blind.
Amount
$181,906Term
12 monthsGrant Regions
Entire NY Tri-State Area, USA Multi-StateHelen Keller International
New York, NY, USAAbout the Grantee
Founded in 1915, Helen Keller International is dedicated to saving and improving the sight and lives of the world’s vulnerable by combating the causes and consequences of blindness, poor health and malnutrition.
Purpose of the Grant
To undertake a field study to investigate the barriers that Bangladeshi women face in accessing screening and treatment services for diabetic retinopathy and to identify practical strategies for overcoming these barriers.
Amount
$34,287Term
12 monthsGrant Regions
International, South AsiaHelen Keller Services
Brooklyn, NY, USAAbout the Grantee
Since 1893, Helen Keller Services (HKS) has been committed to improving the lives of individuals who are blind, visually impaired or have combined hearing and vision loss.
Purpose of the Grant
To support a Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults project to strengthen the Center’s capacity to prepare and place working-age adults who are deaf-blind for and in competitive paid jobs and to increase the proportion of trainees who actually obtain such jobs.
Amount
$308,795Term
36 monthsGrant Regions
Entire NY Tri-State Area, USA Multi-StateHimalayan Cataract Project
Waterbury, VT, USAAbout the Grantee
The Himalayan Cataract Project works to eradicate preventable and curable blindness in the developing world.
Purpose of the Grant
To build and sustain the capacity of five community eye centers that, respectively, serve four remote, mountainous regions in Nepal and one underserved city in the Kathmandu Valley.
Amount
$250,000Term
36 monthsGrant Regions
International, South AsiaInternational Eye Foundation
Kensington, MD, USAAbout the Grantee
IEF’s mission is to eliminate preventable and treatable blindness by increasing affordability and access to quality comprehensive and sustainable eye care services worldwide., changing how eye care is delivered and changing systems at eye hospitals and clinics to provide quality eye care in an efficient, productive, and sustainable manner.
Purpose of the Grant
To develop a detailed plan of action to build the capacity of two public-sector hospital systems in Peru.
Amount
$14,000Term
3 monthsGrant Regions
International, Latin America & CaribbeanInternational Eye Foundation
Kensington, MD, USAAbout the Grantee
IEF’s mission is to eliminate preventable and treatable blindness by increasing affordability and access to quality comprehensive and sustainable eye care services worldwide., changing how eye care is delivered and changing systems at eye hospitals and clinics to provide quality eye care in an efficient, productive, and sustainable manner.
Purpose of the Grant
To partner with Lima-based Divino Nino Jesu Eye Clinic and the Peruvian Ministry of Health to help Peru’s two largest public eye care systems – the Intituto Nacional de Oftalmologia (INO) in Lima, Peru and the Instituto Regional de Oftalmologia (IRO) in Trujillo — to increase eye care volume, efficiency, and quality and to strengthen eye care referral systems.
Amount
$497,612Term
36 monthsGrant Regions
International, Latin America & CaribbeanL.V. Prasad Eye Institute of the Indo-American Eye Care Society
Rochester, NY, USAAbout the Grantee
Established in 1987, L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) is a comprehensive eye health facility with its main campus located in Hyderabad, India. A World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Prevention of Blindness, the Institute offers comprehensive patient care, sight enhancement and rehabilitation services and high-impact rural eye health programs. It also pursues cutting edge research and offers training in human resources for all levels of ophthalmic personnel.
Purpose of the Grant
To support C. L. Gupta Eye Institute in the strengthening of five existing CLGEI vision centers (notably via the addition of tele-medical connections with the Institute’s mother tertiary hospital) and the launch of two new fully equipped and staffed vision centers in western Uttar Pradesh, India.
Amount
$97,719Term
12 monthsGrant Regions
International, South AsiaLighthouse Guild International
New York, NY, USAAbout the Grantee
Lighthouse Guild is the leading not-for-profit vision + healthcare organization, with a long-standing heritage of addressing the needs of people who are blind or visually impaired, including those with multiple disabilities or chronic medical conditions.
Purpose of the Grant
To pilot test a promising falls-prevention program for seniors — in this instance, a specially adapted version for seniors who are blind or visually impaired.
Amount
$2,000,000Term
18 monthsGrant Regions
NYC Metro AreaNational Federation of the Blind of New York State
Brooklyn, NY, USAAbout the Grantee
The National Federation of the Blind of New York State (an affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind) has served the needs of blind people of all ages in NY State for over sixty years. The organization’s mission is to integrate blind people into society on terms of equality with the sighted.
Purpose of the Grant
To provide general operating support for the NFB NYS’ 2018 and 2019 BELL Academy summer enrichment program in NYC for elementary students who are blind.
Amount
$20,000Term
18 monthsNew York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai
New York, NY, USAAbout the Grantee
With 69 certified beds, the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is one of the world’s leading facilities for the diagnosis and treatment of all diseases of the eyes, ears, nose, and throat, as well as related conditions. Founded in 1820 as the nation’s first specialty hospital, NYEE manages more than 30,000 surgical cases and 225,000 outpatient visits per year. NYEE is regularly ranked as one of the best hospitals in America, according to U.S. News & World Report, and was awarded Magnet status for excellence in nursing care.
Purpose of the Grant
To support the research and planning needed to guide: (1) the future expansion of NYEE’s low vision optometry service and (2) the launch of a sustainable system to refer patients who are blind to vision rehabilitation services in the community.
Amount
$23,500Term
4 monthsGrant Regions
NYC Metro AreaOlmsted Center for Sight
Buffalo, NY, USAAbout the Grantee
The Olmsted Center for Sight aims to help people who are blind or visually impaired achieve their highest level of independence.
Purpose of the Grant
To support the Olmsted Center for Sight’s collaboration with VISIONS and Helen Keller Services for the Blind in preparing to launch an initiative to improve the employment programs and job placement outcomes of five vision rehabilitation agencies in Upstate New York.
Amount
$90,000Term
4 monthsGrant Regions
Upstate NYPerkins School for the Blind
Watertown, MA, USAAbout the Grantee
Perkins is a progressive, multi-faceted organization committed to improving the lives of people with blindness and deafblindness all around the world.
Purpose of the Grant
To support a Perkins International project to strengthen and scale the education of children with visual and other impairments in Latin America’s three largest countries: Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.
Amount
$1,000,000Term
48 monthsGrant Regions
International, Latin America & CaribbeanResearch Foundation of the City University of New York
New York, NY, USAAbout the Grantee
Hunter College, located in the heart of Manhattan, is the largest college in the City University of New York (CUNY). Founded in 1870, it is also one of the oldest public colleges in the country. More than 23,000 students currently attend Hunter, pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in more than 170 areas of study.
Purpose of the Grant
To help sustain the Tri-State New York area’s only college training program for orientation and mobility (O&M) trainers for people who are blind and visually impaired.
Amount
$645,868Term
48 monthsGrant Regions
Entire NY Tri-State AreaThe Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Rochester, NY, USAAbout the Grantee
The Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ABVI), founded in 1911, is a premiere provider of vision rehabilitation services to people who are blind or visually impaired throughout the Greater Rochester, Finger Lakes, and Southern Tier areas of New York.
As part of its mission-focused work, ABVI empowers people with vision loss to engage in fulfilling careers by offering a variety of entrepreneurial businesses, including a state-of-the-art contact center, and manufacturing and fulfillment services.
Purpose of the Grant
To build sustainable capacity to reach and provide low vision and rehabilitation services to more visually impaired seniors throughout ABVI’s Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes catchment area and to use the remaining nine percent of the requested funds to research and identify the best option for a new ABVI client-management database system.
Amount
$392,282Term
36 monthsGrant Regions
Upstate NYAlphapointe
Kansas City, MO, USAAbout the Grantee
Alphapointe aims to empower people with vision loss to live, work and be independent.
Purpose of the Grant
To underwrite certain renovation, equipment, and training costs associated with Alphapointe-NYC’s move to a new building
Amount
$700,000Term
12 monthsGrant Regions
NYC Metro AreaAssociation for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment
Binghamton, NY, USAAbout the Grantee
AVRE is a private, non-profit organization that creates opportunities for success and independence with people who are blind or visually impaired.
Purpose of the Grant
To support a multi-media advertising and community outreach campaign to enable Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment to recruit and serve more people who are blind needing employment and/or independent living skills training and earn more revenue in doing so
Amount
$200,000Term
36 monthsGrant Regions
Upstate NYBrother James Kearney Scholarship Program
Multiple LocationsAbout the Grantee
The Brother James Kearney Scholarship Program for the Blind (formerly, the Lavelle Fund College Scholarship Program) aims to help make quality undergraduate and graduate education affordable for U.S. residents who are legally blind, financially needy, and attending any of 12 selected private colleges in New York State, Northeastern New Jersey, and Southwestern Connecticut. The program is currently authorized to admit new students through June 30, 2019.
Purpose of the Grant
To provide financial assistance to U.S. residents who are legally blind, financially needed, and studying at any of 12 partnering private colleges and universities located in New York State, Northeastern New Jersey, and Southwestern Connecticut (Phase 3)