About Hearing Health Foundation
To prevent and cure hearing loss and tinnitus through groundbreaking research and to promote hearing health.
Focus Areas
Hearing lossTinnitusBalance disordersHair cell regeneration / hearing restorationCochlear implant researchPrevention / hearing protectionEarly-career researcher seed grants
Who They Fund
individual researchers/principal investigatorsacademic institutions and universitiesresearch centers and think tanks
Funding Style
project-specific/restricted research funding
About Hearing Health Foundation
Hearing Health Foundation backs research across hearing loss, tinnitus, balance disorders, and hearing restoration, with a portfolio built around competitive project grants and early-stage investigator support. Its active programs include Emerging Research Grants, which provide one-year seed funding that may be renewable for a second year, and the Hearing Restoration Project, an international consortium organized to advance hair cell regeneration research. Recent awards show a strong research-university orientation. Mass Eye & Ear received $241,995 for a research grant in 2025, while the University of Southern California received $225,000 in 2024 and $200,000 in 2023 for research grants. Other large awards went to University of Maryland Baltimore Spa Office, Baylor College of Medicine, Stanford University’s Board of Trustees, and the University of Washington, indicating repeated support for academic and medical research centers working on hearing-related questions. The foundation also supports work that bridges basic and translational science. Its Hearing Restoration Project centers on collaborative research and data sharing toward regenerating sensory hair cells in the inner ear, while Emerging Research Grants cover the full spectrum of hearing and balance, including underfunded areas of otology and early-career projects.
What Hearing Health Foundation Funds
In hearing-restoration research, Hearing Health Foundation supports the Hearing Restoration Project, an international consortium focused on hair cell regeneration, inner ear biology, cross-species epigenetics, and translational hearing restoration research. That program is organized to coordinate projects across species and labs. The foundation also funds hearing-loss research through Emerging Research Grants. These one-year grants support projects on age-related hearing loss, hearing loss in children, central auditory processing disorders, hyperacusis, and hearing health. Its portfolio reaches into clinical and scientific research centers. Oregon Health & Science University received $141,995 for a research grant in 2024, and Stowers Institute for Medical Research received $109,000 in 2025 and $103,500 in 2024, showing support for both disease-focused and lab-based investigation. Prevention is also in scope: the active grant program includes prevention and hearing protection as part of its focus on hearing health.
How Hearing Health Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.3M
Total Assets
$14.3M
Total Revenue
$4.7M
Total Expenses
$4.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $50K and $145K, with a median of $95K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$95K
75th Percentile
$145K
Geographic Reach
National18 states funded
About 4% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
ROBERT BOUCAI
Accepts unsolicited proposals
Unlock Deep Analysis
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeSee Similar Funders
Free Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeExplore related grant guides
Want a Personalized Pitch for Hearing Health Foundation?
Sign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Free plan available
No contracts
Cancel anytime