
Support the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s educational, quality-of-care, and public service programs to educate ophthalmologists, prevent blindness, and promote the highest standards of patient care worldwide.
The Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology directs large, project-specific grants to the American Academy of Ophthalmology for educational, international, and public service work. The four most recent grants on file all went to that recipient, including $12,076,980 in 2025 and $11,367,446 in 2024, showing a consistent pattern of support over multiple years. The stated purpose of this funding ties directly to ophthalmology education, surgical education and coaching, public eye health, vision care access for seniors and underserved populations, museum-based public education, and global ophthalmic capacity building. That mix suggests a funder that uses restricted, programmatic grants to underwrite a broad set of professional and public-facing activities rather than a wide spread of unrelated charities. The Academy itself is the central grantee in the recent record, indicating that the foundation’s giving is closely aligned with the Academy’s own educational and service agenda. Its grantmaking is local and entirely U.S.-based in the available record, with all recent grants landing in California.
In ophthalmology education, the foundation supported the American Academy of Ophthalmology with grants labeled for educational, international, and public service related projects. The same funding pattern also covers surgical education and coaching, showing support for training within the profession as well as broader instructional work. Public eye health appears in the foundation’s stated focus areas, alongside vision care access for seniors and underserved populations, which points to a service orientation that extends beyond clinician education. Museum-based public education is also named among its focus areas, adding a public-facing outreach component to the grantmaking profile. Global ophthalmic capacity building is another listed priority, linking the foundation’s work to international development and initiatives within eye care.
The typical grant size is large: the 25th percentile is $9,028,864, the median is $10,951,525, and the 75th percentile is $11,159,486. The recent record shows repeat grants to the same recipient across 2023, 2024, and 2025, all to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The foundation gives programmatic, project-specific support and makes no program-related investments. It does not fund individuals. The available data show no application process details, so the giving pattern is best understood from the award history and grant labels rather than an open solicitation model.
$23M
$182.4M
$14.9M
$17.3M
Most grants fall between $9M and $11.2M, with a median of $11M.
25th Percentile
$9M
Median
$11M
75th Percentile
$11.2M
About 100% of grants go to recipients in CA.
TINA MCGOVERN
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Grantmaking is concentrated in California: 100% of grants in the available record went to recipients in the HQ state. The recent grants all went to San Francisco, with the American Academy of Ophthalmology as recipient. The geographic scope of giving is local, and the recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 4 grants in the United States. No other recipient countries appear in the recent record.
The foundation supports educational, international, and public service related projects tied to ophthalmology. Its stated focus areas include ophthalmology education, surgical education and coaching, public eye health, vision care access for seniors and underserved populations, museum-based public education, and global ophthalmic capacity building.
The recent grant record is concentrated entirely on the American Academy of Ophthalmology in San Francisco. The four most recent awards on file all went to that recipient, across 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The grant sizes are large and fairly clustered. The 25th percentile is $9,028,864, the median is $10,951,525, and the 75th percentile is $11,159,486.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals, and it does not make program-related investments. The record reflects project-specific, restricted grants instead.
Its giving is local, and the available grant record is entirely California-based. All recent grants went to recipients in the HQ state, with the American Academy of Ophthalmology in San Francisco appearing throughout the recent record.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $12,076,980 | 2025 | GRANTS FOR EDUCATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL, AND PUBLIC SERVICE RELATED PROJECTS |
| AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,951,525 | 2025 | GRANTS FOR EDUCATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL, AND PUBLIC SERVICE RELATED PROJECTS |
| AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $11,367,446 | 2024 | GRANTS FOR EDUCATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL, AND PUBLIC SERVICE RELATED PROJECTS |
| AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $7,106,204 | 2023 | GRANTS FOR EDUCATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL, AND PUBLIC SERVICE RELATED PROJECTS |
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
$12,076,980GRANTS FOR EDUCATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL, AND PUBLIC SERVICE RELATED PROJECTS
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
$10,951,525GRANTS FOR EDUCATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL, AND PUBLIC SERVICE RELATED PROJECTS
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
$11,367,446GRANTS FOR EDUCATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL, AND PUBLIC SERVICE RELATED PROJECTS
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
$7,106,204GRANTS FOR EDUCATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL, AND PUBLIC SERVICE RELATED PROJECTS