Funding

Optometry Giving Sight 2023 Grant Guidelines

Thank you to all the organizations who applied. Grant decisions will be announced in August.

Mission

Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) aims to permanently solve the problem of preventable blindness and vision impairment by training, establishing, and delivering sustainable solutions in underserved communities worldwide.

Grant Guidelines & Deadlines

OGS makes grants available to both domestic and international organizations with a focus on activities with long-term sustainability.

Since 2022, OGS moved to one grant making cycle per calendar year with funding decisions being announced in July.

2023 Grant Application Period Information:

**IMPORTANT: Please note the following changes to the process:**

March 1 – 20, 2023: All organizations are required to complete a brief pre-qualifying form during this time period.

All pre-qualifying forms had to be submitted by March 20th. The form is now closed.

March 30th, 2023: Organizations whose projects qualify for further consideration will be emailed access to the full application form and will have until April 21st to complete the application. Organizations whose projects do not qualify for consideration will be sent an email informing them of such.

August 2023: Funding decisions will be announced in August.

OGS funds organizations that focus on the following:

• Programs involving optometry where there is a clear outline of optometry’s involvement and benefits to the program
• Establish or support optometry schools, eye clinics, vision centers and optical labs
• Deliver eye exams and low or no-cost glasses to underserved or marginalized populations that also contains a strong education and training component
• Integrated, long-term programs with a view towards sustainability
• Service delivery tied to education and/or the development of optometry

Organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3), 501(c)(6), Canadian registered charities and international charities are eligible for funding. There are no geographic restrictions on the locations of the projects.

We are headquartered in North America with offices in Golden, Colorado and in Calgary, Alberta.

Grant Amount

The range of awards is based on the project with a maximum award of $100,000 USD or if headquartered in Canada, CAD. However, our average award amount ranges from $25,000 – $45,000 USD & CAD. Acceptance is contingent upon the amount of funds available, and the number and range of applications submitted. We encourage multi-year projects that support long-term sustainable activities as well as projects that have matching funds.

What We Do Not Fund

We do not provide grants to individuals and to domestic and international charitable organizations that are not registered nonprofits (501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6))  or charities. Organizations must be nonpartisan.

As of 2021, Optometry Giving Sight has decided that potential grantees must meet the following criteria to apply:
• Your organization must be a registered non-profit or charity
• We no longer offer grants covering solely Vision Screenings, Basic Eye Exams & Eyeglass Distribution
• Organizations whose parent company is a large corporation are not eligible.