Endowments

In 2011, the Board explored the feasibility and desirability of establishing endowed professorship programs focusing on ophthalmic education at leading research universities and teaching hospitals. Preliminary groundwork proved constructive and in 2012 the President formed a committee of Board members to further explore this idea. This concept was approved and the endowed professorship program was subsequently created. In 2020, the Board expanded the endowment program by authorizing funding for research endowments. Research endowments support research programs as a whole and increase the number of investigators who benefit from the endowment.

Each endowed professorship and research endowment is awarded $2 million which is matched dollar for dollar by the partner institution. Each one-time investment provides a perpetual benefit to both the Foundation and the recipient institution and is consistent with the Foundation’s mission statement.

Research endowments create new partnership legacies for the Foundation. As the Foundation is credited on all publications that result from endowment funding, it receives valuable publicity and recognition which serve to further its mission.

Endowed Professorship Guidelines