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Philanthropy

Give time, money or expertise and help us to Save Sight. Change Lives.

A group of young people with vision impairment taking part in a farm visit. They are sitting around a table exchanging stories and laughing.

Putting change in sight

Imagine receiving a diagnosis of vision loss. People face two urgent, profound questions. Can this be stopped? How do I live my life? With your help, we can answer both questions with a resounding "yes".

We invest the money we raise in scientific research and social change. So, we're funding the brilliant minds and bright ideas putting change in sight for everyone impacted by vision loss. 

Investing in scientific research

The scientists and science we invest in will help us to better understand, diagnose, prevent and treat vision loss. We're also supporting early career researchers, ensuring we support and retain the most talented scientists in the field of vision loss. 

Dr Jasmina Kapetanovic in a laboratory smiling in front of a microscope

"It is brilliant seeing patients after gene therapy surgery, with enlarged fields of vision, who come back to my clinic and say, ‘I can see more.’"

Dr Jasmina Kapetanovic
Optogenetics research

Funding social change

We believe people who are blind and vision impaired deserve the same opportunities as anyone else. So, we're funding bright ideas across the UK that put change in sight.

For instance, we're funding schemes that provide access to sporting activities such as blind cricket, which are building confidence. We also support families impacted by rare vision loss conditions to build support networks and a sense of community. 

Elsewhere, we're funding walking groups that bring people together, which has helped participants discover improved confidence and independence.

Making investments work

To create big breakthroughs, sometimes you need to take a chance and that pioneering spirit is baked into how we manage our grant awards. Take our scientific research funding. We offer small grants to talented researchers with a strong hypothesis, and we can show that seed funding unlocks future financing, which has led to scientific breakthroughs. We also fund more significant project grants.

Our approach to social change identifies areas of unmet need, such as the high prevalence of loneliness and isolation among people who are blind and vision impaired. The insights we gather inform the projects we fund, and we work with our partners to understand what works and what doesn't, sharing information so that others can learn from it, too. 

Robust investments

Robust governance is vital to ensuring we meet the high standards expected by the Charity Commission. We also want to ensure that where we're investing has the most significant chance of success. 

Meet our assessment panels

The role of philanthropy

By becoming a Fight for Sight philanthropist, you'll become part of a growing network of people investing to fund the brilliant minds and bright ideas putting change in sight for everyone impacted by vision loss. We couldn't fund breakthroughs without you.

Thanks to our philanthropic supporters, research we have funded has already led to breakthroughs in conditions like choroideremia, glaucoma, and Leber congenital amaurosis, improving treatments and enabling some people to see clearly for the first time in decades. 

Driving social change

Thanks to our supporters, we've uncovered the critical challenges faced by blind and vision-impaired individuals.

These insights directly shape the projects we fund, making the natural world accessible, boosting mental health, and empowering young people to build confidence and friendships. 

Our goal is to provide a blueprint for change, so we focus on solutions that can be sustained, scaled and replicated, amplifying the benefits of our work beyond financial investment. 

Learn more about our insight reports.

The benefits of philanthropy

We can't fund breakthroughs without people like you, and we're keen to ensure you're supported in your philanthropic journey. 

A personal relationship with Fight for Sight

One of our team will contact you about the role you’d like to play in tackling vision loss. We'll listen to what interests you and any information you'd like to receive about our work. 

Choose how we use your gift

We fund various vital projects, which you can choose to support specifically. If you're keen to expedite a particular aspect of our work, we'll help you ensure your gift is directed there. 

See firsthand where your money goes

There will be several opportunities to visit particular projects, where you will see the difference your gift makes to people living with sight loss. 

Join us for special events

We organise social events, meetings and visits to sites and projects throughout the year. These allow our Executive and Trustee Board members to thank you personally for your help and support. These events also allow you to learn more about the vital work you’re helping us fund and meet like-minded supporters. 

Personal updates  

We’ll share personal and bespoke updates that are tailored to your chosen interests, and we'll also keep you informed of any interesting news, research or campaigns that we're working on. 

 

Meet the team

If you are considering making a significant gift, or would like to find out more, we would be delighted to hear from you directly. 

We make giving easy

Once you’ve decided you’d like to invest in a future filled with hope and independence for people living with sight loss, we want to make it easy for you to do so.

There are a number of ways you can give:

  • Telephone donations

    Call us at 020 7620 2066, and we can assist you with your donation. 

  • Postal donations

    You can send a cheque, payable to Fight for Sight addressed to: Fight For Sight, 18 Mansell Street, London, E1 8AA.

  • Donor Advised Funds (DAFs)

    DAFs are becoming an increasingly popular way to give, since they offer: 

    • immediate tax benefits, 

    • flexibility in granting, 

    • simplified record-keeping.

    For Current DAF Holders - If you would like to donate via your DAF account, please contact your DAF provider directly and request that they issue a grant to Fight for Sight, Charity Number: 1111438. 

    For those who are new to DAFS – Below you’ll find some leading facilitators in the UK:  

    • CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) 

    • Prism the Gift Fund 

    • NPT UK (National Philanthropic Trust) 

    • Stewardship

    For general information or for help connecting with a DAF facilitator, please reach out to Mary-Anne Donovan at maryanne.donovan@fightforsight.org.uk or call 07540 309 887.

  • Donate Shares

    Donating shares is a simple and tax-efficient way to support Fight for Sight’s life-changing research and social change programmes. You can donate shares in the following ways:

    ShareGift

    If you have small shareholdings that are difficult to sell, ShareGift specialises in aggregating them, selling them, and using the proceeds to make donations to a wide range of registered charities, based on the recommendations of donors and supporters.

    ShareGift also accepts larger shareholdings, defined as those worth over £500, which can generally be sold straight away. In most instances, the proceeds can then be directed to a UK charity of your choice, including Fight for Sight. Learn more at ShareGift.  

    Direct Transfer

    You can transfer shares directly to Fight for Sight, allowing us to benefit from the full value of the shares. In most cases, you can claim income tax relief and exemption from capital gains tax. This can be arranged through your stockbroker or investment platform.

  • Other ways to give

    Find out about other ways to give here. 

Thank you

We're so grateful for your interest in supporting us, and we very much look forward to hearing from you. 

  • Our mission
  • Investing in change
  • The role of philanthropy
  • Making giving easy