Accepts applications
Can I apply?
Accepts applications
The funder's latest Form 990-PF says it accepts applications. Read the instructions below before you write.
- How to apply
- Deadlines
The funder's latest Form 990-PF says it accepts applications. Read the instructions below before you write.
Application policy: Accepts applications, as stated on the FY2024 return.
These lines count this foundation's own Form 990-PF returns that the IRS has published as data. An amended return replaces its original. They describe past returns only.
This is a count from past returns. It does not say the foundation will consider a new request. How it is counted: names are compared as written on the returns, without "The" at the start, without endings such as "Inc" or "LLC", and without spaces and punctuation. A recipient also counts as already listed when our records link it to the same organization as an earlier recipient, or when its name is almost the same as an earlier name (a trigram similarity of 0.8 or more, where 1 means identical). The state on the grant row is not compared. Grants that the foundation marked as paid to an individual, such as a scholarship, are left out of both numbers, and no count is shown when most of its grants are marked that way. A person whom the foundation did not mark as an individual is still counted as a recipient. A recipient can still look new when its name is written very differently from year to year, and two different recipients with almost the same name can be counted as one.
Application guidance comes from the funder's own Form 990-PF, Part XV (the section where a private foundation says how to apply), shown as filed. It is the funder's words, not ours. These fields are free text and the IRS form cuts them short. Filers sometimes put whole sentences in the contact-name box. Shown exactly as filed.
Giving by year
Total assets by year
| Year | Form | Revenue | Expenses | Giving | Assets | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | 990-PF | $1,239,787 | $2,065,670 | $1,882,877 | $20,333,743 |
Figures are as reported on the e-filed return, with no restatement. Fiscal years are the funder's own tax year, labelled by the calendar year the period ends in. A blank line means the return does not carry that figure; a real zero shows as $0. When an amended return replaces an original, every figure here uses the amended return. The original is not shown. Giving is what the funder actually paid out toward its charitable purpose in the year (qualifying distributions on Form 990-PF, charitable disbursements otherwise). Assets are what it holds; giving is what moves.
Recipient focus areas
Where recipients are
Based on the 21% of grant rows we could match to an organization record. The rest stay as reported. The IRS assigns the NTEE category when it grants exemption. It often reflects the original filing, not today's giving.
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VANDERBILT UNIVERSITYNASHVILLE, TN | RESEARCH | $8,324,994 | 2022 | |
Recipients are shown as the funder wrote them on the return. A recipient with a link was matched to an organization record; the rest stay as reported and are never guessed.
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael A Callahan Md | PRESIDENT | 0.50 | $0 |
| V Hugo Marx Iii | TREASURER | 0.50 | $0 |
| Paul Sternberg Jr Md | SECRETARY | 0.50 | $0 |
| John S Parker Md | VICE PRESIDENT |
From the officer list on the latest e-filed return. Compensation is as reported there; a blank means the return carries no figure.
| $20,333,743 |
| FY2023 | 990-PF | $1,031,153 | $2,743,222 | $2,500,830 | $20,567,803 | $20,567,803 |
| FY2022 | 990-PF | $2,570,888 | $9,272,059 | $9,044,879 | $17,812,175 | $17,812,175 |
| FY2021 | 990-PF | $2,481,760 | $1,908,533 | $1,708,660 | $29,800,407 | $29,800,407 |
| FY2020 | 990-PF | $1,455,825 | $1,443,229 | $1,259,810 | $33,014,597 | $33,014,597 |
| FY2019 | 990-PF | $3,226,694 | $2,564,741 | $2,302,225 | $31,144,676 | $31,144,676 |
| FY2018 | 990-PF | $2,775,419 | $1,397,590 | $1,165,788 | $29,367,309 | $29,367,309 |
| FY2017 | 990-PF | $1,336,372 | $1,966,858 | $1,714,239 | $31,050,762 | $31,050,762 |
| FY2016 | 990-PF | $1,733,118 | $1,883,003 | $1,620,482 | $29,422,443 | $29,422,443 |
| RESEARCH |
| $1,000,000 |
| 2019 |
| UAB DEPT OF OPHTHALMOLOGYBIRMINGHAM, AL | RESEARCH | $1,000,000 | 2023 |
| VANDERBILT UNIVERSITYNASHVILLE, TN | RESEARCH | $785,000 | 2023 |
| UAB DEPT OF OPHTHALMOLOGYBIRMINGHAM, AL | RESEARCH | $571,000 | 2016 |
| VANDERBILT UNIVERSITYNASHVILLE, TN | RESEARCH | $525,000 | 2024 |
| UAB DEPT OF OPHTHALMOLOGYBIRMINGHAM, AL | RESEARCH | $505,000 | 2017 |
| UAB CENTER FOR LOW VISION REHABBIRMINGHAM, AL | RESEARCH | $500,000 | 2020 |
| UAB DEPT OF OPHTHALMOLOGYBIRMINGHAM, AL | RESEARCH | $500,000 | 2021 |
| UAB DEPT OF OPHTHALMOLOGYBIRMINGHAM, AL | RESEARCH | $450,000 | 2024 |
| LASKER FOUNDATIONNEW YORK, NY | RESEARCH | $346,205 | 2016 |
| LASKER FOUNDATIONNEW YORK, NY | RESEARCH | $330,000 | 2017 |
| VANDERBILT UNIVERSITYNASHVILLE, TN | RESEARCH | $300,000 | 2019 |
| VANDERBILT UNIVERSITYNASHVILLE, TN | RESEARCH | $300,000 | 2021 |
| LASKER FOUNDATIONNEW YORK, NY | RESEARCH | $285,000 | 2018 |
| THE RETINA SOCIETYBOSTON, MA | RESEARCH | $275,000 | 2024 |
| THE MACULA SOCIETYPEPPER PIKE, OH | RESEARCH | $270,000 | 2024 |
| STERNBERG DIRECTORSHIP VANDERBILTNASHVILLE, TN | RESEARCH | $250,000 | 2021 |
| UNIVERSITY OF UTAHSALT LAKE CITY, UT | RESEARCH | $199,750 | 2020 |
| UNIVERSITY OF UTAHSALT LAKE CITY, UT | RESEARCH | $199,750 | 2019 |
| RESEARCH TO PREVENT BLINDNESSNEW YORK, NY | RESEARCH | $162,500 | 2020 |
| RESEARCH TO PREVENT BLINDNESSNEW YORK, NY | RESEARCH | $152,500 | 2019 |
| UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANANN ARBOR, MI | RESEARCH | $135,000 | 2019 |
| ERASMUS UNIVERSITYROTTERDAM | RESEARCH | $103,500 | 2019 |
| RESEARCH TO PREVENT BLINDNESSNEW YORK, NY | RESEARCH | $102,500 | 2018 |
| 0.50 |
| $0 |
| Sandra Blackwood | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40.00 | $131,760 |
| Cynthia Toth Md | DIRECTOR | 0.50 | $0 |
Nearest by size, location and giving pattern in the database. Geography weighs heavily. Treat it as a starting list, not a ranking of fit.
Form 990-PF · FY2023 · period ending Dec 31, 2023IRS bulk XML
Filing id 202413179349100336
Form 990-PF · FY2022 · period ending Dec 31, 2022
Filing id 202303129349100635
Form 990-PF · FY2021 · period ending Dec 31, 2021
Filing id 202233189349103333
Form 990-PF · FY2020 · period ending Dec 31, 2020
Filing id 202133169349102103
Form 990-PF · FY2019 · period ending Dec 31, 2019
Filing id 202033179349101508
Form 990-PF · FY2018 · period ending Dec 31, 2018
Filing id 201943129349100234
Form 990-PF · FY2017 · period ending Dec 31, 2017
Filing id 201843119349100209
Form 990-PF · FY2016 · period ending Dec 31, 2016
Filing id 201742849349100204
IRS filings are the source for every fact on this page. Nothing a model writes is ever a source; it can only point at a row here.