Fight For Sight

Charity Number: 1111438

Annual Expenditure: £8.2M
Throughout England And Wales

Contact Info

Website: www.fightforsight.org.uk

Phone: 020 7264 3900

Email: info@fightforsight.org.uk

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £2,500,000+
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: 8-11 months (project grants), 6-8 months (small grants)
  • Grant Range: £15,000 - £250,000
  • Geographic Focus: UK-based research institutions

Contact Details

Website: www.fightforsight.org.uk

Email: info@fightforsight.org.uk

Research Grant Enquiries: grants@fightforsight.org.uk

Phone: 020 7264 3900

Address: 50 Leman Street, London

Pre-Application Support: Contact the scientific research team at grants@fightforsight.org.uk for questions about applications

Overview

Founded in 1965 by Professor Norman Ashton CBE, Fight for Sight is the UK's leading charity funding research into the prevention and treatment of blindness and eye disease. The charity merged with the British Eye Research Foundation in 2005, creating the largest national charity dedicated to funding eye research in the UK. Since inception, Fight for Sight has invested over £50 million into eye research. In 2023-24, total income increased significantly to £11.8 million (from £4.8 million in 2022-23), with over £2.5 million invested in research grants during the reporting period. The charity's mission is to “fund the brilliant minds and bright ideas, putting change in sight for everyone impacted by vision loss.” Led by CEO Keith Valentine, who himself lives with sight loss, Fight for Sight maintains its commitment to funding research across a wide range of eye conditions while expanding into social change initiatives through recent strategic developments.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Project Grants: £250,000 maximum over three years

  • Hypothesis-driven clinical or non-clinical research projects addressing sight loss caused by any eye condition
  • Two-step application process (abstract then full application)
  • Typically covers laboratory consumables, salaries, and equipment
  • Applications open in April; decisions ratified by Trustees the following March

Small Grants: Up to £15,000 over one year

  • Single-step application process
  • Particularly encouraged for early career researchers, new investigators, those new to vision research, and researchers working in rare disease areas
  • Many awards made in partnership with other organisations
  • Recent round awarded £177,009 across twelve grants

PhD Studentships: £163,000 (London) or £155,000 (elsewhere in UK)

  • For hypothesis-driven clinical or non-clinical research projects
  • Builds capacity by developing talented graduates in ophthalmic and vision research
  • Single-step application process
  • Covers stipends, PhD fees at UK rates, consumables (up to £10,000/year for Years 1-3, £5,000 for Year 4), equipment, animal costs, open access publication costs, and conference attendance including one international conference

Zakarian Awards: Up to £25,000 over one year

  • Specifically for ophthalmologists to conduct research
  • Recent awards focused on diabetic retinopathy, inflammatory eye diseases, and rare inherited conditions

MRC/Fight for Sight Clinical Research Training Fellowship: Three-year funding

  • For registered healthcare professionals to undertake a PhD or reacquire research skills

Social Change Fund: Up to £30,000

  • For organizations supporting those living with or at risk of sight loss
  • Fixed application deadlines

Capacity Building Fund: £10,000 - £20,000

  • To support creation of a coherent, sustainable, resilient sight loss sector
  • For UK registered charities, CIOs, charitable companies limited by guarantee, CICs, and exempt charities
  • Not designed for specific projects but may consider project continuation with strong sustainability evidence

Priority Areas

Fight for Sight funds research into any eye condition causing sight loss, including:

  • Age-related macular degeneration
  • Glaucoma
  • Cataracts
  • Corneal eye disease
  • Diabetic retinopathy
  • Inherited retinal diseases (Stargardt's disease, Leber congenital amaurosis, achromatopsia, congenital aniridia)
  • Nystagmus
  • Childhood blindness
  • Uveitis and inflammatory eye diseases
  • Mucopolysaccharidoses affecting vision

Research focus areas include:

  • Understanding molecular and cellular basis of retinal degeneration
  • Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment advancement
  • Gene therapy and antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapy development
  • Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS)
  • Early detection methods (including AI and imaging-based approaches)
  • Neurodegenerative disease detection through eye scans

Partnership grants available for specific conditions in collaboration with specialist organizations.

What They Don't Fund

For research grants:

  • Research conducted outside the UK (except small amounts essential to project success with strong justification)
  • Projects led by researchers without PhD or MD qualification
  • Applicants without UK academic or medical institution affiliation
  • Lead applicants currently holding two or more active grants with Fight for Sight
  • More than one application per lead applicant per funding round (across Project Grant and PhD Studentship schemes)

For social change grants (Capacity Building Fund):

  • Individuals (funding only available to organizations)
  • Organizations whose primary purpose is not supporting those living with or at risk of sight loss

Governance and Leadership

Chief Executive: Keith Valentine - A strategic leader in the sight loss sector who himself lives with sight loss. Valentine stated regarding the organization's expansion: “Taking that incredible work – as well as our mission at Fight for Sight – onto the national stage is a very big deal. The impact we will deliver for people and families affected by sight loss across the country is immeasurable.”

Chair of Trustees: Dr. Heather Giles

Chief Scientific Advisor: Professor Alan Stitt - Holds the Harold McCauley Chair in experimental ophthalmology. Focus includes encouraging collaboration between scientists and clinicians and harnessing expertise from diverse disciplines.

Board of Trustees: Meets at least four times annually to agree strategy and areas of activity. Members include:

  • Alina Kessel (Advertising Executive, appointed 2017)
  • Colin Henry (Management Consultant, appointed 2024)
  • Darren Barker (General Management, appointed 2023)
  • Dr. Amit Patel (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consultant, appointed 2023)

Governance Structure:

  • Research Grant Assessment Panel (RGAP) - Reviews and scores applications, makes recommendations
  • Social Impact and Scientific Research (SISR) Committee - Reviews RGAP recommendations considering strategic interests
  • Board of Trustees - Final ratification of funding decisions

The charity is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) and follows their guidelines for best practice in peer review.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted via Fight for Sight's online Grant Tracker system at grants.fightforsight.org.uk. New applicants must register for an account; returning applicants can login to existing accounts.

Applications require approval from two authorised signatories of the host institution (Head of Department and Finance Office). Fight for Sight allows 48 hours from the deadline for approvals - applications with outstanding approvals 48 hours past the deadline will not be processed.

It is strongly recommended to seek appropriate signatories as early as possible, considering annual leave periods and verifying email addresses.

Funding opportunities and deadlines are published on the Fight for Sight website, stakeholder websites, through specialist networks, and social media.

Decision Timeline

Project Grants (approximately 11 months total):

  • April: Applications open for Stage 1 (abstract submission)
  • Stage 1 Review: Three RGAP members score each abstract
  • Triage Panel: Invitations for full applications sent with feedback to all Stage 1 applicants
  • Stage 2 Review: Full applications shared with three external expert peer reviewers
  • Rebuttal: Reviews shared with applicants who submit rebuttals
  • RGAP Meeting: Full applications, reviews, and rebuttals discussed
  • SISR Committee: Reviews RGAP recommendations considering strategic interests
  • Following March: Board of Trustees ratifies final funding decisions
  • Notification: Outcomes and feedback shared with all full application submitters

Small Grants (approximately 6-8 months):

  • Summer/Early Autumn: Applications reviewed by external research experts and RGAP members
  • November: RGAP meets to decide fundable applications
  • Late November: SISR Committee discusses RGAP recommendations
  • December: Trustees ratify successful applicants

PhD Studentships: Single-step process with similar review stages to Small Grants

Success Rates

Fight for Sight does not publicly disclose specific success rate percentages. However, all successful awards must pass a minimum quality threshold as determined by the Research Grant Assessment Panel, indicating a selective, competitive review process.

Recent funding announcements indicate:

  • 2023/24 Small Grants: 12 awards from total applicant pool (specific number not disclosed)
  • Project Grants: Approximately 5 awards per major funding round

Reapplication Policy

Fight for Sight's publicly available application guidelines do not contain specific information about reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants. For detailed information about whether unsuccessful applicants can reapply, any waiting periods, or resubmission requirements, contact the grants team directly at grants@fightforsight.org.uk or 020 7264 3904.

All applicants receive feedback at the abstract stage (for two-stage processes), and outcomes with further feedback are shared with all applicants who submitted full applications.

Application Success Factors

Review Criteria

Fight for Sight evaluates applications across three key themes:

  1. Research Question: Important, clear, focused, and hypothesis-driven (or PICO question for clinical research)
  1. Evaluation Plans: Adequate and appropriate plans for evaluating research outcomes, including sample size/power calculations
  1. Research Team: Suitable experience and expertise evidenced by a good track record that will contribute to project success

Essential Application Elements

Public and Patient Involvement: Applications must include:

  • Public involvement in development of the research proposal
  • Involvement plans throughout the project
  • Engagement plans upon completion

Pathway to Benefit: Realistic outline of pathway to potential benefit for people with or at risk of sight loss

Clear Justification: Plans and costs must be clearly stated and justified in the application form

Strategic Guidance

According to Fight for Sight's grant-making process: “The SISR Committee will then make recommendations to the Board of Trustees considering the RGAP feedback and the strategic interests of the charity when making the final funding decision.” This indicates that beyond scientific merit, alignment with Fight for Sight's strategic priorities is a critical success factor.

Examples of Funded Research

Recent successful projects demonstrate the range and innovation Fight for Sight seeks:

  • Early detection: Professor Keane's AlzEye Study (initially small grant recipient) showing eye scans can detect neurodegenerative diseases up to seven years earlier than current techniques
  • Gene therapy innovation: Professor Omar Mahroo's novel gene therapy for Stargardt's disease (£250,000 project grant)
  • Rare disease treatment: Professor Colin Johnson's antisense oligonucleotide therapy for Leber congenital amaurosis causing childhood blindness (£250,000 project grant)
  • Pediatric screening improvement: Dr. Ameenat Lola Solebo's imaging-based methods for uveitis screening in children with autoimmune disease (£250,000 project grant)

Tips for Standing Out

  • Engage early: Contact grants@fightforsight.org.uk with questions before applying
  • Demonstrate clear benefit: Show realistic pathway to impact for people with sight loss
  • Include diverse expertise: Applications demonstrating collaboration across disciplines align with Chief Scientific Advisor's stated priorities
  • Small grants for new areas: If you're new to vision research or working in rare diseases, the Small Grant scheme is particularly encouraged
  • Quality threshold is essential: Applications must meet minimum quality standards - ensure robust methodology and strong track record evidence
  • Early career researchers: Small Grants and PhD Studentships specifically encourage applications from those building their research careers
  • Justify costs thoroughly: Every element of the budget must be clearly explained and justified
  • Administrative requirements: Don't underestimate the importance of securing institutional approvals well before the 48-hour post-deadline window

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Competitive timeline requires planning: With 8-11 month decision processes for major grants, plan applications well in advance and factor in institutional approval timescales
  • Strategic alignment matters: Beyond scientific merit, final decisions consider Fight for Sight's strategic interests - review their recent funded projects and annual reports to understand current priorities
  • Patient involvement is mandatory: Public and patient involvement must be integrated throughout - from development through delivery to dissemination
  • Quality threshold is non-negotiable: Applications must meet minimum standards set by expert peer reviewers; borderline applications will not be funded even if generally sound
  • Feedback is provided: All applicants receive feedback, making this valuable even for unsuccessful applications to inform future submissions
  • Multiple entry points: Different grant schemes suit different career stages - early career researchers should particularly consider Small Grants and PhD Studentships
  • Partnership opportunities exist: Many grants awarded in partnership with specialist organizations - explore whether partnerships might strengthen your application

Similar Funders

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References