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BrightFocus Foundation

Annual Giving
$12.0M
Grant Range
$200K - $0.3M
Decision Time
7mo
Success Rate
32%

BrightFocus Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $10-13 million
  • Success Rate: ~32% (invitation rate from letter of intent to full proposal)
  • Decision Time: Approximately 6-8 months from submission to notification (mid-April)
  • Grant Range: $200,000 - $300,000
  • Geographic Focus: International (researchers in 17 countries)

Contact Details

Website: https://www.brightfocus.org/

Address: 22512 Gateway Center Drive, Clarksburg, MD 20871

Phone: 1-800-437-2423 (toll-free, Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm Eastern)

Research Grants Office Email: [email protected]

Application Portal: ProposalCentral (https://proposalcentral.com/)

Overview

BrightFocus Foundation, established in 1973, is a prominent private research nonprofit based in Clarksburg, Maryland (EIN: 23-7337229). The foundation has awarded over $300 million in groundbreaking research funding since its inception, exclusively supporting scientific research to defeat Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. With current annual giving ranging from $10-13 million, BrightFocus actively supports more than 200 research grants in 17 countries at 154 institutions. The foundation is entirely funded by private donor contributions and corporate/foundation grants, receiving no government funding. BrightFocus has earned a Four-Star rating from Charity Navigator with a score of 92%. Under President and CEO Stacy Pagos Haller's leadership since 2010, the foundation has significantly expanded its stature, with a strategic focus on supporting early-career scientists and advancing health equity through diverse research funding.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

BrightFocus operates three flagship research programs:

1. Alzheimer's Disease Research (ADR)

  • Established in 1985
  • $7.3 million awarded in 2025
  • $170 million total funding since inception
  • Standard Awards: $300,000 over three years
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards: $200,000 over two years
  • Application deadlines: Multiple cycles annually (June 30, September 29)
  • No Letter of Intent required
  • Applications submitted via online ProposalCentral portal

2. Macular Degeneration Research (MDR)

  • Established in 1999
  • $3.8 million awarded in 2025
  • $53 million total funding since inception
  • Standard Awards: $300,000 over three years
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards: $200,000 over two years
  • Letter of Intent required (reviewed before full proposal invitation)
  • Application deadlines: July 17, December 4
  • Rolling basis through ProposalCentral portal

3. National Glaucoma Research (NGR)

  • Established in 1978
  • $1.8 million awarded in 2025
  • $51 million total funding since inception
  • Standard Awards: $300,000 over three years
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards: $200,000 over two years
  • Application opens June 30, full proposal due October 30
  • Applications submitted via online ProposalCentral portal

Priority Areas

BrightFocus prioritizes:

  • High-risk, innovative research: The foundation is particularly interested in supporting experimental studies that illuminate areas with little current understanding
  • Pilot funding: BrightFocus considers its awards as "pilot funding," with preference for exciting pilot projects that would not, at their present stage, be competitive for large government or industry awards
  • Interdisciplinary investigations: The funding mechanisms are designed to provide initial funding for highly innovative experimental ideas, including interdisciplinary approaches
  • Early-career scientists: Fellowship awards are limited to researchers within 5 years of doctoral degree conferral or end of residency
  • Health equity: Dedicated funding for scientists from groups historically underrecognized in the field
  • Research focusing on etiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma

What They Don't Fund

  • Research that is already well-funded or competitive for large government/industry awards
  • Projects outside the three disease areas (Alzheimer's, macular degeneration, glaucoma)
  • Researchers submitting more than one proposal per review cycle to any BrightFocus program

Governance and Leadership

Executive Leadership

President and CEO: Stacy Pagos Haller has led BrightFocus Foundation since 2010, significantly expanding the nonprofit's stature as a prominent funder of brain and vision research.

Haller has emphasized the foundation's mission: "These new grants give bold, innovative ideas a chance to succeed. By pursuing the untried, the unexpected, and the most promising, we are trying to spark new and faster ways to find cures." More recently, she noted: "With recent major cuts to federal research funding, private foundations like BrightFocus are more essential than ever—stepping up to keep promising research alive, nurture early-career scientists, and accelerate breakthroughs."

Senior Leadership Team:

  • Jon Walsh, Senior Vice President, Finance and Administration
  • Brian Elderton, Senior Vice President, Development

Board of Directors

Recent board appointments demonstrate the foundation's commitment to scientific and business excellence:

  • John S. Penn, PhD (March 2025): Renowned vision scientist and professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  • Dale Young (March 2025): Chairman and CEO of Summit Financial Group
  • Adam Myers, MD, MHCM, FACHE, CHCQM, CPHRM (June 2024): Healthcare executive and clinician
  • Herbert L. Drayton III (August 2023): Venture capitalist
  • Thomas F. Freddo, OD, PhD (August 2023): Clinician/scientist educator and vision researcher
  • Ann Argabright Seclow (August 2023): Licensed marriage and family therapist

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted online through the ProposalCentral portal (https://proposalcentral.com/). Organizations must register with ProposalCentral before applying.

Application Process:

  1. Create an account at ProposalCentral or login under "Application Login"
  2. Select the appropriate BrightFocus program (ADR, MDR, or NGR)
  3. For MDR and NGR: Submit Letter of Intent (LOI) first
  4. For ADR: Submit full application directly (no LOI required)
  5. Follow program-specific formatting and length requirements
  6. Upload all required attachments according to technical specifications

Program-Specific Requirements:

  • Alzheimer's Disease Research: No Letter of Intent; full application submitted directly
  • Macular Degeneration Research: Letter of Intent required; approximately 32% of LOIs are invited to submit full proposals (152 LOIs submitted, 48 invited in FY23)
  • National Glaucoma Research: Letter of Intent followed by full proposal invitation

Technical Support: Contact the Research Grants office at 800-437-2423 or [email protected] for questions or technical difficulties.

Decision Timeline

  • Review Process: Applications undergo formal, rigorous scientific peer review using the National Institutes of Health's 9-point scale to assess overall impact
  • Scientific Review Committee: Evaluates applications and provides priority score rankings
  • Board Decision: Final funding decisions made by Board of Directors based on peer review results, program goals, and fund availability
  • Notification: Applicants notified of Board decisions by mid-April
  • Total Timeline: Approximately 6-8 months from submission to decision notification
  • Staff Restrictions: BrightFocus staff are not authorized to provide information on priority scores, ranking, or likelihood of funding prior to written notification

Success Rates

  • MDR Program (FY23): 152 Letters of Intent submitted, 48 invited to submit full proposals (approximately 32% invitation rate)
  • Overall Success: Specific final award rates not publicly disclosed
  • High Competition: Multiple qualified applications compete for limited funding each cycle

Reapplication Policy

  • Submission Limit: Applicants may submit no more than one proposal to any BrightFocus program in a given review cycle
  • Renewals: All requests for renewal of BrightFocus support must be made through submission of a new application
  • Unsuccessful Applicants: Specific waiting periods or restrictions for reapplication not publicly disclosed; contact Research Grants office for guidance

Application Success Factors

What BrightFocus Values

1. Scientific Merit and Relevance "Grants are awarded based on the scientific merit of the proposed research and the relevance of the research to improving understanding" of the target diseases. Applications must demonstrate how the project addresses an important problem or critical barrier and contributes significantly to knowledge regarding etiology, diagnosis, or treatment.

2. Innovation and Risk-Taking BrightFocus actively seeks "high-risk studies that illuminate areas for which there currently is little understanding." The foundation's funding mechanisms are designed for "highly innovative experimental ideas, including interdisciplinary investigations."

3. Pilot-Stage Research As CEO Stacy Pagos Haller stated: "These new grants give bold, innovative ideas a chance to succeed. By pursuing the untried, the unexpected, and the most promising, we are trying to spark new and faster ways to find cures." BrightFocus explicitly prefers "exciting pilot projects that would not, at their present stage, be competitive for large government or industry awards."

4. Institutional Support and Resources Reviewers evaluate whether "the scientific environment, institutional support, equipment and resources are adequate and if unique features will benefit the project."

5. Budget Justification The budget and requested period must be "fully justified and reasonable." Applicants are responsible for ensuring final documents adhere to formatting and length limitation guidelines.

6. Diversity and Equity In Haller's words: "Health equity begins in the lab, and by dedicating funding to scientists from groups that have been historically underrecognized in the field, we are working to advance equitable health outcomes now and for future generations." The 2024 cohort was the most diverse in BrightFocus's 50-year history, with women comprising 67% of new grant recipients.

Recent Funded Projects (Examples)

2025 Grant Recipients ($13M total):

  • The role of the immune system in driving cognitive decline
  • Pioneering new vision tests to monitor the effects of treatments for age-related macular degeneration
  • Understanding the mechanisms underlying neuronal loss in glaucoma

Specific Award Examples:

  • Ana J. Chucair-Elliott, PhD, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (MDR/NGR research)
  • Charles DeBoer, MD, PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine (MDR/NGR research)
  • Martin J. Dahl, PhD, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany (ADR research)
  • Andrew D. Nguyen, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis (ADR research)

Common Success Indicators

  • Significance: Addresses important problems or critical barriers in disease understanding
  • Approach: Demonstrates innovative, well-reasoned methodology
  • Investigators: Shows appropriate expertise and track record (especially for early-career researchers)
  • Environment: Leverages institutional resources and unique scientific environments
  • Impact: Potential to generate subsequent larger funding (BrightFocus-supported researchers often receive subsequent NIH grants at 10x their original BrightFocus investment)

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Focus on innovation over incremental research: BrightFocus explicitly wants "bold, innovative ideas" and "high-risk studies"—emphasize novel approaches and experimental ideas rather than safe, incremental science
  • Position your work as pilot-stage: Frame your research as early-stage investigation that needs BrightFocus support to generate preliminary data for larger government/industry grants
  • Demonstrate clear disease relevance: Show direct connections to understanding, diagnosing, treating, or preventing Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, or glaucoma—not just basic science
  • Understand the two-stage process for MDR/NGR: For Macular Degeneration and Glaucoma programs, invest effort in a compelling Letter of Intent, as only ~32% advance to full proposal
  • Emphasize interdisciplinary approaches: BrightFocus specifically seeks "interdisciplinary investigations"—highlight cross-disciplinary collaborations and methodologies
  • Allow 6-8 months for decisions: Plan your funding timeline accordingly, with final decisions typically announced in mid-April
  • Leverage BrightFocus as a stepping stone: Reviewers understand these are pilot awards meant to generate data for larger funding—explicitly state how BrightFocus funding will position you for subsequent NIH or industry grants

References

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