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Knights Templar Eye Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$2.3M
Grant Range
$90K - $0.1M
Decision Time
3mo
Success Rate
49%

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $2,339,762 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Approximately 49% (26 grants awarded from 53 applications in 2024)
  • Decision Time: 8-12 weeks (applications due mid-January, decisions notified early April)
  • Grant Range: $90,000 - $100,000
  • Geographic Focus: United States (national)

Contact Details

Website: https://www.ktef.org/

Address: 3201 Cross Timbers Rd, Building 4, Suite 300, Flower Mound, TX 75028

Phone: (214) 888-0220

Email: Manager@KTEF.US

Grant Inquiries: Contact Robert W. Bigley, Assistant Secretary & Office Administrator

Overview

Founded in 1956, the Knights Templar Eye Foundation Inc. (KTEF) is a charitable organization sponsored by the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar dedicated to improving vision through research, education, and supporting access to care. Since its inception, the Foundation has expended over $181 million on research, patient care, and education, with research grants totaling in excess of $41 million awarded to researchers working in the fields of pediatric ophthalmology and ophthalmic genetics. The Foundation has also contributed $14 million in endowed professorships and research endowments. KTEF holds a Four-Star rating from Charity Navigator with a 97% score based on accountability and finance metrics. In 2024, the Foundation awarded 26 grants totaling $2,339,762 in research funding, demonstrating its commitment to preventing and curing potentially blinding diseases in infants and children.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Career-Starter Research Grants: $100,000 per grant

  • For researchers at the beginning of their academic careers (within 7 years of completing formal training)
  • Must have received M.D., Ph.D., or equivalent degree
  • Applicants cannot be current or past Principal Investigators on major NIH grants (R01, R15, R21, R24, R34, R00) or NIH Career Development Awards
  • No more than one grant awarded per individual laboratory or preceptor per year
  • Annual award period runs July 1 to June 30
  • Application deadline: Mid-January (2026 deadline: January 15)

Competitive Renewal Grants: $100,000 per grant

  • Extends original Career-Starter Grant project for one additional year
  • Requires compelling data from the original Career-Starter Grant
  • Available only to previous KTEF Career-Starter recipients
  • Same annual cycle as Career-Starter Grants

Priority Areas

Pediatric Ophthalmology Research Focus:

  • Amblyopia
  • Congenital cataract
  • Glaucoma (including pediatric glaucoma)
  • Optic nerve hypoplasia
  • Nystagmus
  • Retinopathy of prematurity
  • Hereditary diseases occurring at birth or within early childhood (e.g., retinoblastoma)
  • Congenital stationary night blindness
  • Corneal neovascularization and opacity
  • Anisometropic refractive amblyopia
  • Any potentially preventable or correctable conditions causing blindness in infants and children

Allowable Grant Uses:

  • Partial or full salaries of investigators and technicians
  • Equipment purchases
  • Purchase of animals and animal care
  • Software and consumable supplies
  • Appropriate travel expenses

What They Don't Fund

  • Projects with scientific or budgetary overlap with existing grants of the applicant or mentor/preceptor
  • Funding simply to support a clinical pediatric ophthalmology fellowship
  • Additional research personnel in a mentor's lab without independent research trajectory
  • Applicants who have previously received KTEF funding (except for Competitive Renewal applicants)
  • Applicants more than 7 years beyond completion of formal training

Governance and Leadership

Officers:

  • David J. Kussman - President and Trustee
  • Jeffrey A. Bolstad - Vice President
  • David W. Studley - Treasurer
  • Lawrence E. Tucker - Secretary
  • David D. Goodwin - Executive Director
  • Robert W. Bigley - Assistant Secretary & Office Administrator

Board Structure: The Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of the six elected officers of the Grand Encampment, all Past Grand Masters of the Grand Encampment, and six trustees-at-large elected from the membership for nine-year terms.

Additional Directors: David M. Dryer, Kenneth B. Fischer, Jack M. Harper II, James C. Herndon, William H. Koon II, James C. McGee, Jeffrey N. Nelson, Terry L. Plemons, Daniel R. Sherry, Jeremy C. Vaughn, Duane L. Vaught, Benjamin F. Williams

Scientific Advisory Committee: Established in 1985 by Alfred Edward Maumenee Jr., MD, the committee consists of ten doctors specializing in pediatric ophthalmology from leading hospitals and research institutions throughout the country. The committee reviews all applications and recommends to the Trustees which requests should be funded.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online through the KTEF website. The entire application must be converted into a single PDF file.

Application Deadline: Mid-January (2026 cycle deadline: January 15, 2026, midnight CST)

Award Period: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027

Format Requirements:

  • Font: Times New Roman, no smaller than 11 points for all text (including text in photos)
  • Margins: No smaller than one inch
  • All materials must be in a single PDF file

Required Components:

  • Lay summary and scientific summary
  • Detailed research proposal
  • Statement of relevance to eye diseases of infants and children
  • Clear documentation demonstrating how KTEF support will lead to independent funding for career launch
  • Statement distinguishing this project from prior or currently funded research of mentor/preceptor or applicant (no scientific or budgetary overlap)
  • Budget justification

Decision Timeline

  • Application Deadline: Mid-January
  • Scientific Advisory Committee Review: Mid-March (meeting held in Dallas with officers, trustees, and ten pediatric ophthalmology specialists)
  • Decision Notification: First week of April (notifications mailed to Principal Investigators)
  • Award Presentation: Check presented in person by KTEF representative
  • Grant Period Begins: July 1

Total Timeline: Approximately 8-12 weeks from application deadline to decision notification

Success Rates

In 2024, the Foundation received 53 applications (34 Career-Starter and 19 Competitive Renewal) and awarded 26 grants (16 Career-Starter and 10 Competitive Renewal), representing an overall success rate of approximately 49%.

Reapplication Policy

Unsuccessful applicants who have never received KTEF funding may reapply in subsequent years. The eligibility requirement states that "the applicant should not have had prior funding from KTEF (with the exception of applicants seeking competitive renewal)," indicating that unsuccessful applicants remain eligible. No specific waiting period is mentioned for reapplication.

Application Success Factors

Critical Success Factor - Career Independence: According to KTEF guidelines: "The successful application will include clearly documented evidence that the author of the application will be able to use the data generated from KTEF support to secure independent funding for his or her career launch as an independent clinical or basic science researcher." This is the most important criterion - the Foundation seeks to launch independent research careers, not simply fund ongoing lab operations.

What KTEF is NOT: The Foundation explicitly states: "A KTEF research grant is NOT simply a mechanism to fund a clinical pediatric ophthalmology fellowship or additional research personnel in a mentor's lab." Applications must demonstrate a clear path to independent research status.

Project Distinctiveness: "There must be a clear statement of how this project is distinct from prior or currently funded research of either the mentor/preceptor or applicant." The Foundation wants to see genuinely new research directions, not extensions of existing funded work.

Relevance to Pediatric Eye Disease: "The relevance of the specific research to the eye diseases of infants and children should be clearly and specifically described in the lay and scientific summaries and in a separate statement at the end of the application." Make the connection to pediatric vision explicit and compelling.

Examples of Recent Funded Projects (2024-2025):

  • Dr. Abdul Hannan (Columbia University): Pediatric glaucoma genetic mechanisms research
  • Dr. Meha Kabra (University of Wisconsin): Congenital stationary night blindness treatment using genome editing
  • Dr. Yingxue Cao (Johns Hopkins): HMGB1 role in retinopathy of prematurity
  • Dr. Remya A. Veettil (Baylor College of Medicine): Anti-Scg3 therapy for corneal neovascularization in children
  • Dr. David Ramirez (Northwestern): Risk calculator for anisometropic refractive amblyopia

Review Process: The Scientific Advisory Committee meets for a full day (9:30am - 4:30pm CST) in March, discussing each grant in detail and scoring them. This indicates thorough, careful review of all aspects of each application.

For Competitive Renewal Applicants: "A successful application will continue the work initiated under Career Starter funding and will be strongly supported by data from the Career Starter Grant." Show compelling progress and justify why the work deserves continuation.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Focus on independence: Your application must convincingly demonstrate how this funding will launch your independent research career, not just support existing lab infrastructure
  • Distinguish your project: Clearly articulate how your proposed research differs from any prior or current funding of you or your mentor - no scientific or budgetary overlap
  • Make pediatric relevance explicit: Don't assume reviewers will make connections - explicitly state in multiple places how your research addresses blinding conditions in infants and children
  • Target early-career stage: Applications are strongest from researchers within 7 years of completing formal training who have not yet received major NIH funding as PI
  • Strong success rates: With approximately 49% of applications funded, KTEF offers better odds than many federal funding mechanisms
  • Plan for timeline: Submit by mid-January for April notification and July start date - allows time to prepare if successful
  • Single opportunity per lab: No more than one grant awarded per laboratory per year, so coordinate with labmates and mentor if multiple researchers are considering applying

References

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