irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2025
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $1.51M1) GENETIC PREDISPOSITION AND OPHTHALMIC OUTCOMES; 2) OPTIC NERVE REGENERATION; 3) USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO REVEAL BLOOD PRESSURE'S ROLE IN GLAUCOMA PROGRESSION; 4) EE-PURPOSING AN "OLD" DRUG FOR A NEW INDICATION: ELUCIDATING THE PERIPHERAL AND CENTRAL EFFECTS OF GLUCAGON-LIKE PEPTIDE 1 RECEPTOR AGONISTS TO TREAT GLAUCOMA; 5) SEARCH FOR FUNCTIONAL LOXL1 RISK ALLELES WITH BIT-STARR; 6) VASCULAR GENOTYPE-PHENOTYPE ASSOCIATION IN PRIMARY OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA; 7) INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF IMPAIRED MITOCHONDRIAL DYNAMICS IN EXFOLIATION GLAUCOMA; 8) UNCOVERING THE POTENTIAL OF PERICYTES AS THERAPEUTIC TARGETS FOR GLAUCOMA; 9) NICOTINAMIDE AND PYRUVATE FOR NEUROENHANCEMENT IN OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA: A PHASE 2 RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL.
named programs · 7 · from sources
What they call their work
APUP (Adult Patients Under Pressure)
Online peer support forum for glaucoma patients to share stories, experiences, and emotional support.
Cure Now Society
Donor recognition program with tiered annual giving levels ($250–$10,000+) that fund glaucoma research; members receive updates, event access, and leadership briefings.
Education, Lectures & Outreach
Hosts expert webinars, symposiums, and educational videos to disseminate the latest glaucoma science to patients and families; available via YouTube and events page.
Glaucoma Support and Education Group (GSEG)
Monthly Zoom meetings led by volunteers offering peer support and expert-led educational sessions on glaucoma management.
Living With Glaucoma
Patient storytelling initiative that shares personal experiences through newsletters and the website to build community and provide emotional support.
Research Funding Program
Supports scientific research in glaucoma, including optic nerve regeneration, AI applications, drug repurposing, and clinical trials like the Phase 2 study on nicotinamide and pyruvate.
Sight Supporters by MyEyes
Online community providing support, training on home tonometry, insurance navigation, and access to expert webinars for glaucoma patients.
activities · 3 groups
What they do
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Medical Research & Education Dissemination 2 activities
- Facilitating peer support communities for glaucoma patientsOperates online forums and support networks including APUP (Adult Patients Under Pressure) and the Glaucoma Support and Education Group, enabling patients to share experiences, access peer support, and receive guidance on establishing local support groups worldwide.
- Providing patient education and support programsOffers webinars, online courses, expert interviews, and educational lectures to deliver current scientific information and practical guidance to glaucoma patients and families. Programs include monthly Zoom-based sessions through the Glaucoma Support and Education Group (GSEG) and live webinars featuring real patients.
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Biomedical Research and Innovation 1 activity
- Conducting advanced glaucoma researchExecutes medical and scientific research on glaucoma, including studies on genetic predisposition, optic nerve regeneration, AI-driven analysis of blood pressure effects, drug repurposing, functional LOXL1 risk alleles, vascular genotype-phenotype links, mitochondrial dynamics in exfoliation glaucoma, pericytes as therapeutic targets, and a Phase 2 clinical trial of nicotinamide and pyruvate for neuroenhancement in open-angle glaucoma.
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Vision Research Funding 1 activity
- Funding glaucoma research initiativesProvides financial support for glaucoma-related research through grants and leverages donor contributions to fund cutting-edge scientific studies. Awarded $982,807 in grants in 2025 and $999,750 in 2023, with research program expenses totaling over $1.5 million annually.
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financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$5.96M
Contributions & grants$5.05M85%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$918K15%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$3.06M
Program expenses78%
Admin / overhead11%
Fundraising11%
Salaries & benefits$978K
Grants paid out$983K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$20.75M
Cash$7.20M
Investments$11.04M
Liabilities$1.46M
Net assets$19.29M
Liquid reserves71.5 mo
6 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue +31.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
paid leadership · 3
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELENA STURMAN | PRESIDENT & | 40 | $444K |
| ELENA CLY FOWKES | DIR OF SPECI | 40 | $166K |
| ANDREA STEELE | CHIEF OPERAT | 40 | $143K |
board members · 22
- ALON HARRIS — DIRECTOR
- ANNETTE GROLLMAN — DIRECTOR
- BALDO SCASSELLATI SFORZOLINI — DIRECTOR
- BARBARA CALABA — DIRECTOR
- BARBARA HEARST — DIRECTOR
- BARRY S FRIEDBERG — DIRECTOR
- CAROLE DARDEN-LLOYD — DIRECTOR
- DAVID FELLOWS — DIRECTOR
- GREGORY K HARMON — CHAIRMAN
- JAI G PAREKH — DIRECTOR
- JEFFREY M LIEBMANN — DIRECTOR
- JOE ROSEN — DIRECTOR
- JOHN BERDAHL — DIRECTOR
- KENNETH MORTENSON — CHAIR. INV.
- KUMAR MAHADEVA — DIRECTOR
- LOUIS PASQUALE — DIRECTOR
- MITCH HILL — DIRECTOR
- MURRAY FINGERET — DIRECTOR
- PATRICIA HILL — DIRECTOR
- RAJEN SAVJANI — DIRECTOR
- REZA DIBADJ — DIRECTOR
- SHELDON M SIEGEL — DIRECTOR
relationships · 10
Who they work with
- Charity Navigator Government — Rated by Charity Navigator as a 4-star organization for financial health and accountability.
- Charity Navigator Network — Rated by Charity Navigator as a 4-star organization.
- Charity Navigator Network — Rated by Charity Navigator with a four-star rating.
- Charity Navigator Network — Rated by Charity Navigator, as indicated by the 4-star rating badge on the website.
- Elena Sturman Government — President and CEO of The Glaucoma Foundation
- Guidestar Network — Member of Guidestar, recognized with a Gold Seal of Transparency.
- MyEyes Partner — Collaborates with MyEyes to host live webinars, provide device training, and support the Sight Supporters community.
- Pershing LLC Partner — Brokerage partner that holds The Glaucoma Foundation's account for receipt of stock donations.
- World Glaucoma Patient Association Partner — Collaborates to support global glaucoma patient organizations and provide access to international support groups.
- YouTube Network — Hosts educational content on YouTube channel for public access
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- AI-Driven Identification of Modifiable Disease Factorsmethodology: ai-driven_clinical_analysisBy applying artificial intelligence to analyze systemic factors like blood pressure in relation to glaucoma progression, the organization identifies modifiable risk factors to inform clinical interventions, because AI enables detection of complex, non-linear patterns in patient data that traditional analysis methods may miss.
- Drug Repurposing with Accelerated Development Pathwaymethodology: drug_repurposingBy repurposing existing drugs with known safety profiles—such as GLP-1 receptor agonists—for glaucoma treatment, the organization accelerates therapeutic development because it bypasses early-stage toxicity testing and leverages existing clinical data to move quickly into disease-specific efficacy trials.
- Integrated Research, Collaboration, and Education for Glaucoma Curemethodology: research-collaboration-and-educationBy combining innovative research, scientific collaboration, and public education, the organization advances progress toward a cure for glaucoma because each component amplifies the impact of the others—research generates breakthroughs, collaboration accelerates discovery, and education ensures public awareness and patient engagement.
- Peer and Expert Integrated Support Modelmethodology: integrated-peer_and_expert_supportBy combining peer-led support groups with expert-led education and Q&A sessions, patients gain both emotional resilience and clinical knowledge to manage glaucoma effectively, because lived experience and medical expertise together address the holistic needs of patients.