Brightfocus Foundation
BrightFocus Foundation is a public charity based in Clarksburg, Maryland. It funds scientific research worldwide on Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, and provides expert information to individuals and families affected by these diseases.
Brightfocus Foundation at a glance
In short: Brightfocus Foundation gave $13.3M across 57 grants in 2025 (avg $233K), top state California. 24% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $13,267,808
- +77.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 57
- +62.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $232,769
- +8.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $200,000
- Total assets
- $65,129,292
- +2.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 24% first-time grantees (10 of 41, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (27% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Brightfocus Foundation
- Contact
Mailing address: 22512 Gateway Center Drive, Clarksburg, MD 20871
Phone: (301) 948-3244
Website: https://brightfocus.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
8 open opportunities from Brightfocus Foundation
Alzheimer's Disease Research Grants
Brightfocus Foundation
Amount
US $200,000 - US $300,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
BrightFocus Alzheimer's Disease Research Grant
Brightfocus Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
BrightFocus Macular Degeneration Research Grant
Brightfocus Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Brightfocus Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Leland Stanford Junior University ($1.1M across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $6.4M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($300,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
312 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 174 grants of 312 (56%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
BrightFocus says it funds research worldwide and reports having supported research in 28 countries. In its 2025 filing, the largest shares of itemized grant dollars by recipient state were California (27%), New York (11%), Massachusetts (10%), Indiana (6%), and Missouri (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 57 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Brightfocus Foundation open to new grantees?
24%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 10 of 41 grantees (24%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $352K; repeat grants $315K. How we count
Medians: $300K first-time, $300K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $7.5M (2024) to $19.1M (2021). In 2025 it made 57 grants totaling $13.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| William Marsh Rice University Houston, TX | Macular degeneration research by jerzy szablowski, phd entitled: m2025001n | $409,500 |
| University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Oklahoma City, OK | Macular degeneration research by ana j chucair-elliott, phd entitled: m2025002n | $409,500 |
| Leland Stanford Junior University Palo Alto, CA | Macular degeneration research by charles deboer, md, phd entitled: m2025004n | $409,500 |
| Leland Stanford Junior University Stanford, CA | Macular degeneration research by mohajeet balveer bhuckory, phd entitled: m2025007n | $409,500 |
| National Eye Institute NIH Bethesda, MD | Macular degeneration research by ruchi sharma, phd entitled: m2025003n | $408,701 |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA | Alzheimer's disease research by peter fried, phd entitled: a2024034s | $300,000 |
| Leland Stanford Junior University Palo Alto, CA | Alzheimer's disease research by amira latif hernandez, phd entitled: a2024035s | $300,000 |
| University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA | Alzheimer's disease research by jerome mertens, phd entitled: a2024036s | $300,000 |
| University of Washington School of Medicine Seattle, WA | Alzheimer's disease research by justin miller, phd entitled: a2024037s | $300,000 |
| University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA | Alzheimer's disease research by johannes schlachetzki, md entitled: a2024038s | $300,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Brightfocus Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $65,129,292 | $63,423,924 | $53,295,009 | $13,267,808 | 57 | $9,840,578 |
| 2024 | $63,464,652 | $48,662,870 | $46,217,406 | $7,478,202 | 35 | $4,702,264 |
| 2023 | $58,626,477 | $43,893,797 | $48,508,214 | $11,707,740 | 58 | $-268,284 |
| 2022 | $65,540,964 | $50,757,728 | $54,057,357 | $18,193,250 | 80 | $3,244,235 |
| 2021 | $66,476,749 | $51,246,392 | $52,232,375 | $19,052,047 | 82 | $1,768,676 |
| 2020 | $53,987,981 | $37,396,826 | $42,851,514 | $16,054,162 | 79 | $840,873 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
BrightFocus’s stated mission is to fund exceptional scientific research worldwide to defeat Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, and to provide expert information on these diseases. Its three research programs are Alzheimer’s Disease Research, Macular Degeneration Research, and National Glaucoma Research.
The foundation funds investigator-initiated research related to treatments, prevention, and cures. Its website describes support for basic, translational, and clinically oriented research, including innovative and interdisciplinary projects. It provides research funding to U.S. and international researchers. The foundation also says it educates, trains, and supports the next generation of brain and vision scientists and shares expert information with the public.
Among the 2025 recipients, William Marsh Rice University received a grant for macular degeneration research. Rice describes its mission as combining pathbreaking research and undergraduate education with contributions to the betterment of the world. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which received a grant for Alzheimer’s disease research, describes its work as including patient care, clinical and translational research, and medical education.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, BrightFocus reported 57 itemized grants totaling $13,267,808. Grant amounts ranged from $15,240 to $409,500, with a median of $200,000. The largest grants included $409,500 each to William Marsh Rice University, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and Leland Stanford Junior University for macular degeneration research. Other listed awards included $408,701 to the National Eye Institute NIH for macular degeneration research and several $300,000 awards for Alzheimer’s disease research.
Other 2025 recipients included the J. David Gladstone Institutes and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, each receiving $300,000, and Baylor College of Medicine and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, each receiving $200,000. These amounts are reported in the filing’s itemized grant data.
The foundation’s grant pages list its Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma research grants as currently open. Applications are submitted online through the ProposalCentral portal, and an applicant’s organization must be registered there. The foundation directs applicants to program information, guidelines, and Requests for Proposals for the applicable opportunity.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Patricia M. Stewart as chair; Scott Kaiser, MD, as vice chair; Thomas F. Freddo, OD, PhD, as secretary; and Shawna Gottlieb as treasurer. It also lists Cecilia Arradaza, Paul Campbell, Herbert L. Drayton III, Dana Griffin, Tonya Matthews, PhD, and Ann Seclow as directors.
Brightfocus Foundation is led by Stacy Pagos Haller, President & CEO on every filing since 2020; 10 of 24 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Stacy Pagos Haller
President & CEO
On filings since 2020
45 hrs/week
$416K (2020) → $425K (2025)
Patricia M. Stewart
Chair
Vice Chair → Chair, 2021
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Morgan
Senior Director & Annual Giving
Director of Annual Giving → Senior Director & Annual Giving, 2025
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$106K (2022) → $135K (2025)
Jan M. Stouffer PhD
Director
On filings since 2020
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tonya Matthews PhD
Director
On filings since 2021
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dana Griffin
Director
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paul Campbell
Director
On filings since 2023
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ann Seclow
Director
On filings since 2024
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Herbert L. Drayton III
Director
Director - → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Thomas F. Freddo Od PhD
Director
Director - → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Adam Myers
Director
New on the 2025 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dale Young
Director
New on the 2025 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Penn
Director
New on the 2025 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Diane Bovenkamp PhD
Vice President & Scientific Affairs
On filings since 2020
45 hrs/week
$168K (2020) → $196K (2025)
Jeffrey Honaker
Senior Manager Ops & Building
Senior Manager Operations & Building → Senior Manager Ops & Building, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$102K (2020) → $115K (2025)
R. Brian Elderton
Senior Vice President & Development
On filings since 2020
45 hrs/week
$232K (2020) → $261K (2025)
Preeti Subramanian - Phd Dir
Of Scient. Programs & Vision Science
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$125K (2023) → $140K (2025)
Sharyn Rossi - Phd Dir Of
Scient. Programs & Neuroscience
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$118K (2023) → $126K (2025)
Jonathan Walsh
Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration
New on the 2025 filing
45 hrs/week
$227K (2025)
Kaci Baez - Vp Integrated
Mkting & Committee
New on the 2025 filing
45 hrs/week
$111K (2025)
Nancy Keach
Senior Vice President & Strategic Partnerships
New on the 2025 filing
45 hrs/week
$270K (2025)
Cecilia Arradaza
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2021
On filings since 2020
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Scott Kaiser MD
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2020
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shawna Gottlieb
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer -, 2024
Treasurer - → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2021
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (26)
- Former: David F. Marks Cpa Cma (2020–2024) — Vice President, Finance & Administrator Till
- Former: Nancy Lynn (2020–2024) — Senior Vice President Strategic Partnerships
- Former: Edward Finley (2022–2024) — Treasurer -
- Former: Ayo Abraham Cpa Cgma (2023–2024) — Controller
- Former: Kaci Baez (2023–2024) — Vice President, Integrated Mkting & Committee
- Former: Scott Kaiser Md Director (2024)
- Former: Eric Siemers MD (2020–2023) — Director -
- Former: Ethan Treese (2020–2023) — Treasurer -
- Former: Maddy Dychtwald (2020–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Edward Finley Director (2023) — Treasurer -
- Former: Brian K. Regan PhD (2020–2022) — Director -
- Former: Michael Buckley (2020–2022) — Vice President & Public Affairs
- Former: Preeti Subramanian Dir Of (2020–2022) — Scient. Programs & Vision Science
- Former: Scott Rodgville CPA (2020–2022) — Director -
- Former: Ayo Abraham CPA (2021–2022) — Controller
- Former: Edward Berger (2020–2021) — Manager of Online Operations
- Former: Grace Frisone (2020–2021) — Director -
- Former: Judith F. Lee (2020–2021) — Scretary -
- Former: June Kinoshita (2020–2021) — Director -
- Former: Michael H. Barnett Esq. (2020–2021) — Director -
- Former: Nicholas W. Raymond (2020–2021) — Treasurer -
- Former: Alice Kirkman (2020) — Communications Manager
- Former: Diane I. Marcello (2020) — Vice Chair -
- Former: Eltjo Ed R. Schoonveld (2020) — Director -
- Former: Henry J. Pownall PhD (2020) — Director -
- Former: Keith Whitaker Dir Of (2020) — Scient. Programs & Neuroscience
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $425K, to Stacy Pagos Haller (President/CEO). 10 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Brightfocus Foundation
How much does Brightfocus Foundation give each year?
Brightfocus Foundation gave $13.3M across 57 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $7.5M across 35 grants.
What is Brightfocus Foundation's typical grant size?
Brightfocus Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $200,000, and its average grant was $232,769, across 57 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Brightfocus Foundation that year got $352K on average.
Where does Brightfocus Foundation give grants?
Brightfocus Foundation's top state is California, with 27% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were New York (11%) and Massachusetts (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were La Jolla, CA (5 grants), New York, NY (5 grants), Boston, MA (4 grants) and San Francisco, CA (4 grants).
Does Brightfocus Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 57 grants with a stated purpose on Brightfocus Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Brightfocus Foundation's largest grantees?
Brightfocus Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Leland Stanford Junior University ($1,119,000 across 3 grants), University of California San Diego ($964,000 across 4 grants) and Indiana University ($777,883 across 3 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($300,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 22% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Brightfocus Foundation?
Brightfocus Foundation reported $65.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $63.4M.
What does Brightfocus Foundation fund?
BrightFocus’s stated mission is to fund exceptional scientific research worldwide to defeat Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, and to provide expert information on these diseases. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Brightfocus Foundation?
Brightfocus Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check brightfocus.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Brightfocus Foundation's EIN?
Brightfocus Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7337229. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 29, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 2, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 4, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS December 5, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS October 23, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Brightfocus Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Brightfocus Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/brightfocus-foundation-morg_30abdd7dfbec4b2285aedb01abdd6de8
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237337229_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Brightfocus Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/brightfocus-foundation-morg_30abdd7dfbec4b2285aedb01abdd6de8},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Brightfocus Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Brightfocus Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?