Optometry Giving Sight Provides Nearly $1M in Global Program Funding
Tuesday, October 6 2026 | 09 h 15 min | News
Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) announces the recipients of its 2026 grant cycle, awarding nearly $1 million to 20 organizations working to bring sustainable primary eye care to communities around the world. From optometry schools in Somaliland and Cambodia to school eye health programs in Uganda and Jordan, this year’s grants represent some of the most thoughtfully designed, sustainability-minded projects in OGS’s recent history.
“Every grant we award is a commitment—not just to the organization receiving it, but also to the communities that will be served by its work,” said Donna J. Mikulecky, Executive Director of Optometry Giving Sight. “The 2026 cohort reflects the full breadth of what optometry-led primary eye care can be: training the next generation of eye care professionals, building the infrastructure to serve patients today, and laying the groundwork for care that will outlast any single funding cycle. We’re proud to stand behind each of these organizations.”
The 2026 grant recipients are:
● Adal Medical University (Somaliland)
Building Sustainable Optometry Education, Clinic and Pediatric Eye Care in Somaliland
● Berkeley Vision (Pakistan)
Every Child Sees: One School at a Time — Advancing Child Eye Health and Vision Care in Schools
● Brien Holden Foundation (Vietnam)
Enhancing Access to and Quality of Paediatric Refractive Services in Vietnam Through the Paediatric Refractive Error Training Centre at Hanoi Medical University (HMU)
● Canadian Vision Care (Jamaica)
Jamaican Rural Clinics
● Charis Vision & Health Mission (Nigeria)
The Optometry Education Project
● Etuaptmumk Eye Care: Wabano Eye Clinic (Canada)
Serving the Eye Care Needs of the Indigenous Peoples of Eastern Ontario
● Eye Health Africa (Uganda)
A Service-Learning Model for Optometry Training and Primary School Vision Screening Among Refugee Children in Northern Uganda
● Eye Spy Foundation (USA)
Eye Spy Jacksonville: Optometry-Supported Navigation & Community Hub
● International Eye Health and Vision Association (Jordan)
Strengthening School Eye Health Through Optometry-Led Services in Jordan
● Mission for Vision (India)
Continuation of 2025 Vision Centre Project, Uttar Pradesh
● OPTOGLOBE — The Global Optometry Student Community (Global)
Equipping the Future: A Support Program for Undergraduate Optometry Students Worldwide
● Optometry Unit, University of the West Indies (Trinidad & Tobago)
A Sustainable Keratoconus & Myopia Control Specialty Clinic
● Queen’s University Belfast (Kenya)
Strengthening Optometry Completion-Based Practicum Model via Academic Vision Centre to Deliver Equitable School & Community Eye Care in Kaimosi, Kenya
● See Better. Learn Better, Ltd. (Jamaica)
Comprehensive and sustainable eye care for school children in Jamaica.
● Special Olympics International (USA & Ghana)
Enhancing Vision Care Services and Training for People with Intellectual Disabilities
● Stichting Eye Care Foundation (Cambodia)
Establishment of the Bachelor of Optometry Program in Cambodia
● Université de Montréal (UdeM) / Unité de santé internationale (Democratic Republic of Congo, Togo, Mali, Lebanon, Vietnam)
Optometry School Development in La Francophonie (OGS-UM Franco-Opto-Hub)
● Université de Montréal (UdeM) / Unité de santé internationale (Haiti)
Haiti Optometry School Development – Creation and Strengthening of Academic Continuity at the Université d’État d’Haïti (UEH) in Port-au-Prince
● University of Cape Coast, School of Optometry and Vision Science (Ghana)
The Optometric Service and Community Outreach for Practical Experience (Opto-SCOPE)
● VOSH California (Nicaragua)
Nicaraguan Rural Clinic Development Project
● World Council of Optometry (Global)
Looking Towards the Future: Optometry Program in Advocacy and Leadership (OPAL) For more information about OGS’s grant program and the 2026 recipients, visit givingsight.org.
Source: Optometry Giving Sight
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