Foundation Fighting Blindness Renames Venture Philanthropy Fund

The Foundation Fighting Blindness has renamed its venture philanthropy arm, the Retinal Degeneration Fund (RD Fund), to the Gund Vision Fund, honoring the significant contributions of co-founder Gordon Gund and his family. This rebranding reflects the Fund's evolution into one of the most innovative venture philanthropy models dedicated to advancing treatments for retinal diseases and dry age-related macular degeneration.

Since its launch in 2018, the Gund Vision Fund has spearheaded a strategic capital management effort, deploying over $100 million into a portfolio of 20 companies and syndicating with more than $1.5 billion in institutional capital. The Fund's commitment to catalyzing the translation of research into real treatments has been pivotal. By 2026, the Gund Vision Fund has managed over $140 million in capital, significantly advancing the development of treatments for inherited retinal diseases and dry AMD.

The name change also marks a new phase for the Foundation, as it launches an active $100 million capital campaign. To anchor this campaign, the Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation has committed a $50 million lead challenge gift, matching every new or increased contribution to the Gund Vision Fund dollar for dollar up to $50 million. The campaign's success will accelerate the development of treatments and cures for inherited retinal diseases and dry AMD, benefiting thousands of patients.

Gordon Gund and the Gund family have been integral to the Foundation's journey. Their support has been hands-on, helping build the Fund from its inception. "The Gund Vision Fund name reflects both where this Fund has been and where it is going," said Jason Menzo, CEO of the Foundation Fighting Blindness. "Vision speaks to our mission of advancing treatments and cures for the diseases that cause blindness, and to the forward-looking way we deploy capital to get there."

Rusty Kelley, PhD, managing director of the Gund Vision Fund, echoed this sentiment, stating, "Building this Fund from the ground up has meant taking greater risks to bring treatments to patients and believing in companies when the path forward is uncertain. That conviction is being rewarded, treatments are reaching patients who had no options."

The rebranding signals a new chapter for the Gund Vision Fund, with the launch of a redesigned website and updated social channels. These changes aim to enhance transparency and engagement with the broader community. The Foundation Fighting Blindness, established in 1971, continues to be the world's leading private funding source for retinal degenerative disease research, with nearly $1 billion invested since its inception.

As the Gund Vision Fund embarks on this new chapter, it remains committed to advancing treatments and cures for blindness caused by retinal degenerative diseases. With the support of the Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation and the broader community, the Fund is poised to make significant strides in the fight against blindness.