About us
The Vision Catalyst Fund is a global resource mobilisation fund for eye health.
We exist to help close one of the most overlooked gaps in global development: the lack of sustainable financing for eye health.
Good vision helps people learn, work, care for their families and participate fully in society. But in many countries, eye health remains underfunded and disconnected from wider health system planning.
VCF works to change this by mobilising capital and directing it towards scalable, government-led solutions. We work with donors, governments, technical partners and implementers to help eye health become part of national systems, not just stand-alone projects.
Our focus is catalytic: using early investment to unlock larger, longer-term financing and build the evidence, partnerships and delivery models needed for sustainable change.
Our story
The VCF was co-founded by Professor Andrew Bastawrous, CEO of Peek Vision, an eye health technology social enterprise, and Dr Astrid Bonfield, former Chief Executive of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, which invested over £100m in avoidable blindness.
The VCF brought together founding partners including EssilorLuxottica, Standard Chartered, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, UBS Optimus Foundation and philanthropist James Chen.
Since then, VCF has developed into an independent global resource mobilisation fund for eye health, focused on helping countries unlock the capital, partnerships and delivery models needed to make eye care accessible, affordable and sustainable.
Our approach
Mobilising Capital for Governments
The Vision Catalyst Fund mobilises catalytic capital to support government-led eye health plans in low- and middle-income countries.
By pooling donor and partner resources, we help countries move eye health into national health systems, budgets and delivery plans, where it can achieve lasting impact.
Catalytic and innovative finance
We mobilise new and diverse sources of funding for eye health, from traditional donors to alternative finance and cross-sector investors.
Our focus is to help early catalytic capital unlock larger-scale financing, support government-led delivery and generate measurable value for people, communities and economies.
Systemic Change, Sustainable Results
Our role is catalytic, aligning funding, evidence, technical partners and government priorities so eye health can move from isolated projects into long-term public delivery.
We focus on models that strengthen systems, improve accountability and create measurable returns for people, communities and economies.
Our vision
A global platform for eye health financing
We aim to mobilise catalytic capital for eye health and direct it towards country-led priorities that can unlock larger, longer-term investment.
A bridge between donors and governments
VCF exists to help philanthropic, corporate and institutional funders support government-led eye health plans with confidence, accountability and measurable impact.
A focus on collaboration
We bring together governments, donors, technical partners, NGOs and the private sector to support sustainable and equitable eye health delivery.
An accountable and transparent funder
We work closely with partners to measure results, share evidence, and build the case for eye health as a high-return investment in health, education, employment and economic growth.
Our Chief Executive
Adam Askew
Adam Askew is Chief Executive of the Vision Catalyst Fund, working to make vision care accessible for everyone, everywhere. He brings over 20 years of experience building partnerships and funding solutions that have supported hundreds of millions of pounds for social good. Passionate about practical change, Adam has also co-founded a cancer charity and advised global philanthropists on tackling big social challenges. Adam is a Board Member of the US Charity Global Dignity and is Chair of Governors for a local primary school where he lives.
Board of Trustees
HEAD OF SUSTAINABLE FINANCE AT STANDARD CHARTERED
FORMER AMBASSADOR AND CHARITY DIRECTOR
CO-FOUNDER OF EYELLIANCE AND FOUNDER OF VISIONSPRING
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF PEEK VISION
FINANCIAL PROFESSIONAL, PUBLIC SPEAKER AND DISABILITY ADVOCATE
Jessica Thompson
DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE AT THE INTERNATIONAL AGENCY FOR THE PREVENTION OF BLINDNESS (IAPB)
Global Ambassadors
FORMER VICE-CHAIRMAN OF ESSILORLUXOTTICA
SENIOR ADVISOR AND BOARD MEMBER
FORMER CHIEF MISSION OFFICER OF ESSILOR
Programmes Expert Committee
Professor Matthew Burton (Chair)
DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EYE HEALTH AT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE
Dr Fatima Kyari
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF OPHTHALMIC EPIDEMIOLOGY AT THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR EYE HEALTH
Malcolm Spence
INVESTMENT DIRECTOR AT THE GLOBAL INNOVATION FUND
Professor Kovin Naidoo
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT SOCIAL IMPACT FOR AFRICA & LATAM AND ADVOCACY AT ESSILOR INTERNATIONAL
Eleanor Fuller
TRUSTEE OF THE VISION CATALYST FUND
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(1) Photo submitted by William Shepard for Deepanjali Chopra courtesy of the IAPB #LoveYourEyes Photo Competition on World Sight Day 2021.
(2) Photo courtesy of EssilorLuxottica.
(3) Photo courtesy of RestoringVision.
(4) Photo courtesy of Peek Vision.
(5)Photo courtesy of EssilorLuxottica.
(6) Photo courtesy of EssilorLuxottica.
(7) Photo courtesy of EssilorLuxottica.
(8) Photo by Nancy Mariana Chaclán Delgado courtesy of the IAPB World Sight Day Photo Competition.