Accelerator — Vision Catalyst Fund

Eye Health Accelerator Grants

The Vision Catalyst Fund (VCF) is entering an exciting new phase by offering its first financial grants for vision programmes. Our aim was to find catalytic programmes that provided the most effective ways for eye health services to reach scale, whether through market shaping for eyeglasses, developing public health services to tackle other eye diseases and conditions, or both.

Reflecting the VCF’s commitment to raising capital differently, the funds for these grants were generated using an investment product co-created with P1 Capital, a UK based investment firm, to develop an Eye Health Accelerator Bond. This simple financial product empowers an investor to deploy at least 4% of their 8% return from a bond towards eye health programmes through the VCF. The VCF aims to offer more and larger grants as the investment in the bond grows in the coming year.

Announcing our first grants

The Vision Catalyst Fund (VCF) is thrilled to announce the recipients of its first financial grants under the Eye Health Accelerator initiative. The VCF has awarded grants totalling £470,000 to the Clinton Health Access Initiative, VisionSpring, the International Centre for Eye Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and RestoringVision. These four recipients emerged from 58 concept notes showcasing exceptional dedication to principles that align with the VCF's mission.

Potential Route to Scale: A clear and promising pathway to scale, indicating the potential for a broad and sustainable impact on eye health.
Catalytic Opportunities: Catalytic opportunities within the programme demonstrate the ability to spark transformative change and innovation within the eye health sector.
Risk and System Change: Initiatives that embrace a level of risk which are capable of putting in motion significant systemic changes, fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability in addressing eye health challenges.
Government Commitments and Leverage Opportunities: Alignment with government commitments and strategically leveraging opportunities to maximise impact.

We invite you to learn more about our partners below and in our blog.

Programme Partners

What our partners are saying

“This grant will catalyse Vula and CHAI’s combined efforts to offer the most effective ways for eye health services to reach scale within the public health system.”

Dr William Mapham, MBChB FCOphth, CEO, Vula Mobile

“We believe this programme can be truly catalytic, and scaled up to over 100 countries globally, ultimately with the potential to impact millions of children, their families and communities.”

Dr Aeesha Malik, Clinical Assistant Professor & Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, International Centre for Eye Health

“We are working towards sustainability by advocating for government funding for this cost-effective and highly value-adding reading glasses component of the pension program.”

Pelin Munis, PhD, CEO, RestoringVision

“Together, we will bring vision correction to hundreds of thousands of people over the next two years and lay the foundation for introducing primary vision services across Uganda into the future.”

Ella Gudwin, CEO, VisionSpring

Digitally enabling eye health services for rural communities

Clinton Health Access Initiative with Vula Mobile

South Africa | £100,000

The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), in collaboration with Vula Mobile Health Care, will partner with the South African government to improve primary eye care services. Through innovative approaches, local healthcare workers in primary health care facilities will be trained to conduct basic vision screening examinations using mobile-based tools like Vula Vision. This task shifting approach aims to broaden service coverage, particularly in rural settings where staff shortages have hindered accessibility. For patients requiring advanced care, the Vula Health Referral and Advice system will ensure a smooth pathway for patients requiring specialised care, as well as tracking and monitoring the referral progress, fostering communication between primary health care facilities and eye care specialists, ultimately improving patient treatment.

Integrating vision into childhood and newborn care

International Centre of Eye Health with Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre

Tanzania | £200,000

In 2019, the International Centre for Eye Health and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre successfully piloted training for primary health workers (PHWs) in eye health, demonstrating the potential to identify and treat previously unnoticed eye conditions in thousands of children. With the grant, the programme intends to scale up by integrating eye health into the widely used WHO/UNICEF Integrated Management of Childhood and Newborn Illnesses (IMNCI) guidelines in Tanzania, training additional PHWs, and providing essential eye care to at least 10,000 children, with the ultimate goal of creating a global blueprint for incorporating eye health into child healthcare.

Bringing reading glasses into Peru’s pension programme

RestoringVision with MSH Peru

Peru | £50,000

RestoringVision's innovative programme, launched in 2019 in partnership with MSH Peru, is dedicated to providing vision screenings and reading glasses to ageing individuals supported by Peru's PENSIÓN 65 Program, established as a safety net for those aged 65 and above in extreme poverty. Starting as a pilot reaching 55,000 individuals in 2021, the programme is scaling to serve 500,000 ageing Peruvians from 2022-2024, thanks to a donation of eyeglasses from the Vision Catalyst Fund and the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation. With the new Eye Health Accelerator Grant, RestoringVision aims to enhance its programme by focusing on sustainability, generating evidence of impact for advocacy, and identifying potential countries for replication, ultimately striving to reach millions more people living in extreme poverty globally.

People Centred Eye Health Services for Ugandan Communities

VisionSpring

Uganda | £120,000

The Clear Vision Collective (CVC) - comprised of the Ministry of Health of Uganda, Dr Arunga Eye Hospital, BRAC, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Peek Vision and VisionSpring – will introduce sight tests and reading glasses into government primary care and community services for the first time. In parallel, CVC members will deploy their unique models and complementary capabilities to establish Uganda’s first clear vision district, inclusive of school screening, cataract surgery and referral for other eye conditions. As a result, 800,000 people will gain access to vision services in communities engaged in near vision intensive agriculture, artisan craft and skilled trades.