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Non-profit funding sight-saving research for children

Check our Past Winners page for all past winners! ✨🌟

18,800+ reviews · rated 4.9 Excellent on Trustpilot and Google

We’re Funding Sight-Saving Clinical Trials to Treat Childhood Blindness.

Our goal is to advance therapies for pediatric inherited retinal diseases. Our current target: we are fundraising for rare disease research and gene-agnostic therapies for childhood blindness.

ENTER A FUNDRAISERSee our impact
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Current Fundraisers

You can make an impact on saving childhood eyesight by entering our giveaway fundraisers.

How our fundraisers work

Built on trust and transparency

Learn how you can make an impact on sight-saving research and have a chance to win a life-changing prize.

  1. Donate to support sight-saving researchEntries are automatically captured and can be seen in your Donor Portal.
  2. Winner selection by third-party adminWe aren't involved in the winner selection process, to ensure fairness and compliance.
  3. Winner livestream announcementWe announce all winners live on social media. See our past winner calls!
  4. It's time for winner day!For vehicle prizes, we fly the winner to Arizona to get the keys, a free-and-clear title, and the prize cash.

What you can check for yourself

  • Registered 501(c)(3), EIN 92-2174042Exempt under Section 501(c)(3); look us up on the IRS and Candid.
  • 18,800+ verified reviews on Trustpilot and GoogleRated 4.9 Excellent. Read what past entrants and winners say.
  • Registered and bonded sweepstakesEligibility, all methods of entry, and start and end dates are published before every fundraiser.
  • Donor PortalCheck your entries for any fundraiser you've joined.
Fundraiser FAQs

Our impact

Sight-saving research funded

$6.1M

granted to sight-saving research as of November 2026, from giveaway fundraisers and direct donations. Every mile below was paid for by entries like yours.

  1. $1MFirst grant: AXV-101 gene therapy for BBS1

    To Axovia Therapeutics, to move a gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa caused by BBS1 toward a clinical trial.

    Oct 2024
  2. $2MManufacturing and safety studies

    Second Axovia grant: GLP toxicology, manufacturing, and the regulatory work needed before a trial could open.

    Dec 2024 · announced Feb 2025
  3. $1MClinical trial authorization

    Third Axovia grant, bringing AXV-101 funding to $4M; the UK trial application was cleared in Q3 2025.

    Sep 2025
  4. $1.1MTrial fully funded

    Closed the remaining funding gap; RAB's total funding for AXV-101 reaches $5.1M, from lab to first patient.

    Dec 2025 · announced Jan 2026
  5. $1MGene-agnostic research

    With Foundation Fighting Blindness: $775,000 to the RD Fund for gene-agnostic research, matched dollar-for-dollar by the Gund Foundation Challenge, and $225,000 to Dr. Thomas Mendel at Ohio State.

    Jun 2026
  6. OpenResearch Grants Program

    Researchers worldwide can now apply for RAB funding through the Grants Portal.

    Aug 2026
  7. Next grantThe next grant

    Decided by the fundraisers running now.

    Enter a fundraiser
Where the totals come from

Amounts and dates come from our grant records and update when a new grant is announced. Each grant links to its announcement where available.

Visit the Grants Portal

About us

We were told there was nothing we could do.

It isn't a race we run. It's a race against time. Kristina and Stephen Johnston founded A Race Against Blindness after their son Luke was diagnosed with Bardet-Biedl syndrome, a rare genetic condition that is slowly taking his sight. What began as a race to fund one gene therapy for one gene has grown into funding research across inherited retinal diseases, a grants program for scientists, and an education hub for families.

  1. 2020Luke's diagnosis, and a decision

    No treatment existed for RP caused by BBS1. We decided to fund one.

  2. 2023A Race Against Blindness is founded

    Our family became the first donor, donating our first prize: the 2023 Adventure Van giveaway fundraiser that started it all.

  3. 2024First $1 million grant

    To Axovia Therapeutics for AXV-101, a gene therapy for RP caused by BBS1.

  4. 2026Initiation of the AXV-101 gene therapy clinical trial

    A total of $5.1M in grant support from RAB made this trial initiation possible.

  5. 2026Expanding our impact

    New $1M grant to gene-agnostic clinical research in partnership with Foundation Fighting Blindness.

Read our storyMeet the team

See our Feature on Good Morning America!

Luke’s story of seeing the world before losing more vision was featured on GMA, helping propel our mission to the national level.

Winner's circle

Recent winners

View all past winners

Real winners

Latest fundraiser stories

Who won, how the day unfolded, and what every entry funded for children with inherited retinal diseases.

All fundraiser stories
Magic, Miles & Mochas #2 fundraiser prize

Launch story, November 7, 2026

Magic, Miles & Mochas #2 Fundraiser: A Sienna, Disney and $30,000 Cash

Win a 2026 Toyota Sienna Platinum, Disney award, Starbucks and $30,000 cash, or $100,000 cash. Runs October 26, 2026 to December 25, 2026.

Read the story

Don't take our word for it. Take theirs.

Every review you see here is collected and verified by Trustpilot, not by us. We can't edit them, hide them, or pick the order.

We show every star rating, one through five, because that's what transparency means.

ExcellentTrustScore 4.9 out of 5Rated 4.9 / 5 · 18,838 reviewsTrustpilot
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    A Family's Love, a Mission for Sight

    I initially discovered A Race Against Blindness through their giveaway for a beautifully restored 1989 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ62. What began as an opportunity to win an incredible vehicle quickly became something much more meaningful. Genetic conditions that cause vision loss have touched my extended family, and as a competitive adaptive surfer, I have the privilege of sharing the ocean with incredible athletes who are visually impaired. Learning about the family behind this nonprofit, their love for their son, and their determination to turn a deeply personal challenge into something that could help so many others genuinely moved me. I appreciate that this organization is bringing awareness and support to research for inherited retinal diseases while giving people a unique opportunity to contribute. I was happy to donate, regardless of the giveaway’s outcome. It’s inspiring to see a family’s love become a mission that reaches far beyond their own child. I’m grateful to have discovered A Race Against Blindness and wish them continued success in their efforts.

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Ashley Okura)

    Ashley OkuraNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    I wish I can donate more

    I wish I can donate more, but if I can help one child to see again or help with her health issue concerning his/ her eyes that is enough for me. God bless all of us. Elizabeth

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Elizabeth Schleunes)

    Elizabeth SchleunesNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great Organization

    I feel comfortable with donating to the wonderful cause they are supporting. I love the fact that the family is personally involved, feels like we know them. They keep you informed and the website is easy to navigate.

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Terrylyn Browning)

    Terrylyn BrowningNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great fundraiser for a great cause

    Great fundraiser for a great cause! I know that the funds are going where they need to be going, and trust that it is a legit and fair fundraiser/giveaway! Excited for the upcoming giveaway – always excited to see the amount of money raised!!

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Brittany Triebe)

    Brittany TriebeNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    I wore bottle cap glasses my whole…

    I wore bottle cap glasses my whole life, after cataract lens replacement, i can see without glasses..everyone should havectge ability to see..

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Ed Peters)

    Ed PetersNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Honestly

    Honestly, my son has a congenital eye condition. For years he endured long drives to specialist, invasive surgery, and navigating being different from his peers. Because of the generosity of strangers and groups like yours committed to funding research, my son was able to successfully navigate his challenges and is now a successful young man. He’s well adjusted, has an active social life, and achieved academic success. Maybe I’m not the best person to provide feedback on the actual donating process due to my bias. But you guys rock. Thank you.

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Nicholas Romero)

    Nicholas RomeroNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Because you help people out that don’t…

    Because you help people out that don’t have the money to purchase what you give away. You do things for a great cause I’m honored to be a part of everything yall do

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Roger Hazzard)

    Roger HazzardNovember 2026Verified

Reviews come from real donors and supporters who entered a fundraiser or had a direct interaction with our team, each one verified by Trustpilot.

Read all reviews on Trustpilot

Grant funding updates

The impact you made possible

Blindness Education Resources

Are you looking for education or resources for blindness?

As a family-run nonprofit and parents of a child facing blindness, we know how it felt when we got the diagnosis and didn't know where to begin. The resources were limited, and we felt alone. This education hub is here to help change that.

Open the Education Hub

Where would you like to start?

A mother and son in matching caps and RAB shirts smile side by side.

RAB educational series

Learn with Dr. Steve Johnston

Blindness Education Podcasts with Co-Founder Dr. Steve Johnston

Explore the full series on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

For information only. Discuss clinical trial information with your retina specialist.

Meet the Team

We founded the nonprofit when we found out our son has a rare genetic condition and is slowly going blind. But that really only scratches the surface in terms of our motivation. Since learning of Luke's diagnosis, we have become strongly connected to the rare-diseases community. While rare diseases are actually not unusual, with more than 7,000 diseases classified as rare, each one individually often affects only a small number of people. Thus many rare diseases don't receive enough attention and resources to help fund research for adequate treatments or even possible cures.

Stay in the race

New fundraisers, winners, and grant news, about twice a month. Questions? The Help Center is our front door.

Visit the Help Center

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