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Non-profit funding sight-saving research for children

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

18,600+ 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.
  • 18,600+ 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
Diane J. picking up the Toyota RAV4 Woodland and Corolla Hybrid in Arizona on Winner Day

Winner story, November 3, 2026

Who Won the 2nd Chance Two Toyotas Fundraiser? Diane J. from California

Diane J. from California won the 2nd Chance RAV4 Woodland + Corolla Hybrid fundraiser on Aug 7, 2026 after a 12-day final run with no cash option.

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 · 18,641 reviewsTrustpilot
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great helpfull charity

    This is a great charity and a great cause that helps so many people It's a bonus that you enter a raffle that you could win something But even if you couldn't, it's a great organization

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Lyd Loscalzo)

    Lyd LoscalzoNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Very transparent organization, great cause

    Very well run organization and very transparent. Nicest people, and glad to contribute to the cause.

    Read on Trustpilot (review by APRIL)

    APRILNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 2 out of 5 stars

    Apparently a subscription… Really??

    Apparently, my last donation came with a subscription to every future sweepstakes giveaway because I got a $25 thank you for your donation when I didn’t make one having a checkbox already checked when somebody makes a donation is unethical. Please have this fixed on your donation page and remove my subscription for future sweepstakes.

    Read on Trustpilot (review by James Kupets Jr)

    James Kupets JrNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    This is a great organization

    This is a great organization - the contests are fun and give everyone a chance to win - but your money also goes to a great cause - helping to win the race to find therapies and treatments for childhood blindness.

    Read on Trustpilot (review by marta jones)

    marta jonesNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Best ever

    I’ve this ingenious idea to raise money for such a worthy cause ! The entering is super easy - lots of communication on the process and the winner. It makes it Easy to help out ….. just praying that I am the winner this time !

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Michele Graddy)

    Michele GraddyNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Steve and family are tenacious and…

    Steve and family are tenacious and positive. And obviously very giving towards not only their own family who are, I'm sure moments where they struggle with what's going on with their son, Luke, but with everyone else. They're kind considerate and open to prayers. And what the creator of all things can do by faith, we don't need by sight. We lead by faith and the Lord is so gracious and allowing so much Positive and heartwarming care from others to be in a community that delivers prayer, positive speech and a willingness to do whatever it takes, that represents the good in life that is worthy blessed.\n Response and Wonderful course of action.

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Randal)

    RandalNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    I feel I can trust this event

    Knowing that your event is from a 501C vs a random youtuber made the difference for me. I've entered many youtuber vehicle contests and you don't even receive an entry number. You don't even get feedback or confirmation that you are even a participant. They take your money and run basically. A few times I don't even hear about the drawing or the results of the drawing entered. Never again...

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Marc Richardson)

    Marc RichardsonNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Transparency and value of prizes

    Transparency and value of prizes. Love the root cause of the reason for raising funds for their son's eye condition. Sending prayers.

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Kathy)

    KathyNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Excising

    Exciting! Times! I transport the blind to and from there work! I tell them all the time keep on pushing and to be very excited with future developments! It is so exciting to be a part of the future to correct blindness also to provide services that helps the blind to be productive! Exciting times! Love Layne

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Layne Greenslade)

    Layne GreensladeNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Everything you’re doing to help those…

    Everything you’re doing to help those in need and giving us a chance to help too and maybe get lucky.

    Read on Trustpilot (review by New Customer)

    New CustomerNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Not only an ingenious way to tackle…

    Not only an ingenious way to tackle this important need, but the vehicles being raffled are always mind-blowing. They also make it easy to follow your raffle numbers and learn of new winners.

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Anthony Sepe)

    Anthony SepeNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    continue the fight for a cure

    This organization has proven to be a valuable asset to educate people to the research for blindness. it is through the fundraising that has encouraged me to help in thier cause.

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Carl Shofkom)

    Carl ShofkomNovember 2026Verified

  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    They are a legitimate non-profit doing…

    They are a legitimate non-profit doing important work in a responsible and responsive manner.

    Read on Trustpilot (review by Susan B.)

    Susan B.November 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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