Non-profit funding sight-saving research for children
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.
You can make an impact on saving childhood eyesight by entering our giveaway fundraisers.
Enter for a chance to win the Second Chance Ultimate Heavy Duty: a professionally upgraded 2026 Ford F-250 Super Duty King Ranch + $40,000 cash in our current fundraiser benefiting sight-saving research.
LEARN MOREOne winner will receive up to $150,000 to spend at Right Toyota and $50,000 cash, creating one of our most flexible prize packages ever
LEARN MOREEnter for your chance to win the Ultimate Adventure Package: a 2026 Entegra Esteem XL Super C motorhome + 2026 Polaris trailer + $100,000 cash! Every entry helps support A Race Against Blindness and the search for cures to blindness!
LEARN MOREEnter for your chance to Build Your Own Adventure Van: We already built out the outside of a 170" WB AWD Sprinter, and you get an extra $125,000 custom build budget to use with Rossmönster Vans, plus $50,000 cash! Alternatively, the winner may select a $150,000 cash-only option.
LEARN MORELuxury meets adventure: win a 2026 GMC Yukon Denali + Grand Design Serenova 160LG + $50,000 cash—all while helping fund sight-saving research for children facing inherited retinal disease.
VIEW DETAILSHow our fundraisers work
Learn how you can make an impact on sight-saving research and have a chance to win a life-changing prize.
Our impact
$6.1M
granted to sight-saving research as of October 2026, from giveaway fundraisers and direct donations. Every mile below was paid for by entries like yours.
To Axovia Therapeutics, to move a gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa caused by BBS1 toward a clinical trial.
Oct 2024Second Axovia grant: GLP toxicology, manufacturing, and the regulatory work needed before a trial could open.
Dec 2024Third Axovia grant, bringing AXV-101 funding to $4M; the UK trial application was cleared in Q3 2025.
Sep 2025Closed the remaining funding gap; RAB's total funding for AXV-101 reaches $5.1M, from lab to first patient.
Jan 2026With 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 2026Researchers worldwide can now apply for RAB funding through the Grants Portal.
Aug 2026Amounts and dates come from our grant records and update when a new grant is announced. Each grant links to its announcement where available.
About us
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.
No treatment existed for RP caused by BBS1. We decided to fund one.
Our family became the first donor, donating our first prize: the 2023 Adventure Van giveaway fundraiser that started it all.
To Axovia Therapeutics for AXV-101, a gene therapy for RP caused by BBS1.
A total of $5.1M in grant support from RAB made this trial initiation possible.
New $1M grant to gene-agnostic clinical research in partnership with Foundation Fighting Blindness.
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
Grant funding updates
Education
Our IRD Education Hub covers 53 inherited retinal diseases and 125 genes, written for families. Pick the lane that sounds most like you.
Open the Education HubFundraisers are the engine, but not the only way in.
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.
New fundraisers, winners, and grant news, about twice a month. Questions? The Help Center is our front door.
Visit the Help Center