The new name honors the decades of leadership and giving by Foundation co-founder Gordon Gund and his family, honoring the Fund's evolution into one of the most innovative venture philanthropy models in the retinal disease market

COLUMBIA, Md. and RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Foundation Fighting Blindness today announced the rebrand of its venture philanthropy arm, formerly the Retinal Degeneration Fund (RD Fund), to the Gund Vision Fund.

The new name honors more than 50 years of leadership, advocacy, and philanthropic support from Gordon Gund and the Gund family, whose contributions to the Foundation have been immeasurable. It also reflects the Fund's evolution since its launch in 2018, growing from an early-stage research funder into one of the most innovative venture philanthropy models in the market, catalyzing the translation of decades of research into real treatments.

"The Gund Vision Fund name reflects both where this Fund has been and where it is going. Gordon Gund and the Gund family did not support this work from a distance. They helped build it, and this name honors that," said Jason Menzo, CEO, Foundation Fighting Blindness. "Vision speaks to our mission of advancing treatments and cures for the diseases that cause blindness, and to the forward-looking way we deploy capital to get there. We are proud of what the Fund has become and excited about what comes next."

Since it was founded in 2018, the Fund – now the Gund Vision Fund – has built and proven its model by managing more than $140 million in strategic capital, deploying over $100 million directly into a portfolio of 20 companies, and syndicating with more than $1.5 billion in institutional capital from more than 60 co-investors. The Foundation is already the leading private funder of retinal disease research, with nearly $1 billion invested since 1971 and a patient registry of over 43,000 individuals.

The rebrand coincides with an active $100 million capital campaign to accelerate the development of treatments and cures for inherited retinal diseases and dry AMD. To anchor the campaign, the Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation has committed a $50 million lead challenge gift, matching every new or increased contribution to the Gund Vision Fund dollar for dollar up to $50 million. Every gift made during the campaign will be doubled, advancing more programs into clinical development and reaching more patients sooner.

"Building this Fund from the ground up has meant taking greater risks to bring treatments to patients and believing in companies when the path forward is uncertain. That conviction is being rewarded, treatments are reaching patients who had no options," said Rusty Kelley, PhD, managing director of the Gund Vision Fund. "The Gund Vision Fund name honors the family that made this possible, and the gift from the Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation signals even greater conviction for the model, the momentum, and what's next."

The Gund Vision Fund's updated website, GundVisionFund.org, has launched alongside updated social channels, marking the start of a new chapter for the Fund, with more to come in early 2027. For more information, visit GundVisionFund.org.

About the Gund Vision Fund
The Gund Vision Fund, formerly the Retinal Degeneration Fund (RD Fund), is the venture philanthropy arm of the Foundation Fighting Blindness and a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit subsidiary. Launched in 2018 as the first and only fund solely dedicated to advancing therapeutics for inherited retinal diseases and dry age-related macular degeneration, the Fund bridges the critical funding gap between discovery-stage research and drug development. For more information, visit GundVisionFund.org.

About the Foundation Fighting Blindness
Established in 1971, the Foundation Fighting Blindness is the world's leading private funding source for retinal degenerative disease research. The Foundation has raised nearly $1 billion toward its mission of accelerating research for preventing, treating, and curing blindness caused by the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa, age-related macular degeneration, Usher syndrome, and Stargardt disease. Visit FightingBlindness.org for more information.

Media Contact:
Chris Adams
Foundation Fighting Blindness
410-423-0585
CAdams@FightingBlindness.org 

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SOURCE Foundation Fighting Blindness