RPB Challenge Grant

RPB Challenge Grant is sponsored by Research to Prevent Blindness. RPB Challenge Grants encourage growth for newly emerging eye research programs and recently appointed department chairs at non-grantee ophthalmology departments at university-connected medical schools.

The grant is designed to enhance a department's environment and capability to conduct vision research, facilitate collaborative studies of the visual system, and attract researchers to the department.

Challenge Grant - Research to Prevent Blindness Dry eye is a chronic medical condition that develops when the eye's tear film does not lubricate and protect the eye's outer surface. RPB Hosts Vision Research Funding Partnership 2025 RPB Challenge Grants encourage growth for newly emerging eye research programs and recently appointed department chairs at non-grantee ophthalmology departments at university-connected medical schools.

The Challenge Grant is designed to enhance a department’s environment and capability to conduct vision research, to facilitate collaborative studies of the visual system, and to attract researchers to the department. The Challenge Grant is intended for ophthalmology departments which have not received RPB departmental support (Unrestricted or Challenge) in the last four (4) years.

An existing base of high-quality National Eye Institute (NEI) or vision-related research grants is a primary requirement. The department must be in an upward trajectory and strong faculty/professional development programs must be in place. A commitment by the medical school to match the RPB Challenge Grant is required.

Payments of these unrestricted $360,000 grants can continue for up to four years upon approval of a two-year substantive progress report. After four years, chairs will then be invited to apply for an Unrestricted Grant. Should the chair step down during the four-year Challenge Grant, RPB may provide one additional payment before the grant is terminated.

New chairs should speak with RPB prior to the submission of a Challenge Grant application. We suggest new chairs be active at least six months prior to submitting an application. If a proposal for a Challenge Grant is rejected, the chair must wait two years before reapplying, so RPB strongly encourages thorough preparation and planning before an application is submitted.

The application forms for this award are not available online. Please contact MariaClaudia Lora-Montano ( mlora@rpbusa. org ) to discuss a Challenge Grant application and obtain the Challenge Grant application forms.

Frequently Asked Questions Am I eligible for a grant? Each RPB grant has different eligibility criteria, which is detailed on the relevant grant webpage. If you have questions about the eligibility details, please reach out to us; we’re happy to help.

Do I need to be at an RPB-supported department to get an individual research award?

While a few of our RPB individual awards (RPB Medical Student Eye Research Fellowship, RPB Career Development Award, and the RPB Physician-Scientist Award) are restricted to departments that have an RPB Unrestricted or Challenge grant, the majority of our awards are open to researchers at any academic medical center in the U.S. The reason that the three awards mentioned above are restricted to RPB-supported departments is that our Departmental Grantees undergo an extremely rigorous peer-review process.

The environment and leadership at these departments have met our stringent criteria and are appropriate venues for the research being conducted by these early- and mid-career researchers, giving us assurance that they will receive outstanding support and mentorship. If you are not sure if your department has a Departmental Grant, visit our current grantees here . Do you fund outside the U.S.?

No, all of our grants are awarded to researchers or departments of ophthalmology at U.S.-based academic medical centers. The RPB International Researcher Collaborators Award supports collaboration between U.S. and outside-the-U.S. researchers; however, the award is made to the U.S. academic medical center, which can then disperse the funds as needed to support the project collaboration.

I received an email about a grant requirement (Year-End Report, Financial Report, Progress Report, etc.). Who do I contact? For Financial Reports and Progress Reports, please contact Director of Grants Management MariaClaudia Lora-Montana ( mlora@rpbusa.

org ). For Year-End Reports (photos, research summaries and bibliographies), please contact Jo Casella ( jcasella@rpbusa. org ).

For more information about all RPB grant requirements, visit our helpful RPB Reports page . I’m a grantee and I published or presented (or plan to publish or present) a paper or poster. Who should I contact?

We love to help promote our grantees’ work! Please reach out to Director of External Affairs Diana Friedman ( dfriedman@rpbusa. org or 646-892-9565 ) to share your good news.

MariaClaudia Lora-Montano Director of Grants Management