The Macula Foundation Inc

What The Macula Foundation Inc does

The Macula Foundation, Inc. is a New York-based non-profit founded in 1978, established as the first organization in the world dedicated exclusively to macula disease research. Its mission is the prevention and restoration of vision loss due to macular disease, with a primary focus on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, central serous chorioretinopathy, and related retinal conditions. The foundation operates through a research, teaching, and public awareness model — funding studies, training the next generation of retinal specialists via fellowships, and convening scientific meetings such as the Atlantic Coast Retinal Club/Macula Symposium.

The foundation's core technical assets are its research output and affiliated institutional network. It supports diagnostic and therapeutic innovation including OCT Angiography, Enhanced Depth Imaging, the Pachychoroid disease classification, and the development of anti-VEGF medications such as MACUGEN. It maintains a searchable archive of over 600 peer-reviewed scientific publications and co-authored The Retinal Atlas, the most widely distributed textbook in ophthalmology. The foundation partners with Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital (Northwell Health), NYU, and Columbia University for fellowship training and the operations of the LuEsther T. Mertz Retinal Research Center.

The foundation's revenue model is charitable donations from individuals, including online, phone, mail, and stock donations, with stock donations processed through Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management. Funding is directed toward research grants, fellowships, and educational programming. Its primary beneficiaries are patients with macular disease (especially AMD and diabetic retinopathy) and the medical professionals and researchers who serve them. The foundation is led by President Lawrence A. Yannuzzi, MD, with a board that includes financial and medical leaders, and it operates with a small staff of 1-10 employees.

Name

The Macula Foundation Inc

Legal name

The Macula Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://maculafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Macula Foundation, Inc. is a New York-based non-profit founded in 1978 and the first organization dedicated exclusively to macula disease research. It funds research, trains retinal specialists through fellowships, and publishes peer-reviewed work, primarily serving patients with macular disease and the ophthalmic research community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ophthalmology Research and Education

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Macular disease research
• Ophthalmology research funding
• Retinal disease research
• Ophthalmology fellowship programs
• Vision loss prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The foundation raises and distributes funds for research and teaching in macular disease. Revenue comes from donations made by individuals, including online donations, phone donations, mail-in checks, and stock donations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Macula Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit research foundation that raises and distributes funds for research and teaching in macular disease. It funds innovative research into age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, central serous chorioretinopathy, and related retinal conditions, while training the next generation of retinal specialists through fellowship programs at affiliated institutions and disseminating knowledge through publications and conferences.

Product overview

The Macula Foundation is a non-profit research organization devoted exclusively to discoveries and research in macula disease. It offers a publications archive of over 600 scientific publications, supports fellowship training programs, and facilitates donations. The foundation does not operate commercial software products but provides research resources, educational materials, and grant funding for macular disease research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Publications Archive A searchable collection of over 600 scientific publications within the ophthalmic community, featuring contributions by members of The Macula Foundation. Supports search by title, topic, author, PMID, PMCID, and DOI. Available to researchers, physicians, and the public.
• Fellowship Programs Training programs for physicians in the macular disease field, including Medical Retina Fellows and International Research Fellows, with affiliations at institutions including Columbia University, NYU, and Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital.
• Research Funding The Foundation has raised and distributed over $50 million for research and teaching in macular disease, supporting discoveries in age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, central serous chorioretinopathy, and other retinal diseases.
• Donation Processing Online donation platform allowing secure contributions to The Macula Foundation, with options for tribute or memorial gifts, stock donations, and phone/mail donations.
• Recent Publications Featured recent scientific publications supported by The Macula Foundation, covering topics in age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal imaging, and various macular diseases.

Quantifiable outcome

• Discovery of Anti-VEGF medications for wet macular degeneration treatment
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital (Northwell Health)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 40-year relationship with Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital. Foundation supports the LuEsther T. Mertz Research Center at the hospital. Joint fellowship programs with Columbia University and NYU for training retinal specialists.
• New York University (NYU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner50+ year relationship with NYU bringing in fellows at national level. Foundation hosts one of the largest meetings of retinal specialists worldwide, The Atlantic Coast Retinal Club/Macula Symposium, at Farkas Auditorium NYU School of Medicine.
• Columbia UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner40+ year retinal fellowship relationship with Columbia University supporting collaborative research within the Retinal Department. Fellows receive retinal experience and training over two years.
• Morgan Stanley Private Wealth ManagementminorOthersStock donation processing partner. James J Bell serves as Executive Director overseeing stock donations to the foundation at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, 1585 Broadway New York, NY 10036.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Eye Institute (NEI): U.S. federal institute within NIH that funds and conducts vision research. Comparable as a major funder of macular disease research, though funded by government appropriations rather than donations.
• Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO): Largest global eye and vision research organization, hosting major conferences and publishing journals. Comparable as a convening organization for vision researchers, though broader in scope than macular-specific work.

Direct peers

• Foundation Fighting Blindness: A non-profit foundation funding retinal disease research and offering grants, fellowships, and scientific conferences. Directly comparable as a vision-focused research grantmaking foundation with overlapping donor pool and investigator network.
• Prevent Blindness: Largest volunteer eye health and safety organization in the U.S., funding vision research and public awareness. Comparable in fundraising channels, public-awareness mission, and ophthalmic research grants.
• American Macular Degeneration Foundation: Non-profit dedicated exclusively to AMD awareness, research, and support. Closest pure-play peer in macular disease focus and donor-driven revenue model.
• Retina International: Global umbrella organization for national retina-focused charities supporting research and patient advocacy. Comparable in retina disease focus and international researcher/fellow network.
• BrightFocus Foundation: Funds research on macular degeneration, glaucoma, and Alzheimer's disease through grants and public education. Comparable in mission, donation-driven revenue model, and grantmaking focus on macular degeneration.
• Research to Prevent Blindness: Provides research grants to vision science departments at U.S. ophthalmic institutions. Directly comparable grantmaking model and affiliation-based funding approach targeting the same institutional and donor ecosystem.

Emerging players

• The Macula Society: International society of retinal specialists focused on macular disease research and education. Comparable in disease focus, conference programming (e.g., Gass Award), and physician-network model.
• Glaucoma Research Foundation: Non-profit funding glaucoma-specific research and physician training. Comparable in disease-specific grantmaking and fellowship support, but focuses on glaucoma rather than macular disease.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/macula-foundation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Macula Foundation Inc