Brightfocus Foundation

“A draft of the federal form 990 is distributed to the audit committee for review prior to being submitted to the internal revenue service. The draft federal form 990 is distributed early enough to provide each committee member with a reasonable amount of time for review and submission of questions or comments prior to the filing deadline. The final federal form 990 is distributed to each member of the full board of directors prior to being filed with the internal revenue service. The draft or final federal form 990 may be distributed in person, by regular mail, e-mail, or fax.”

“Brightfocus has all employees, officers, and directors agree to the code of conduct that includes adherence to the conflict of interest and implementation policy. Each board director, officer, and employee is required to complete a conflict of interest disclosure statement annually. Employees meet annually with the brightfocus' chief compliance officer to review their conflict of interest statements, and give an annual conflict of interest compliance report to the board chair and vice chair. If a conflict is reported, it is then referred to the president/ceo and/or brightfocus' legal counsel and, if appropriate and necessary, then to the board of directors or its appointed committee for further action. The director's and officer's statements are reviewed by the brightfocus legal counsel. If a conflict is reported, it is then referred to the board of directors or its appointed committee for further action. At the time of the brightfocus discussion and decision concerning a conflict of interest, the conflicted party is not present in the meeting.”

“Brightfocus' board of directors has overall authority and responsibility for approving the annual budget which includes salary and benefits for all employees at every level including non-director officers and key employees. All pay adjustments are made on a yearly basis effective april 1st, the beginning of the brightfocus fiscal year. Before approving the compensation of the president/ceo, the board determines the total compensation to be provided by brightfocus to the president/ceo is reasonable considering the position, responsibility and qualification of the position held, including the result of an evaluation of prior performance for brightfocus, if applicable. The president/ceo is evaluated yearly by the board of directors using an in-depth goal attainment structure, that includes a self-assessment and a board of director's assessment and evaluation against set goals, outcomes, and deliverables. In addition, the board of directors periodically engages an outside consultant to obtain and consider appropriate data, including a salary survey, which includes information compiled from the federal form 990 of other organizations, concerning compensation paid to ceos in similar circumstances. In making the determination, the board of directors considers total compensation to include the salary and value of all benefits provided by brightfocus to the individual in payment for services. At the time of the brightfocus board discussion and decision concerning the president/ceo's compensation, the president/ceo is not present in the meeting. The board of directors shall set forth the basis for its decisions with respect to compensation in the minutes of the meeting at which the decisions are made, including the conclusions of the evaluation and the basis for determining that the individual's compensation was reasonable considering the evaluation and comparability data. The president/ceo is charged with setting the salaries of all other employees in accordance with a compensation structure and budget approved by the board of directors. The president/ceo and human resources review employee compensation and benefits that include key employees, by periodically engaging an outside consultant to conduct compensation and benefit benchmarking studies that include various regional and national non-profit compensation reports and surveys. Compensation deliberations and decisions include the review of self and supervisory evaluations of employee performance compared to set individual and organizational goals.”

“Brightfocus makes its governing documents including its articles of incorporation and bylaws, the federal form 1023, the 501(c)(3) letter of determination from the internal revenue service, conflict of interest policy, audited financial statements and federal form 990 available to the public upon request. In addition, the public also has access to the annual report, audited financial statements, the 501(c)(3) letter of determination from the internal revenue service, and federal form 990 on its website at www.brightfocus.org.”

“Brightfocus foundation funds exceptional research worldwide to defeat alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma and provides expert information on these heartbreaking diseases. Our vision is: a world free from diseases of mind and sight. Collectively, more than 300 million people worldwide suffer from these diseases. Brightfocus has a proven track record of supporting the most innovative, early-stage research seeking to foster a better understanding of, treatments for, and ultimately, a cure for, these age-related diseases with no cure. Since 1973, brightfocus has awarded more than $297 million in research grants to thousands of scientists in 25 countries through its three programs: alzheimer's disease research, macular degeneration research, and national glaucoma research. The research we support is carefully chosen by our scientific review committees, comprising world-renowned researchers and leaders in their fields. Our research funding has led to major contributions to understanding these diseases and support for scientists who have received prestigious awards, including two nobel prizes. An indicator of our ability to push new boundaries of knowledge is that brightfocus-supported research was found to have had 10 times the impact on driving future science than work supported by many other organizations. The world-class research identified and supported by brightfocus is on the cutting edge of the fight to save mind and sight. Our funding acts as a catalyst in early-stage research, and brightfocus research programs are designed to provide initial funding for highly innovative experimental ideas. Due to the structured grant review and approval process, the research impact of brightfocus is very high. Most recipients of brightfocus funding go on to receive future grants from other sources that are up to 10 times larger than the original brightfocus award. This high return on brightfocus investment speaks to our ability to identify promising research in its earliest stages and spawn future scientific discoveries. It is our firm belief that having the courage to invest in innovative ideas will lead to revolutionary approaches and life-saving breakthroughs. Along with funding cutting-edge research to find cures for some of the world's costliest diseases, brightfocus also provides free, expert-vetted educational materials and support to hundreds of thousands of people impacted by these diseases nationwide. We ground these educational materials in the latest research findings and breakthroughs. Brightfocus also increases public awareness of alzheimer's, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, and communicates with thought leaders and elected officials about the importance of scientific research in these areas. Brightfocus' award-winning public service announcements (psas) have appeared on television, radio, and in print throughout the nation. The impact of alzheimer's, make a plan today: get your eyes checked, and finding answers in the fight against alzheimer's seek to raise awareness about these diseases and the importance of early detection. Similar messages have been delivered through donated print psa space in airports and train stations, as well as at pharmacies, supermarkets and digitally. In fiscal year 2024, these psa messages generated $24,713,985 in donated media services and garnered over 405 million impressions. We continue to increase our print publications, many in spanish, that provide helpful information to patients and caregivers, and regularly produce new video and audio resources in conjunction with allies in the medical and scientific communities. Partnering with several high-profile public and private organizations, brightfocus is helping to better educate the public on the latest research developments pertaining to alzheimer's, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, as well as the importance of equitable participation in clinical research to accelerate the path to cures for neurodegenerative diseases”

“Alzheimer's disease research (adr) alzheimer's disease is the only cause of death among the top 10 in america without a way to prevent, cure, or even slow its progression. It is an irreversible degeneration of the brain that causes disruptions in memory, cognition, personality, and other functions and inevitably leads to death. An estimated 55 million people worldwide have alzheimer's disease or other dementias, with women and black and hispanic adults most at risk. Alzheimer's disease research (adr), a brightfocus foundation program, funds research focused on understanding the causes of alzheimer's disease, early detection, treatments to help slow or stop its progression, and ultimately to prevent the disease altogether. Adr annually awards peer-reviewed grants to scientists from institutions worldwide who are conducting biomedical and clinical research on alzheimer's disease. Since inception, adr has contributed more than $180 million to defeating alzheimer's disease. During the fiscal year ending march 31, 2024, adr awarded $5,689,899 in peer-reviewed grant awards to 23 new research projects . Notable projects include: hypertension and lifestyle effects on risk of alzheimer's (including lipids); drug discovery and biomarkers; the role of inflammation, microglia and vascular health in disease risk; looking at the mitochondria and cell energy deficiencies; role of sleep disturbances causing increased risk of cognitive issues; differences in genetics and disease risk for underrepresented populations; and better use of modern technologies, including big data/ai and systems genetics analysis for increased and decreased risks. Additional information about specific projects is included in schedules f & i. Brightfocus is honored to have supported the early research of two nobel prize winners: dr. Stanley prusiner and dr. Paul greengard, whose work has been instrumental to our current understanding of alzheimer's disease. Brightfocus continues its partnership with the academic journal molecular neurodegeneration as the official journal of brightfocus foundation. The journal publishes technical papers related to neurodegeneration in the three disease areas. To accelerate scientific progress, it is an open-access journal, and all content is free of charge. This open access ensures maximal reach of journal contents to scientists and care providers worldwide. Molecular neurodegeneration is currently the highest impact open access journal in the neurosciences. In addition to supporting cutting-edge research, alzheimer's disease research provides expert-vetted resources on detecting, treating, and living with the disease. These are available in both print as well as on our website, www.brightfocus.org.”

“Macular degeneration research (mdr) age-related macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss in the united states. It destroys the macula, the part of the eye that provides sharp, central vision needed for seeing objects clearly. The most common eye condition in people age 60 and older, it can lead to vision loss in one or both eyes, making it difficult to recognize faces, drive a car, or read. At least 20 million americans have some type of macular degeneration, including both the early and later stages of the wet and dry types. Macular degeneration research (mdr), a brightfocus foundation program, has awarded nearly $53 million to scientists studying the disease. The latest research is focused on novel treatments, understanding the causes and disease progression, prediction methods and disease modeling, drug therapies, the role of metabolism and immune response in disease risk, genes, and new imaging, machine learning, and screening techniques. Mdr grants are available to macular degeneration researchers worldwide. Mdr places special emphasis on encouraging applications from young scientists and those with cutting-edge ideas. Annual grant applications are peer-reviewed, and recipient selections are based on scientific merit. During the fiscal year ending march 31, 2024, mdr awarded $3,839,035 in peer-reviewed grant awards to 10 new research projects, a total funding amount of $2,850,660. Details about specific projects are included in schedules f & i. In addition to supporting cutting-edge research, macular degeneration research provides expert-vetted resources on detecting, treating, and living with this disease. These are available in both print as well as on our website, www.brightfocus.org.”

“National glaucoma research (ngr) glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, according to a recent report from the world health organization, approximately 80 million people around the world have glaucoma. More than three million americans, over the age of 40 are living with glaucoma, with an estimated 2.7 million have open-angle glaucoma, the most common type. In the united states, glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness among black and hispanic americans. With early detection and treatment, glaucoma often can be managed to protect eyes from more serious vision loss. It is estimated that only half of the people living with glaucoma are aware that they have the disease. National glaucoma research (ngr), a brightfocus foundation program, has awarded nearly $51 million worldwide in research grants toward the study of glaucoma. Ngr-supported research has focused on the eye-brain connection, how pressure buildup in the eye can affect synaptic nerve communications, neuroprotection and optic nerve regeneration, discovering glaucoma risk genes, ai/deep learning and adaptive optics, sleep disturbance and glaucoma risk, developing early glaucoma screening, and pursuing novel genetic counseling and communication strategies, amongst other innovative pursuits. Ngr grants are available to glaucoma researchers worldwide. Ngr places special emphasis on encouraging applications from young scientists and those with cutting-edge ideas. Annual grant applications are peer-reviewed, and recipient selections are based on scientific merit. During the fiscal year ending march 31, 2024, ngr awarded $1,549,923 in peer-reviewed grant awards for 9 new projects. Details about specific projects are included in schedules f & i. In addition to supporting cutting-edge research, national glaucoma research provides expert-vetted resources on detecting, treating, and living with the disease. These are available in both print as well as on our website, www.brightfocus.org.”

“Recoveries of prior year grants 435,223. Change in present value of grants -129,218.”