Shaffer Research Grants

About this program

Glaucoma Research Foundation’s Shaffer Grants are one‑year, $60,000 seed awards that support collaborative, high‑risk/high‑reward research projects targeting the Foundation’s strategic goals to advance glaucoma science and accelerate translational leads. The program acts as an innovation incubator to provide preliminary support that helps investigators leverage subsequent NIH, industry, or philanthropic funding. Eligible applicants are investigators proposing bold, creative collaborations addressing one or more glaucoma research priorities and capable of producing proof‑of‑concept or preliminary data within one year. Priority is given to novel, underfunded approaches with strong potential to lead to new therapies, biomarkers, or mechanistic insights.