Best Hearing and Vision Grants in Wisconsin

The Hearing Health Foundation's Emerging Research Grants (ERG) program supports innovative research in hearing and balance, providing up to $50,000 per year for promising projects. Since 1958, it has fostered early-career researchers and led to significant advancements in the field. Eligible applicants must be affiliated with U.S. institutions and hold relevant advanced degrees. The program emphasizes underfunded areas and encourages applications that expand knowledge and research capabilities in hearing health.

About the ASHFoundation

ASHFoundation supports innovators and sparks innovation in communication sciences. We give early support to promising students, researchers, and clinicians exploring bold ideas to transform the field and improve people's lives.

Artificial Intelligence in Communication Sciences and Disorders Research Grant

About

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (ASHFoundation) invites investigators to submit proposals for up to four research grants ranging from $25,000 to $50,000. The Artificial Intelligence in Communication Sciences and Disorders Research Grant (AI in CSD Research Grant) supports interdisciplinary studies that advance the ethical, clinically and scientifically grounded application and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into communication sciences and disorders (CSD) practice and service delivery. Funding may be applied to one- or two-year studies.

Specific Objectives of the Funding Opportunity

As part of this initiative, the ASHFoundation invites proposals that implement AI technologies to transform clinical practice, education, and research in CSD. Proposals that are submitted under this funding opportunity must meet the following:

• Include interdisciplinary research teams that integrate clinicians and AI researchers,
• Address clinically relevant questions or have a clear translational potential, and
• Cover one or more of the following priority areas: AI-driven assessment and diagnosis; personalized and adaptive interventions; equitable access to care; data infrastructure for predictive analytics; technology innovation; prevention for public health; and ethical standards for AI integration.

The NIDCD Early Career Research (ECR) Award (R21) supports new scientists establishing independent research careers in areas related to hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, or language. This grant encourages innovative projects such as secondary data analysis, small research initiatives, and technology development, aiming to generate preliminary data for future R01 applications. All applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.

The NIDCD is offering funding to advance HIV/AIDS research, particularly focusing on areas related to communication disorders. This initiative supports low-risk clinical trials and encourages researchers to align their proposals with high priority topics identified by the NIH Office of AIDS Research. Applications must be submitted by the local deadline, with optional Letters of Intent due 30 days prior to the proposal deadline. This opportunity aims to enhance understanding and treatment in this crucial health area.

The NIDCD Cooperative Agreement for Clinical Trials in Communication Disorders (U01) aims to support clinical trials that evaluate interventions for communication disorders. This funding opportunity encourages collaboration between NIDCD Project Scientists and investigators, focusing on trials that require FDA oversight, establish efficacy, or pose risks of harm. By fostering well-designed studies, the NIDCD seeks to advance treatment and prevention strategies in the field of communication disorders.

About the ASHFoundation

ASHFoundation supports innovators and sparks innovation in communication sciences. We give early support to promising students, researchers, and clinicians exploring bold ideas to transform the field and improve people's lives.

Frank R. Kleffner Lifetime Clinical Career Award

The Frank R. Kleffner Lifetime Clinical Career Award recognizes an individual’s outstanding contributions to communication sciences and disorders over a period of at least 20 years. The lifetime contribution may have been in clinical service, supervision or administration of clinical service, clinical research, or any other activity that has promoted clinical excellence.

The award is given in honor of Frank R. Kleffner, a former ASHFoundation president and former ASHA president, who worked tirelessly over his lifetime until his passing in 2015 to professionalize and expand the ASHFoundation’s charitable goals.

The awardee receives a commemorative art object with a recognition plaque.

The NIDCD Research Fellowship for Audiologists provides clinical audiologists enrolled in Ph.D. programs with essential research training. This initiative encourages the integration of clinical and translational research, fostering strong research foundations vital for advancing audiology and hearing healthcare. Although applications are not currently being solicited, the program aims to prepare potential candidates for meaningful collaborations and impactful research projects in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences.

Every Battle Creek area resident shall have the resources to access post-secondary education and training.

Your dreams matter — and we want to help you achieve them. Whether you’re a graduating high school senior, an adult returning to school, or a graduate student pursuing advanced education, we’re here to support you by opening doors to opportunity.

Beyond tuition, many funds support total cost of attendance — books, fees, equipment, and in some cases childcare or transportation.

Checks are made payable to the educational institution indicated on the follow-up and mailed directly to the educational institution. Checks are typically mailed in early August.

Kristin & Michael Bauman Scholarship Fund

Kristin Bauman, as a teacher and consultant, taught hearing impaired students in Pennsylvania and Calhoun County, Michigan for over 30 years. She had lost the majority of her own hearing in her youth which served to motivate her to help others with this disability. After retiring, she was approached by a former hearing impaired student who as an adult, wished to return to college. Kristin was reminded of how difficult it was to find the financial resources to go to college. In researching the scholarships available to students with disabilities, she found there were few scholarships offered for students with disabilities especially within the Calhoun County, Michigan area. Students with hearing impairments have to work harder than most to not only obtain but succeed in higher education. Kristin and her family would like to help hearing impaired students, as well as their future teachers, make higher education a reality through this scholarship.

Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area

Our Mission

The Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area seeks to ensure that our community thrives today, tomorrow, and forever by building our Community’s Endowment to support high impact charitable projects, helping donors achieve their charitable goals, and leading and partnering in community-level initiatives.

Scholarships

CFHZ awards over $1 million in scholarships each year for students to attend schools of higher education throughout the nation. Our scholarships are possible thanks to the generosity of donors who invest in our community’s future by furthering the education of others.

All Holland/Zeeland area individuals interested in post-secondary education are encouraged to apply for CFHZ scholarships.

The Foundation proudly administers over 100 scholarships, each with unique eligibility criteria that must be met before a candidate can be considered.

Holland Doctors of Audiology Scholarship

• Graduating senior, graduating early college student, or current college student who attends/attended public, private, or home school in the primary service area of the Community Foundation or in Hamilton or Saugatuck
• Enrolling/enrolled at an accredited post-secondary school within the United States
• Financial need (must submit the page of the FAFSA Submission Summary showing the Student Aid Index amount)
• Hard of hearing and hearing aid user and/or admitted and enrolling/enrolled at an accredited program in audiology (graduate-level candidates)
• Hard of hearing and hearing aid user and/or interested in studying audiology or hearing science (undergraduate-level candidates)
• Involvement in the school’s music program preferred.
• Potentially renewable for three additional years.

The AHRF Birtman Grant provides up to $75,000 for one year of research focused on hearing and balance disorders related to the inner ear. This grant encourages both basic and clinical studies, covering direct costs such as staff salaries and research equipment. Applicants must hold relevant advanced degrees and be affiliated with a U.S. university or hospital. An alternative budget option of $50,000 is available, enhancing eligibility for Regular grants if not awarded the Birtman Grant.

Mary Jo DeVleeschower Scholarship

Mary Jo DeVleeschower was a native of South Bend, Indiana, born January 14th, 1941. She graduated in 1968 from Andrew Jackson High School in South Bend, and graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana in 1972 with a degree in “special education.” Mary Jo taught at the Alexander Graham Bell School beginning in 1972 working with students who were hearing impaired. She attended the University of Southern California (John Tracy Clinic) and received her Master’s degree in 1978 from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a teacher at the Alexander Graham Bell School, Mary Jo worked through a grant with Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. for the Wole Language Program for the hearing impaired, publishing a related article in a national magazine. Mary Jo DeVleeschower loved the children with whom she worked, and poured her whole heart into her work. She had a special relationship with her students, demonstrated on the day of her memorial when some shared a tribute to her in American Sign Language. She further demonstrated her love and support for her students through the creation of the scholarship through her will.

Award Amount:

• Minimum $500

Donald and Mary Frink Scholarship

The scholarship provides support for students who are hearing impaired.

Award Amount:

• Minimum $1,000

U.S.-based 501(c)(3) public charities working on music education, music innovation, STEM/STEAM, or hearing-related medical research can apply for Les Paul Foundation grants of US $1,500 - US $2,000. Organizations in Wisconsin addressing tinnitus or other hearing impairment issues may be especially relevant, and applicants must explain how they will share Les Paul’s story.

American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Foundation provides Wisconsin hearing and balance researchers with up to US $25,000 for otology and neurotology studies. Academic institutions in the U.S. or Canada may apply on behalf of early-career physician investigators pursuing clinically relevant auditory or vestibular disease research that can generate data for future, larger-scale funding.

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides Wisconsin musicians and music industry workers with financial assistance for hearing-related health challenges. Eligible applicants must demonstrate financial need and earn at least half of their income from music or music industry work. This fund may help cover costs tied to hearing disorders, audiology care, and related services.

About Father John Foundation GrantIn 1997 Monsignor John P. Hourihan established this perpetual charitable foundation for the purpose of funding care for the homeless and people with disabilities, especially the deaf and hard of hearing. The purpose of the Foundation is to financially assist churches and other non-profit organizations, that do not take more than insubstantial government funding, in administering their programs. Our giving focus is broad and considers programs that are: religious, educational, rehabilitational, social, and/or vocational. A priority is given to the deaf and homeless. All funding is given regardless of nationality, race or religion. The Foundation will continue its dedication to raising and distributing grants to be used by charities devoted to providing care and services to the homeless and disabled.

The DoW Vision Research Program's FY26 Translational Research Award aims to accelerate the development of innovative drugs, devices, or clinical guidelines ready for clinical trials. It supports preclinical studies and pilot trials, ensuring alignment with specified VRP Focus Areas. Key features include a requirement for regulatory expertise in drug/device development and a unique Partnering Principal Investigator option. Review criteria focus on research rationale, strategy, feasibility, and impact, enhancing military health outcomes.

The FY26 Vision Research Program Clinical Trial Award supports the swift execution of clinical trials aimed at improving treatments for service-connected eye injuries and visual dysfunction. This award emphasizes the need for regulatory compliance, including IND/IDE submissions, and requires documentation confirming the application's active status by March 1, 2027. Review criteria focus on clinical impact, research feasibility, recruitment strategies, and ethical considerations, ensuring relevance to military health.

The FY26 Vision Research Program's Investigator-Initiated Research Award (IIRA) offers funding for innovative research addressing eye injury and visual dysfunction due to military exposure. This award supports preclinical to early translational studies aligned with specific focus areas. Unique features include two funding levels and a Partnering Principal Investigator Option. Applications undergo rigorous peer review based on research rationale, strategy, and impact, with potential for sharing with the National Eye Institute for additional funding consideration.

The American Academy of Optometry Foundation is inviting applications for the 2025-26 Allison Summers Pediatric Pilot Grant. This $10,000 grant aims to support mid-career optometrists in conducting pilot research that fosters new collaborations and innovative projects in pediatric optometry. Eligible candidates must be Fellows of the Academy and demonstrate a commitment to advancing pediatric research. The deadline for submitting the Letter of Intent is August 4, 2025.

About Us

Who We Are

The National Federation of the Blind is the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind Americans. Founded in 1940 and currently headquartered in Baltimore, the NFB consists of affiliates, chapters, and divisions in all fifty states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.

What We Do

Through our network of blind members, we coordinate many programs, services, and resources to defend the rights of blind Americans, provide information and support to blind children and adults, and build a community that creates a future full of opportunities.

What We Believe

We are the only organization that believes in the full capacity of blind people and has the power to transform our dreams into reality. We believe in blind people because we are blind people—from our democratically elected leaders to our diverse nationwide membership.

Scholarship Program

Thanks to our generous partners, there are thirty $10,000 merit-based scholarships currently available. All scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence, community service, and leadership. The finalists are announced every spring. They then attend our national convention in July when the winners of each individual scholarship are selected. 

The American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults Scholarship

For more than 100 years the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults has strived to improve the lives of blind and Deafblind children and adults. Best known for annually producing and gifting Braille Calendars, sponsoring the free Braille books for blind children program, and administering the Braille Readers are Leaders contest, the American Action Fund leads in promoting Braille literacy. The American Action Fund is proud to award this scholarship to a deserving and talented blind person. 

Retina Research Foundation

Across the nation, there were only a handful of voluntary groups with the will and the means to tackle retinal disdorders. Retina Research Foundation, established in 1969, was one of those organizations. By the 1980s, RRF had become a voice for retina research in an effort to reduce the incidence of retinal disease, which was fast becoming the leading cause of blindness in developing countries.

Undaunted, the Foundation steadily raised funds each year for vision scientists who were nationally recognized for their work in retina research. Government funding for eye research increased dramatically, and the field of retina research matured. As this body of knowledge grew, RRF programs were expanded to include major awards that recognize established retina scientists and contribute to their ongoing research. The Foundation also developed scientific exchange programs to disseminate knowledge of the dramatic advances that were being made in the laboratory.

RRF Pilot Study Grants

The mission of the Retina Research Foundation is to reduce retinal blindness worldwide by funding programs in research and education. As a public charity, RRF raises funds from the private sector and the investment of its endowment funds.

RRF is currently welcoming pilot study grant applications for the 2027 grant period. Each grant application must be signed by the principal investigator and either their Department Chair or Dean of Research.

The Retina Society, Inc.

The Retina Society was founded in 1968 exclusively for educational and scientific purposes concerning the diagnosis, care and treatment of diseases and injuries to the retina. The Retina Society began as an outgrowth of alumni meetings of Retina Associates, a retina practice founded in Boston in 1951 by Charles L. Schepens. Dr. Schepens is credited with establishing retina surgery as a sub-specialty.  

Our mission is to reduce worldwide visual disability and blindness by promoting the education and professional interaction of vitreoretinal specialists, providing optimal care for patients with vitreoretinal diseases, and encouraging, through clinical and basic research, the discovery and development of new means to further patient care.

Retina Society Underrepresented in Medicine (RESOURCE) Mentoring Program

The Retina Society Underrepresented in Medicine (RESOURCE) Mentoring Program was created to engage and interest ophthalmology residents from underrepresented populations* in research and in pursuing careers in the retina subspecialty through dedicated mentoring exposure. The program will pair ophthalmology residents from underrepresented backgrounds with Retina Society mentors, with the goal of providing the residents with research and career mentorship.

*The American Association of Medical Colleges definition of underrepresented in medicine is: "Underrepresented in medicine means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population." We define the following groups as underrepresented: Black (African American or African), Latino/Hispanic, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. We will also be considering applicants from LGBTQIA+ and socioeconomically underprivileged backgrounds.

Mentors will work with their designated mentees on research projects that will be presented at the Retina Society Annual Meeting in 2027 and submitted for publication consideration. Mentors and mentees will be acknowledged at the Retina Society Annual Meeting.

The Joe and Janet Barr Early Career Cornea and Contact Lens Research Award supports first- or second-year MS or PhD students in vision science or physiological optics. Established in 2012 in honor of Joseph T. Barr, this $2,000 seed funding facilitates research in cornea/ocular surface or contact lenses. Recipients are required to attend the annual American Academy of Optometry meeting and submit progress reports detailing their research outcomes. Preference is given to North American applicants.

Immanuel Lutheran Church Grants provide financial support to projects that align with the mission priorities of the Trust Fund. The grants are awarded quarterly and prioritize innovative initiatives that foster community involvement, humanitarian efforts, and spiritual growth. Eligible projects include support for youth, educational stipends, and community service programs. The Trust Fund encourages applications from affiliated organizations and individuals, particularly those that can demonstrate matching funds or unique outreach ideas.

The Manning Family Foundation offers Health and Life Sciences Research Grants to support innovative research aimed at finding effective treatments and cures for diseases like diabetes and macular degeneration. Since 2003, they have funded 501(c)(3) nonprofits that contribute to these fields, emphasizing entrepreneurialism and impactful research. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with awards given three times a year, fostering advancements in health and community well-being.

The David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation offers grants to 501(c)(3) organizations focused on sight preservation, children's services, and environmental conservation, primarily in Utah. Established in memory of David Kelby Johnson, who tragically lost his life at a young age, the foundation aims to honor his legacy by supporting impactful charitable initiatives. Grants range from $5,000 to $100,000, with a commitment to improving communities both locally and globally.