Skip to content

Find Funding

Explore NEI funding opportunities to find the right one for your project. Start by learning more about our programs and priorities. Then get details on current opportunities and special funding for international and trans-NIH research projects.

Funding opportunities

NEI as Issuing Organization

NEI issues a variety of funding opportunities.

microscope icon

Issued by other organizations

NEI also participates in funding opportunities that other NIH Institutes and Centers issue.

See all NOFOs that NEI participates in

Find Highlighted Topics

Explore specific types of funding or initiatives

Explore funding for international research

Looking for a way to conduct research or get training outside of the United States?

Learn about the Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet)

OppNet is a trans-NIH initiative designed to expand funding of basic behavioral and social sciences research. Vision researchers can contribute to the goals of this initiative by collaborating with behavioral and social scientists to study the visual system’s role in complex behavior and social systems.

  • Learn more about this initiative and find funding opportunities. Explore the OppNet website.
  • NEI’s Perception and Psychophysics Program Director can answer your questions about getting funding through an OppNet initiative. Contact by email.

Learn about the NIH Common Fund

Congress created the NIH Common Fund in 2006 for research programs that cut across multiple divisions at NIH — and that no one division could tackle on its own. Common Fund programs focus on urgent NIH priorities, emerging scientific opportunities, and pressing challenges in biomedical research.

female scientist looking through microscope

Learn about NEI's programs and research priorities

NEI supports research that targets the leading causes of blindness and vision impairment — including a broad range of basic and clinical research, clinical trials, epidemiologic studies, research training, and career development.

people in a lab looking at a model of a human eye

Find funding for training and career development

NEI offers funding opportunities for training and career support to students and professionals across the country.

Contact grants and funding staff

Have a question about NEI funding? We can help.

Last updated: September 25, 2025