Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief (OFDR)

GRANT CRITERIA

General OFDR Application

Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief has changed the lives of many optometrists and students by providing immediate financial relief for critical and urgent needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, and other infrastructure needs.

Disasters are unpredictable and can be life-altering; it is our goal to ensure that the fund is always poised and ready to help, so doctors can get back to doing what they do best.

Qualifying disasters include but are not limited to hurricanes, tornadoes, civil unrest, earthquakes, floods and fires. OFDR is available to aid doctors and students who have experienced property damage to their home or business due to a disaster situation.

In light of the Change Healthcare cyberattacks and the national impact it has had on health care, OFDR is also recognized the cybersecurity attack as an eligible disaster the spring of 2024, according to its current criteria. We hope this recognition addresses the needs of our AOA members as they maneuver this crisis.

To Apply:

Applying for a disaster relief grant is the first step to recovery. If you have recently experienced the effects of a catastrophic event, please follow these steps:

• Read the grant criteria
• Complete the appropriate OFDR application.
• Complete a Form W-9 in its entirety

The OFDR Committee makes every effort to respond to your application within 5-7 business days. We appreciate your patience and quick response to any follow-up questions the committee has about your application.

*Please note that our fund is set up to cover property damage to an optometrist’s or student’s home or practice. Though we do not discount the significant impact of lost income, we cannot currently cover such a loss.

Check out the recent AOA news story on OFDR.

Thank you to Optometry Cares and OFDR for the grant. It allowed me to reorder the new glasses and contact lenses that burned in my office (due to the Hawaii wildfires) while awaiting pick-up by patients. Luckily, I was able to contact most of them and get their new addresses (mostly post-office boxes because all their homes burned) and mail them. A few were so anxious, they picked up their glasses at my home.” -Rae Nagahiro, O.D.

Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief has provided more than $1.3 million dollars in aid to more than 700 optometrists across the country.