Blind Travel Foundation Receives Second Matching Grant Challenge from the Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation
NEW YORK, NY – The Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation has renewed its support of Blind Travel Foundation with a $60,000 matching pledge. Blind Travel Foundation has until December 31, 2024 to raise $60,000 from other sources to receive the match.
In 2023, the Gund Foundation provided Blind Travel Foundation with a $30,000 matching grant that was instrumental in funding the second round of grant winners trips. If successful, this new funding will support significant investment in Blind Travel Foundation’s staff, which is needed to grow the organization and expand our offerings to the blind and low vision community. Blind Travel Foundation is currently run mostly by a two person team. Our hope is to bring on individuals to help out with social media, video production, and assist with fundraising.
“Gordon Gund’s support of Blind Travel Foundation is so incredibly important,” said Blind Travel Foundation’s executive director Mike Walsh. “We have come so far having awared six $10,000 grants in 14 months. I am really excited at the possibility of being able to expand and impact even more people.”
Gordon Gund is the CEO of Gund Investment Corporation and a co-founder of Foundation Fighting Blindness. Mr. Gund lost his vision due to Retinitis Pigmentosa, the same condition affecting Mike Walsh’s vision. His foundation, established with his late wife, gives primarily to organizations fighting blindness and to services for people who are blind.
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About Blind Travel Foundation:
Blind Travel Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Mike Walsh in 2021 with the mission of giving individuals who are blind or have low vision the opportunity to explore the world, engage with others, and educate people about their lifestyles and experiences. Mike was diagnosed with Usher syndrome in 1997. By 2014, his vision had deteriorated to the point where he was no longer driving and used a cane to get around. He launched a social media campaign to crowdsource ideas of places he should see before his vision became any worse. During the resulting travels, he conducted interviews with other people experiencing vision loss and created a blog. He established Blind Travel Foundation to give other people the chance to take a meaningful trip and produce educational content to advance the understanding of blindness and vision impairment. Blind Travel Foundation is online at www.blindtravel.org.
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