Collage of images of people benefitted by Warby Parker Impact Foundation
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We believe in vision for all
Around the world, approximately one billion people need glasses but don’t have access to them—and in the U.S., two million children lack the glasses they need to read a book, see the board, or participate in class.

The Warby Parker Impact Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people overcome the barriers that prevent them from receiving quality vision care.

Image of women touching glasses

Our mission

Since 2010, Warby Parker has worked with community partners, nonprofits, government agencies, and academic leaders to provide free vision screenings, eye exams, and glasses to adults and children through its Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program. To date, the program has distributed over 15 million pairs of glasses, within the U.S. and around the world.

Warby Parker created the Warby Parker Impact Foundation in 2019 to accelerate this work. It’s the foundation’s mission to advocate for wider access to vision care, educate communities on the importance of eye health, and provide people with the eye care they need to lead safe, happy, and productive lives.

How we got our start

  • 2010

    Warby Parker is founded, and the company launches the Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program with its primary nonprofit partner, VisionSpring.

  • 2014

    Warby Parker’s Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program celebrates the distribution of its millionth pair of glasses to people in need.

  • 2015-2016

    Pupils Project, an expansion of the Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program, launches in New York City—and then in Baltimore—to provide eye care to public school students in both cities.

  • 2017

    Mexican nonprofit Ver Bien Para Aprender Mejor becomes a partner in the Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program, bringing eye care to students around the country.

  • 2019

    In partnership with Vision To Learn, Pupils Project expands to serve students in Philadelphia. Soon after, the Warby Parker Impact Foundation is born.

  • 2021

    Pupils Project expands across Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and California in partnership with Vision To Learn, and Warby Parker announces the official launch of the Warby Parker Impact Foundation.

How we work

Man pointing at eye exam chart

Partnerships

The Warby Parker Impact Foundation partners with nonprofits, government agencies, and funders to provide sustainable vision care to people in need.

Man pointing at eye exam chart

Advocacy

We advocate for legislative changes at the local, state, national, and global level to help ensure that more individuals have access to consistent and high-quality eye care.

Man pointing at eye exam chart

Grants

The Warby Parker Impact Foundation is focused on increasing access to vision care for underserved populations, and we accept grant applications from United States-based tax-exempt organizations that work in relevant focus areas within this space as outlined in our grantmaking policy. To access the grantmaking policy, eligibility requirements, and grant proposal template, please email [email protected].

Our work with Warby Parker

The Warby Parker Impact Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and an independent and separate entity from Warby Parker. Warby Parker provides the foundation with technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out the foundation’s charitable work.

Warby Parker’s Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program is still operated by Warby Parker. The Warby Parker Impact Foundation, in keeping with its mission, will build upon the efforts of that program and work toward vision for all.

Child receiving an eye exam

Want to help?

Any contribution you make is tax-deductible and supports our initiatives to provide vision care to people in need.

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Our leadership

  • Neil Blumenthal

    Neil Blumenthal has served as Warby Parker's Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer since 2010, as a member of their board of directors since May 2009, and as the Co-Chair of the board since June 2021. Prior to co-founding Warby Parker in 2010, Mr. Blumenthal served as director of the nonprofit social enterprise VisionSpring. Mr. Blumenthal currently serves on the boards of Allbirds, Inc., Sweetgreen, Inc., and the nonprofit organizations RxArt, the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, and the Partnership Fund for New York City. 

  • Dave Gilboa

    Dave Gilboa has served as Warby Parker's Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer since 2010, as a member of their board of directors since May 2009, and as the Co-Chair of the board since June 2021. Prior to co-founding Warby Parker, Mr. Gilboa worked at Bain & Company, Inc. and at Allen & Company LLC. Mr. Gilboa has also served as a General Partner of Good Friends, LLC, a venture capital firm, since September 2019, and is a member of the Aspen Institute’s 2016 Henry Crown Fellowship class and the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

  • Dr. Megan Collins, MD, MPH

    A practicing pediatric ophthalmologist and adult strabismus surgeon, Dr. Collins is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and an Associate Faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. She also has joint faculty appointments at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education and the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. 
    Participation by Dr. Collins does not constitute or imply endorsement by the Johns Hopkins University or the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System.

  • Joel Cutler

    Joel Cutler is a co-founder and managing director of General Catalyst. He invests in teams creating real inflection points in consumer experiences through information technology products and services, consumer internet/mobile, e-commerce, and online travel. Mr. Cutler serves on several nonprofit boards, including Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the NYU Stern Tech MBA Advisory Board.