Foundation of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary

Foundation of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary

Chaired by Robert Atchinson, the Foundation of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary was founded in 1824 to support a hospital dedicated entirely to ophthalmology and otolaryngology. The foundation serves as the fundraising and endowment management arm for Mass Eye and Ear, a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and a subsidiary of the Mass General Brigham system since 2018. Its mission, to cure blindness, deafness, and diseases of the head and neck, is backed by an investment portfolio estimated at $285 million. The foundation deploys capital across a fund-of-funds strategy, growth equity, and natural resources. A significant portion is held in an endowment and investment portfolio that funds operations at clinical facilities including the main campus at 243 Charles Street and the Longwood Medical Office & Surgical Center. In research, the foundation's assets support the Schepens Eye Research Institute, merged into Mass Eye and Ear in 2011. The institute maintains deep ties to venture philanthropy, collaborating with the Foundation Fighting Blindness on the RD Fund, which has incubated companies such as Opus Genetics, while the Tej Kohli Foundation has directly funded a corneal treatment program at the hospital. The endowment's governance includes Trustee Wyc Grousbeck, Lead Owner of the Boston Celtics, who previously served as Chairman. The foundation also maintains a real estate footprint that has included an apartment in Larchmont, New York, and land in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Its fundraising ecosystem includes the Reynolds Society, recognizing donors who give $2,500 or more annually, and Team Eye and Ear, an athletic fundraising network that participates in the Boston Marathon. The foundation’s architecture is defined by its complete integration within a university-affiliated, single-specialty hospital system. Unlike a diversified charitable foundation, its assets directly fuel the clinical, surgical, and research programs of one institution. This creates a concentrated endowment purpose — its investment returns and philanthropic gifts must cover the funding gaps for a hospital that functions as the primary teaching affiliate for Harvard Medical School’s ophthalmology and otolaryngology departments.