Jonas Philanthropies

Jonas Children’s Vision Care is a first-of-its-kind, integrated effort to prevent and treat blindness and other serious eye disorders in children that will draw upon Columbia Ophthalmology’s many strengths. Those include strong clinical care from infancy throughout life, genetic testing of individuals with eye disease for diagnosis and treatment, the resources of a wide array of laboratories, and the University’s many initiatives in an interdisciplinary field called translational research. In addition, the project will help establish a state-of-the-art pediatric ophthalmic diagnostic and imaging center at New York-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. Jonas Children's Vision Care is jointly sponsored by Jonas Philanthropies and the Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia University Medical Center.

Jonas Philanthropies was established in 2005 with monies raised through an auction at Christie’s of a portion of the family’s noted contemporary art collection. Jonas Philanthropies is improving healthcare for the better by investing where it matters most. We address high-need issues and audiences with high-impact solutions: promoting leadership in nursing and veterans’ healthcare, preventing, and treating low vision and blindness, and protecting our children’s environmental health.