How we use your gift

Your donations help us better understand macular disease and its impact

When you donate to Macular Disease Foundation Australia, you can be assured that our primary goal is to use your gift in a way that makes a tangible difference to the lives of people at risk of, or living with, macular disease.

We rely on the generous support of our community so we will always encourage donations and gifts in Wills. We will always ask respectfully. And we will always use your gift carefully and cost-effectively so it has maximum impact.

We aim to be fully transparent with our donors and supporters.

We try to keep our fundraising costs low; however, the percentage cost may vary depending on the amount of donations received throughout the year and the expenses associated with running our programs.

If you have questions that are not answered on this website, or in our annual and financial reports, we invite you to call our Supporter Care team. You can contact us through the National Helpline on 1800 111 709 or via email.

Where your donation will have an impact

When you make a donation, you can direct your funds be used in one of three ways:

• support services for people living with a macular disease, their families and carers
• help fund our Research Grants Program, funding world-leading Australian researchers
• you can keep your donation open and allow us to direct your support to wherever funding is most needed. 

Our purpose is to reduce the incidence and impact of macular disease in Australia.

We do this via prevention and early detection, supports and services, advocacy, and research and data. 

Prevention and early detection 

With 8.5m Australians at risk of, or living with, macular disease, your gift can help reach those at risk through education and campaigns. Early detection of macular disease is crucial to save sight.

Funds from our generous supporters have assisted us in developing Check My Macula, an online risk assessment quiz to raise awareness of macular disease among Australians over the age of 50.

Macula Month, an annual awareness program held each May, is also designed to raise the profile of the range of macular diseases, and spread awareness.

Supports and services

Living with macular disease can be very challenging. Your gift can help us continue to deliver individual support to thousands of Australians and reduce the risk of progressive vision loss. All our services are free of charge. Services include the National Helpline, which provides tele-health counselling, peer to peer support groups, and patient care plans. MDFA holds seminars and education webinars to further assist those living with macular disease. 

Voice of the community

MDFA works to ensure all Australians can access universal treatment and resources to help them live with macular disease.  Your gift can help us raise the united voice of the growing macular disease community to make lasting change for better and fairer access to government support and affordable treatment. In a typical year, MDFA may make as many as 200 policy submissions and representations to both government and non-government bodies on behalf of the community. 

Research and data

Through the generous support of Australians like you, MDFA has committed millions of dollars to research projects since 2011 through our Research Grants Program.