The sight loss charities Fight for Sight and Vision Foundation will merge this year, it has been announced.
The two organisations boards of trustees’ have unanimously voted for the merger to come into effect from 1 April.
The merged charity will become the only UK grant-maker that funds both scientific research and services, the organisations said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Vision Foundation said the name of the merged organisation would be decided in April.
The new charity will be led by Keith Valentine, who became chief executive of Fight for Sight in January 2022.
Olivia Curno, chief executive of Vision Foundation, will step down after more than four years with the charity to take on a national chief executive role in the care sector.
The charities did not plan to make any reductions to staffing levels as a result of the merger, the spokesperson said.
The Vision Foundation employs about 40 people, according to its most-recent set of accounts, and had an income of £2.2m in the year to the end of March 2022.
Fight for Sight had an income of £6.4m in the year to the end of March 2021 and had 18 employees, its documents show.
Valentine, who lives with sight loss, said: “I’m a long-standing supporter of Vision Foundation and have immense respect for all it achieves.
“Taking that incredible work – as well as our mission at Fight for Sight – onto the national stage is a very big deal. The impact we will deliver for people and families affected by sight loss across the country is immeasurable. This merger will also enable us to grow our funding, which means a stronger, more impactful organisation for the years to come.
“I’m thrilled to build on what we’ve already done as two separate charities to take us to the next level, because my goal is nothing short of changing the world for people with sight loss.”
Curno said: “I am incredibly proud of what the Vision Foundation has achieved in recent years, and can’t think of a better next chapter than joining forces with Fight for Sight and taking our impact to a national stage.
“Through this merger, we will have the expertise, talent and scale to go on to incredible things, all under the visionary leadership of Keith Valentine.”