W.K. Kellogg Foundation Funds Foundation Fighting Blindness Campaign for Awareness of Retinal Diseasse Research

Owings Mills, MD - April 3, 2007 - The Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) today announced that the W.K. Kellogg Foundation will support, through a $50,000 grant, a public awareness campaign that will provide information and resources to individuals with low vision, their families and caregivers, and the general public.

"FFB's public health education initiatives are key weapons in our fight to cure blindness," said William Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer of FFB. "Education about these conditions, resources to cope with them, and continual updates about ongoing research puts FFB in a unique position to help the more than 9 million affected Americans and their families."

FFB's awareness campaign is multifaceted and ongoing:

• Resource services including booklets, genetic testing kits and a toll-free resource line
• Educational Symposia: Across the country leading scientific experts are assembled to advise patients and their caregivers about the latest breakthroughs and treatments
• Newsletters and publications: FFB keeps its constituents informed through email and print publications that offer the latest research updates
• Public Service Announcements: Throughout the year FFB will produce PSAs that inform the general public about retinal degenerative diseases

In addition to education and awareness, a key goal of the campaign will be to communicate the need for ongoing support for FFB to pursue critical research. FFB has a strategic goal of more than doubling its annual operating budget -- from $16 million to $40 million - by 2012. An important strategy to meet this ambitious goal is the VisionWalk program of 5K events across the country. FFB also hosts fundraisers that involve all aspects of the community and raise awareness of retinal diseases.

About the Kellogg Foundation

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 "to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations." To achieve the greatest impact, the Foundation targets its grants toward specific areas. These include: health; food systems and rural development; youth and education; and philanthropy and volunteerism. Within these areas, attention is given to exploring learning opportunities in leadership, information and communication technology; capitalizing on diversity; and social and economic community development.

Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the southern African countries of Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.

For further information, please visit the Foundation's web site at www.wkkf.org. The site offers: in-depth information about the Foundation's programming interests; information on the Foundation's grant application process; a database of current grant recipients; and access to publications which report on Foundation-funded projects.

About the Foundation Fighting Blindness

The Foundation Fighting Blindness (www.FightBlindness.org) is the largest source of non-governmental funding for retinal degenerative disease research in the world. The urgent mission of The Foundation Fighting Blindness is to drive the research that will provide preventions, treatments and cures for people affected by retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher syndrome, and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases.