The Teppers have now contributed over $5.2 million to Vision To Learn since the partnership began in 2019
New funding extends Vision To Learn programming and will provide a combined 40,000 new children in Raleigh-Durham and Greenville-Spartanburg with no-cost eye care
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (September 4, 2026) 鈥 The David & Nicole Tepper Foundation (DNTF) today announced a $3.4聽million commitment to longtime community partner Vision To Learn, broadening the nonprofit鈥檚 reach across聽North and South Carolina. With the support of the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC, this multiyear partnership聽between DNTF and Vision To Learn will provide access to no-cost eye care, exams and prescription glasses for聽elementary and middle school students in Raleigh-Durham and Greenville-Spartanburg.
The new funding will allow Vision To Learn to extend its school-based model into additional communities,聽providing vision screenings, eye exams, and prescription eyeglasses at no cost to children or their families.聽Supported by the Teppers, the program delivers eye care during the school day, making these services easier for聽students and families to access. Over the course of the commitment, the expansion is expected to reach over聽40,000 students thanks to this expanded commitment.
The investment reflects DNTF鈥檚 longstanding focus on addressing basic needs and increasing access to educational聽resources throughout the Carolinas. The Teppers believe clear vision plays a crucial role in child鈥檚 ability to read,聽participate fully in the classroom, and reach their potential, making Vision To Learn鈥檚 approach a natural extension聽of the Foundation鈥檚 broader work supporting students and families.
鈥淲e are proud to deepen our commitment to Vision To Learn and help bring essential no-cost eye care to more聽students in-need across the Carolinas,鈥 said David and Nicole Tepper. 鈥淎ccess to eye care is a basic need, and one聽that can make a meaningful difference in a child鈥檚 ability to succeed in the classroom. Through this partnership,聽we鈥檙e working to remove barriers for families and give students the support they need to reach their full potential.鈥
Vision To Learn operates the most comprehensive and cost-effective school-based program for children鈥檚 eye care聽in the country. The Teppers have championed Vision To Learn鈥檚 work in the Carolinas since 2019, and this $3.4聽million expansion builds on that foundation 鈥 including a $1.5 million multiyear commitment announced in 2024聽that brought Vision To Learn resources to Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Charleston Counties. To date, DNTF has聽committed more than $5.2 million to Vision To Learn since the relationship began, now reaching four regions聽across the Carolinas: Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Charleston, Raleigh-Durham, and Greenville-Spartanburg. As of聽August 2026, Vision To Learn has facilitated 165,764 eye screenings, completed 56,641 eye exams, and provided聽50,426 pairs of glasses to students in the Carolinas through this partnership.
鈥淢ore than 4 million children across the country go to school every day without the glasses they need,鈥 said Vision聽To Learn Founder Austin Beutner. 鈥淲hen children go to school hungry, we feed them. We make sure they have聽the books and school supplies they need. Why not glasses? Thanks to the generosity of David and Nicole Tepper,聽we鈥檙e working hard to change that across the Carolinas."
Vision To Learn programming in the expanded markets is already underway. Representatives from DNTF, the聽Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC will join Vision To Learn at two special school assembly events later this month聽in each of its two new regions, marking the next phase of the partnership.
About The David & Nicole Tepper Foundation:
Established in 2020, The David & Nicole Tepper Foundation invests capital and expertise to address pressing issues聽through innovative, effective, and nimble solutions, with a special focus on community-based projects. While the聽organization supports a variety of initiatives, its core focus areas are food insecurity, basic needs, education, and聽disaster relief. As its founders and namesakes, David and Nicole Tepper remain committed to addressing societal challenges and inequities on both a local and national scale.
About Vision To Learn:
Vision To Learn, a non-profit charity, was founded in 2012 by Austin Beutner and the Beutner Family Foundation.聽Vision To Learn serves the needs of the hardest-to-reach children; about 90% of kids served by Vision To Learn聽live in poverty and about 85% are Black or Latino. Vision To Learn, the largest provider of eye care at schools in聽the country, has helped provide more than 4 million children with vision screenings and provided more than聽815,000 with eye exams, and 680,000 with glasses, in 18 states and the District of Columbia, all at no cost to聽children or their families. For more information on Vision To Learn, please visit .
