Ways to Give

Gifts to the NECO Fund help us remain at the forefront of optometric education and patient care. Regardless of how often or when you give to NECO, we ensure all gifts are appropriately distributed to the area in greatest need. Our general NECO Fund is broken down into further categories if you wish for your gift to impact a specific area.

Scholarships help ensure students with financial needs are able to access an optometric education. With donors contributing to already established scholarship programs or creating a new one in honor of someone special, NECO is able to remove barriers to a graduate education and prevent student debt. Read more about the impact of student scholarships on our community in our news room.

As part of our expanding community, NECO has utilized resources to hire a Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging and established events and discussions related to optometry and optometric education.  A gift of any size helps this newly established department and supports and retains a diverse community. Read more about Diversity and Inclusion.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) begins in the classroom and continues into our clinics. NECO holds a commitment to integrating inclusive curriculum into coursework and clinical teachings. Your gift helps us retain and recruit Faculty who are integral in teaching a thoughtful and robust curriculum that covers not only treating diverse populations, but also diverse optometric diseases. Read more about our cultural competent curriculum.

NECO has partnered with Community Health Centers and for 50 years proudly served and provided eye care for all. Working in neighboring communities has fostered healthcare equity that includes eye exams to children with disabilities, low vision devices for the underinsured, and video electronic magnifiers to housing facilities for low-income elders. Your gift helps us maintain these relationships and continue practicing the latest eye care for all. Read about where we work within the community.

Our Clinical Training Center is a state-of-the-art training facility that includes the latest technology for students to prepare for clinical practice in any location and setting. With 20 exam and four special testing lanes, students learn on new and soon-to-market equipment. Your gift will support the management of this center and guarantee students receive instruction on the latest technology. Read more about the impact our Clinical Education has on students.