Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, stroke and migraine affect 2 billion people worldwide. These diseases are among the leading causes of disability in the world. Another 100 million Americans live with mental health disorders and chronic pain, both of which are associated with functional and structural changes within the brain. As a result, there are very few among us who are not directly or indirectly touched by brain disease. This makes our mission to defeat brain disease and find cures critical.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Cure One, Cure Many Program
The American Brain Foundation’s Cure One, Cure Many program supports breakthrough research in brain disease. The program provides large-scale, catalyst funding to the world’s top researchers who are pursuing the most innovative, cross-cutting approaches to finding diagnoses, treatments, and cures for brain disease. The program targets research topics that cut across multiple disease areas.
The program has multiple research awards, including an annual Cure One, Cure Many Award. The 2022 Cure One, Cure Many Award is a research award for early diagnosis of Lewy body dementia (LBD). In partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and the American Academy of Neurology, the American Brain Foundation is seeking to accelerate progress in the diagnosis of Lewy body dementia (LBD). LBD is the most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, LBD can only be definitively diagnosed with a brain autopsy after death. As a result of a delay in diagnosis and misdiagnosis, people with LBD and their caregivers endure daily challenges and uncertainty. The goal of the 2022 Cure One, Cure Many Award is to attract the best minds in brain disease research to find a biomarker (diagnostic test) for LBD.
Next Generation Research Grants
The American Brain Foundation’s Next Generation Research Grants fund and support innovative investigations by the best and brightest early-career researchers. Our Next Generation Research Grants have provided millions of dollars to support the next generation of clinical neuroscience researchers in all areas of brain disease, encouraging passion for research and laying the groundwork for future success. Funding research across a broad spectrum of the brain is our best hope for finding better treatments, prevention, and cures for brain diseases and disorders.
• Over $33 million have been raised for Next Generation Research grants.
• 270 researchers have received scholarships and funding.
• 86% of grant recipients have gone on to secure funding from the NIH and other national funders.
Public Awareness Campaign
Our brains are the most complex organism in the known universe. There are over 600 diseases of the brain and nervous system, such as Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, brain cancer, and migraine. Unfortunately, most of these diseases do not have a cure.
What many people don’t realize is that these brain diseases are interrelated by common biological mechanisms, and if we can find those connections, we won’t just find a cure for one brain disease, we will find a cure for many diseases.
The American Brain Foundation is on a mission to raise awareness about brain disease and the need for research. We are committed to sharing valuable and trustworthy resources, including recaps of groundbreaking research in the world of neurology, stories from those impacted by brain disease, and information and facts about brain diseases and disorders.
Where we work
External reviews

Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsTotal dollar amount active for brain research
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of brain diseases and neurological conditions addressed through research projects funded by the American Brain Foundation
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Funding research across a broad spectrum of the brain and nervous system is our best hope for finding better treatments, prevention, and cures for the brain diseases. That is why the American Brain Foundation has invested millions of dollars to support innovative scientific investigations by the best and the brightest researchers. We hope to continue to grow and expand these programs through increased awareness around our research funding and deepened partnerships with new organizational and individual partners.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The American Brain Foundation focuses on expanding opportunities for early-career clinician-scientists, developing research on healthcare disparities in neurology, and creating special research initiatives to have an impact on multiple brain diseases simultaneously.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The American Brain Foundation partners with the most respected organizations in the neuroscience community working to defeat specific diseases of the brain and nervous system. We are honored to partner with these leaders in the brain disease space.
All research funded by the American Brain Foundation is selected by our panel of experts on our Research Advisory Committee, and our founder and research partner, the American Academy of Neurology, the world's largest association of neurologists and neuroscientists. This unique partnership allows us access the best and brightest minds to source the most high-risk high-reward research on brain disease.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since 1992, we have been awarding grants in every area of brain disease, investing more than $33 million in research and granting scholarships and funding to more than 270 researchers to date. 86% of our researchers go on to secure funding from the NIH and other national funders and have lifelong research careers.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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American Brain Foundation
Board of directorsas of 12/1/2021
Dr. David Dodick
Mayo Clinic
John Mazziotta
Robert Griggs
Catherine Rydell
David Eagleman
James Essey
Shafali Jeste
Ralph Jozefowicz
Jeffrey Rosenfeld
Jane Ransom
Ralph Sacco
Martin Shenkman
Lisa Shulman
Ben Utecht
Joseph Sirven
Kevin Goodno
Susan Schneider Williams
A. Gordon Smith
Dan Gasby
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
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