Most basic neuroscience research in the United States is funded by the federal government, mainly through bodies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). But there is an entire funding landscape that lies beyond those federal agencies; private foundations and other organizations are becoming increasingly important for researchers in the wake of science funding upheaval in the U.S. and elsewhere.
To bring those diverse sources together into one resource, The Transmitter surveyed researchers and scoured the funding sections of basic neuroscience studies. We also identified the main non-U.S. governmental backers of neuroscience research in the top 10 countries with the most neuroscience output, as determined by a 2017 study.
Some funders on this list may be familiar because they focus exclusively on neuroscience; others less so because their focus tends to be broader and more applied. But all provide opportunities to fund basic neuroscience research projects.
Click on each source to see its upcoming opportunities. This list is not exhaustive; please email us at [email protected] to suggest funding sources we could add.
- Federal (U.S.)
- National Institutes of Health
- BRAIN Initiative
- National Institute on Aging
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
- National Eye Institute
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- National Institute of Mental Health
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- National Institutes of Health
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- National Science Foundation
- Department of Defense
- Department of the Navy
- Government (non-U.S.)
- European Research Council (EU)
- European Commission (EU)
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (China)
- Ministry of Science and Technology (China)
- German Research Foundation (Germany)
- Medical Research Council (United Kingdom)
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (United Kingdom)
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Canada)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Canada)
- Canada First Research Excellence Fund (Canada)
- Ministry of University Research (Italy)
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Japan)
- National Center for Scientific Research: CNRS (France)
- National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia)
- Australian Research Council (Australia)
- Dutch Research Council (Netherlands)
- Nongovernmental funders
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
- ALS Association
- Alzheimer’s Association
- Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation
- American Academy of Neurology
- American Brain Foundation
- In the past five years, the foundation has awarded $3.8 million in basic science research.
- American Federation for Aging Research
- American Neurological Association
- Autism Science Foundation
- Bial Foundation
- Brain and Behavior Research Foundation
- In 2024, the foundation awarded 150 Young Investigator Grants and 10 Distinguished Investigator Grants, funding more than $11 million in research.
- Notable grantees include Scott Russo, who has chatted with The Transmitter about the plasticity of aggression, and Brenden Tervo Clemmens, who commented on the trade-offs in fMRI studies.
- Brain Research Foundation
- BrightFocus Foundation
- Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
- Cure Alzheimer’s Fund
- Dana Foundation
- Epilepsy Foundation
- FamilieSCN2A Foundation
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Human Frontier Science Program
- International Brain Research Organization
- Kavli Foundation
- Klingenstein Philanthropies
- Leon Levy Foundation
- Lewy Body Dementia Association
- Lundbeck Foundation
- McKnight Foundation
- Awarded $2.25 million to neuroscientists and $1.2 million for Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award in 2025. Over the past five years, the foundation has awarded $9.85 million.
- Notable grantees include Annegret Falkner, whose work how the hypothalamus shapes aggressive behaviors was covered by The Transmitter, and Nancy Padilla-Coreano, who leads the “Stories of Women in Neuroscience” podcast.
- Michael J. Fox Foundation
- Mind Science Foundation
- Motor Neurone Disease Association
- Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group
- Rita Allen Foundation
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Schowalter Foundation
- Simons Foundation (The Simons Foundation is The Transmitter’s parent organization.)
- Sleep Research Society Foundation
- Wellcome Trust
- Whitehall Foundation
- W.M. Keck Foundation
- Other helpful funding resources
