BRAINnet Foundation
OVERVIEW: BRAINnet offers grants to members of its parent organization who conduct research using an approved set of standardized assessments.
IP TAKE: The BRAINnet Foundation, an offshoot of BRAINnet, appears to be affiliated with makers and marketers of nootropics, a somewhat controversial class of medications and supplements aimed at improving brain function. The foundation offers grants to members of its parent organization, and funding is limited to studies that utilize an approved list of assessments and methodologies. This funder is not transparent about its grantmaking history or its finances. Prospective grantseekers will need to join the network to apply for funding.
PROFILE: The BRAINnet Foundation is the grantmaking branch of BRAINnet, the Brain Research and Integrative Neuroscience Network, a “global consortium of investigators” working together to “expand our knowledge on what constitutes healthy development of the brain across all ages and what goes awry when brain disorders occur.” It is worth noting that BRAINnet appears to be affiliated with companies that produce, market and distribute nootropics, a class of medications and supplements that claim to enhance brain function. The BRAINnet Foundation was established in 2011 to “accommodate the growth of BRAINnet as a transparent and independent network that facilitates scientific outcomes and their benefits to the wider community.”
As an extension of BRAINnet, the San Francisco-based foundation links researchers, scientists and medical professionals around the world through its Brain Resource International Database. In addition to funding research, the foundation’s Grants for Researchers provide “access to a standardized set of assessments, an existing library of data from these methods, the infrastructure for being the data center and repository for data sharing at the end of a project.” It is important to note that grantmaking is exclusive to nonprofit “researchers who are doing nonprofit research” that involves BRAINnet’s standardized assessments. Recent grants have supported studies concerning ADHD, brain imaging, brain modeling, development and aging, genetics, PTSD, schizophrenia and sleep.
BRAINnet is not transparent about its grant amounts, and tax filings suggest that it has not engaged in significant grantmaking in recent years. To better understand the types of studies it supports, see the organization’s publications page.
Applicants must register as members of BRAINnet before they are eligible to apply for BRAINnet grants. The organization may be contacted via email or telephone at 415-371-8146.
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