The Dysimmune Diseases Foundation concentrates almost exclusively on funding clinical and biomedical research into dysimmune and neuromuscular disorders, directing substantial awards to individual clinician‑researchers and academic medical centers. Grants are often large and repeat to a small set of investigators and institutions, indicating a strategy of investing in promising labs and principal investigators rather than broad program support. The foundation shows a bi‑coastal focus with major recipients in Massachusetts and California and prioritizes investigator‑led projects over general operating support.
A $250,000 grant to Tufts Medical Center in 2025 is the clearest marker of how the Dysimmune Diseases Foundation operates: it backs clinical and biomedical research on dysimmune and neuromuscular disorders with substantial awards to individual investigators and academic medical centers. The foundation’s recent grants show a pattern of repeated support to clinician-researchers, including Dr Shalini Mahajan, Dr Marinos Dalakas, and Dr Razzaq Ahmed, alongside institutional funding for medical centers and university-affiliated research programs. That mix points to a grantmaker focused on investigator-led work rather than broad general support. The foundation’s giving is tied to medical research at the level of principal investigators, clinics, and translational research settings. Awards also recur over multiple years, suggesting continuity with specific researchers and centers rather than one-off project sampling. Recent grants include support for Boston-area institutions and individual doctors in California, Maryland, and Massachusetts, reflecting a national reach with a relatively concentrated set of recipients. The grants cluster around autoimmune neuromuscular disease research, diagnosis, treatment, and related clinical work, including support for young investigators through a dedicated research program.
The foundation’s cause areas are tightly centered on biomedical and clinical research into dysimmune and neuromuscular disease. In 2025, it gave $100,000 to Regents University of California in Oakland for medical research, and $75,000 to Regents of UC Irvine in Irvine for medical research, both pointing to academic research infrastructure as a key channel. It also supports physician-researchers pursuing disease-specific studies. The foundation awarded $96,000 in 2025 to Dr Marinos Dalakas in Potomac for medical research, continuing a multi-year line of support. Another example is Dr Thomas Branagan in Cortlandt Manor, who received $36,000 in 2025 for medical research. Clinical and clinic-linked work appears as well: in 2025, the foundation gave $37,500 to MGH - Down Syndrome Congress in Burlington for medical research and clinic. That mix of grants shows a narrow but multi-site emphasis on research, clinical investigation, and translational settings.
$1.1M
$397K
$1.4M
$1.1M
Most grants fall between $31K and $96K, with a median of $38K.
25th Percentile
$31K
Median
$38K
75th Percentile
$96K
About 32% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Concentrated giving: relatively few, large grants with multiple repeat awards to the same investigators and a focus on research project funding rather than broad charitable programs.
Notable grantees: Dr. Shalini Mahajan, Dr. Marinos Dalakas, Dr. Razzaq (Razzaque) Ahmed, Tufts Medical Center, Regents of the University of California
Typical awards fall in the mid-five-figure range, with a p25 of $31,304, a median of $37,500, and a p75 of $96,000. The foundation also makes much larger grants at the top end, including $250,000 in 2025. Granting appears recurring rather than one-time: several recipients appear across multiple years, including individual researchers and institutions. The foundation funds individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its active young investigator program is set at $75,000 per grant and does not accept unsolicited applications.
Grant recipients are entirely in the United States. Massachusetts is the top state by grant count, and 32% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Boston appears repeatedly among recipients, including Tufts Medical Center, Boston University, and Mass General Hospital Research. Outside Massachusetts, the foundation gives frequently in California, with recipients in Oakland, Irvine, Sherman Oaks, Ventura, Rancho Mirage, and Culver City. Smaller clusters also appear in Maryland and New York.
Its grants focus on clinical and biomedical research into dysimmune and neuromuscular disorders. The active Young Investigator Research Grant is aimed at promising clinical research on the cause, diagnosis, treatment, or cure of autoimmune neuromuscular diseases.
Yes. Recent grants go directly to named physicians and researchers such as Dr Shalini Mahajan, Dr Marinos Dalakas, Dr Razzaq Ahmed, and Dr Thomas Branagan, showing that the foundation funds individuals as well as institutions.
Typical awards are in the mid-five-figure range: the p25 is $31,304, the median is $37,500, and the p75 is $96,000. The recent record also includes larger grants, such as $250,000 to Tufts Medical Center in 2025.
It is recurring for several recipients. Dr Marinos Dalakas received $96,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, while Dr Thomas Branagan received $36,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That pattern suggests ongoing support to specific investigators.
The active DDF Young Investigator Research Grant does not accept unsolicited applications. It is a fixed $75,000 research grant program for investigators at the start of their careers.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tufts Medical Center | Boston, MA | $250,000 | 2025 | medical research |
| Dr Shalini Mahajan | Sherman Oaks, CA | $200,000 | 2025 | medical research |
| Dr Razzaq Ahmed | Brookline, MA | $145,000 | 2025 | medical research |
| Regents Univ of California | Oakland, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | medical research |
| Dr Marinos Dalakas | Potomac, MD | $96,000 | 2025 | medical research |
| Dr Valerie Askanas | Ann Arbor, MI | $60,000 | 2025 | medical research |
| Trustees of Boston University | Boston, MA | $57,581 | 2025 | medical research |
| MGH - Down Syndrome Congress | Burlington, MA | $37,500 | 2025 | medical research and clinic |
| Dr Thomas Branagan | Cortlandt Manor, NY | $36,000 | 2025 | medical research |
| Dr Samir Macwan | Rancho Mirage, CA | $33,000 | 2025 | medical research |
| Peter Novak | Jamaica Plain, MA | $24,000 | 2025 | medical research |
| M Khan | Culver City, CA | $24,000 | 2025 | medical research |
| Hifsa Arshad | Irvine, CA | $4,000 | 2025 | medical research |
| Eisenhower Medical Center | Rancho Mirage, CA | $3,666 | 2025 | medical research |
| Rohaan Iqbal | Windsor, CT | $3,000 | 2025 | medical research |
| Dr Shalini Mahajan | Sherman Oaks, CA | $200,000 | 2024 | medical research |
| Abdul Razzaq Ahmed | Brookline, MA | $160,000 | 2024 | medical research |
| Dr Marinos Dalakas | Potomac, MD | $96,000 | 2024 | medical research |
| Dr Valeria Askanas | Ann Arbor, MI | $60,000 | 2024 | medical research |
| Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congres | Burlington, MA | $37,500 | 2024 | medical research |
| Dr Thomas Branagam | Cortlandt Manor, NY | $36,000 | 2024 | medical research |
| Dr Samir Macwan | Rancho Mirage, CA | $30,000 | 2024 | medical research |
| Peter Novak | Jamaica Plain, MA | $24,000 | 2024 | meidcal research |
| Dr Shalini Mahajan | Ventura, CA | $200,000 | 2023 | medical research |
| Dr A Razzaque Ahmed | Brookline, MA | $160,000 | 2023 | medical research |
| Dr Marinos Dalakas | Potomac, MD | $96,000 | 2023 | medical research |
| Regents of UC Irvine | Irvine, CA | $75,000 | 2023 | medical research |
| Dr Valerie Askanas | Ann Arbor, MI | $50,000 | 2023 | medical research |
| Dr Samir Macwan | Rancho Mirage, CA | $36,000 | 2023 | medical research |
| Dr Thomas Branagan | Cortlandt Manor, NY | $36,000 | 2023 | medical research |
| Mass General Hospital Research | Boston, MA | $32,608 | 2023 | medical research |
| Dr Peter Novak | Jamaica Plain, MA | $24,000 | 2023 | medical research |
| Dr W King Engel | Ann Arbor, MI | $5,000 | 2023 | medical research |
| Thomas Jefferson University | Philadelphia, PA | $2,275 | 2023 | medical research |
Tufts Medical Center
$250,000medical research
Dr Shalini Mahajan
$200,000medical research
Dr Razzaq Ahmed
$145,000medical research
Regents Univ of California
$100,000medical research
Dr Marinos Dalakas
$96,000medical research
Dr Valerie Askanas
$60,000medical research
medical research
MGH - Down Syndrome Congress
$37,500medical research and clinic
Dr Thomas Branagan
$36,000medical research
Dr Samir Macwan
$33,000medical research
Peter Novak
$24,000medical research
M Khan
$24,000medical research
Hifsa Arshad
$4,000medical research
Rohaan Iqbal
$3,000medical research
Dr Shalini Mahajan
$200,000medical research
Abdul Razzaq Ahmed
$160,000medical research
Dr Marinos Dalakas
$96,000medical research
Dr Valeria Askanas
$60,000medical research
Dr Thomas Branagam
$36,000medical research
Dr Samir Macwan
$30,000medical research
Peter Novak
$24,000meidcal research
Dr Shalini Mahajan
$200,000medical research
Dr A Razzaque Ahmed
$160,000medical research
Dr Marinos Dalakas
$96,000medical research
Regents of UC Irvine
$75,000medical research
Dr Valerie Askanas
$50,000medical research
Dr Samir Macwan
$36,000medical research
Dr Thomas Branagan
$36,000medical research
Mass General Hospital Research
$32,608medical research
Dr Peter Novak
$24,000medical research
Dr W King Engel
$5,000medical research