Mcknight Brain Research Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About Mcknight Brain Research Foundation
The McKnight Brain Research Foundation concentrates its giving on large-scale biomedical research funding, especially supporting neuroscience and aging-related research through major intermediaries. Rather than many small local grants, it channels substantial multi-year awards to national research funders and collaborative research efforts. Its support is programmatic—targeting research infrastructure and investigator funding—rather than direct service or community-based programs.
Focus Areas
Funding neuroscience research via national intermediariesSupport for aging biology and geroscience researchUnderwriting collaborative research infrastructure and large research consortia
Who They Fund
older adults experiencing cognitive declineacademic research institutions (e.g., university brain institutes)researchers and scholars in cognitive aging/neuroscience
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated: a very small number of large grants directed to national research organizations and intermediaries, with repeat funding to the same major grantees.
About Mcknight Brain Research Foundation
McKnight Brain Research Foundation directs most of its funding to aging-brain research through national intermediaries and university brain institutes, with a clear emphasis on cognitive aging, memory loss, and neuroscience. Its largest recent grant was $2,578,200 to the American Federation for Aging Research in New York, followed by repeated support for the Foundation for the NIH in North Bethesda for research funding. The pattern points to programmatic backing for research infrastructure rather than a broad portfolio of local service grants. The foundation also supports recurring scholarship and institute funding. The American Brain Foundation in Minneapolis received multiple awards for scholarship in cognitive aging and memory loss, while the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Alabama Birmingham appears repeatedly in the recent grants list. Smaller awards to the University of Miami, University of Florida, and University of Arizona show that the foundation funds both larger coordinating organizations and affiliated research sites. Its active programs reinforce that profile: early-career awards in cognitive aging and age-related memory loss, clinical translational research scholarships, pilot grants, and institute-based pilot funding across the McKnight Brain Institutes.
What Mcknight Brain Research Foundation Funds
Aging-brain research is the core of the foundation’s giving. It awarded $1,158,343 to the Foundation for the NIH in North Bethesda for funding of research, and an additional $1,155,230 in 2024 and $1,000,000 in 2023 to the same intermediary for the same purpose. For investigator support, the foundation gave $330,000 to the American Brain Foundation in Minneapolis in 2023 for scholarship in cognitive aging and memory loss, with follow-on awards in 2024 and 2025 for the same scholarship track. Its institute support extends to university-based brain research centers. The University of Alabama Birmingham received $197,063 in 2025 for the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at UAB, while the University of Arizona received $96,711 in 2024 for the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Arizona. The foundation also funds research at the University of Miami and the University of Florida, both listed with research-focused grants in the recent grants data.
How Mcknight Brain Research Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3.1M
Total Assets
$37.4M
Total Revenue
$3.1M
Total Expenses
$5.2M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $32K and $330K, with a median of $112K.
25th Percentile
$32K
Median
$112K
75th Percentile
$330K
Geographic Reach
National6 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Unlock Deep Analysis
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeSee Similar Funders
Free Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeExplore related grant guides
Want a Personalized Pitch for Mcknight Brain Research Foundation?
Sign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Free plan available
No contracts
Cancel anytime