About Miles for Migraine
Provide free programs and services for people living with migraine and headache disease, including support groups, education, events, and fundraising for research and treatment.
Focus Areas
Migraine and headache diseasePatient support servicesPublic educationResearch fundraisingCommunity events
Who They Fund
people with migraine (including chronic migraine sufferers)medical researchers and clinician-scientists studying migraineclinical trial participants with migraine
Funding Style
disease-focused research fundingbiomedical/clinical research supporttranslational research and therapy development
About Miles for Migraine
Miles for Migraine centers its grantmaking on "RESEARCH FOR A CURE FOR MIGRAINE HEADACHES," with repeated support for headache and neurology programs at medical centers and universities. The pattern is visible in its recent grants to Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia, including $82,913 in 2023, $48,146 in 2024, and $31,040 in 2025, along with another major award of $37,693 to the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2024. The foundation also backed MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, and the University of California San Diego in La Jolla. These grants point to a research-oriented funder focused on migraine and headache disease, not individual aid. Miles for Migraine also operates program areas tied to the field itself, including headache fellowship support and advocacy training for fellows, patients, and caregivers. Its work sits at the intersection of clinical research, clinician training, and patient education, with an emphasis on building capacity in migraine and headache care.
What Miles for Migraine Funds
A major theme in Miles for Migraine’s grantmaking is clinical and translational migraine research. The foundation gave $34,236 to West Virginia University Foundation in 2024 for research for a cure for migraine headaches, and $23,484 to Barrow Neurological Institute in 2023 for the same purpose. It also supported preventive and treatment-focused work through awards to Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale and Cleveland Clinic in Beachwood, both under the cure-oriented research framing. The grant list also shows backing for academic medical centers with active headache programs, including Mount Sinai Health System in New York and University of Miami. Alongside research, the foundation’s active programs point to workforce development and education: Headache Fellowship Support funds fellowship programs, and ACT Now provides a 9-month advocacy training program for headache fellows and patients or caregivers.
How Miles for Migraine Gives
Miles for Migraine’s typical grant size sits around the mid-five-figure range, with a p25 of $7,842, a median of $13,046, and a p75 of $18,281. Recent awards cluster tightly around research grants rather than large capital-style gifts. The same recipient can appear across multiple years: Jefferson Headache Center appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center appears in 2023 and 2024; University of California San Diego appears in 2023 and 2024; and National Headache Foundation appears in 2023 and 2024. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. One active program, ACT Now, accepts unsolicited participation; Headache Fellowship Support does not.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$134K
Total Assets
$1.2M
Total Revenue
$1.8M
Total Expenses
$1.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $8K and $18K, with a median of $13K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$13K
75th Percentile
$18K
Geographic Reach
National18 states funded
About 4% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
SHIRLEY KESSEL
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