The Spastic Paraplegia Foundation, Inc. (SPF) is dedicated to finding a cure for Spastic Paraplegia and Primary Lateral Sclerosis. SPF is committed to providing information for families affected by these disorders, creating opportunities for mutual support and sharing, building a Patient Insights Network, and discovering cures by funding research.
A $600,000 research collaboration with Boston Children’s Hospital stands out in the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation Inc.’s recent giving, showing how strongly the funder backs clinical and translational work around hereditary spastic paraplegia and primary lateral sclerosis. The foundation’s grantmaking is built around research toward treatments and cures, with support also extending to patient insights infrastructure and clinical trial preparation. In the 2024 grant list, Drexel University appears twice, once for work led by Dr. Baas and once for work led by Dr. Piermarini, signaling continued support for multiple investigators within the same disease area. Northwestern University, Mayo Clinic, and Columbia University also appear among recent recipients, each tied to medical research. The pattern is collaborative rather than broad-based: the foundation funds academic and medical centers that can contribute to disease understanding, progression analysis, and future trial readiness. Its stated priorities center on hereditary spastic paraplegia, primary lateral sclerosis, patient registries and insights, clinical trials engagement, and research funding.
The foundation’s strongest emphasis is neurodegenerative disease research tied to hereditary spastic paraplegia and primary lateral sclerosis. It gave $600,000 to Boston Children’s Hospital for a research collaboration described as a Centers of Excellence effort led by Dr. Fahkari. For medical research in the same disease space, Drexel University received $150,000 for work led by Dr. Baas, and a second $150,000 for a separate project led by Dr. Piermarini. The foundation also supports trial-readiness and disease-characterization work: Columbia University received $76,000 as additional support for a previously awarded project on the natural history of PLS for future clinical trials. Northwestern University’s $150,000 award and Mayo Clinic’s $150,000 award show the funder’s focus on academic and clinical research teams working on treatments and disease progression.
Recent grants cluster tightly around a single dollar amount: the p25, median, and p75 are all $150,000. That suggests a standard award size, with one larger collaborative grant at $600,000 and one smaller supplement at $76,000. The foundation’s published grant history shows repeated annual awarding, including 2021 through 2024 on its research grants pages. It does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. The active SP-CERN program is unsolicited=False, while the research grants program accepts unsolicited proposals.
$310K
$3.1M
$1.7M
$900K
Most grants fall between $150K and $150K, with a median of $150K.
25th Percentile
$150K
Median
$150K
75th Percentile
$150K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in PA.
Greg Pruitt
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The grant footprint is national, with all listed recent recipients in the United States. Pennsylvania is the top state by grant count, driven by multiple awards in Philadelphia to Drexel University. Other recipient cities in the recent list include Boston, Evanston, Jacksonville, and New York. No grants in the sample went to Missouri, despite the foundation’s O Fallon, MO headquarters.
It funds research into hereditary spastic paraplegia and primary lateral sclerosis, including basic, translational, and preclinical studies toward treatments and cures. Its stated priorities also include patient registries and insights, clinical trials engagement, and research funding tied to disease progression and trial readiness.
The recent grant distribution is very concentrated: p25, median, and p75 are all $150,000. In the 2024 list, most awards match that amount, with one larger $600,000 collaborative grant and one $76,000 supplemental award.
Yes for the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation Research Grants program, which is listed as accepting unsolicited applications. The SP-CERN grant program is listed as not accepting unsolicited proposals.
No. The foundation’s profile indicates it does not fund individuals. The recent grants listed are all to universities and hospitals, including Boston Children’s Hospital, Drexel University, Northwestern University, Mayo Clinic, and Columbia University.
Its grantmaking is national, and the top state by grant count is Pennsylvania. In the recent grant list, Philadelphia appears twice through Drexel University awards, while other grants went to Boston, Evanston, Jacksonville, and New York.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Spastic Paraplegia Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Researchers and research institutions submitting proposals for HSP/PLS-related medical research. The site does not provide detailed eligibility criteria in the scraped content.
Deadline: Not specified in scraped content
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA | $150,000 | 2025 | M1 monoclonal antibodies: A new tool for detection and treatment of SPG4-HSP. Led by Dr. Peter Baas. |
| Emory University | Atlanta, GA | $150,000 | 2025 | Modulation of Spasticity Using a Chemogenetic Approach. Led by Dr. Anthony Donsante, PhD |
| Columbia University | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | PLS International Conference |
| Boston Children's Hospital | Boston, MA | $600,000 | 2024 | research collaboration - Centers of Excellence - led by Dr. Fahkari. |
| Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA | $150,000 | 2024 | medical research led by Dr. Baas. |
| Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA | $150,000 | 2024 | medical research led by Dr. Piermarini |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $150,000 | 2024 | medical research led by Dr. Gautam. |
| Mayo Clinic | Jacksonville, FL | $150,000 | 2024 | medical research let by Dr. Blitterswijk. |
| Columbia University | New York, NY | $76,000 | 2024 | medical research - additional support for the previously awarded "Establishing the natural history of PLS for future clinical trials: Analyzing disease progress in patients with PLS to develop historical controls which can be used for the first clinical trial in PLS in the near future". Led by Dr. Mitsumoto. |
| NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY | CHICAGO, IL | $150,000 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| YALE UNIVERSITY | NEW HAVEN, CT | $149,755 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
M1 monoclonal antibodies: A new tool for detection and treatment of SPG4-HSP. Led by Dr. Peter Baas.
Modulation of Spasticity Using a Chemogenetic Approach. Led by Dr. Anthony Donsante, PhD
research collaboration - Centers of Excellence - led by Dr. Fahkari.
medical research led by Dr. Baas.
medical research - additional support for the previously awarded "Establishing the natural history of PLS for future clinical trials: Analyzing disease progress in patients with PLS to develop historical controls which can be used for the first clinical trial in PLS in the near future". Led by Dr. Mitsumoto.
