The Essel Foundation concentrates almost all of its giving on neuroscience and mental-health research, directing very large, unrestricted gifts to leading brain-research organizations. Its funding is focused on institutional research capacity rather than program-specific grants, and it repeatedly supports the same few research centers at a national scale.
Highly concentrated: very few grants (7 total) with large dollar amounts concentrated in repeat, unrestricted grants to a small set of national neuroscience research organizations.
The Essel Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by very large unrestricted gifts to The Lieber Institute for Brain Development in Baltimore, including a $10,813,926 grant in 2025 and a $9,976,729 grant in 2023. That pattern points to a funder focused on institutional brain research capacity rather than project-by-project funding. Across the latest grants, the foundation consistently backs neuroscience and mental-health research organizations with flexible support, often at a scale measured in hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is another repeated recipient, with awards of $2,934,612 in 2025, $2,491,809 in 2024, and $2,464,526 in 2023. These grants suggest long-running support for research organizations working on brain development, psychiatric disorders, and related scientific infrastructure. The foundation also appears alongside major research universities and affiliated institutions, including Columbia University, and its recent portfolio includes other nonprofit recipients outside neuroscience, such as The Carter Center and the Poynter Institute. Even so, the center of gravity remains clear: unrestricted institutional support for brain and mental-health research organizations.
Neuroscience research is the dominant thread in The Essel Foundation’s grantmaking. In 2024, it gave $8,531,844 to The Lieber Institute for Brain Development as an unrestricted grant, following a $1,468,156 unrestricted grant in the same year. The foundation also supported Columbia University with a $550,000 unrestricted grant in 2024 and a $400,000 unrestricted grant in 2025, extending its support to research institutions with broad academic missions. Mental-health research is another clear area of interest. The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation received unrestricted grants of $2,934,612 in 2025, $2,491,809 in 2024, and $2,464,526 in 2023, showing repeated support over multiple years. The foundation’s broader pattern includes child and adolescent neurodevelopment within its existing focus areas, and its grants to brain-research organizations fit that emphasis. A smaller set of grants reaches adjacent public-interest institutions. The Carter Center received unrestricted grants of $157,000 in 2025 and $155,000 in 2024, while the Poynter Institute received $180,000 in 2025.
$14.8M
$270.4M
$175.7M
$18.2M
Most grants fall between $35K and $2.5M, with a median of $550K.
25th Percentile
$35K
Median
$550K
75th Percentile
$2.5M
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Notable grantees: The Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, Leading national neuroscience research organizations (representative category)
The Essel Foundation’s grant sizes are highly skewed toward large awards: the 25th percentile is $35,475, the median is $550,000, and the 75th percentile is $2,464,526. That spread reflects a few very large institutional grants alongside smaller flexible awards. The same recipients recur across multiple years, especially The Lieber Institute for Brain Development and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, which indicates ongoing support rather than one-time funding. The foundation’s stated philosophy centers on unrestricted support, general operating support, and flexible core funding. Its grantmaking is national, and the recent grants list shows only U.S. recipients.
Grants are concentrated in a small set of U.S. cities. Baltimore appears repeatedly through The Lieber Institute for Brain Development, and New York shows up often through the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation and Columbia University. Other recipient cities include Atlanta, St. Petersburg, San Francisco, Tampa, and Williamstown. By count, New York state receives the largest share of grants at 38% of total giving, which is different from the foundation’s headquarters in Purchase, New York.
It gives most often to neuroscience and mental-health research organizations, especially institutions working on brain development and psychiatric disorder research. The recent grants are dominated by unrestricted support to The Lieber Institute for Brain Development and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.
Yes. The same organizations appear across multiple years. The Lieber Institute for Brain Development received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation also appears in each of those years.
Its grant sizes range from smaller awards to very large institutional gifts. The 25th percentile is $35,475, the median is $550,000, and the 75th percentile is $2,464,526.
Its recent grants are described as unrestricted, and the foundation’s philosophy tags emphasize unrestricted support, general operating support, and flexible core funding. That points to broad institutional funding rather than narrowly specified project grants.
Its grantmaking is national, but New York state receives the largest share of grants at 38%. Recent recipients are clustered in cities such as Baltimore and New York, with additional grants in Atlanta, St. Petersburg, San Francisco, Tampa, and Williamstown.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEV-SEE ATTACHED | BALTIMORE, MD | $10,813,926 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH FOUNDATION-SEE ATTACHED | NEW YORK, NY | $2,934,612 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $400,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT | BALTIMORE, MD | $186,074 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| POYNTER INSTITUTE | ST PETERSBURG, FL | $180,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| THE CARTER CENTER INC | ATLANTA, GA | $157,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $65,388 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| SAN FRANCISCO STUDY CENTER | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT | BALTIMORE, MD | $8,531,844 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT | BALTIMORE, MD | $4,921,125 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $2,491,809 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT | BALTIMORE, MD | $1,468,156 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $550,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $500,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| THE CARTER CENTER INC | ATLANTA, GA | $155,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| THE CARTER CENTER INC | ATLANTA, GA | $155,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT | BALTIMORE, MD | $78,875 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA | TAMPA, FL | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA | TAMPA, FL | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $8,191 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT | BALTIMORE, MD | $9,976,729 | 2023 | UNSRESTRICTED GRANT |
| BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $2,464,526 | 2023 | UNSRESTRICTED GRANT |
| Trustees Of Columbia University | NEW YORK, NE | $550,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| WILLIAMS COLLEGE | Williamstown, MA | $400,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $35,475 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
| THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT | BALTIMORE, MD | $23,271 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GRANT |
THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEV-SEE ATTACHED
$10,813,926UNRESTRICTED GRANT
BRAIN & BEHAVIOR RESEARCH FOUNDATION-SEE ATTACHED
$2,934,612UNRESTRICTED GRANT
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
$400,000UNRESTRICTED GRANT
THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
$186,074UNRESTRICTED GRANT
POYNTER INSTITUTE
$180,000UNRESTRICTED GRANT
UNRESTRICTED GRANT
THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
$8,531,844UNRESTRICTED GRANT
THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
$4,921,125UNRESTRICTED GRANT
THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
$1,468,156UNRESTRICTED GRANT
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
$550,000UNRESTRICTED GRANT
THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
$78,875UNRESTRICTED GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
$25,000UNRESTRICTED GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
$25,000UNRESTRICTED GRANT
THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
$9,976,729UNSRESTRICTED GRANT
Trustees Of Columbia University
$550,000UNRESTRICTED GRANT
THE LIEBER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
$23,271UNRESTRICTED GRANT