[Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research](https://www.michaeljfox.org)

May 15, 2026: Full proposal deadline

Total program budget: $3M; award size commensurate with proposed work (no fixed maximum).

Supports research to clarify how immune system changes impact Parkinson’s disease risk, progression, and clinical outcomes.

--- ## Description This funding opportunity supports research aimed at deepening the understanding of how specific components of the immune system contribute to Parkinson’s disease (PD) risk, onset, and progression. The program focuses on identifying immune cell populations, signaling pathways, and functional states that change across the PD continuum, as well as elucidating how these immune features connect to clinical outcomes and disease progression. The ultimate goal is to drive future therapeutic targeting and to refine patient selection for clinical studies by integrating immune functional data with established and emerging PD biomarkers. The program especially encourages: - Use of validated immunophenotyping and functional assays on existing biosamples (e.g., PBMCs, CSF-derived cells, GI immune cells) to generate mechanistic, hypothesis-driven data. - Collaboration with diverse and well-characterized PD cohorts, leveraging existing clinical, genetic, and longitudinal data to study immune differences across subtypes and disease stages. - Integration of immune functional readouts with other PD biomarker data or immune data (e.g., TSPO imaging, cytokine measurements) to correlate immune signatures with molecular, pathological, or clinical markers. Proposals focused on developing new immunophenotyping platforms, discovery-driven efforts without a clear hypothesis, prospective sample collection, or immune profiling in non-PD cohorts will not be considered. --- ## Due Dates - May 15, 2026: Full proposal deadline --- ## Funding Amount - The Michael J. Fox Foundation plans to commit a total of $3 million to this program. - Individual award amounts are determined based on the proposed work and budget justification; there is no set maximum per project. --- ## Eligibility - Open to researchers from academia and industry. - Principal Investigator must be the primary applicant and responsible for the application. - Projects must focus on immune profiling related to Parkinson’s disease (not other diseases or non-PD cohorts). - Proposals must use existing biosamples and established assays; new platform development or prospective sample collection is not supported. - Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with diverse PD cohorts and leverage existing data. --- ## Application Process - All applications must be submitted through the [MJFF Grant Portal](https://grants.michaeljfox.org/s_Login.jsp). - Review the [Application Guidelines](https://www.michaeljfox.org/news/application-guidelines) for detailed instructions. - Proposals must include a clear scientific rationale, hypothesis, experimental design, budget justification, and sharing plan. - The review process includes administrative and scientific review by MJFF staff and external experts. - Milestone-driven funding: Release of funds is contingent on achieving agreed-upon milestones and deliverables. - Open science policy: Data, tools, and results must be shared with the research community per MJFF’s open science requirements. --- ## Additional Information - Proposals overlapping with already funded MJFF projects are unlikely to be considered. - Return payment terms may apply if funded research leads to commercial outcomes. - Clinical trials funded by MJFF must be registered in a public registry. - Diversity, equity, and inclusion in research teams are strongly encouraged. --- ## External Links - [Program Details and Application](https://www.michaeljfox.org/grant/immune-profiling-insights-program) - [Funding Opportunities Overview](https://www.michaeljfox.org/funding-opportunities) - [Application Guidelines](https://www.michaeljfox.org/news/application-guidelines) - [MJFF Team and Budget Guidelines](https://app.getguru.com/card/cGq4LAki/MJFF-Team-and-Budget-Guidelines) --- ## Contact Information | Purpose | Contact | |---------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | General inquiries | [info@michaeljfox.org](mailto:info@michaeljfox.org) | | Grants/program questions | [grants@michaeljfox.org](mailto:grants@michaeljfox.org) | | Phone | 1-212-509-0995 | | Online contact form | [Contact Us](https://www.michaeljfox.org/contact-us) | ---

Immune Profiling Insights Program

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