Funder: McKnight Foundation
Due Dates (Anticipated): October 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to four awards of $300,000 each ($100,000 annually for three years)
Summary: Supports research translating basic neuroscience into understanding, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Key Information: Applicants must be independent investigators at U.S. nonprofit research institutions with at least three years of qualifying faculty experience.
Description
The McKnight Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award is administered by the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience, an independent organization funded solely by the McKnight Foundation. It supports scientists applying basic research to human brain disorders, with an emphasis on biological mechanisms and potential paths toward therapeutic interventions. Research may examine synaptic, cellular, molecular, genetic, or behavioral mechanisms in humans or vertebrate and invertebrate model organisms. New approaches and collaborative, cross-disciplinary research are encouraged.
An additional priority is understanding environmental contributions to brain disorders, particularly early-life stressors associated with later neurological and psychiatric disease. These include climate, nutrition, chemical exposure, pollution, family circumstances, education, housing, and poverty. The program highlights communities of color’s greater exposure to these stressors and supports investigators committed to equitable, inclusive laboratory environments.
