Objective:
This program seeks to advance therapeutic development through pre-clinical and/or clinical testing of approaches addressing unmet needs of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The program is set up to benefit therapeutics with clear potential to prevent, stop, or delay disease progression or to reduce the burden of daily symptoms.
Funding will support projects aimed at:
MJFF will prioritize projects with the strongest therapeutic rationale, patient value and preclinical-to-clinical translation potential.
The goal of this program is to increase the chances of moving therapies toward the clinic. To expedite the process, only industry and academia-industry partnerships in and outside the United States are welcome to apply. Applicants are permitted to submit multiple unique submissions but should NOT submit multiple pre-proposals supporting different stages or aspects of the same therapeutic development program. Applicants are also permitted and encouraged to re-submit a revised pre-proposal that addresses prior feedback provided by MJFF, if applicable.
The program will be divided into two stages with the goal of offering applicants frequent opportunities to propose novel and promising PD therapeutics:
MJFF will hold office hours to discuss the full proposal development for those invited to submit.
Proposals must address MJFF’s core mission: advancing biomarkers, therapeutics, or digital tools for PD—targets that would fill gaps in diagnosis, disease tracking, treatment development, or prevention.
Each program has a distinct goal (e.g., Molecular MRI, Therapeutics Pipeline, ASAP Network), so selecting the correct one is critical. Misalignment can lead to reassignment or exclusion .
Proposals must clearly articulate the scientific question, rationale, and methods, supported by preliminary data.
MJFF emphasizes hypothesis-driven research that demonstrates potential to advance understanding or treatment of PD .
Projects should include well-defined objectives and measurable milestones, with timelines aligned to budget and program expectations
The feasibility of delivering key milestones within the grant period (6 weeks to 3 months review time, overall duration per program) is scrutinized .
MJFF requires a single Principal Investigator (PI) responsible for the proposal, even if collaborators are included
Team and institutional support is allowed, but PI ownership—with clear roles defined—is mandatory .
Budgets must match project goals. Direct costs (e.g., personnel, consumables) are mandatory; indirect costs are capped at 15% for nonprofits and 10% for for-profits.
Justifications should clearly connect resources to key aims and milestones.
MJFF uses expedited review, with decisions typically within 6 weeks to 3 months of a full proposal .
Strict adherence to templates, deadlines, and formatting is vital—there are no deadline extensions, and administrative errors can disqualify applications .
MJFF rewards projects that promote open science, leverage large PD datasets (like PPMI), and engage in collaborative networks (ASAP, label contests)
Industry–academia partnerships are encouraged, especially for translational projects like digital biomarkers or therapeutic pipelines.
Initiatives like the Target Validation program aim to bolster projects that make therapeutic targets more attractive for clinical translation
Showing how the project builds critical evidence needed to advance a target toward therapy increases competitiveness.
Predictor | What You Should Do |
---|---|
Strategic prioritization | Align with MJFF’s mission and specific funding track |
Hypothesis & data rigor | Provide clear question, rationale, and preliminary support |
Milestones & feasibility | Define measurable objectives within timeline |
PI-focused leadership | Designate one PI, with defined roles for others |
Budgetary alignment | Itemize costs, respect indirect caps |
Compliance & submission | Follow format and deadline strictly |
Collaboration & open data | Leverage PPMI, ASAP, industry partnerships, network science |
Evidence for translation | Position project to support therapeutic development |
🛠 Pro Tips
Read program descriptions carefully—match your work to their objectives.
Build your proposal around milestones, showing clear progression paths.
Designate a strong PI responsible for the project’s success.
Budget conservatively but clearly, focusing funds on key experiments.
Use MJFF resources—like PPMI data and open-access tools—to strengthen the science.
Ensure full compliance with formatting and timelines to avoid disqualification.
Highlight translation readiness, especially if targeting therapies or biomarkers.
Proposals should also fulfill the following criteria:
For this program, MJFF will not consider:
Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Michael J. Fox Foundation
Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit
Address: Grand Central Station P.O. Box 4777 New York, NY 10163-4777
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Aug 07, 2025
Aug 07, 2025
$250,000
Affiliation: Michael J. Fox Foundation
Address: Grand Central Station P.O. Box 4777 New York, NY 10163-4777
Website URL: https://www.michaeljfox.org/grant/parkinsons-disease-therapeutics-pipeline-program
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