Seed Grants
Founded in 1981, BRF’s Seed Grant Program provides start-up funds for new and innovative research projects that lead to future opportunities, collaboration, and scientific advancement.
Seed Grant Guidelines and Institutional Eligibility
The 2027 Seed Grant Letter of Intent round will open on Friday, August 7, 2026.
If your institution did not receive an invitation directly from BRF via e-mail, then you are not eligible to apply. To learn more about institutional eligibility and our application guidelines, click below.
INSTITUTIONAL ELEGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
The BRF Seed Grant program awards start-up funding for neuroscience research.
We are committed to funding research into all areas of the brain, whether cognitive, neurodegenerative, related to learning and development or diseases.
You can view some of the studies and research we have funded below.
Seed Grants Archive
José Manuel Baizabal Carballo, Ph.D., Indiana University Bloomington
2025 Seed GrantJosé Manuel Baizabal Carballo, Ph.D.Indiana University Bloomington Neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia, are frequently associated with mutations in genes that
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Jessica L. Bolton, Ph.D., Georgia State University
2025 Seed GrantJessica L. Bolton, Ph.D.Georgia State University All humans are born with a unique combination of genes, which contribute
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Junyue Cao, Ph.D., The Rockefeller University
2025 Seed GrantJunyue Cao, Ph.D.The Rockefeller University As we age, the brain’s ability to function declines, increasing the risk of
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José Manuel Baizabal Carballo, Ph.D., Indiana University Bloomington
2025 Seed GrantJosé Manuel Baizabal Carballo, Ph.D.Indiana University Bloomington Neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia, are frequently associated with
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Jessica L. Bolton, Ph.D., Georgia State University
2025 Seed GrantJessica L. Bolton, Ph.D.Georgia State University All humans are born with a unique combination of genes, which contribute
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Junyue Cao, Ph.D., The Rockefeller University
2025 Seed GrantJunyue Cao, Ph.D.The Rockefeller University As we age, the brain’s ability to function declines, increasing the risk of
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Vasileios Christopoulos, Ph.D., University of Southern California
2025 Seed GrantVasileios Christopoulos, Ph.D.University of Southern California This research aims to better understand how the brain and spinal cord
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Jared M. Cregg, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
2025 Seed GrantJared M. Cregg, Ph.D.University of Wisconsin The brain helps us move through the world by choosing which way
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Elizabeth Crouch, MD., Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco
2025 Seed GrantElizabeth Crouch, MD., Ph.D.University of California, San Francisco This research project aims to understand how blood vessels and
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Kelsie Eichel, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder
2025 Seed GrantKelsie Eichel, Ph.D.University of Colorado, Boulder The amazing functions of the brain start with a signal generated by
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Linlin Fan, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2025 Seed GrantLinlin Fan, Ph.D.Massachusetts Institute of Technology Our research focuses on understanding how the brain stores memories. We are
Apply for a Seed Grant
To be eligible for this $80,000 two-year grant program, your institution must receive an invitation from Brain Research Foundation to nominate one faculty member to submit a letter of intent. The Principal Investigator (PI) must be a full-time assistant or associate professor working in the field of neuroscience.
Researcher Login
Log in here for returning researchers looking to check the status of an existing application or to continue where you left off on your application.
