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MJFF is the common abbreviation for The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, a nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s disease research. Researchers searching “MJFF funding” usually want to know one thing first: can I apply, and how? The short answer is that MJFF funds through announced Requests for Applications (RFAs) and, in general, does not accept unsolicited proposals. The rest of this guide collects the rules that apply across its programs, as described on the official pages on 2026-10-29.
What it is and who runs it
MJFF is a private, disease-focused foundation rather than a government agency. Its funding-opportunities page states the aim of speeding a cure for 6 million people worldwide living with Parkinson’s disease. It groups its programs as open, in review, or closed, and separately lists initiatives that are not open for general applications. That list includes the ASAP Collaborative Research Network, GP2, the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), the Biomarker Advancement Programs, the Clinical Trial Endpoints Initiative, the Imaging Consortium, LITE and Path to Prevention.
Because MJFF sets its own priorities and decides awards through its own scientific staff, it works differently from a federal agency. For the wider comparison, see how disease-focused charities fund research compared with NIH, private foundation research funding and the landscape of private and nonprofit medical research funders.
Eligibility (summary, with the official source)
Eligibility is set program by program, and the funding-opportunities page tells applicants to check each program’s own page. Across programs, the FAQ states that MJFF funds researchers working in labs at universities, for-profit companies and non-profit research institutions, and that collaborations, including for-profit with non-profit and across countries, are encouraged. Some programs are narrower: the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders, for example, is described as being for neurologists with additional movement-disorder training, with medical centers applying annually.
Sources: MJFF funding opportunities and MJFF FAQ on applying for a grant, both checked 2026-10-29.
What it funds or requires
Scope and budgets
Award sizes vary widely by program. On 2026-10-29 the funding-opportunities page showed open programs ranging from up to $250,000 to more than $5 million depending on stage, and programs in review ranging from $200,000 to about $3 million in total planned funding. Treat any figure as a snapshot, since programs and amounts change.
Budget rules
- Budgets must be reasonable and justified, with costs aligned to key milestones.
- Non-profit and academic institutions may apply up to a 15% indirect cost rate; for-profit institutions may apply up to 10%. The FAQ describes this as optional for grantees. See indirect cost recovery for how this differs from negotiated federal rates.
- The MJFF salary cap is consistent with the National Institutes of Health salary cap (see NIH salary cap).
Conditions that come with an award
- Tools and reagents are to be made readily available to the research community.
- Results are to be published regardless of positive or negative outcome, within one year of the project end. MJFF states it will cover the costs of open access articles (see open access). Grantees who do not follow the Open Science Policy are ineligible for future funding until their prior research is determined to be in compliance.
- Collaborators agree on any material intellectual property issues before the final application is submitted.
- Multi-year support is not automatic. It depends on progress reports being favorably reviewed, and failure to meet milestones may be a basis for termination.
Source: MJFF application guidelines, checked 2026-10-29.
Application or compliance steps
- Find an open RFA. MJFF accepts proposals through designated RFAs and, in general, does not accept unsolicited proposals.
- Read that program’s page. Eligibility, award size and format differ per program.
- Use MJFF’s own templates. All proposals go through the foundation’s online grant submission system, and using another funder’s instructions and templates, such as NIH’s, is described as not appropriate and, per the FAQ, could result in disqualification during administrative review.
- Check whether the program is one- or two-stage. Some programs ask for a pre-proposal first and a full application only if invited.
- Settle collaborator IP terms before the final application, and prepare a data and reagent sharing plan.
- Submit by the deadline. The FAQ states that no extensions are granted.
Questions go to the grants contact listed on the funding-opportunities page, or to its ChatFox assistant, which the page describes as available 24/7.
Typical timeline phases
MJFF reviews each proposal with at least two independent reviewers who avoid conflicts of interest. Top proposals are discussed at committee, and MJFF scientific staff make the final award decisions. The FAQ states that funding decisions can be made as early as six weeks, or up to three months, after a full proposal is submitted. The FAQ states that formal feedback is not given to pre-proposal applicants.
The review criteria listed in the guidelines include scientific rationale and patient impact, innovation, the sharing plan, budget, project timeline and overlap with the MJFF portfolio. For clinical research projects, additional details of the clinical study design are reviewed.
Common mistakes
- Sending an unsolicited proposal when no RFA fits the project.
- Reusing an NIH-format application instead of MJFF’s own instructions and templates.
- Budgeting indirect costs above the 15% (non-profit and academic) or 10% (for-profit) rates described in the FAQ.
- Assuming a deadline can be extended; the FAQ says none are granted.
- Leaving collaborator IP questions until after submission.
- Treating multi-year funding as guaranteed rather than milestone-dependent.
Related programs
Open programs as listed on the funding-opportunities page on 2026-10-29. Check the page for the current list before relying on any row.
| Program | Described audience | Described award | Timing as described |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge Funding for Disrupted Neurodegenerative Research | Early career investigators | Up to $250,000 | Rolling |
| Parkinson’s Disease Therapeutics Pipeline Program | Therapeutic development projects, by stage | $250,000 to over $5 million by stage | Rolling |
| Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders | Neurologists with additional movement-disorder training; medical centers apply annually | $180,000 total, two-year | Annual deadline listed on the page |
FAQ
What does MJFF stand for?
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Does MJFF accept unsolicited proposals?
In general, no. The FAQ states that MJFF accepts proposals through its designated RFAs.
Can for-profit companies apply?
The FAQ states MJFF funds researchers in labs at universities, for-profit companies and non-profit research institutions. Eligibility for a given program is set on that program’s page.
How long does a funding decision take?
The FAQ describes decisions as early as six weeks or up to three months after full proposal submission.
What indirect cost rate does MJFF allow?
Up to 15% for non-profit and academic institutions and up to 10% for for-profit institutions, as described in the FAQ.
Sources
- The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Funding Opportunities, checked 2026-10-29.
- The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Frequently Asked Questions: Applying for a Grant, checked 2026-10-29.
- The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Application Guidelines, checked 2026-10-29.
Programs, amounts and deadlines change; all program details above are as described on the official pages on 2026-10-29.
