GBA1 Parkinson's Disease Research Catalyst Program

MJFF GBA1 Parkinson's Disease Research Catalyst Program

Connects United States Parkinson's researchers through the MJFF GBA1 Catalyst Program for precision treatment design and testing.

Eligibility · Global — open worldwide

The Michael J. Fox Foundation GBA1 Parkinson's Disease Research Catalyst Program funds investigator-initiated research into GBA1-associated Parkinson's disease, one of the most common genetic risk factors for the condition. MJFF, which has invested more than $2 billion in PD research since 2000, designed the Catalyst Program specifically to build mechanistic understanding of how GBA1 dysfunction drives neurodegeneration, identify disease modifiers and progression factors, and characterize cell-type and systems-level effects of GBA1 dysfunction. Individual awards reach up to $300,000, with project durations of 12 to 24 months. The full proposal deadline is July 22, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time.

Eligibility for the GBA1 Catalyst Program is open — the program page does not impose organizational type or geographic restrictions — but applicants must download and review the full RFA and template from grants.michaeljfox.org before applying, as detailed eligibility criteria are contained in those documents. Priority is explicitly given to proposals that integrate data across multiple cohorts and leverage existing resources such as published datasets, established cohorts, or shared biobanks, rather than generating all primary data de novo. This emphasis on data integration is a key scoring signal.

All funded projects must comply with MJFF's Open Science Policy, which requires sharing of data and results with the broader research community. Applications are submitted through grants.michaeljfox.org. For eligibility questions or submission logistics, applicants should contact grants@michaeljfox.org. Teams should treat the July 22 deadline as firm — MJFF grant portals close at the stated Eastern Time on the deadline date with no exceptions noted in program materials.