Parkinson's Disease Proteoforms Program

MJFF Parkinson's Disease Proteoforms Program

Funds proteoform-focused Parkinson's research to strengthen molecular evidence and translational targets.

Eligibility · Global — open worldwide

The Michael J. Fox Foundation Parkinson's Disease Proteoforms Program funds high-resolution proteoform profiling of Parkinson's disease brain and biofluids, with a focus on generating datasets that can accelerate biomarker and therapeutic target discovery. MJFF, which has raised over $2 billion for PD research since its founding in 2000, structured this program around two distinct tracks: Track 1, Global Proteoform Profiling, calls for proteome-wide systematic characterization, while Track 2, Tau Proteoform Characterization, focuses specifically on tau biology in Parkinson's disease. Applicants may submit separate applications to each track. Awards reach up to $1,000,000 per project for durations up to 24 months.

A central requirement of the program is that all teams must use MJFF-provided tissue samples from the Banner Sun Health Research Institute — applicants cannot substitute their own biobank material. Full proposals are due July 21, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time, with award announcements expected the week of November 2, 2026. Information sessions were scheduled for June 1 and June 5, 2026 to walk applicants through submission requirements. The program excludes discovery-only approaches, method development projects, and work based solely on preclinical or in vitro models.

All funded teams must comply with MJFF's Open Science Policy, which mandates sharing of data, preprints, code, and software with persistent identifiers. Proposals are submitted through grants.michaeljfox.org. No indirect costs policy is specified in program materials, so applicants should contact grants@michaeljfox.org to confirm. Teams interested in both tracks should submit two separate applications, as cross-track submissions are not combined into a single application.