What Brain & Behavior Research Foundation does

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in 1981 (originally as the American Schizophrenia Foundation, later NARSAD) and headquartered at 747 Third Avenue, New York. The foundation's core activity is awarding scientific research grants aimed at alleviating mental illness, with cumulative disbursements exceeding $476 million across 6,886+ grants to 5,731+ scientists in 60+ countries since 1987. Grants are organized into three tiers — Young Investigator Grants (early-career scientists, $10.4+ million to 150+ recipients in 2024), Independent Investigator Grants ($3.9 million to 40 investigators in 2024), and Distinguished Investigator Grants ($1 million in 2025) — and are awarded twice yearly following review by a Scientific Council chaired by Dr. Herbert Pardes and currently presided over by Dr. Judith Ford. Recipients include Nobel laureates and National Academy of Sciences members.

BBRF operates a differentiated 100%-pass-through model: 100% of donor contributions designated for research are invested directly in grants, while operating expenses are underwritten by two family foundations. The foundation is led by President & CEO Jeffrey Borenstein, M.D. (appointed 2013), with a staff of 11-50. Beyond grant-making, BBRF runs the Emmy-nominated Healthy Minds TV public television series on PBS (now in its 10th anniversary season), Brain & Behavior Magazine (a quarterly publication), the Meet the Scientist webinar series, and the NARSAD Artworks social enterprise, which has raised over $1.5 million. The foundation has earned GuideStar Platinum, Charity Navigator Four-Star, Charity Watch Top-Rated, and BBB Accreditation seals, and has received recent institutional support from the WoodNext Foundation ($1 million partnership, March 2026).

Name

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

Legal name

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

Website

https://bbrfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that awards scientific research grants for mental illness, having disbursed over $476 million across 6,886+ grants to 5,731+ scientists worldwide since 1987 under a 100%-pass-through funding model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Mental Health Research Funding

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Behavioral Health & Substance Use Program Funding (Public Health) (HLAJALAI)

Keywords

• Mental health research
• Research grant funding
• Neuroscience grants
• Psychiatric research prizes
• Charitable foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies on public donations. 100% of donor contributions for research are invested in grants to scientists. Operating expenses are covered separately by two family foundations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds mental health research by awarding grants to scientists worldwide across three tiers (Young Investigator, Independent Investigator, Distinguished Investigator Grants) and conferring scientific prizes. It complements its grant-making with educational media (Healthy Minds TV, Brain & Behavior Magazine, Meet the Scientist webinars) to disseminate research findings and raise awareness of mental illness.

Product overview

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization (501(c)(3)) focused on funding mental health research rather than a traditional product company. Its offerings consist of grant programs funding scientists worldwide, educational content including the Emmy®-nominated 'Healthy Minds TV' public television series and 'Brain & Behavior Magazine' quarterly publication, the 'Meet the Scientist' webinar series, and the NARSAD Artworks social enterprise program. The foundation has awarded over $476 million in research grants since 1987 across three grant tiers (Young Investigator, Independent Investigator, Distinguished Investigator) and distributes multiple prestigious scientific prizes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Healthy Minds TV An Emmy-nominated public television series hosted by Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein that provides candid conversations about mental health and the latest information on mental illness research, treatments, and recovery, airing on PBS.
• Brain & Behavior Magazine A quarterly publication providing up-to-date information on cutting-edge neuroscientific research on mental illness, offering practical advice and stories to educate, inspire, and deliver hope to families coping with mental illness diagnoses (previously NARSAD Research Quarterly).
• Meet the Scientist Webinars A series of webinars featuring leading mental health researchers presenting their findings on brain-related illnesses such as depression, autism, ADHD, eating disorders, and PTSD.
• NARSAD Artworks A nonprofit social enterprise program that reproduces and sells artwork created by artists living with mental illness, distributing note cards, posters, T-shirts, and calendars with proceeds donated to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation for research; has raised over $1.5 million.
• Research Grants Program Three tiers of mental health research funding: BBRF Young Investigator Grants supporting early-career scientists ($10.4+ million to 150+ scientists in 2024), BBRF Independent Investigator Grants for established researchers ($3.9 million to 40 investigators), and BBRF Distinguished Investigator Grants for senior scientists ($1 million in 2025); totaling over $476 million awarded since 1987.
• Scientific Prizes and Awards Prestigious awards conferred by the foundation including the Lieber Prize for Schizophrenia Research, Colvin Prize for Mood Disorders Research, Goldman-Rakic Prize for Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruane Prize for Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research, Pardes Humanitarian Prize in Mental Health, Klerman & Freedman Prizes for Exceptional Early-Career Research, and Productive Lives Awards.

Quantifiable outcome

• $476+ million awarded to mental health research since 1987
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)minorOthersThe foundation works with NIMH as former NIMH directors have led the foundation's Scientific Council. Several NIMH-funded researchers have also received BBRF grants.
• World Health Organization (WHO)minorOthersReference to WHO statistics on global mental illness prevalence (450 million people worldwide affected).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: Large nonprofit funding suicide prevention research and advocacy. Overlaps with BBRF's suicide-prevention research portfolio and competes for the same donor demographic interested in mental health.
• Dana Foundation: Private philanthropic organization funding brain/neuroscience research and public education. Comparable in combining grantmaking with consumer-facing media (Dana's Brain Basics) similar to BBRF's Healthy Minds TV.
• McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience: Private foundation funding neuroscience research through Scholar Awards and Memory and Cognitive Disorders Awards. Direct peer in grant mechanism, peer-review process, and target investigator pool.
• Brain Research Foundation: Chicago-based nonprofit funding innovative neuroscience research grants. Most direct peer — same nonprofit grantmaking model, similar grant sizes, overlapping researcher pool and donor demographics.
• Klingenstein-Simons Foundation: Private foundation funding neuroscience and depression research through competitive grants. Overlaps directly with BBRF on schizophrenia/depression funding, early-career investigator support, and Scientific Council style review.
• Stanley Medical Research Institute: Private nonprofit funding research on schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Direct peer in mission, grant structure, and researcher pool, with similar grant magnitudes.

Broad incumbents

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): The lead US federal agency for mental health research, with a far larger budget. BBRF positions itself as a complement and feeder pipeline for NIMH-funded researchers; several NIMH directors have chaired BBRF's Scientific Council.
• Wellcome Trust: Large UK-based global charitable foundation funding biomedical research including mental health. Comparable in mission (science grantmaking) but vastly larger in scale; represents both a peer and an aspirational benchmark.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Major private biomedical research funder supporting investigator-initiated science. BBRF competes for the same principal investigators and uses similar peer-review mechanisms at a smaller scale.

Regional players

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): Largest US grassroots mental health advocacy organization. Adjacent rather than directly competing for research dollars, but NAMI shapes the donor landscape and policy environment BBRF operates within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/bbrfoundation
• Xx.com/BBRFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/bbrfoundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Brain & Behavior Research Foundation