The Dana Foundation
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1950
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
The Dana Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Dana Foundation
- Legal name
- The Charles A. Dana Foundation, Incorporated
- Website
- https://dana.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1950
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Dana Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Philanthropy Research Grants
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)
Keywords
Where The Dana Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Dana Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Philanthropic Grantmaking: The Dana Foundation operates as a private philanthropy funded by its endowment. The foundation makes grants to advance neuroscience and society, supporting educational programs, research initiatives, public engagement, and training opportunities. They do not generate revenue from products or services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Dana Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Dana Foundation is a private philanthropy that funds neuroscience research, education, and public engagement programs at the intersection of brain science and society. It administers named grant programs (Dana Frontiers, Dana NextGen, Dana Education), the global Brain Awareness Week campaign, and the Dana Career Network in Neuroscience & Society platform, awarding grants typically up to $150,000 over 12–18 month project periods to qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations.
Product overview
The Dana Foundation is a private philanthropy organization (not a technology product company) dedicated to advancing neuroscience that benefits society. The Foundation operates multiple grant programs that form its core offerings: Dana Frontiers (engagement programs), Dana NextGen (workforce development and training), and Dana Education (education projects), alongside the Brain Awareness Week global campaign. The Foundation also supports the Dana Career Network in Neuroscience & Society platform for career development and major initiatives like the Neurotech Justice Accelerator ($8.6M, 5-year initiative) and the Implantable Brain-Computer Interface Collaborative Community (iBCI-CC). Most grants range up to $150,000 for project periods of 12-18 months, with international funding limited to Brain Awareness Week partnerships with FENS and IBRO.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Dana Frontiers: Program supporting multidirectional engagement to collaboratively identify and address key issues at the intersection of neuroscience and society.
- Dana NextGen
- Dana Education
- Brain Awareness Week
- Dana Career Network in Neuroscience & Society
Products and services
- Dana Frontiers
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 2,500 students reached through science engagement programs
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Dana Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Dana Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Dana Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Implantable Brain-Computer Interface Collaborative Community (iBCI-CC)coreCross-sector collaboration to overcome challenges related to researching, developing, regulating, and paying for implantable brain-computer interface treatments. Convened by Mass General Brigham with support from the Dana Foundation.
- International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)corePartnership with IBRO to provide funding for Brain Awareness Week outreach activities worldwide. The goal is to help participants expand their programming and reach broader and more diverse audiences with information about the brain.
- Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS)corePartnership with FENS to provide funding for Brain Awareness Week outreach activities worldwide. The goal is to help participants expand their programming and reach broader and more diverse audiences with information about the brain.
- Rita Allen FoundationcorePartner in the Civic Science Funders Collaborative, which aims to seed institutional and systemic change that will embed civic science into the norms, infrastructures, and incentives that shape how science is carried out.
- Burroughs Wellcome FundcorePartner in the Civic Science Funders Collaborative working to embed civic science into scientific norms and incentives.
- Doris Duke FoundationcorePartner in the Civic Science Funders Collaborative and co-founder of the Pathways for Health Research Collective with Dana Foundation participation.
- Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationcorePartner in the Civic Science Funders Collaborative working to advance civic science practices.
- David and Lucille Packard FoundationcorePartner in the Civic Science Funders Collaborative working to embed civic science into scientific norms.
- Kavli FoundationcorePartner in the Civic Science Funders Collaborative and original funder of the 2018 NISE Network conference on public engagement with neuroscience that led to the Civic Science Fellows program.
- Civic Science Fellows ProgramcoreProgram providing training for emerging leaders whose work spans scientific and civic contexts. Dana Foundation supports fellows through grants to host institutions, including those focused on neuroscience and society topics.
- Mass General BrighamcoreHost of the Neurotech Justice Accelerator (NJAM), a five-year $8.6 million initiative to improve equitable access to beneficial neurotechnologies and mitigate associated risks in medical and legal settings.
- UCLA-CDU Dana Center for Neuroscience and SocietycorePart of of the nearly $20 million Dana Center Initiative to align neuroscience to societal needs.
- Loyola University Chicago Dana Program for Neuroscience and SocietycorePart of the Dana Center Initiative, working to advance neuroscience and society through academic programs.
- Harvard Medical SchoolcorePartner in the Neurotech Justice Accelerator, contributing faculty to the program including neurosurgery, neuroethics, and neurolaw expertise.
- University of MinnesotacorePartner in Neurotech Justice Accelerator with faculty expertise in law, brain, and behavior. Also created the Dana Foundation Career Network in Neuroscience & Society.
- American Brain CoalitionmajorPartnership with ABC to facilitate meaningful involvement of brain health community members in the neural device development and regulatory process through the FDA TAP Program.
- US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)majorPartnership through ABC-FDA TAP Program to facilitate meaningful involvement of brain health community members in the neural device development and regulatory process.
- National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Network)majorPartnership to develop new approaches for public engagement with the ethical and societal impacts of neuroscience, including tools like Neuro Futures card game.
- Simons FoundationminorKelsey Martin, former executive vice president of autism and neuroscience programs at Simons Foundation, was appointed to the Dana Foundation Board of Directors.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Dana Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Wellcome Trust: Largest U.K.-based biomedical research charity funding neuroscience, mental health, and public engagement with science. Comparable thematic focus on neuroscience and society but operates globally at substantially larger scale (multi-billion endowment) than Dana.
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation: Large private foundation with science, environmental, and patient care improvement programs. Civic Science Funders Collaborative partner. Operates at substantially larger scale than Dana but shares focus on embedding civic considerations into scientific practice.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI): One of the largest private funders of biomedical research, with significant neuroscience programming and growing interest in science education and society-facing research. Comparable as a neuroscience funder but operates at materially larger scale with investigator-driven rather than grant-driven model.
Direct peers
- Simons Foundation: Major private foundation funding autism and neuroscience research with programs spanning basic neuroscience, computational neuroscience, and society-facing work. Directly comparable as a similarly-sized private philanthropy investing in brain science, with shared leadership connections (Kelsey Martin on Dana's Board, formerly EVP at Simons). Same private foundation model, similar scope of neuroscience grantmaking, and overlap in target institutions and researchers.
- Kavli Foundation: Private foundation supporting basic research in neuroscience, astrophysics, and nanoscience, with explicit focus on public engagement and the societal implications of science. Dana's CEO Caroline Montojo previously worked at the Kavli Foundation, and the two organizations co-steward the Civic Science Funders Collaborative and NISE Network activities. Highly comparable thematic focus on connecting science to society.
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation: Private foundation supporting original research and education in science, technology, and economics, with strong programs in public engagement with science and neuroscience. Directly comparable as a private foundation with programmatic focus on the societal dimensions of science and a long history of grantmaking in similar dollar ranges.
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund: Private foundation funding biomedical research and science education with growing civic science programming. Direct Civic Science Funders Collaborative partner and similar in scale and grantmaking model to the Dana Foundation.
- Rita Allen Foundation: Private foundation investing in early-career scholars and civic science practice; co-steward of the Civic Science Funders Collaborative alongside Dana Foundation. Directly comparable as a peer-sized private foundation working on civic science, scholar development, and the relationship between science and society.
- Doris Duke Foundation: Major private foundation supporting medical research, arts, and child development, with a civic science portfolio and co-founding role in the Pathways for Health Research Collective alongside Dana. Comparable as a peer in scale and thematic overlap, especially in health research practice.
Regional players
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): U.S. federal agency funding neuroscience research at much larger scale, with growing neuroethics portfolio. Walter Koroshetz directed NINDS for over a decade before joining Dana as Senior Advisor, indicating a direct relationship between the two. Comparable focus on neuroscience research and training but public-sector and at vastly larger scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Dana Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceThe Dana Foundation compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
The Dana Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Dana Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles21 records
The Dana Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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The Dana Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about The Dana Foundation
What does The Dana Foundation do?
The Dana Foundation is a private philanthropy that funds neuroscience research, education, and public engagement programs at the intersection of brain science and society. It administers named grant programs (Dana Frontiers, Dana NextGen, Dana Education), the global Brain Awareness Week campaign, and the Dana Career Network in Neuroscience & Society platform, awarding grants typically up to $150,000 over 12–18 month project periods to qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations.
Is The Dana Foundation a public or private company?
The Dana Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Dana Foundation founded?
The Dana Foundation was founded in 1950. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Dana Foundation based?
The Dana Foundation is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Dana Foundation make money?
One revenue line is on record: philanthropic Grantmaking.
Who are The Dana Foundation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Wellcome Trust, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Direct peers are Simons Foundation, Kavli Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Rita Allen Foundation and Doris Duke Foundation. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is listed as a regional player.
Does The Dana Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Dana Foundation.
What industry is The Dana Foundation in?
The Dana Foundation's product category is Philanthropy Research Grants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAA, Private Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAL, Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211.