What Heffter Research Institute does

Heffter Research Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit scientific organization incorporated in New Mexico in 1993 by medicinal chemist David E. Nichols, PhD, to promote research of the highest scientific quality with classic hallucinogens and related compounds. The institute designs, reviews, and funds psilocybin clinical trials at leading universities in the United States and Europe, including Johns Hopkins, NYU Langone, UCLA, Yale, the University of Zurich, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Since inception, Heffter has funded 156 research projects and its affiliated researchers account for 63% (17 of 27) of top-cited articles on classic psychedelics.

The institute's core intellectual product is a standardized Psilocybin Session Protocol encompassing participant screening, preparation sessions, an 8-hour supervised dosing session with two trained guides in a living-room setting with musical support, and follow-up integration sessions. Research combines behavioral, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging methods to study psilocybin for cancer-related psychological distress, alcohol and tobacco addiction, major depressive disorder, neuroplasticity, and consciousness. Heffter's policy prohibits grant funds from being spent on institutional indirect costs, maximizing research efficacy.

Heffter operates as a grant-making non-profit with no commercial revenue stream. All operating funding comes from donations and philanthropic contributions, and the institute explicitly states it is not an endowed foundation. The board of directors includes founder David E. Nichols, President Carey Turnbull (who succeeded co-founder George Greer, MD in 2021), Vice-President Steven Grant, PhD (formerly of NIDA), Chief Scientist Katrin Preller, PhD, and a roster of senior psychedelic researchers including Dennis McKenna, Charles Grob, Mark Geyer, Franz Vollenweider, and the late Roland Griffiths. Geographic operations span a registered headquarters in Greenwich, Connecticut and the Heffter Research Centre Zürich (HRC-ZH) at the Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, established in 1998.

Name

Heffter Research Institute

Legal name

Heffter Research Institute

Website

https://www.heffter.org/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heffter Research Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that has funded 156 psilocybin clinical research projects since 1993 at leading universities including Johns Hopkins, NYU, UCLA, Yale, and University of Zurich, focusing on cancer-related distress, addiction, and depression.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Research Funding / Psychedelic Science

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Psilocybin clinical research
• Psychedelic science funding
• Mental health research
• Addiction treatment studies
• Non-profit research institute

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Fe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Grants and R&D funding distributed to university researchers and clinical investigators (the largest cost), Personnel (executive committee, board, chief scientist, vice-president), Operations (administration of a 501(c)(3) non-profit, with policy that no grants may be spent on indirect institutional costs), Marketing or Sales (mission promotion via website, blog, newsletter, social media, media, conferences)

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Funding: Heffter Research Institute operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that relies entirely on donations and philanthropic funding. The institute states it is not an endowed foundation, creating a continuous need for funding to support critical research.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Heffter Research Institute designs, reviews, and funds leading clinical studies on psilocybin at prominent US and European research institutions. The institute supports research on psilocybin-assisted therapy for cancer-related distress, addiction (alcohol, tobacco, substances), and depression, and develops standardized clinical protocols for psilocybin treatment sessions. It is funded entirely through donations and operates without a commercial product.

Product overview

Heffter Research Institute is a non-profit 501(c)(3) scientific organization incorporated in New Mexico in 1993. It does not offer commercial products but rather funds and conducts clinical research on psilocybin-assisted therapy. The organization's main activities include designing and funding psilocybin research studies at major research institutions (Johns Hopkins, NYU, UCLA, Yale, University of Zurich), developing standardized clinical protocols for psilocybin treatment sessions, and supporting training for therapists in psychedelic-assisted therapies through partnerships with academic institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Psilocybin Research and Treatment Studies Heffter Research Institute designs, reviews, and funds clinical studies on psilocybin for treatment of cancer-related distress, addiction (alcohol, tobacco, substances), depression, and for understanding psychedelic experiences and spirituality. The institute awards grants to researchers at leading universities and supports study design and scientific review.
• Psilocybin Session Protocol Standardized clinical protocol for psilocybin-assisted therapy including pre-screening of participants, preparatory sessions, an 8-hour supervised dosing session in a living-room style setting with musical support and two trained guides, and follow-up integration sessions. Used across Heffter-funded clinical trials at partner research institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 63% of top-cited classic psychedelics research
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Johns Hopkins MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohns Hopkins is a key research partner for Heffter-funded psilocybin studies. Research areas include treatment of cancer-related psychological distress, tobacco addiction cessation, and major depression. Dr. Roland Griffiths leads major psilocybin research programs at Johns Hopkins.
• New York University (NYU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYU Langone Medical Center conducts Heffter-funded psilocybin research for cancer patients with severe anxiety. Dr. Stephen Ross leads the NYU psilocybin treatment studies.
• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCLA conducts Heffter-funded psilocybin research under Dr. Charles Grob, including studies on psilocybin treatment for anxiety in advanced-stage cancer patients.
• Yale UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYale University conducts Heffter-funded psilocybin research for major depressive disorder, including studies on psilocybin-induced neuroplasticity. Heffter helped establish Yale's extensive psilocybin research program.
• University of Zurich / Psychiatric University Hospital ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Zurich houses the Heffter Research Centre Zürich for Consciousness Studies (HRC-ZH), established in 1998 by Dr. Franz X. Vollenweider. Conducts research on mechanisms of action of psychedelics and related compounds.
• Dana-Farber Cancer InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Heffter provided $138,405 grant to support Dr. Yvan Beaussant's PATH study for patients receiving hospice care.
• Usona InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoth Heffter and Usona promote psychedelic research at leading universities. Carey Turnbull serves on the Board of Usona Institute. Usona is conducting Phase 3 FDA studies on psilocybin for depression.
• NYU Center for Psychedelic MedicineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarey Turnbull serves as Chair of the advisory board of the NYU Center for Psychedelic Medicine, supporting psychedelic research development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Usona Institute: Non-profit medical research organization sponsoring psilocybin clinical trials and conducting FDA Phase 3 studies for depression. Closest comparable to Heffter in mission, funding model, and focus on psilocybin at academic centers.
• Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS): Non-profit psychedelic research and education organization funding clinical trials, training, and policy work. Comparable as a similarly structured non-profit funder of psychedelic science, though historically centered on MDMA rather than psilocybin.
• Beckley Foundation: UK-based non-profit conducting and sponsoring psychedelic neuroscience research. Comparable as an independently funded research institute advancing psychedelic science for mental health.

Broad incumbents

• Compass Pathways: Publicly listed mental health care company developing psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression. Comparable as a leading psilocybin clinical development organization, though operating with far greater capital and commercial intent.
• MindMed: Publicly listed psychedelic-inspired medicine company running clinical trials across psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA programs. Comparable as a fellow psilocybin-focused developer but with a broader modality mix and significant capital base.

Emerging players

• Ceruvia Lifesciences: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded by Heffter President Carey Turnbull developing psychedelics for neurological and psychiatric disorders. Comparable as a psilocybin-aligned research sponsor with overlapping leadership.
• B.More Foundation: Non-profit funding psilocybin research founded by Claudia Turnbull (Heffter board member) and Carey Turnbull. Comparable as a smaller, donor-funded psilocybin research organization with shared leadership.

Others

• Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research: Academic research center at Johns Hopkins conducting psilocybin and other psychedelic studies. Comparable as a Heffter-funded research partner and a leading institutional hub for classic psychedelic research.
• NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine: Academic research center at NYU Langone studying psychedelic-assisted therapies. Comparable as a Heffter partner institution and a major site for psilocybin oncology research.
• Chacruna Institute: Non-profit organization promoting psychedelic research, education, and cross-cultural understanding. Comparable as an adjacent non-profit in the psychedelic research and policy ecosystem with overlapping mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/heffterresearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/HeffterResearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Heffter Research Institute