The Parkinson’s Research Foundation

What The Parkinson’s Research Foundation does

The Michael Stern Parkinson's Research Foundation is a New York-based 501(c)(3) non-profit research foundation established in 2001 by Louis Powell to fund scientific research into the causes and treatment of Parkinson's disease. The foundation does not conduct drug development directly; instead, it acts as a sponsor and program coordinator for five named research centers at U.S. academic institutions: the Stern Center for Parkinson's Research at The Rockefeller University (under Nobel Laureate Dr. Paul Greengard), the Stern Center for Neuroregeneration Research at Harvard University's McLean Hospital (under Dr. Ole Isacson), the Laboratory of Molecular Neurosurgery at Weill Cornell Medical College (under Dr. Michael Kaplitt), the Yale School of Medicine program (under Dr. Angus Nairn), and the Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders (under Drs. Kenneth Marek and John Seibyl). The foundation's flagship research asset is the TRAP (Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification) methodology, which enables protein-level analysis of dopamine-producing neurons and is positioned as a platform for identifying disease-modifying drug targets.

Revenue is generated entirely through tax-deductible charitable donations, processed via Network for Good, with 94.4% of contributions designated for research and 5.6% for administrative costs. From 2001 through December 2012, the foundation deployed over $46 million in cumulative research funding. The foundation serves three distinct constituencies: PD patients and families (who receive free research and educational outputs through parkinsoninfo.org), individual donors and philanthropists (who provide contributions), and the general Parkinson's community (who access educational content, blog posts, patient stories, and downloadable brochures). The organization operates with a small headquarters staff (1-10 employees at 1115 Broadway, Suite 1200, New York) while supporting 25+ scientists at Rockefeller and a broader international collaborator network spanning the UK, France, Sweden, Italy, Japan, and Korea.

Name

The Parkinson’s Research Foundation

Legal name

The Michael Stern Parkinson's Research Foundation

Website

https://parkinsoninfo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Michael Stern Parkinson's Research Foundation is a New York-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that funds Parkinson's disease research at five U.S. academic centers, deploying over $46 million in cumulative research grants since 2001 and supporting Nobel Laureate-led programs in dopamine neuron biology, gene therapy, and neuroimaging biomarkers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Medical Research

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA), Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Parkinson's disease research
• Nonprofit medical research
• Neurodegenerative disease funding
• Dopamine neuron research
• Translational neuroscience

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tax-Deductible Charitable Donations: The foundation collects charitable donations from individuals, families, and supporters of Parkinson's disease research. Donations are tax-deductible as the foundation is an IRS-certified 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (Federal Tax ID: 13-4168581). Donations are processed via Network for Good. The foundation designates 94.4% of money received going to research and 5.6% to administrative costs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Parkinson's Research Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that funds Parkinson's disease research at five leading U.S. academic centers (Rockefeller, Harvard/McLean, Weill Cornell, Yale, and IND). It provides the public with educational content on Parkinson's disease, treatment options, and research progress through its website (parkinsoninfo.org), downloadable brochures, and blog content.

Product overview

The Michael Stern Parkinson's Research Foundation is a non-profit research funding organization that operates as a unified platform of research programs and educational resources. The core offering consists of funding and supporting five major research programs: the Stern Center for Parkinson's Research at Rockefeller University (using TRAP Technology), the Stern Center for Neuroregeneration Research at Harvard, the Laboratory of Molecular Neurosurgery at Weill Cornell, Yale's molecular analysis program, and the Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders. These are complemented by the parkinsoninfo.org information platform providing disease education, a downloadable brochure, and a blog with news and patient stories. The foundation operates primarily as a research foundation rather than a commercial product company, with no software products, APIs, or integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Stern Center for Parkinson's Research: Research center at The Rockefeller University directed by Dr. Paul Greengard
• The Stern Center for Neuroregeneration Research

Products and services

• Parkinson's Research Information Platform (parkinsoninfo.org) The foundation's primary digital platform providing comprehensive information about Parkinson's disease, including research updates, treatment options, scientific studies, and patient stories to support patients, families, and researchers.
• Stern Center for Parkinson's Research Flagship research program at The Rockefeller University led by Nobel Laureate Dr. Paul Greengard, focused on discovering drug targets to prevent dopamine neuron death in Parkinson's disease using TRAP Technology.
• Stern Center for Neuroregeneration Research Research program at Harvard University's McLean Hospital under Dr. Ole Isacson, focused on gene therapy to protect vulnerable neurons and studying the G-substrate molecule for potential Parkinson's treatments.
• Laboratory of Molecular Neurosurgery Research program at Weill Cornell Medical College under Dr. Michael Kaplitt, examining p11 protein effects on Parkinson's symptoms and levodopa therapy side effects using gene therapy techniques.
• Yale Parkinson's Disease Research Program Molecular analysis program at Yale School of Medicine under Dr. Angus Nairn, investigating alterations in dopaminergic neurons in familial-linked Parkinson's disease using BAC transgenics techniques.
• Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders (IND) Research Program Research program at IND under Dr. Kenneth Marek developing novel biomarkers for Parkinson's disease, particularly for non-dopaminergic symptoms such as cognitive, autonomic, and sleep impairment, including the PARS longitudinal study.
• Parkinson's Disease Brochure A downloadable brochure providing critical information about Parkinson's disease and describing how scientists at the foundation are leading research efforts against the disease.
• Blog and News Section The foundation's blog featuring articles on Parkinson's disease research updates, personal stories from patients, conference information, and news about treatments and therapies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transplanted fetal neurons can survive in patients for at least 14 years (Harvard research)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Rockefeller UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation was established in 2001 to support and expand the pioneering research of Dr. Paul Greengard's laboratory at The Rockefeller University. The Stern Center for Parkinson's Research operates there under the direction of Nobel Laureate Dr. Paul Greengard. This is the largest American laboratory conducting PD research, with over 25 scientists focused on dopamine system research.
• Harvard University / McLean HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation funds Dr. Ole Isacson's research at Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, where the Stern Center for Neuroregeneration Research pursues research on neurotransmitter vesicles, transcription factors, and neural stem cell biomarkers for Parkinson's disease.
• Weill Cornell Medical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation funds Dr. Michael G. Kaplitt's Laboratory of Molecular Neurosurgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, which focuses on improving motor function in Parkinson's disease and reducing adverse effects of L-dopa therapy through gene therapy targeting the p11 protein.
• The Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders (IND)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation funds research at IND under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Marek and Dr. John Seibyl, Yale Professors. IND develops novel tools for early detection and monitoring of Parkinson's disease through neuroimaging biomarkers and is conducting the PARS study on up to 6,000 first-degree relatives of PD patients.
• Yale School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation funds Dr. Angus Nairn's comprehensive molecular analysis of dopaminergic neurons in familial-linked Parkinson's disease at Yale School of Medicine, using BAC transgenics to tag and analyze key proteins in neurons from the substantia nigra.
• Fisher Center for Alzheimer's ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Stern Center shares a state-of-the-art laboratory at The Rockefeller University with the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research, a synergistic arrangement that capitalizes on similar scientific questions driving research into these two neurodegenerative disorders.
• The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearchers at TSRI, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, made a significant discovery about the parkin enzyme whose absence causes early-onset Parkinson's disease, pointing to a new neuroprotective therapeutic strategy involving Fbw7β and Mcl-1 proteins.
• Network for GoodminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork for Good processes charitable donations for the foundation, serving as one of the internet's leading charitable resources. Donations made through Network for Good qualify as tax-deductible 501(c)(3) contributions.
• Global Research Collaborators (UK, France, Sweden, Italy, Japan, Korea)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe core team of researchers at the Stern Foundation laboratory at The Rockefeller University interacts continually with collaborators from the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Italy, Japan, and Korea. This global presence ensures no promising research lead is overlooked and progress can be made on multiple fronts simultaneously.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Parkinson’s Research Foundation