Hjärnfonden

What Hjärnfonden does

Hjärnfonden (legal name Stiftelsen Hjärnfonden) is a Swedish non-profit foundation founded in 1994 and headquartered in Stockholm that raises and distributes funds for brain research. Its mission is to enable research, education, and awareness across nearly 30 brain-related diagnoses including ALS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ADHD, autism, stroke, depression, and ME/CFS, and it has supported more than 2,091 research projects since 1995.

The foundation's core operations revolve around multi-channel fundraising and grant-making. It accepts donations through Swish, Bankgiro, Plusgiro, credit card, telephone, online one-time gifts, monthly recurring giving (månadsgivare, minimum 200 kr/month), memorial gifts, testamentary bequests, and stock/asset donations. A self-serve personal fundraising platform (insamling.hjarnfonden.se) allows supporters to launch their own campaigns, while a corporate partnership program, co-funding from Postkodlotteriet, and major foundation gifts (notably Irstadska stiftelsen) diversify institutional giving. Donated funds are allocated to Swedish research universities and hospitals including Karolinska Institutet, Lunds universitet, Uppsala universitet, Stockholms universitet, Umeå universitet, and Sahlgrenska Universitetssjukhuset.

Hjärnfonden reports 85.9% of donations going to research and information, 12.3% to fundraising, and 1.8% to administration. In 2025 it distributed 198.1 million SEK to Swedish brain research, a 28% year-over-year increase and more than double the 2020 level. Beyond grant-making, the foundation runs the annual Hj\u00e4rnans Dag (Brain Day) knowledge event, publishes a monthly newsletter and editorial content on brain health, participates in Almedalsveckan, and operates a specialized sub-brand, Barnhj\u00e4rnfonden, focused on children's brain research.

Name

Hjärnfonden

Legal name

Stiftelsen Hjärnfonden

Website

https://hjarnfonden.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hjärnfonden is a Swedish non-profit foundation founded in 1994 that raises charitable donations through individuals, corporations, and foundations, and distributes grants to Swedish universities and hospitals conducting brain research across approximately 30 neurological diagnoses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brain Research Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Brain research funding
• Charitable foundation services
• Medical research donations
• Neuroscience grantmaking
• Nonprofit fundraising services

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from private individuals, including monthly giving programs (månadsgivare), one-time gifts, and memorial gifts (minnesgåvor) made in honor of deceased loved ones. Donors can designate their gift to specific brain diagnoses or general brain research.
2. Testamentary Bequests: Donors can include Hjärnfonden in their wills and testaments, providing long-term financial support to brain research through estate gifts.
3. Stock/Asset Donations: Donors can contribute shares, securities, or stock dividends to Hjärnfonden tax-free, increasing the value of their charitable gift.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Companies can make charitable donations to Hjärnfonden, receiving tax deductions equivalent to corporate tax rate (20.6%) on gifts up to 800,000 SEK per year. Organizations can also engage in longer-term strategic partnerships.
5. Foundation Philanthropy: Foundations provide philanthropic support through their investment returns, with examples like Irstadska stiftelsen providing major philanthropic contributions to Hjärnfonden.
6. Fund Savings (Humanfond): Partnership with Swedbank Humanfond allows savers to grow their money while simultaneously supporting brain research through fund investments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Hjärnfonden is a Swedish non-profit foundation that raises charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and other foundations, then distributes the proceeds as research grants to Swedish researchers studying neurological and psychiatric conditions including ALS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ADHD, autism, and stroke. Alongside research grantmaking, the foundation operates giving programs (monthly giving, memorial gifts, personal fundraising), and provides public education on brain health through events such as Hjärnans Dag and a monthly newsletter.

Product overview

Hjärnfonden operates as a charitable foundation offering a suite of support and fundraising services for brain research. The core offering includes an online donation platform (Ge en gåva), personal fundraising tools (Egen insamling), and memorial gift options (Minnesgåva). Educational initiatives like Hjärnans Dag and Hjärnmedvetet Samhälle provide knowledge dissemination, while a monthly newsletter keeps supporters informed about research advances.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Barnhjärnfonden: A specialized initiative focused on research about children's brain development and pediatric neurological conditions.

Products and services

• Ge en gåva (Donation Platform) Online donation service that lets individual supporters make one-time or monthly contributions to Swedish brain research, with payments accepted via Swish, credit card, bank transfer, and direct debit.
• Egen insamling (Personal Fundraising) Do-it-yourself fundraising platform that lets supporters create personal fundraising campaigns for specific brain diagnoses, with customizable pages, step-by-step guidance, and social sharing to engage their personal networks.
• Minnesgåva (Memorial Gift) Memorial donation service that enables people to honor deceased loved ones by making donations to brain research in their memory, with accompanying guidance on funeral etiquette and condolence messages.
• Hjärnans Dag (Brain Day Event) Annual educational event featuring lectures from leading Swedish brain researchers and experts sharing the latest advances in brain health, neurological research, and disease understanding.
• Månadsgivare (Monthly Giving Program) Subscription-based recurring donation program where individuals contribute a fixed monthly amount to brain research, with a minimum of 200 SEK per month to qualify for Swedish personal tax deductions.
• Testamente (Testamentary Bequests) Estate giving program that enables donors to include Hjärnfonden in their wills and testaments, providing long-term financial support to Swedish brain research through planned estate gifts.
• Företagssamarbeten (Corporate Partnership Program) Corporate giving and partnership program for Swedish companies, offering 20.6% tax reduction on donations up to 800,000 SEK base per year (minimum 2,000 SEK per occasion) and longer-term strategic collaboration opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 198.1 million SEK distributed to brain research in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Team Rynkeby SkolloppetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharitable cycling team that raises funds for children's brain research through Hjärnfonden. Combines athletic fundraising with the organization's research mission.
• Swedbank HumanfondminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFund savings partnership allowing investors to grow their money while supporting brain research. Donations can be made through the Humanfond savings program.
• Karolinska InstitutetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor Swedish research institution conducting brain research funded by Hjärnfonden. Multiple collaborative research projects including studies on autism, MS, Parkinson's, and other neurological conditions.
• Lunds universitet (Lund University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey research university partner conducting brain research funded by Hjärnfonden, including Parkinson's medication studies and brain cell research.
• Uppsala universitet (Uppsala University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch university partner conducting brain research funded by Hjärnfonden, including glioblastoma and medulloblastom studies.
• Stockholms universitet (Stockholm University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch university partner including Professor Eva Hedlund's research on ALS using human stem cell models, funded by Hjärnfonden.
• Umeå universitet (Umeå University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch university partner conducting ALS research funded by Hjärnfonden, including studies by researcher Karin Forsberg.
• Sahlgrenska UniversitetssjukhusetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital research partner that has implemented blood tests for Alzheimer's diagnosis in Swedish healthcare, with research funded by Hjärnfonden.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Cancerfonden: Swedish Cancer Society \u2014 Sweden's largest health-research charity and the dominant Swedish disease-foundation competitor. Comparable in mission (fund Swedish research), revenue model (donations + bequests + monthly givers), and distribution mechanism (peer-reviewed grants to Swedish researchers).
• Barncancerfonden: Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation \u2014 a disease-specific Swedish fundraising foundation. Shares Hjärnfonden's donation channels, monthly-giver programs, and corporate-partnership model; Barncancerfonden is also the prior employer of Hjärnfonden staff writer Sofia Ström Bernad, indicating direct talent/operating overlap.
• Parkinson's UK: UK charity funding Parkinson's research and supporting patients \u2014 one of Hjärnfonden's named diagnosis areas. Operates a comparable donation-plus-research-grant model with strong donor community engagement, and is a reference point for diagnosis-specific fundraising within a multi-diagnosis foundation.
• Diabetesfonden: Swedish Diabetes Foundation \u2014 a smaller Swedish disease-specific research foundation. Highly comparable in operating model (donations, monthly givers, research grants) and target donor base, providing a useful same-market benchmark for Hjärnfonden's scale and unit economics.
• Hjärt-Lungfonden: Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation \u2014 the closest domestic analog: a Swedish disease-focused research fundraising foundation raising ~1B+ SEK annually through individual donations, monthly givers, and corporate partnerships, and distributing peer-reviewed grants to Swedish researchers. Directly comparable GTM, revenue model, and national charity positioning.
• Brain & Behavior Research Foundation: US-based foundation funding brain and mental-health research across multiple conditions. Mission-equivalent to Hjärnfonden: raising donations from individuals and distributing peer-reviewed grants to researchers studying psychiatric and neurological diseases. Useful international benchmark for scale and portfolio breadth.
• Alzheimer's Research UK: UK-based charity dedicated to funding research into dementia and brain diseases. Directly comparable to Hjärnfonden's diagnostic-specific grantmaking focus (Alzheimer's being one of Hjärnfonden's named conditions), with a similar donor-acquisition and research-advocacy model.

Others

• Karolinska Institutet: Sweden's flagship medical research university and one of Hjärnfonden's core research partners. Not a peer in the fundraising sense but is the primary recipient channel for Hjärnfonden's grants, making it the most relevant ecosystem counterpart and a leading indicator of research output quality.

Broad incumbents

• Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council): Swedish government's primary public research-funding agency. While not a fundraising charity, Vetenskapsrådet is the largest public funder of Swedish research including neuroscience, and competes for researcher mindshare and visibility \u2014 making it a structural incumbent Hjärnfonden must complement rather than displace.

Regional players

• Brain Foundation Australia: Australian brain-research foundation funding research across neurological conditions. Closest geographic analog to Hjärnfonden's "national brain foundation" positioning; does not directly compete for donors but offers an international benchmark for non-profit brain-foundation operating models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/hjarnfondensverige
• Facebookfacebook.com/hjarnfonden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hjärnfonden
• Instagraminstagram.com/hjarnfonden_sverige

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hjärnfonden