Addiction Research Institute

What Addiction Research Institute does

Addiction Research Institute (ARI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in La Jolla, California, founded in 2020, with a single operational focus: funding biological research aimed at curing addiction. ARI does not operate laboratories, treatment programs, or recovery centers; instead, it identifies, vets, and awards grants to academic and independent scientists working at the frontier of brain research, genetics and genomics, and the gut-brain microbiome axis. The grants program is led by Chief Research Advisor Dr. Scott Swartzwelder (Duke University, 200+ publications) with advisory support from Dr. Danielle Dick (Rutgers, Director of the Rutgers Addiction Research Center, $55M+ in NIH grants) and Dr. Howard Moss (former NIAAA Associate Director). Three active funding streams — Brain Research & TMS, Genetics & Genomics, and Microbiome Research — are surfaced as donor-facing categories on the organization's website.

ARI's business model is donations-only: it raises funds from individual donors, foundations, and mission-aligned organizations through its digital fundraising platform (launched September 2024), newsletter, podcast and webinar series, and the Cure Addiction Now Forum. It directs 80 cents of every donated dollar to research by capping research-partner administrative overhead at 20%, a structural choice it contrasts with the 50-60% overhead typical at major universities. The organization employs 1-10 people, with founder Gene Barduson (former healthcare CEO and Scripps Health trustee) driving strategy and a board that includes senior figures from Western University of Health Sciences and former NIH leadership. Marketing is entirely mission-driven — podcasts, webinars, news articles, earned media (e.g., Milken Institute), and events — with no paid advertising or commercial sales motion.

Name

Addiction Research Institute

Legal name

Addiction Research Institute

Website

https://addictionresearchinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Addiction Research Institute (ARI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in La Jolla, California, that funds biological addiction research through grants to scientists working on brain stimulation, genetics, and microbiome science, supported by individual donations and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Addiction Research Funding

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAI

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAL

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYHLAJALAI

Behavioral Health & Substance Use Program Funding (Public Health)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Funding, Grants & Program Administration

Keywords

• Addiction research funding
• Nonprofit research grants
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation
• Genetics addiction research
• Microbiome research grants

Headquarters

HQ city

La Jolla

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: ARI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises money from individual donors, foundations, and mission-aligned organizations to fund addiction research grants. The organization deploys a digital fundraising platform launched in September 2024. Donations are the sole revenue source; there are no commercial products or services. The organization prides itself on directing 80 cents of every donated dollar directly to research (capping partner administrative overhead at 20%).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Addiction Research Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds biological addiction research through a grants program administered by Chief Research Advisor Dr. Scott Swartzwelder. ARI does not operate laboratories; instead it identifies, vets, and grants funds to scientists working on brain research and TMS, genetics and genomics, and the gut-brain microbiome axis. The organization supports this mission through a digital fundraising platform (launched September 2024) that accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals and foundations, with 80 cents of every donated dollar directed to research.

Product overview

Addiction Research Institute (ARI) is a nonprofit organization with a single mission: funding biological research to cure addiction. The organization does not operate laboratories but instead funds scientists through a grants program led by Dr. Scott Swartzwelder. ARI's offerings include a digital fundraising platform for donations, an educational podcast and webinar series featuring addiction research experts, and a news resource covering the latest addiction science developments. ARI funds three primary research focus areas: Brain Research & TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation), Genetics & Genomics, and Microbiome Research. The organization operates with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit structure, with 80% of donations going directly to research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Funding Program (Addiction Research Grants) ARI's core grants program that funds biological addiction research across brain research, genetics, and microbiome science. Applications are assessed by Chief Research Advisor Dr. Scott Swartzwelder and the advisory network; awards support scientists at universities and independent research institutions working on the biological origins of addiction.
• ARI Digital Fundraising Platform Online donation platform that processes tax-deductible contributions to ARI's addiction research mission, with 80 cents of every dollar directed to research and a 20% cap on partner administrative overhead.
• Brain Research & TMS Funding Stream Designated funding stream within ARI's grants program that supports Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) research — including FDA-approved TMS for depression and emerging burst TMS — to identify and reset brain receptors driving addiction and craving.
• Genetics & Genomics Funding Stream Designated funding stream within ARI's grants program that supports research into genetic and genomic influences on addiction, including the hypothesis that addiction may be several distinct diseases each with its own genetic profile and targeted cure.
• Microbiome Research Funding Stream Designated funding stream within ARI's grants program that supports gut-brain microbiome research, exploring how trillions of microorganisms in the digestive system may influence how addiction develops and how it can be disrupted.

Quantifiable outcome

• Gene therapy trials in monkeys for alcohol use disorder (AUD) showed promising results toward a potential cure
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) / George F. Koob, Ph.D.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2020In October 2020, ARI established a formal relationship with the NIAAA (part of the NIH) and its Director, Dr. George F. Koob. This relationship positioned ARI within the national addiction research landscape and provided institutional credibility, alignment with federal research priorities, and a framework for ARI's grant-making strategy.
• Duke University / Dr. Scott SwartzweldercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Scott Swartzwelder, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, serves as ARI's Chief Research Advisor (appointed January 2022). He leads ARI's grants program, which assesses research applications from scientists across neuroscience, psychiatry, psychology, and behavior science. His 40+ years of addiction neuroscience expertise and 200+ publications provide scientific leadership for ARI's funding decisions.
• Rutgers University / Dr. Danielle DickcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Danielle Dick, Director of the Rutgers Addiction Research Center (the largest comprehensive addiction research center in the world) and tenured Professor of Psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, serves as ARI's Special Advisor. She brings >450 peer-reviewed publications, $55M+ in NIH grants, and world-leading expertise in genetic and environmental influences on addiction to ARI's advisory network.
• UCSD and Rutgers Researchers (Brain Stimulation / TMS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearchers at UCSD and Rutgers are actively advancing TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) research for addiction treatment, funded in part through ARI. Emerging 'burst TMS' techniques are being developed to identify and reset brain receptors driving addiction and craving.
• Dr. Howard Moss, M.D.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Howard Moss is a Board Member and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at UC Riverside and UC San Diego. Formerly Associate Director for Clinical and Translational Research at the NIAAA (NIH), he brings 30+ years as a key opinion leader in addiction psychiatry, with expertise in clinical manifestations, etiology, intergenerational transmission, and neuroimaging and molecular genetics of substance use disorders.
• Dr. Jean Davis, Ph.D.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Jean Davis serves as a Board Member, bringing decades of experience as a community advocate, educator, clinician, and researcher. She holds multiple advanced degrees (BA Psychobiology, BS Human Biology, MS Clinical Research, DC, PhD Preventative Medicine) and has served as Associated Professor of Internal Medicine at Charles Drew University and Medical Director at AIDS Health Foundation.
• American Cancer SocietyminorOthersARI models its research funding approach on the American Cancer Society's grant-making program. The ACS has granted over $5 billion to cancer researchers since 1946; ARI cites this as the benchmark for the type and scale of independent medical research funding it aims to replicate in the addiction field.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (via UCSF): University-affiliated cancer research entity referenced as a model for academic/donor-funded biological cure research. Comparable as a grantmaking/recipient institution for biomedical cure-oriented science.
• Colleen's Dream Foundation: Smaller disease-specific research foundation funding ovarian cancer research grants. Comparable as a small, mission-focused, donor-driven biological research grantmaker.

Direct peers

• Foundation for Alcohol Research: Nonprofit funding research on alcohol use and related disorders. Highly comparable mission and grantmaking model to ARI's alcohol-related focus area, though narrower in scope.
• Prevent Cancer Foundation: Disease-specific research grantmaking foundation funding early-stage cancer research. Same playbook as ARI — small focused grantmaking foundation funding frontier biomedical science for a specific disease.
• Brain & Behavior Research Foundation: Leading nonprofit granting organization funding psychiatric and neuroscience research, including addiction. Closely comparable operating model — NARSAD grants to scientists at the frontier of brain research, similar donor base and grantmaking structure.
• Shatterproof: Major U.S. nonprofit focused on addiction, funding evidence-based treatment and recovery initiatives. Most direct thematic peer in the addiction nonprofit space, though it emphasizes treatment access rather than biological research.
• National Center for Responsible Gaming: Nonprofit that funds scientific research on gambling disorder and related behavioral addictions. Closely comparable mission focus on funding independent biological/behavioral research into a specific addiction category.

Broad incumbents

• Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: Major philanthropic foundation funding medical research and other causes. Comparable as a high-profile health-research funder with significant endowment and grantmaking infrastructure.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Large U.S. health-focused philanthropic foundation funding health research and policy, including substance use. Comparable as a major health-research grantmaker though much broader in mission than ARI.
• American Cancer Society: ARI explicitly models itself on the American Cancer Society's independent research-grantmaking model. ACS has granted over $5B to cancer researchers since 1946 and represents the institutional blueprint ARI aims to replicate for addiction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AddictionResearchInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/addiction-research-institute-ca

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Addiction Research Institute