The BRAIN Foundation

What The BRAIN Foundation does

The BRAIN Foundation is a California-based 501(c)(3) non-profit incorporated in 2019 and headquartered in Pleasanton, operating with 1-10 employees. Its mission is to fund and coordinate translational research, clinical trials, and education focused on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related neurology. The foundation has granted $2.5M to date across 18 medical research centers and supports a network of named academic investigators including researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, Arizona State University, Stanford/Lucile Packard, Wake Forest, and UC San Diego.

Its core offerings are non-commercial. They include the Synchrony Symposia, an annual international conference held since 2019 and described as the only conference dedicated to translational autism research; an Autism Clinical Trials Database that aggregates recruiting studies in the US; a Drug Repurposing Database cataloging existing FDA-approved compounds with autism therapeutic potential, built in partnership with Every Cure; and a BRAIN Therapeutics & Enterprise Ventures spotlight featuring portfolio companies such as JelikaLite (Cognilum FDA Breakthrough Device), Axial Therapeutics (AB-2004), MapLight Therapeutics (ML-004), BioROSA, and LinusBio (ClearStrand-ASD). The foundation has also stood up the Aurora Research Network in collaboration with Stanford Medicine.

The foundation's business model is entirely donation- and fundraising-driven. It does not sell products or services. Revenue comes from individual and corporate donations, foundation grants, event-driven fundraising (5K runs, galas, pickleball tournaments, the inaugural 2025 BRAIN Science Spectacular Gala), and corporate sponsorships (e.g., CharmHealth, O'Sullivan Foundation, Luminous Pathways). GTM is event-led: Synchrony Symposia serves as the primary mid-funnel engagement channel, community events are bottom-of-funnel for fundraising conversion, and a multi-channel digital presence (website, BRAIN Science Blog, YouTube recordings, LinkedIn, Facebook, WhatsApp Community) drives top-of-funnel awareness. The foundation has also made at least one equity investment (seed in JelikaLite, March 2023), indicating an early portfolio-investment model layered on top of traditional grant-making.

Name

The BRAIN Foundation

Legal name

The BRAIN Foundation

Website

https://brainfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The BRAIN Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that funds translational autism research, runs the annual Synchrony Symposia conference, and supports clinical trials and drug repurposing initiatives serving autism researchers, clinicians, and affected families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Autism Research Foundation

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Autism research funding
• Translational research grants
• Medical research conferences
• Clinical trial coordination
• Nonprofit health foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Pleasanton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The BRAIN Foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Primary revenue comes from donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. 100% of donations go towards funding autism research.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The BRAIN Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that funds and coordinates translational research, clinical trials, and education focused on autism and related neurology. It operates as a research accelerator by awarding research grants (up to $90K annually for two years), hosting the Synchrony Symposia international conference, maintaining public databases of autism clinical trials and drug repurposing candidates, and making strategic seed investments in autism therapeutics companies.

Product overview

The BRAIN Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research organization (EIN: 83-4072118) that does not develop its own commercial products but serves as a research accelerator through three core offerings: the Synchrony Symposia annual international conference series on translational autism research, an Autism Clinical Trials Database listing actively recruiting studies, and a Drug Repurposing Database cataloging existing medications with autism therapeutic potential. The foundation also features industry spotlight pages highlighting partner companies developing autism therapeutics and diagnostics, including Axial Therapeutics (AB-2004), MapLight Therapeutics (ML-004), JelikaLite (Cognilum device), BioROSA (blood test), and LinusBio (ClearStrand-ASD), as well as a partnership with Every Cure for drug repurposing research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Synchrony Symposia Annual international symposium on translational autism research featuring CME-accredited physician training, research presentations, and networking events; brings together academia, biotech, pharmaceutical companies, and venture partners.
• BRAIN Research Grants Program Research grant program awarding up to $90K annually for two years to academic and clinical investigators conducting translational autism research; $2.5 million granted to date across 18 medical research centers.
• Autism Clinical Trials Database Publicly accessible database of autism clinical trials currently recruiting participants in the US, with trial descriptions, lead investigators, locations, age requirements, and contact information.
• Drug Repurposing for Autism Database Comprehensive list of existing FDA-approved drugs and nutraceuticals demonstrating therapeutic potential for autism, including drug names, drug classes, reported benefits, mechanisms of action, and peer-reviewed references.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 in 31 children diagnosed with autism in the US, highlighting urgent need for treatments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LinusBiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2025LinusBio's exposome sequencing platform will power new research initiatives; the company will offer reduced-cost testing for at-risk patients and their families. BRAIN Foundation will facilitate academic collaborations for BRAIN-funded researchers to incorporate LinusBio's proprietary temporal exposome sequencing platform into their studies. This marks LinusBio's first collaboration with a patient advocacy group.
• Every CurecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2025Groundbreaking collaboration with Every Cure, a nonprofit dedicated to identifying new uses for existing drugs. The partnership aims to unlock the hidden potential of existing FDA-approved drugs and repurposing them specifically for autism, offering hope to mitigate symptoms, enhance functioning, and improve quality of life for individuals on the spectrum. Every Cure was co-founded by Dr. David Fajgenbaum, who discovered a new use for an existing drug that led to his own remission from Castleman Disease.
• PaxMedicacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2023Partnership with PaxMedica, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments for unmet needs in neurodevelopmental disorders including ASD and Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia (FXTAS). BRAIN Foundation has partnered with PaxMedica on suramin for autism development and hosted an exclusive interview with CEO Howard Weisman on FDA approval plans.
• Axial TherapeuticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAxial Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing gut-restricted small molecule therapeutics for CNS disorders, including AB-2004 for irritability in autism. The company participates in BRAIN Synchrony Symposia and presented at BRAIN conferences. Their TAPESTRY study for AB-2004 is listed on BRAIN Foundation's clinical trials page.
• MapLight TherapeuticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMapLight is combining novel therapeutics and technologies to treat CNS disorders including ASD. Their ML-004 compound is being evaluated in Phase 2 clinical trials for adolescents and adults with ASD. Listed on BRAIN Foundation's autism clinical trials page and featured in industry spotlight.
• BioROSAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBioROSA is developing a highly accurate blood test to detect ASD in children as young as 18 months. Featured in BRAIN Industry Spotlight section, presenting at Synchrony Symposium.
• CharmHealthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor sponsor of BRAIN Foundation events. CharmHealth provides cloud-based HIPAA-compliant healthcare technology solutions. Founded by physicians and patient-advocates, passionate about helping healthcare providers access technology to deliver patient care.
• O'Sullivan FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor whose mission is to support causes that help enable people to help themselves, through education, employment, research and disruptive advances of technology.
• Luminous PathwaysminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor providing high-quality, accessible, and reliable services and support to individuals with autism, cognitive, intellectual, and other related disabilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Autism Speaks: One of the largest autism advocacy and research funding nonprofits in the US, with a substantially larger grant budget and broader policy advocacy mandate. Comparable because it funds autism research and convenes the research community, though it operates at much greater scale and scope than BRAIN.
• National Autism Association: Established autism nonprofit focused on advocacy, safety, and family support. Comparable in mission (autism community support) but focuses more on safety/advocacy than research funding — broader incumbent adjacent to BRAIN's community-events work.
• Autism Society of America: Largest and oldest autism grassroots organization in the US, providing information, advocacy, and community programs. Comparable as a broad autism-serving nonprofit with community programming; BRAIN differentiates with its translational research and conference focus.

Direct peers

• Organization for Autism Research (OAR): Smaller 501(c)(3) that funds applied autism research and provides information to the autism community. Closely comparable operating model to BRAIN — research grants, community events, applied science dissemination — but with a smaller translational/clinical emphasis.
• Cure Alzheimer's Fund: Disease-specific research foundation that funds translational research toward FDA-approved treatments. Comparable operating model to BRAIN — venture-style grantmaking in a specific neurological condition, with research partnerships and donor-driven funding — though focused on Alzheimer's rather than autism.
• Brain & Behavior Research Foundation: Major nonprofit that funds research grants across psychiatric and neurological conditions including autism. Comparable as a research grantmaking foundation that funds investigator-initiated studies and awards grants to translational scientists in mental health and neurodevelopment.
• Autism Research Institute: Long-standing autism research and education nonprofit that funds and disseminates research to families. Comparable because it operates a research funding and community education model in autism; BRAIN differentiates via translational focus and FDA approval orientation.
• Autism Science Foundation: 501(c)(3) that funds autism research and provides grants to investigators. Directly comparable to BRAIN as a research-focused grantmaker, though BRAIN's translational/industry-bridging model and Synchrony conference differentiate it from ASF's more basic-science orientation.
• Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI): Majorly-funded research initiative dedicated to autism and neurodevelopmental disorders. Highly comparable because both organizations fund translational autism research and convene investigators; SFARI has a far larger endowment but follows a similar grantmaking model for ASD science.
• Every Cure: Nonprofit co-founded by Dr. David Fajgenbaum dedicated to identifying new uses for existing FDA-approved drugs. Directly comparable because BRAIN is a core partner and Every Cure's mission to repurpose approved drugs for autism is central to BRAIN's translational strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheBRAINFoundationOrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/brainfoundationorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-brain-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The BRAIN Foundation