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The Friends of BrainHealth awarded grants to six research projects on brain health and dementia prevention, with a seventh award selected by audience vote. The awards provide early funding intended to help Center for BrainHealth researchers build evidence and compete for larger Texas state grants.
The Friends of BrainHealth donor circle has awarded funding to six research projects examining dementia risk, brain resilience and caregiver well-being, while an audience vote selected a seventh project for support. Announced at a September 28 luncheon, the 2026 awards are intended to give Center for BrainHealth researchers early backing as they develop work that could compete for larger grants from the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.
The projects cover research at several stages, from identifying early changes in brain health to studying dementia risk factors and testing approaches to support caregivers. Three awards went to established principal investigators in a new Visionary Scientist category; the other projects were recognized in the Emerging Scientists category. The source report does not disclose the amount allocated to each project.
Visionary Scientist awards went to Zhengsi Chang and Ziwei Zhang for a study of biomarkers and cognitive resilience in Alzheimer’s disease; Francesca Filbey for longitudinal neuroimaging research on metabolic health and GLP-1-based therapy; and Dan Krawczyk for a light-guided training intervention designed to improve brain health and reduce dementia risk. These are proposed research topics, not reported findings or demonstrated benefits.
Emerging Scientist awards supported Mary Glen’s work on the reliability and validity of the BrainHealth Index for monitoring early changes; Gayathri Maruthy’s study of dementia risk and resilience profiles; and Ashley Campos and Stephanie Rodriguez’s planned test of a mindfulness-based approach for dementia caregivers. Christine Dugas received the audience-choice award for a study exploring whether retinal vascular and neuronal health measures relate to dementia risk factors.
Seed Funding Aims for Larger Texas Grants
The awards matter because they are positioned as early-stage support for projects that may later seek much larger public funding. The report says the emergence of the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas creates an opportunity for researchers to build evidence before pursuing multimillion-dollar state grants. It does not say that any of the award recipients have secured DPRIT funding.
For researchers, seed grants can support the initial testing and development needed to make a future proposal more competitive. For people affected by dementia and their families, the topics address concerns that range from earlier detection and risk assessment to caregiver well-being. However, the projects are research efforts: the announcement provides no results showing that any intervention prevents dementia or improves health outcomes.
The awards also bring donors into the selection process. Three finalists competed for an additional award through a live audience vote, extending the donor circle’s approach of pairing philanthropic support with direct engagement in research choices.
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A Two-Decade Philanthropic Program
Friends of BrainHealth has supported research for nearly 20 years. According to the News-Medical report, the donor circle has raised $6 million and awarded 69 seedling grants since it began. The 2026 funding expands the program to include a Visionary Scientist category alongside its Emerging Scientists awards.
The awards were recognized at the Ramona Jones Friends of BrainHealth Scientist Selection Luncheon at Dallas Country Club on September 28. The donor circle said supporters invested more than $466,000 in this year’s research. The report frames that money as a way to help researchers develop promising ideas and strengthen the basis for future, broader research.
“This year, our community of supporters invested more than $466,000 in innovative research focused on brain health and dementia prevention.”
— Andy Walsh, 2026 Friends of BrainHealth campaign co-chair
Funding Details and Study Results
The announcement does not state how much each recipient will receive, the projects’ timelines, or when findings are expected. It also does not specify the criteria or process researchers must meet to compete for DPRIT grants, or whether any of these projects will ultimately receive state funding.
Most importantly, the awards fund research plans, not established treatments or prevention methods. The source provides no study results showing that the proposed approaches reduce dementia risk, detect disease earlier, or improve caregiver outcomes. The audience-choice project’s award amount is also not reported.
Research Moves Toward Testing
The recipients are expected to carry out the studies described in their proposals, including work on biomarkers, brain imaging, risk profiles, caregiver support and the eye-brain connection. The report does not provide start dates, enrollment details or a schedule for public updates, so the next research milestones remain unspecified.
Researchers may use findings from this early work to support future funding applications, including potential proposals to DPRIT. Whether that leads to larger grants or broader studies will depend on the research results and subsequent funding decisions.
Key Questions
How many projects received 2026 Friends of BrainHealth awards?
Seven projects were recognized: six award recipients and one additional project selected through a live audience vote.
What areas of research are the awards supporting?
The projects address early brain changes, dementia risk and resilience, Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic health, caregiver well-being and possible eye-brain links to dementia risk.
Have the projects shown that their approaches prevent dementia?
No. The awards support proposed studies. The announcement reports no results demonstrating prevention or treatment effects.
Will the recipients receive DPRIT grants?
That has not been announced. The seed funding is intended to help researchers build a foundation for competing for larger Texas state grants, but future awards are not confirmed.
Source: rss
