Dystonia Medical Research Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation backs research into the causes, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of movement disorders.
IP TAKE: This is an approachable funder, especially for young researchers just getting their careers underway. While investigators will not find a ton of money here, backing from this foundation is a good start to getting feet in the door with other funders. This foundation is also particularly responsive, requesting that potential grant seekers contact it for more information. It posts RFPs occassionally, so check the site often or contact the foundation to learn when this may occur since opportunities vary. While it does not accept unsolicited applications on a rolling basis, it does so on occasion.
PROFILE: The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation (DMRF) was founded in 1976 by Samuel and Frances Belzberg. As the name of the foundation indicates, it is dedicated to funding “research related to the causes, mechanisms, prevention, and treatment of all dystonias.” Dystonia describes a wide range of movement disorders that may affect different areas of the body. DMRF's mission is to advance research for treatments and a cure, and also to promote awareness of the multiple forms of dystonia and movement disorders.
Grants for Diseases and Science Research
All of the DMRF’s grants center on addressing dystonia at the research or fellowship levels. DMRF funds science research through two programs, Dystonia Coalition Research Funding and Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program. The foundation also offers a separate fellowship program:
For the Dystonia Coalition Research Funding program, grant seekers must redirect their search for funding directly through the Coalition’s website, rather than DMRF’s. Contact Gamze Kilic-Berkmen at dystoniacoalition@emory.edu for more information about this funding program.
Past projects include “the creation of important cell and animal models,” pursuing “potential new drug targets,” collecting “data on specific proteins,” and better understanding “specific neurons and pathways in the brain associated with dystonia.”
The DoD Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program is vague about funding details, requesting grant seekers to contact DMRF directly.
DMRF’s grant and fellowship funding supports scientists from all over the world. It provides “relatively small grants to investigators that allow them to do the preliminary work necessary to be eligible for larger grants from agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH).”
DMRF is open to funding projects that have difficulty finding support elsewhere, especially “riskier, more cutting-edge investigations that the NIH is less inclined to fund.”
DMRF also operates a Clinical Fellow Training program, sponsoring one-year, clinical fellowships for second-year physician fellows. The focus of the fellowship is diagnosis and treatment of movement disorders with an emphasis on dystonia. The fellowships are made in partnership with Merz Pharmaceuticals and the Allergan Foundation.
Important Grant Details:
To get an idea of what sort of research DMRF supports, have a look at their list of current projects. DMRF accepts investigator proposals throughout the year, and also periodically releases directed Requests for Applications.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
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