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The Friends of BrainHealth awarded more than $466,000 in 2026 to six projects studying dementia risk, early brain changes, resilience, metabolic health and caregiver well-being. The early-stage funding is intended to help Center for BrainHealth researchers build evidence and compete for larger Texas state grants; it does not establish that the projects’ approaches work.
The Friends of BrainHealth donor circle awarded more than $466,000 in 2026 funding for research into dementia risk, early brain changes, cognitive resilience, metabolic health and caregiver well-being. The awards, recognized at a September 28 luncheon, are intended to give Center for BrainHealth researchers early support as they develop projects that could compete for larger grants from the state’s Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.
The program recognized six projects at the Ramona Jones Friends of BrainHealth Scientist Selection Luncheon at Dallas Country Club. Three finalists also competed for an additional emerging-scientist award in a live audience vote; Christine Dugas received the audience-choice award for a study of retinal and neuronal health as possible indicators related to dementia risk.
The funded work covers several different research questions. Zhengsi Chang and Ziwei Zhang will study biomarker patterns associated with cognitive resilience in Alzheimer’s disease, while Francesca Filbey’s project will examine brain resilience and metabolic health in the context of GLP-1-based therapy. Dan Krawczyk will investigate a light-guided training intervention intended to support brain health and reduce dementia risk.
Three other projects focus on measurement, risk profiles and caregiving. Mary Glen will examine the reliability and validity of the BrainHealth Index for tracking early changes; Gayathri Maruthy will study dementia risk and resilience profiles using eight determinants; and Ashley Campos and Stephanie Rodriguez will test a mindfulness-based approach to caregiver well-being. These are research aims, not findings: the source report does not provide results from the funded studies.
Seed Funding Aims at Larger Texas Grants
The awards matter because they provide early-stage support for research that may need more evidence before it can be expanded or tested at greater scale. The organization says the 2026 grants are meant to help investigators build a scientific foundation for applications to the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, which offers the possibility of substantially larger state funding.
That potential connection is not the same as a state grant award. The source report describes a pathway for researchers to compete for future funding, but does not say that any of these projects have already received DPRIT support or will receive it. For people concerned about dementia, the projects address questions ranging from early detection to caregiver support, but their practical value will depend on the research and subsequent validation.
The awards also spread support across several stages and areas of investigation, including work by emerging scientists and established principal investigators. The donor circle reported that its supporters invested more than $466,000 this year; its grants can help researchers test ideas before seeking broader backing.
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A Donor Circle’s Research Record
Friends of BrainHealth has operated for nearly 20 years. According to the News-Medical report, it has raised $6 million and awarded 69 seedling grants since it began, supporting early research at the Center for BrainHealth. The group’s model is to use philanthropic funding to help investigators develop promising ideas and build evidence that could support further research.
The 2026 program added a Visionary Scientist category alongside its Emerging Scientists awards. Three visionary awards went to projects led by Chang and Zhang, Filbey, and Krawczyk. The other awards supported emerging-scientist projects, including Dugas’s audience-choice project. The September 28 event paired recognition of the selected work with a live competition among finalists, continuing the donor circle’s approach of involving supporters in the selection process.
The report frames the new state funding opportunity as a reason the seed grants may have added importance this year. It provides no details on DPRIT application deadlines, award criteria or how much funding might be available to these specific investigators.
“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
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Research Results Are Still Pending
The projects are described as studies that will investigate or test particular questions. The source report provides no results, participant details, study timelines or outcome measures for the new work, so it is not possible to say whether the approaches will improve detection, reduce dementia risk or benefit caregivers.
It is also unclear which projects will apply for DPRIT grants, when applications may be submitted, or whether any will receive state funding. The report describes the awards as helping researchers become better positioned to compete; it does not confirm a state grant decision or guarantee that the projects will advance beyond this seed funding.
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Studies and Grant Applications Ahead
Researchers will carry out the projects outlined in their award descriptions, including studies of the BrainHealth Index, risk and resilience profiles, metabolic health, caregiver well-being and retinal measures. The source report does not give project start dates, recruitment plans or publication schedules, so the timing of results is not yet known.
A further milestone could be applications to DPRIT for larger-scale support. No application dates or funding decisions were announced in the report. The next evidence readers can assess will come from study updates and any subsequent grant announcements, rather than from the awards themselves.
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Key Questions
How much did Friends of BrainHealth award in 2026?
The donor circle said supporters invested more than $466,000 in this year’s brain health and dementia-prevention research awards.
How many projects received awards?
The report says six projects were recognized at the September 28 luncheon. Three finalists competed for an additional emerging-scientist award through a live audience vote, which went to Christine Dugas.
What topics will the funded studies examine?
The projects cover early brain changes, dementia risk and resilience, Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers, metabolic health and GLP-1-based therapy, light-guided training, caregiver well-being, and possible retinal measures related to dementia risk.
Have the projects been shown to prevent dementia?
No. The awards fund research questions and proposed studies; the report does not provide results showing that any project prevents dementia or improves diagnosis or care.
Does the funding guarantee larger state grants?
No. Friends of BrainHealth says the seed funding may help researchers build evidence and compete for grants from DPRIT. The report does not confirm applications, awards or guaranteed future funding.
Source: rss
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