The Mcknight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience
Historical FunderMinneapolis, Minnesota · EIN 41-1563321 · Private foundation · Website
Grants paid (2024)$3.4M
Organizations funded45
Typical grant$75,000
Total assets$20K
Half of its grants to organizations were between $75,000 and $100,000.
From the return
How to apply
The foundation filed the following application information (Form 990-PF Part XV, tax year 2024):
| Contact | MEFN Selection Committee |
|---|---|
| Address | 921 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis MN 554151257 |
| Phone | 6123334220 |
| neuro@mcknight.org | |
| Form and materials | SEE SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION |
| Deadlines | SEE SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION |
| Restrictions | See Supplemental Information |
Copied as filed. Deadlines on a tax return describe the foundation's usual process; they are not confirmation of a current open cycle.
What it funds
Share of grant lines on the latest return, classified from the purpose each grant states.
Where it gives
100% of grants went outside Minnesota.
Grants paid in tax year 2024
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern University | Chicago, IL | Funds Transferred from Van Andel. Regulation mechanism of thermosensitive receptors in nervous system. Principal Investigator: Juan Du,… | $110,310 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | Investigating Circuits and Mechanisms that Support Long-Lasting Recovery of Movement in Dopamine Depleted Mice. Principal Investigator:… | $100,000 |
| Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center | Seattle, WA | Adipocyte-brain mitochondrial signaling and its impacts on brain function. Principal Investigator: Akhila Rajan,Ph.D. | $100,000 |
| Mass General Brigham Incorporated | Boston, MA | The Neurobiology of Glioma: Understanding Malignant Neural Circuits Instructing Tumor Growth. Principal Investigator: Humsa Venkatesh,Ph.D. | $100,000 |
| Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine | Chicago, IL | Dissecting the Gut-brain Dynamics Underlying Anorexia. Principal Investigator: Lisa Beutler | $100,000 |
| Regents of the University of California | Berkeley, CA | Neurotensin mediated regulation of hedonic feeding behavior and obesity. Principal Investigator: Stephan Lammel Ph.D. | $100,000 |
| Regents of the University of California | Los Angeles, CA | Characterizing the Context: The Role of the Microenvironment in Shaping Human Glioblastoma. Principal Investigators: Aparna Bhaduri, Ph.D.… | $100,000 |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | In vivo Reprogramming of Astrocytes into Neurons for Treating Parkinson's Disease. Principal Investigator: Thanh Hoang, Ph.D. | $100,000 |
| St Jude Children's Research Hospital | Memphis, TN | Identifying Brain Circuits that Connect Respiration and Cognitive State. Principal Investigator: Lindsey Schwarz | $100,000 |
| Stanford University School of Medicine | Palo Alto, CA | Neuron-to-OPC synapses in adaptive and maladaptive myelination. Principal Investigator: Juliet K. Knowles, MD, PhD | $100,000 |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, AL | Leveraging Single-cell Epigenomics for Targeted Manipulation of Drug-activated Ensemble. Principal Investigator: Jeremy Day & Ian Maze | $100,000 |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | Virus-Like Intercellular Transmission of Tau in Alzheimer's Disease. Principal Investigator: Jason Shepherd, Ph.D. | $100,000 |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | Mechanism and functions of repeat expansion self-exonization in C9orf72 ALS/FTD. Principal Investigator: Junjie Guo, Ph.D. | $100,000 |
| Albert Einstein College of Medicine | New York, NY | Unravelling the mechanisms of synapse development, from molecules to behavior. Principal Investigator: Dr. Peri Kurshan | $75,000 |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY | Skin-brain axis for rewarding touch behaviors. Principal Investigator: Dr. Ishmail Abdus-Saboor | $75,000 |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY | Neural Mechanisms of Courtship and Monogamy. Principal Investigator: Dr. Vikram Gadagkar | $75,000 |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY | Cortical circuits for perceiving visual form. Principal Investigator: Dr. Yasmine El-Shamayleh | $75,000 |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY | Molecular Mechanisms of Intergenerational Memory. Principal Investigator: Bianca Jones Marlin, Ph.D. | $75,000 |
| Harvard Medical School | Boston, MA | Multiscale Neural Network Models to Infer Functional Motifs in the Brain. Principal Investigator: Kanaka Rajan, Ph.D. | $75,000 |
| Mass General Brigham Incorporated | Boston, MA | Development, Function, and Dysfunction of Somatosensory and Viscerosensory Systems in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Principal Investigator:… | $75,000 |
| Max Planck Florida Corporation | Jupiter, FL | Synaptic mechanisms and network dynamics underlying motor learning. Principal Investigator: Dr. Hidehiko Inagaki | $75,000 |
| New York University | New York, NY | Neural Circuit Mechanisms of Inference. Principal Investigator: Christine Constantinople, Ph.D | $75,000 |
| New York University | New York, NY | Modulation of striatal cells and synapses by dopamine movement signals. Principal Investigator: Dr. Tanya Sippy | $75,000 |
| Oregon Health & Science University | Portland, OR | Mechanosensation for guiding cellular morphology. Principal Investigator: Dr. Swetha Murthy | $75,000 |
| Regents of the University of California | Berkeley, CA | Evolution of neural diversity and patterning in the visual system. Principal Investigator: Dr. Karthik Shekhar | $75,000 |
| Regents of the University of California | Berkeley, CA | Illuminating Oxytocin Signaling in the Brain with Near-Infrared Fluorescent Nanosensors. Principal Investigator: Markita Landry, Ph.D. | $75,000 |
| Regents of the University of California | Berkeley, CA | The Molecular Basis of Psychedelic-Induced Plasticity. Principal Investigator: Andrea Gomez, Ph.D. | $75,000 |
| Regents of the University of California | Santa Barbara, CA | Neural Representation of The World During Navigation. Principal Investigator: Sung Soo Kim, Ph.D. | $75,000 |
| Scripps Research Institute | La Jolla, CA | Neural Population Dynamics Mediating the Balance of Competing Survival Needs. Principal Investigator: Ann Kennedy, Ph.D. | $75,000 |
| Scripps Research Institute | La Jolla, CA | In vivo Neurogenomics at Scale. Principal Investigator: Xin Jin, Ph.D. | $75,000 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | Stanford, CA | Machine Learning Methods for Discovering Structure in Neural and Behavioral Data. Principal Investigator: Dr. Scott Linderman | $75,000 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | Stanford, CA | How Does 3D Genome Architecture Shape the Development and Aging of the Brain?. Principal Investigator: Longzhi Tan, Ph.D. | $75,000 |
| Trustees of Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | Proportional-Integral Feedback in a Biological 'Gyroscope'. Principal Investigator: Bradley Dickerson, Ph.D. | $75,000 |
| Trustees of Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | Computational Neuroendocrinology: Linking Hormone-Mediated Transcription to Complex Behavior Through Neural Dynamics. Principal… | $75,000 |
| University of Florida | Gainesville, FL | Neural Mechanisms of Shifts Between Social Competition and Cooperation. Principal Investigator: Nancy Padilla-Coreano, Ph.D. | $75,000 |
| University of New Mexico | Albuquerque, NM | Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Neural Diversity: From Stem Cells to Circuits. Principal Investigator: Mubarak Hussain Syed, Ph.D. | $75,000 |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | Neuropeptidergic Cortical Control of Social Isolation. Principal Investigator: Dr. Moriel Zelikowsky | $75,000 |
| UT Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas, TX | Understanding the Construction and Function of Glycinergic Post-Synaptic Assemblies. Principal Investigator: Weiwei Wang, Ph.D. | $75,000 |
| Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research | Cambridge, MA | Molecular Anatomy of Hibernation Circuits. Principal Investigator: Sinisa Hrvatin, Ph.D. | $75,000 |
| New York University Grossman School of Medicine | New York, NY | McKnight Pecot Fellowship 2024. Principal Investigator: Buyong Kim | $16,500 |
| Regents of the University of Colorado | Aurora, CO | McKnight Pecot Fellowship 2024. Principal Investigator: Princesa Herrera | $16,500 |
| Salk Institute for Biological Studies | La Jolla, CA | McKnight Pecot Fellowship 2024. Principal Investigator: Bianca Frias | $16,500 |
| Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY | McKnight Pecot Fellowship 2024. Principal Investigator: Liliana Germain | $16,500 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | Stanford, CA | McKnight Pecot Fellowship 2024. Principal Investigator: Jailah Mitchell | $16,500 |
| Trustees of Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | McKnight Pecot Fellowship 2024. Principal Investigator: Alana Ferguson | $16,500 |
Grants approved for future payment
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | Investigating Circuits and Mechanisms that Support Long-Lasting Recovery of Movement in Dopamine Depleted Mice. Principal Investigator:… | $300,000 |
| Regents of the University of California | Los Angeles, CA | Characterizing the Context: The Role of the Microenvironment in Shaping Human Glioblastoma. Principal Investigators: Aparna Bhaduri, Ph.D.… | $300,000 |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | In vivo Reprogramming of Astrocytes into Neurons for Treating Parkinson's Disease. Principal Investigator: Thanh Hoang, Ph.D. | $300,000 |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | Virus-Like Intercellular Transmission of Tau in Alzheimer's Disease. Principal Investigator: Jason Shepherd, Ph.D. | $300,000 |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY | Molecular Mechanisms of Intergenerational Memory. Principal Investigator: Bianca Jones Marlin, Ph.D. | $150,000 |
| Regents of the University of California | Berkeley, CA | The Molecular Basis of Psychedelic-Induced Plasticity. Principal Investigator: Andrea Gomez, Ph.D. | $150,000 |
| Regents of the University of California | Santa Barbara, CA | Neural Representation of The World During Navigation. Principal Investigator: Sung Soo Kim, Ph.D. | $150,000 |
| Scripps Research Institute | La Jolla, CA | Neural Population Dynamics Mediating the Balance of Competing Survival Needs. Principal Investigator: Ann Kennedy, Ph.D. | $150,000 |
| Scripps Research Institute | La Jolla, CA | In vivo Neurogenomics at Scale. Principal Investigator: Xin Jin, Ph.D. | $150,000 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | Stanford, CA | How Does 3D Genome Architecture Shape the Development and Aging of the Brain?. Principal Investigator: Longzhi Tan, Ph.D. | $150,000 |
| Trustees of Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | Computational Neuroendocrinology: Linking Hormone-Mediated Transcription to Complex Behavior Through Neural Dynamics. Principal… | $150,000 |
| University of Florida | Gainesville, FL | Neural Mechanisms of Shifts Between Social Competition and Cooperation. Principal Investigator: Nancy Padilla-Coreano, Ph.D. | $150,000 |
| University of New Mexico | Albuquerque, NM | Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Neural Diversity: From Stem Cells to Circuits. Principal Investigator: Mubarak Hussain Syed, Ph.D. | $150,000 |
| Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research | Cambridge, MA | Molecular Anatomy of Hibernation Circuits. Principal Investigator: Sinisa Hrvatin, Ph.D. | $150,000 |
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants paid | Grant lines |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,359,310 | 59 |
| 2023 | $3,207,413 | 56 |
Sources
- IRS Form 990-PF, tax year 2024, filed Nov 14, 2025 - IRS e-file batch, object ID 202543189349104774
- IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search for EIN 41-1563321
- Profile updated Nov 5, 2026
Facts on this page come from the foundation's own IRS Form 990-PF filings as published by the IRS. Grantvello does not know whether a foundation is accepting proposals right now: a past grant is not an open opportunity. Always confirm current guidelines with the funder before applying.