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Friends of BrainHealth awarded six research grants at a September 28 event and invited attendees to choose a seventh project through a live vote. The awards span early brain-change detection, dementia risk and resilience, caregiver well-being, metabolic health and Alzheimer’s disease; organizers say the seed funding could help researchers compete for larger Texas grants.
The Friends of BrainHealth donor circle awarded grants to six research projects and held a live audience vote for a seventh at its September 28, 2026, luncheon in Dallas, backing early-stage work on brain health, dementia risk and caregiver well-being. The awards are intended to help Center for BrainHealth researchers develop projects that may later compete for larger grants from the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT).
The projects cover several parts of dementia and brain health research, from investigating early changes in the brain to studying resilience, metabolic health and support for dementia caregivers. The six recognized projects include three in a new Visionary Scientist category and three Emerging Scientist awards; a seventh Emerging Scientist award went to the project selected by audience vote. The report does not state the grant amount for each project.
The Visionary Scientist awardees are Zhengsi Chang and Ziwei Zhang, whose project will investigate biomarkers linked to cognitive resilience across different courses of Alzheimer’s disease; Francesca Filbey, who will study brain resilience and metabolic health in a longitudinal neuroimaging project involving GLP-1-based therapy; and Dan Krawczyk, whose project will examine a light-guided training intervention intended to improve brain health and reduce dementia risk.
The Emerging Scientist projects include work by Mary Glen on the reliability and validity of the BrainHealth Index for monitoring early brain changes, and by Gayathri Maruthy on dementia risk and resilience profiles using eight determinants. Ashley Campos and Stephanie Rodriguez will test a mindfulness-based approach aimed at improving dementia caregivers’ well-being. The audience-choice award went to Christine Dugas for a study of links between retinal vascular health, neuronal health and dementia risk factors.
Seed Grants and Larger Texas Research
The immediate significance is the breadth of research receiving early support, alongside the awards’ stated role as a possible stepping stone to larger funding. The donor circle says its grants are meant to let researchers test ideas and build evidence that could support applications to DPRIT for multimillion-dollar state grants. That is a funding pathway described by the organizers, not a guarantee that any project will receive subsequent funding.
The funded topics reflect different questions about dementia prevention and brain health. Some projects focus on identifying changes and risk earlier; others examine cognitive resilience, metabolic health or caregiver well-being. The range may help researchers develop evidence across multiple aspects of brain health, although the awards alone do not establish that any approach prevents dementia or improves health outcomes.
For Texas research, the connection to DPRIT could make these awards relevant beyond the initial projects. The institute is presented in the report as a source of larger state funding over the coming decade. Whether the seed-funded work will lead to successful applications, expanded studies or changes in care remains to be seen.
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A Donor Circle’s Research Record
Friends of BrainHealth has supported early-stage brain research for nearly 20 years. The donor circle reports that it has raised $6 million and awarded 69 seedling grants since it began. It describes the grants as early philanthropic support intended to help scientists test promising ideas and develop evidence for further research.
The 2026 program introduced a Visionary Scientist category alongside its Emerging Scientist awards, extending funding to seasoned principal investigators as well as emerging researchers. The awards were presented at the Ramona Jones Friends of BrainHealth Scientist Selection Luncheon at Dallas Country Club. Three finalists also competed for the audience-choice award in a live, “Shark Tank”-style vote, continuing the group’s practice of involving donors in the selection event.
Campaign co-chair Andy Walsh said the community invested more than $466,000 in innovative brain health and dementia-prevention research this year. That figure refers to the community’s investment as described by Walsh; the source does not break it down by project or specify how much each award recipient will receive.
“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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Award Amounts and Research Outcomes
The report does not list individual grant amounts, project timelines, planned enrollment or detailed methods for the studies. It also does not specify when DPRIT grant applications will open, what requirements researchers must meet or whether any of these projects will receive state funding. The possible link between the seed awards and later multimillion-dollar grants is an intended opportunity, not a confirmed outcome.
As the projects are research proposals, their stated aims should not be read as proven benefits. The source provides no study results showing that the BrainHealth Index detects dementia, that the proposed interventions lower dementia risk, or that the caregiver approach improves well-being. Those questions will depend on the research and its findings.
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Studies Move Toward Testing
The funded researchers are expected to carry out the projects described in their award proposals. The next developments to watch are further details on study methods and timelines, followed by results as the work proceeds. Researchers may also seek larger DPRIT grants, but no applications, awards or dates for that process were confirmed in the source report.
Friends of BrainHealth’s stated goal is for seed funding to help establish a scientific basis for broader translational research. Whether that happens will depend on the projects’ progress, the evidence they produce and the availability of subsequent funding.
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Key Questions
How many projects received Friends of BrainHealth awards in 2026?
Seven projects were recognized in total: six awardees announced at the luncheon and one additional project selected through a live audience vote.
What research areas are covered by the awards?
The projects address early brain changes, dementia risk and resilience, Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic health, caregiver well-being and possible approaches to brain health training.
How much money was invested in the 2026 awards?
Campaign co-chair Andy Walsh said supporters invested more than $466,000 in research this year. The report does not state the amount of each individual award.
Do the grants mean the projects will receive larger Texas funding?
No. The awards are intended to help researchers build a basis for competing for larger grants from DPRIT, but the source does not confirm future applications or funding decisions.
When were the awards announced?
The projects were recognized at the Ramona Jones Friends of BrainHealth Scientist Selection Luncheon on September 28, 2026, in Dallas.
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