Who funds dementia research?

We count 310 funded dementia projects, active between 2022 and 2034, from 5 funders. The most came from NIH · NIA (174 projects), Wellcome (39 projects) and NIH · NINDS (28 projects). The median award is $4M, across the 288 of 310 projects that list an amount.

Funded projects

310

Funders

5

Median award

$4M

Open calls now

11

Top funders of dementia research

Projects whose title or summary mentions dementia. Median award: of the projects that list an amount, in US dollars; “—” when fewer than 3 do.

Open dementia funding calls

11 open calls mention dementia today.

• Seamless Early-Stage Clinical Drug Development (Phase 1 to 2a) for Novel therapeutic Agents for the Spectrum of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and AD-related Dementias (ADRD) (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required)
  National Institutes of HealthNot specifiedDeadline: November 19, 2026 ·
• Scientists Pursuing Alzheimer's/Related Dementias Research in Kentucky (SPARK) Program
  Alzheimer's AssociationNot specifiedDeadline: February 2, 2027 ·
• Improving socio-economic outcomes for persons with dementia and informal caregivers
  European Commission · Horizon EuropeUp to €3,200,000Deadline: May 4, 2027 ·
• Translational Bioinformatics and Experimental Approaches to Advance Drug Repositioning and Combination Therapy Development for Alzheimers Disease and Related Dementias (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  National Institutes of HealthUp to $1,000,000Deadline: May 7, 2028 ·
  Real odds: About 1 in 8 funded (13% · NIH R01-equivalent grants, all NIH institutes, FY2025)
• Bridge Funding for Disrupted Neurodegenerative Research Grant Program (BFDN): Powering the Next Generation of Research
  Alzheimer's AssociationNot specifiedDeadline: October 30, 2026 ·
• BRING IT: Brain Research & Innovation Network – Grant Initiative of Texas
  Alzheimer's AssociationNot specifiedDeadline: November 13, 2026 ·
• Zenith Fellows Award Program (ZENITH)
  Alzheimer's AssociationNot specifiedDeadline: March 30, 2027 ·
• NIA Academic Leadership Career Award (K07 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  National Institutes of HealthNot specifiedDeadline: November 12, 2027 ·
• Alzheimer's Association Funding Program for Global Real-World Data Programs (ALZ-RWD)
  Alzheimer's AssociationNot specifiedDeadline: Not listed
• Alzheimer’s Association World Wide FINGERS Network Funding Program (ALZ WW-FNFP)
  Alzheimer's AssociationNot specifiedDeadline: Not listed
• Large-Scale Science Transition Funding Program (LSSTF)
  Alzheimer's AssociationNot specifiedDeadline: Not listed

Real odds

• About 1 in 8 funded · 13% · NIH R01-equivalent grants, all NIH institutes, FY2025 · NIH Data Book, report 29

Published success rates for the programs behind the open calls above: the share of applications the funder funded, program-wide, not for this topic.

Forecast: announced, not open yet

6 forecast calls on dementia. Funders publish forecasts before a call opens; you can't apply to these yet, and dates can change.

• ForecastFunctional Target Validation for Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias
  National Institutes of HealthNot specifiedExpected to open May 5, 2026
• ForecastAlheimer's Disease Programs Initiative (ADPI) - State Programs for Dementia Specific Respite
  Administration for Community Living$500,000 – $4,000,000Expected to open March 1, 2027
• ForecastAlzheimer's Disease Programs Initiative (ADPI) - Dementia Capability in Indian Country
  Administration for Community Living$200,000 – $300,000Expected to open March 1, 2027
• ForecastAlzheimer's Disease Programs Initiative (ADPI) - Developing Dementia-Capable Community Health Worker Programs in the National Aging Network
  Administration for Community Living$200,000 – $250,000Expected to open March 4, 2027
• ForecastGenomic and Biologic Therapies for ADRD (U01 Clinical Trial Optional)
  National Institutes of HealthNot specifiedExpected to open July 1, 2026
• ForecastAlzheimer's Disease Programs Initiative (ADPI) - States and Community Grants
  Administration for Community Living$850,000 – $1,000,000Expected to open March 1, 2027

Funded dementia projects

A sample, latest start first, at most three per program.

• Seeing inside the brain: the in-tissue structure of living and postmortem Alzheimer’s disease human donor brain by high-resolution cryo-electron tomography.
  Wellcome · £4,800,000 · ends 2034
• Valuing Vanishing Voices: creating empowerment and inclusion in health economics
  Wellcome · £4,038,930 · ends 2034
• Does menopause enhance Alzheimer’s Disease risk by exacerbating vascular dysfunction?
  Wellcome · £1,686,636 · ends 2033
• Amyloid clearing therapy in dementia with Lewy bodies plus Alzheimers disease (ACT DLB+)
  NIH · NINDS · $4,161,896 · ends 2033
• TARGET-AD: A Precision Medicine Framework for Alzheimer’s Disease
  NIH · NIA · $8,231,369 · ends 2031
• Healthy Aging and Senile Dementia
  NIH · NIA · $6,374,287 · ends 2031
• Penn Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC)
  NIH · NIA · $4,649,633 · ends 2031
• CAREER: Advancing Precision Biomimetic Nanodelivery for Neurovascular Inflammation
  NSF · ENG · $561,273 · ends 2031
• ICF Understanding the link between sleep and Alzheimer’s
  UKRI · MRC · £4,326,301 · ends 2030
• Understanding Cohort Effects on Stroke, VCID, and Cognition After Major Epidemiologic Transitions
  NIH · NINDS · $8,061,151 · ends 2029

How we count

Funded projects come from public award records (NIH RePORTER, NSF, EU CORDIS, UKRI Gateway to Research, Wellcome, the Gates Foundation, DOE, NASA and USDA NIFA) whose title or summary matches “dementia”. NIH lists each budget year separately; one project counts once. Amounts are as the funder lists them; medians use only projects that list one, in US dollars. Open calls and forecasts are from our listings of October 28, 2026. A project can mention a topic without being mainly about it, so treat the counts as a guide to who funds the area.