Funding Opportunities

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The purpose of the program is to support projects that generate novel and practical applications of existing research evidence to enhance the mental health and emotional well-being of older persons (60+), including those living with dementia, cognitive decline, or other neurological conditions, as well as their care partners (family caregivers and formal care providers).

Supporting the mental health of older persons encompasses multiple and intersecting areas of mental health across aging, including the mental health needs of individuals experiencing changes in mood, behaviour, or psychological well-being related to dementia or other neurological conditions. Areas of focus may include, but are not limited to:
- Supporting early identification and response to mental health needs in older persons, including mood, anxiety, behavioural, or psychological changes associated with dementia, cognitive decline, or neurological disease.
- Advancing preventive, promotive, and supportive approaches that maintain or enhance mental health and quality of life in older age, including psychosocial, community-based, and care-integrated supports.
- Protecting and strengthening the mental health and well-being of care partners, including family caregivers and formal care providers supporting older persons. Funded projects will address a critical barrier to the real-world adoption of transformative mental health innovations for older persons by catalyzing change among policymakers, practitioners such as health care providers, caregivers, and individuals who experience the downstream effects of policies and practices.
Brain Canada, through the Canada Brain Research Fund, in partnership with the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), have jointly allocated $300,000 CAD to this funding opportunity to support up to four grants for one (1) year, non-renewable. Project budgets must total $100,000 CAD, with applicants required to secure 25% of the funding from eligible sponsors.

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Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship for All (AARFA)
This program is designed to nurture the next generation of scientists by providing funding to postdoctoral researchers who have completed their doctoral training and are actively working in Alzheimer’s or dementia-related research under the mentorship of established investigators. It aims to facilitate the transition of postdoctoral fellows toward becoming independent researchers, equipped to lead their own innovative studies in the field of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
View the full Request for Applications
Alzheimer’s Association Research Grant For All (AARGA)
This program aims to fund early-career investigators who have been in the position of Assistant Professor or the equivalent for no more than seven (7) years. The purpose of this program is to provide newly independent investigators with funding that will allow them to develop preliminary or pilot data, to test procedures and to develop hypotheses.
View the full Request for Applications
Alzheimer’s Association Clinician Scientist Fellowship for All (AACSFA)
This program is designed to support the training of clinician scientists in Alzheimer's and all other dementias. For the purpose of this program, a clinician scientist is defined as an individual already trained, licensed and practicing in a clinical field that includes patient contact (e.g., neurology, psychiatry, geriatrics, psychology) or patient-related diagnostic studies (e.g., neuropathology and radiology).
View the full Request for Applications

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The Amazing Brain Science Talks will take place on Saturday, November 14, 2026, in Ottawa.

This opportunity is open to independent researchers at eligible Canadian institutions that have been awarded Brain Canada funding (either currently or in the past) and/or are affiliated with the Brain-Heart Interconnectome, the uOttawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, or The Royal.

Content of the talk is open to the applicant’s discretion but must be:
- On a topic related to their own brain-health-based research;
- Consistent with what is described in the submitted Application Form and Video Submission;
- Of general interest to a public audience.
Evidence clearly shows that increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in research environments enhances excellence, innovation and creativity. We are committed to excellence through equity and encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply to our funding opportunities, which will promote the expression of diverse perspectives, approaches, and experiences, including those of underrepresented groups.

Please note that the application for the Amazing Brain Science Talks includes an Application Form and a Video Submission.

Brain Canada is thrilled to partner with Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) to once again bring neurological conditions to the forefront and make brain health the focus of the 2026-27 Solutions Program.

Together with Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan, Lung Saskatchewan, and Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada, the Innovation and Impact Grants will support research to develop and implement innovative solutions that address real-world needs and fuels efforts to mobilize research into tangible benefits and sustainable impact for people in Saskatchewan and beyond.

An information webinar will take place on June 17, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. CST.

Register for the information webinar

Click here to view the Application Guidelines

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Applicants must select the grant opportunity according to alignment with the following objectives:
Innovation Grant:
Catalyzing new ideas and approaches to support innovative solutions that respond to focus area needs.

Impact Grant:
Advancing the translation of innovative solutions, supported by preliminary data, into real-world and practical applications that respond to focus area needs.

Overview of Focus Area - Brain Health

Brain Canada and SHRF have up to $1,400,000 CAD available for research into the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care of brain health conditions across the lifespan. Brain Health includes neurodevelopment, neurological disorders, mental illness, addictions, and brain and spinal cord injuries.

Proposed solutions must have the potential to impact brain health as reflected in the overall research goals, outcome measures, and future development plans.

To maximize potential for impact, teams should consider where possible how their research uses the ‘One Brain’ approach, considering the brain as a single, interconnected system with commonalities and potential for impact across a number of brain-related conditions.

Click here to view the Request for Applications.

Brain Canada is excited to support the Alzheimer’s Association on the Alzheimer’s Disease Strategic Fund: Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia 2026 - Understanding Mechanisms of Dysfunction (VCID-UMD).

In its second offering, the VCID-UMD grant program aims to fund concerted and collaborative efforts that will explore critical questions to advance our understanding of vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia and its contributions to Alzheimer’s Disease and related disorders (ADRD) pathogenesis by targeting scientific questions on how vascular contributions to cognitive impairment may intersect with immune, lipid and endolysosomal related functions to contribute to disease.

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The VCID-UMD 2026 Grant Program aims to fund concerted and collaborative efforts that will explore these questions to advance our understanding of ADRD. While multidisciplinary team approaches to addressing these complex scientific questions are welcome to apply, this award is structured as an individual research grant, with funding administered through the recipient’s institution and recipient’s institution will be expected to manage subcontractors with collaborators.
The Alzheimer's Association and Brain Canada Foundation are pleased to consider partnership for successful Canadian-led applications.

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The Accelerator Grants: Migraine Research program aims to support bold, innovative research that has the potential to drive new insights and improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies for migraine.
Migraine affects 12-14% of the global population, making it one of the most common neurological conditions worldwide and a leading cause of years lived with disability. In Canada, approximately 2.7 million people are diagnosed with migraine, while many more experience symptoms that remain undiagnosed. The condition disproportionately affects women, who are up to three times more likely to experience migraine than men.
It is anticipated that this funding will catalyze new insights and support the generation of preliminary data, tools, or interventions that can inform and enable new directions in the field. Projects must consider the influence of sex- and gender-related factors in the design, analysis, and evaluation of the research given the disproportionate impact of migraine on women.
This program has been made possible by the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada), Women’s Brain Health Initiative, and Brain Canada Foundation.

2026 Rising Stars Trainee Awards
This program aims to recognize the excellent research being conducted at Canadian institutions by graduate students (M.Sc., Ph.D.), postdoctoral fellows, and medical residents in all fields spanning neuroscience research. With the goal of helping trainees launch their academic careers and pursue their professional goals, the Rising Stars Trainee Awards aim to broaden the funding opportunities available to trainees and support their efforts to impact the future of brain research.
This year, Brain Canada is offering five award opportunities to trainees across Canada.
Stipend Award Opportunities
Rising Stars Awards in ALS Research
- Specific award eligibility: Eligible trainees must be conducting research in the field of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
- Amount of award: $10,000 CAD per award for one year, non-renewable.
- Anticipated number of awards: Up to six (6) awards.
Rising Stars Award in Mental Health Research, in memory of Vivian Distler
- Specific award eligibility: Eligible trainees must be conducting research on the neuroscience of mental illnesses and disorders. More specifically, they must be examining the fundamental mechanisms of mental illnesses and disorders in such a way that will enhance our knowledge on the nature, onset, and/or progression. Mental illness and disorders include, but are not limited to, substance use disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and schizophrenia
- Amount of award: $10,000 CAD per award for one year, non-renewable.
- Anticipated number of awards: Up to seven (7) awards.
Rising Stars Award in Brain Cancer Research
- Specific award eligibility: Eligible trainees must be conducting brain-related research in the field of brain cancer, with a focus on glioblastoma.
- Amount of award: $10,000 CAD per award for one year, non-renewable.
- Anticipated number of awards: Up to two (2) awards.
Rising Stars Award in Aging and Neurodegeneration
- Specific award eligibility: Eligible trainees must be conducting research in the field of Parkinson’s disease (PD). In alignment with the One Brain approach, which emphasizes how breakthroughs in one area can unlock insights across other conditions, trainees are encouraged to focus on aging-related mechanisms and factors that influence the risk, onset, and/or progression of PD (e.g., neuroinflammation, metabolism, comorbidities, etc.), including mechanisms and factors implicated in other neurological diseases that may provide insight into neurodegeneration.
- Amount of award: $10,000 CAD per award for one year, non-renewable.
- Anticipated number of awards: Up to four (4) awards.
Travel Award Opportunities
Dr. Hubert van Tol Travel Fellowship
- Specific award eligibility: Interested applicants are invited to consult the Request for Applications to learn more about the specific award eligibility of this travel award opportunity.
- Amount of award: Up to $2,500 CAD per award, non-renewable.
- Anticipated number of awards: Up to six (6) awards.
Alzheimer’s Association Health Services Research in Alzheimer’s disease and Related Disorders (HSR-ADRD) Program
View the Request for Applications.
Brain Canada is excited to support the Alzheimer’s Association on the Alzheimer’s Association Health Services Research in Alzheimer’s disease and Related Disorders (HSR-ADRD) Program .
The HSR-ADRD program is aimed at advancing health services research that ensures high-quality, equitable, and person-centered brain health and dementia care along the healthcare continuum, across communities and settings.
The Alzheimer’s Association and Brain Canada Foundation are pleased to consider partnership for successful Canadian-led applications. 
This program seeks proposals that utilize rigorous methodologies to advance understanding and improvement of cognitive impairment, including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) detection, diagnosis, and post-diagnostic care.  
This award is structured as an individual research grant, with funding administered through the recipient’s institution. Proposals should address one or more Areas of Focus. Areas of Focus represent high-priority research topics for which this program is actively seeking proposals and include:  
- The Value of Early Detection and Diagnosis: Studies should investigate outcomes associated with early detection and diagnosis on at least two levels of the dementia care ecosystem (i.e., individual/families, providers/clinicians, health systems/payers, and policy/society). 
- Care Pathways for Individuals with MCI or Dementia: Studies should consider comorbidities and investigate how people are being screened and diagnosed in different settings, and the post-diagnosis pathways for care and treatment, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions or combinations thereof. 
Deadline for receipt of Letters of Intent
May 6, 2026
05:00 pm ET
Deadline for receipt of Full Applications:
July 22, 2026
05:00 pm ET
2026 Doctoral Research Grants

View the Request for Applications to learn more about this funding opportunity and how to apply.
Brain Canada happy to support Cancer Research Society (CRS) for the launch of the 2026 Doctoral Research Awards.
This program aims to support graduate students who are pursuing a doctoral degree in cancer-related research at a Canadian institution.
The Doctoral Research Award (DRA) provides funding of $35,000 per year over 2 years, totaling $70,000.
Applications focused on research aimed at better understanding and/or addressing the underlying causes, pathophysiology, and brain-related health outcomes of brain cancer may be co-funded by Brain Canada.
Deadline for Receipt of the Registration Form:
April 29, 2026
11:59 pm ET

Funding Opportunities

2026 Knowledge Mobilization Grants: Mental Health of Older Persons

Deadline for receipt of Registration Forms:

Deadline for receipt of Full Applications:

International Research Grant Program (IRGP) 2026

Deadline for receipt of Letters of Intent:

Deadline for receipt of Full Applications:

2026 Amazing Brain Science Talks

Deadline for receipt of Applications:

Innovation & Impact Grants: Focus on Brain Health

Deadline for receipt of Full Applications:

Eligibility Check Deadline:

Alzheimer’s Disease Strategic Fund: Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia 2026 - Understanding Mechanisms of Dysfunction (VCID-UMD)

Deadline for receipt of Letters of Intent:

Deadline for receipt of Full Applications:

Accelerator Grants: Migraine Research

Deadline for receipt of Registration Forms:

Deadline for receipt of Full Applications:

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2026 Knowledge Mobilization Grants: Mental Health of Older Persons

Deadline for receipt of Registration Forms:

Deadline for receipt of Full Applications:

International Research Grant Program (IRGP) 2026

Deadline for receipt of Letters of Intent:

Deadline for receipt of Full Applications:

2026 Amazing Brain Science Talks

Deadline for receipt of Applications:

Innovation & Impact Grants: Focus on Brain Health

Deadline for receipt of Full Applications:

Eligibility Check Deadline:

Alzheimer’s Disease Strategic Fund: Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia 2026 - Understanding Mechanisms of Dysfunction (VCID-UMD)

Deadline for receipt of Letters of Intent:

Deadline for receipt of Full Applications:

Accelerator Grants: Migraine Research

Deadline for receipt of Registration Forms:

Deadline for receipt of Full Applications:

Recently Closed Competitions