January 13, 2022
The Baszucki Brain Research Fund and the Milken Institute’s Center for Strategic Philanthropy are pleased to announce that 45 scientists worldwide will receive funding to advance research for bipolar disorder.
Today, the Baszucki family announced $9 million in grants to support bipolar disorder focused research. Across 31 distinct organizations, 45 research grants will provide up to $200,000 per award to support pilot research in therapeutic discovery and translational efforts. The announcement today builds on the family’s prior investments in bipolar science, totaling more than $4 million. The new grants are intended to further ignite the field by addressing the historical underfunding of bipolar research highlighted by prior Milken Institute investigations.
The founder and CEO of Roblox, David Baszucki, and his wife, author Jan Ellison, established the Baszucki Brain Research Fund in 2019 to invest philanthropically in breakthrough science for mental health conditions. Ellison shared: “Our own family’s experience underscores the enormous challenges—but also the tremendous potential for recovery—for those living with bipolar disorder. Our commitment with these initial grants is to partner with Milken and our brilliant awardees to advance innovative bipolar treatments that will bring new hope to families like ours.”