Michael J. Fox Foundation Announces $2.5 Billion "All Grit. No Quit." Campaign to Accelerate Parkinson's Breakthroughs

• Foundation's first multi-year fundraising Campaign comes during an unprecedented moment of scientific opportunity
• Contributions to date surpass Campaign's halfway mark, with more than 276,000 donors contributing more than $1.75 billion since 2024 "quiet launch"

NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its unwavering commitment to accelerate Parkinson's research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) today announces All Grit. No Quit. — an ambitious multi-year $2.5-billion fundraising campaign to accelerate the development of next-generation treatment breakthroughs and a cure for Parkinson's disease.

Marking a critical inflection point for the field, All Grit. No Quit. is the Foundation's first multi-year fundraising campaign. Since the Campaign quietly launched in 2024, it has already inspired a worldwide community of patients, scientists, the biopharmaceutical industry, government and philanthropists to fast-track progress. Donations to the Campaign now total more than $1.75 billion, surpassing the halfway mark toward its goal.

"Since our start, the Foundation has galvanized the field to transform Parkinson's research — building deeper knowledge and stronger collaboration to move faster than ever toward a cure," said Debi Brooks, MJFF's CEO and co-founder. "All Grit. No Quit. reflects our willingness to take bold risks when the science demands it, bringing the full strength of our community to realizing a world without Parkinson's."

An Urgent Need and a Fast-growing Disease

Parkinson's is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that gets worse over time as complex biology unfolds over decades and leads to the destruction of dopamine cells in the brain. There is no treatment that can slow or stop its progression. 90,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson's every year in the United States alone.

While the disease is highly variable from case to case, people with Parkinson's typically find that their symptoms advance over the course of many years from relatively mild to deepening disability. Parkinson's affects virtually every system of the body including tremor, slowness of movement, mood disorders, thinking changes, sleep challenges, pain, digestive issues, skin problems and more.

Since its founding in 2000, MJFF has rapidly grown into the world's largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research, allocating more than $3 billion globally to jumpstart Parkinson's drug development and speed progress toward a cure. Building on this momentum, Campaign funds will advance the Foundation's Strategic Research Agenda. The Strategic Research Agenda already has enabled transformative progress, including the discovery and validation of a new Parkinson's biomarker in 2023 and approvals of 23 new drugs over the past decade, with 175 more currently in clinical testing. The Foundation also helped secure passage of the National Plan to End Parkinson's Act in July 2024 — the first comprehensive federal legislation dedicated to Parkinson's research and care.

Today's unprecedented scientific opportunity is matched only by the urgency of the need: Parkinson's disease is the second-most common and fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease in the world. An estimated 6 million individuals worldwide live with Parkinson's today. With no way to prevent, stop or slow the disease, Parkinson's is projected to double globally by 2040. 

"The Parkinson's drug development pipeline is more active than ever before. Our priority is ensuring the strongest ideas move forward without delay," said Todd Sherer, PhD, chief mission officer at MJFF. "This Campaign will enable us to strategically fund at every stage and on parallel paths, shortening the distance between discovery and meaningful benefit for people with Parkinson's."

A Campaign Identity Rooted in Community Contribution

The All Grit. No Quit. name and visual identity symbolize the Foundation's relentless pursuit of scientific progress, the determination of an unstoppable community and the urgency of this moment. The All Grit. No Quit. typeface in the Campaign mark is based on Michael J. Fox's own handwriting — a reflection of the Foundation's core value of patient-centricity and Michael's inspirational vision of a post-Parkinson's world.

The Campaign concept emerged from a collaborative process involving members of the Foundation's staff, Board of Directors and Patient Council; All Grit. No Quit. Committee Co-chairs John S. Daly, and Donna and John Krenicki; and Committee Members Bonnie Miao Bandeen, Susan Bilotta, Stacey Empson, Anne Holloway, Matthew Levy, Lisa A. Piazza, MD, David Reber, Woody Shackleton and Jenifer Westphal; as well as the dedicated researcher community keeping Parkinson's science moving forward. 

Scientific Momentum Powered by Philanthropy

With more than $1.75 billion raised from over 276,000 donors to date, the Campaign's strong pace reflects the remarkable generosity and commitment of a united community. MJFF is deeply grateful to every donor and philanthropic partner, especially the Sergey Brin Family Foundation (SBFF), whose transformational support has advanced significant progress, including through the Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) initiative. All Grit. No Quit. is also powered by more than 13,000 grassroots Team Fox events and fundraisers, in addition to 600 Legacy Circle members.

"The science is what gives me hope for the future," says MJFF Patient Council member and Campaign Committee Co-Chair Donna Krenicki, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's 15 years ago at age 49. "Being part of All Grit. No Quit. is recognizing the power of community. Because when it comes to ending Parkinson's, we're all in this together."

The support of our community worldwide is powering progress toward a world without Parkinson's disease. Learn more about All Grit. No Quit. at michaeljfox.org/campaign.

About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF)
As the world's largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active global engagement of scientists, Parkinson's patients, business leaders, clinical trial participants, donors and volunteers. In addition to funding $3 billion in research to date, the Foundation has fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress toward a cure. Operating at the hub of worldwide Parkinson's research, the Foundation forges groundbreaking collaborations with industry leaders, academic scientists and government research funders; creates a robust open- access data set and biosample library to speed scientific breakthroughs and treatment with its landmark clinical study, PPMI; increases the flow of participants into Parkinson's disease clinical trials with its online tool, Fox Trial Finder; promotes Parkinson's awareness through high-profile advocacy, events and outreach; and coordinates the grassroots involvement of thousands of Team Fox members around the world. For more information, visit us at www.michaeljfox.org, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. 

SOURCE The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research