The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research Applauds Texas Voters on Passage of Proposition 14 Securing $3 Billion for Brain Disease Research

• The ballot measure was supported by national and local neurodegenerative disease organizations, including The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF).
• MJFF led a weekslong Proposition 14 advocacy campaign to educate and turn out voters.

NEW YORK, Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With over 68 percent of the vote, Texans have approved Proposition 14, authorizing a $3 billion state investment over the next decade to support brain health research, including Parkinson's disease. This marks the largest state-level commitment to neurodegenerative disease research in U.S. history.

The funding will support the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), created earlier this year through Texas Senate Bill 5. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) and Texas-based Parkinson's advocates and organizations played a key role in expanding Senate Bill 5 to include Parkinson's disease, ensuring that Parkinson's research will be funded through DPRIT. Texans living with Parkinson's testified in front of the state legislature to help secure bipartisan support for the bill and pave the way for voter approval.

"With the passage of Proposition 14, Texas is setting a national example for public investment in science to help deliver the breakthroughs people living with Parkinson's urgently deserve," said Dan Feehan, chief policy and government affairs officer at MJFF. "Other states and the federal government should look to Texas as a model for bold, forward-looking investment in public health."

After Senate Bill 5 was signed into law, MJFF again partnered with local advocates and organizations to develop a robust "Yes on Proposition 14" campaign. The campaign aimed to educate voters about what a $3 billion investment in brain health research could achieve: new discoveries, treatments and hope for millions of people and families affected by brain diseases in Texas and beyond.

The number of Texans living with Parkinson's disease has more than doubled in recent years. The financial cost is staggering, too: Parkinson's costs Texas more than $3.6 billion every year.

DPRIT also aims to expand access to clinical trials and strengthen the state's workforce dedicated to brain health. In addition to the promise of progress through research, the state hopes that this investment will bring startups and companies to Texas, leading to job creation and new economic activity. DPRIT is modeled after the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), which voters approved an initial $3 billion to fund in 2007 and another $3 billion in 2019. According to the state, CPRIT has conducted nearly 375 clinical studies, attracted an additional $11.6 billion in non-state funding and brought 340 cancer researchers to Texas, among other achievements.

"As someone who lives with Parkinson's and cares for loved ones who also face this disease, I've seen how powerful it is when our community comes together to push for change," said María L. De León, MD, an East Texas resident, movement disorder specialist and member of MJFF's Patient Council. "The passage of Proposition 14 proves that collective advocacy can bring hope, progress and the promise of a better future for families like mine at home in Texas and around the world."

The Michael J. Fox Foundation extends its gratitude to Texas voters, the legislators who advanced Senate Bill 5 — including Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and lead bill sponsors Senator Joan Huffman (R-17) and Representative Tom Craddick (R-82) — and the many local advocates and organizations who helped make this historic investment possible.

The state will now establish DPRIT, appoint a governing board, define research priorities and begin awarding grants. MJFF will continue working with our nationwide network of Parkinson's policy advocates to secure state and federal funding for Parkinson's research. Visit michaeljfox.org/advocacy to join us.

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 $2.5 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