Impact

Cure neurological diseases. Build a healthier world. Make a difference. 

Making a difference since 1992

 

The McCourt Foundation is focused on curing neurological diseases and empowering communities to build a healthier world. We do this by focusing on our three pillars: Research, Education, and Partnerships.

  • Research: We've donated over $6.7m to support and fund neurological research.
  • Education: We host FREE educational forums for those affected by neurological diseases such as ALS, MS, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer’s where world-renowned partner physicians and researchers share the latest research into cures and treatments for neurological diseases.
  • Partnerships: We build strategic partnerships with like-minded non-profits, youth programs, and sponsors to leverage our mass participation athletic events as platforms to drive broader health and wellness impact. Through our nonprofit partnership program we’ve raised over $76M for our 105+ nonprofit charity partners, with Students Run LA, we’ve supported over 75,000 students across the Los Angeles Marathon Finish Line and with LA Unified School District, we’ve helped  more than 36,000 elementary school students complete their 26th Mile at Dodger Stadium.

Our Programs

Research Supported Includes:

The McCourt Foundation’s support has been instrumental in advancing research progress in multiple sclerosis at MGH. Specifically, this valuable partnership has spearheaded our efforts to develop new biomarkers for MS treatment development.

Funds from The McCourt Foundation have supported novel imaging research for use to develop new treatment approaches for multiple sclerosis. In May 2023 we published research in the journal Brain Communications on our Connectome MRI scanner at MGH that is measuring the density of nerve fibers (axons) and nerve bodies (neurons) in the brain in people with MS. This work aims to validate new ways to evaluate treatments than can protect the brain in the setting of MS to prevent disability.

Eric Klawiter, MD
Director, Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Unit, Mass General Hospital

With the financial support from The McCourt Foundation we were able to use some of these dollars towards seed funding of a research project for a vaccine for people living with Alzheimers disease. The funding for this project was critical to help lead to a Phase 1 study in humans for the treatment of Alzheimers.
Brigham & Women’s Hospital is grateful for all the support the foundation has given throughout the years. This support has helped fund many different projects at the Brigham & Women’s which has advance research towards treatments in many other neurological diseases.
Howard Weiner, MD
Co-Director of the Center for Neurologic Diseases at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital
 Funds donated from The McCourt Foundation have been directed to a research project, in Parkinson Disease (PD), that I was involved with. This research project focused on the biological mechanisms of patients living with Parkinson and was published in Nature.com  These projects are critical in understanding the causes of PD and then helping us work towards treatments.
Dennis Selkoe, MD
Co-Director of the Center for Neurologic Diseases at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital

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The HEALEY ALS Platform Trial at Mass General which provides a revolutionary new approach to evaluating ALS therapies.

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The MassGeneral Institute of Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND) at Mass General Hospital is grateful for the support from the McCourt Foundation to advance our understanding of early causal events in ALS and translate those insights into therapeutic strategies. One effort to accelerate therapeutic trials in ALS is through drug repurposing. Funding from the McCourt Foundation has accelerated studies to test an FDA-approved drug in a novel clinical trial design that recruits both ALS patients and Alzheimer’s patients. The science supporting this trial was published in Science Translational Medicine, and the trial results will be published upon completion of the trial in 2024. Support from the McCourt Foundation is critical to enable our researchers to advance their best ideas without interruption.
Dr. Mark Albers, MD, PhD
McCance Center for Brain Heaith, Mass General Hospital

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The Department of Neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center aims to strengthen the neurological health of individuals across our community by driving innovative research and education for the understanding and treatment of complex neurological disorders including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), dementias, epilepsy, migraine and more. This is a pivotal time for the department as it is positioned for significant discovery and breakthroughs as the result of successful recruitment of exceptional new clinicians and researchers. Under the leadership of Dr. Nancy Sicotte, the department’s faculty has doubled in size since its creation just over 10 years ago, added new programs in neuroimaging, headache, and healthy aging, and has moved up four spots from #11 to #7 in the U.S. News and World Report Rankings. Our stroke program has the been recognized as having the highest survival rate in the nation. This is an exciting time to invest in the department and as we enter the age of therapeutics the discoveries that are being made will become the treatments and cures of tomorrow.

Unrestricted gifts such as the support we receive from the McCourt Foundation helps us strengthen the neurological health of individuals across our community by:
✹ Establishing and investing in a biobank that will enable us to collect, analyze and study human tissues and cells of the neurological system. Researchers utilize the biobank like a library, accessing samples with diverse genetic characteristics to explore answers to scientific questions. The biobank will pave the way for developing personalized risk profiles and therapies for brain and memory disorders, diversifying research to better understand why and how certain demographic populations are at risk for neurological disease. Through this research, we will make discoveries that will lead to ways to prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia, new therapies, and more targeted, personalized patient care.

✹ Sustaining high-impact clinical trials with the potential to improve patient outcomes and save lives

✹ Championing breakthrough collaborations between neurologists, neurosurgeons and care teams to redefine excellence in the coordination and delivery of world-class care

✹ Galvanizing recruitment and retention of new faculty and fellows within the Department of Neurology—attracting top talent poised to revolutionize discovery and reshape the field