Guiding Scientific Funding Strategy

Milken Institute Philanthropy SPARC works in partnership with philanthropists and foundations to develop comprehensive strategy and launch and lead high-impact science and health-oriented research initiatives.  

Our experts leverage their scientific research and health-systems expertise to help funders understand the roadblocks and opportunities in a given scientific field, and make recommendations for investments that champion long-term, sustainable impact.

SPARC advisors have worked with funders to guide and influence more than $3 billion in capital for biomedical research. We have incubated and launched more than 20 scientific research organizations facilitating collaboration that ensures research investments accelerate progress in science and health. 

Immunology

Sarcoidosis: A Giving Smarter Guide
This Giving Smarter Guide by Milken Institute Philanthropy's SPARC lays out what is known about the condition, provides analysis of the research landscape, and makes recommendations for how donors can
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Type 1 Diabetes Autoantibody Screening Implementation Roadmap: 2022 REPORT UPDATE
For this update, SPARC interviewed 27 thought leaders and stakeholders, opened a public comment period, and hosted a public session to discuss the status of the goals and action items in the roadmap.
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Type 1 Diabetes Autoantibody Screening: A Roadmap for Pediatric Policy Implementation
This roadmap was developed with substantial input from a variety of stakeholder groups across the T1D research, clinical, and nonprofit community, as well as decision makers in preventive health polic
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Mental Health

Giving Smarter: Philanthropic Opportunities to Advance Bipolar Disorder Research
This Giving Smarter Guide by SPARC builds on the Survey of Lived Experiences released in 2018.
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Misophonia - A Giving Smarter Guide
This Giving Smarter Guide, released in 2019, has encouraged philanthropic funding that targets research programs that cross multiple disciplines, require data sharing or collaboration, and asks funded
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Moonshots for Youth Mental Health and Well-Being: Exploration of Big Bets and Bold Goals
This report outlines big ideas to decrease stigma, increase access to care, build a diverse mental health workforce, and develop measurements and interventions that are grounded in inclusive research.
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Supporting Wellness: Initial Findings from a Survey of Lived Experience and Research Priorities of Depression and Bipolar
In 2018, the Milken Institute and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance collaborated to develop a first of its kind community survey.
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Neuroscience

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) A Giving Smarter Guide
There is an untapped opportunity for philanthropists to pull the levers that will drastically improve the quality of life and health outlook for all people living with ALS.
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Parkinson's Disease - A Giving Smarter Guide
The Milken Institute has developed this Giving Smarter Guide for Parkinson’s Disease to enable patients, supporters, and stakeholders to make strategic and informed decisions when directing their phil
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Frontotemporal Dementia: A Giving Smarter Guide
The Kissick Family Foundation partnered with Milken Institute Philanthropy SPARC in 2022 to analyze the funding landscape and summarize the current state of FTD research.
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Alzheimer's Disease - A Giving Smarter Guide
This Giving Smarter Guide provides deep scientific insight into the issues and outlines a concrete and actionable set of options.
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Targeting Tau — Our Hope to Solving the Dementia Crisis
In our systems-based review of the biomedical landscape supporting research of a cellular protein called tau, we make the case that focused strategic investment in tau research and the category of neu
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Neurotechnology: A Giving Smarter Guide
Although this rapidly changing technology class offers enormous promise for people living with a broad range of diseases, navigating investments in neurotechnology is complex.
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Epilepsy - A Giving Smarter Guide
The purpose of this guide is to empower patients, supporters, and stakeholders to make informed, strategic decisions when directing their philanthropic investments and energy into research and develop
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Oncology

Clinical Developments in Follicular Lymphoma
This report identifies current and emerging therapeutic innovations in the FL field, and highlights efforts of the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation to drive research into better treatments and find the
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Glioblastoma Multiforme: A Giving Smarter Guide to Accelerating Research Progress
There are quite a few areas of promising clinical research that could serve as the tipping point toward extending survival in GBM patients and potentially pave the way to a cure.
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An Overview of Pediatric Preventive Health Care in the United States
For philanthropists to invest their capital effectively in any pediatric disease area, it is first crucial to understand the pediatric preventive health landscape.
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Rare Disease

Neurofibromatosis Type 1 - A Giving Smarter Guide
As there are no effective therapies to reverse disease symptoms or to prevent new ones from arising, and since there is no cure for NF1, the Milken Institute has developed this Giving Smarter Guide fo
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Giving Smarter Guide: Lipedema
To capitalize on this potential, the Lipedema Foundation and the Milken Institute convened leading stakeholders to discuss the current state of lipedema science and identify the key philanthropic rese
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Childhood Brain Cancer: A Giving Smarter Guide
This guide recognizes seven areas for philanthropic investment that, if utilized, can transform how pediatric cancer patients are diagnosed, managed, and treated.
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