Music as Medicine Neuroscience Research Initiative
Accelerating innovative research on the effects of music on the brain. The initiative will bestow grants of $100,000 for one year. Continued funding for a second year, at the same funding level, may be available contingent upon the successful completion of predefined milestones and satisfactory progress. Grant recipients will be recognized at an annual event.
Deadline to Apply | July 31st, 2026
For centuries, we have turned to music for comfort and healing – long before science could explain why. Today, research is beginning to confirm what many have experienced firsthand: music can influence cognition, emotional well-being, and recovery in people living with conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
At the vital intersection of music and neuroscience, the FNIH Music as Medicine Neuroscience Research Initiative supports talented researchers who can advance discoveries that underpin music’s therapeutic benefits, paving the way for treatments that reach patients more effectively and personally.
The initiative will bestow grants of $100,000 for one year. Continued funding for a second year, at the same funding level, may be available contingent upon the successful completion of predefined milestones and satisfactory progress. Grant recipients will be recognized at an annual event.
The Music as Medicine Scientific Selection Committee, a group of independent experts in the fields of neuroscience and music, will review nominations and recommend outstanding scientists for the grants.
