Target ALS
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Target ALS works worldwide and funds ALS biology, drug discovery and biomarker research, so a project in one of these areas, wherever it is based, is worth considering.
- Half of its grants to organisations were $130,000 or less, and about 8 in 10 fall between $72,000 and $540,000, so a modest request fits its usual pattern, though its largest grant was about $1,450,000 and its collaborative consortia have stated up to $400,000 for single programmes.
- It accepts applications, with the method varying by programme; for its collaborative grants, applicants first submit a letter of intent and only selected applicants are invited to submit a full proposal for independent expert review.
- Repeat giving is strong, as 73% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in earlier filings, but the foundation also encourages investigators who are new to ALS research.
- Research assistant professors, post-doctoral fellows and staff may not serve as investigators on its collaborative consortia, and Principal Investigators who already hold two or more active competitive grants from Target ALS are excluded from them.
Overview
Target ALS is a US private foundation based in New York, NY.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
Target ALS funds investigators worldwide to pursue the most promising research ideas in ALS, with the aim of moving discoveries towards effective treatments. Its portfolio spans ALS biology, drug discovery and biomarkers: work to uncover root causes and therapeutic targets, translate laboratory ideas into viable treatments, and enable earlier diagnosis and reliable tracking of disease progression. It supports collaborative consortia that bring academic scientists and industry partners together around shared research problems, as well as individual investigator grants for emerging scientific talent and early-career researchers with bold ideas. Its approach emphasises cross-disciplinary collaboration, open access to research tools and data, and removing barriers that slow discovery, so research can progress from the lab towards clinical impact.
Themes
- ALS biology
- Drug discovery
- ALS biomarkers
Geographic Focus
Worldwide.
What They Don't Fund
- Collaborative Consortia Studying ALS Biomarkers only: Research assistant professors, post-doctoral fellows, and staff as investigators; Principal Investigators who have two or more active competitive grants from Target ALS
How to apply
For the collaborative grant process, applicants submit an LOI; after review, selected applicants are invited to submit a research proposal for independent expert review, followed by funding decisions and release of funds.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 73% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 155 grants to organisations were $130,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- It backs investigators who collaborate across scientific disciplines and research constituencies.
- It encourages proposals to bring new technologies and core disciplinary expertise, including investigators who are new to ALS research.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 11%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 37%
- The largest single recipient received 8% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 73% of grant dollars went to organisations Target ALS had funded in earlier filings.
- 32% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Israel).
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 75 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $130k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- New York Genome Center · Biomedical research$1,177,0462024 tax year
- Dignity Health - St Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center · Biomedical research$964,6702024 tax year
- University of California San Diego · Biomedical research$819,4582024 tax year
- University of California San Francisco · Biomedical research$761,4722024 tax year
- Massachusetts General Hospital · Biomedical research$670,0462024 tax year
- University College London · Biomedical research$665,6172024 tax year
- Johns Hopkins University · Biomedical research$580,0002024 tax year
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology · Biomedical research$539,9812024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Brad S Karp — Board Member
- Alisa Doctoroff — Board Member
- Sara Sheikh — Board Member
- Stacie Weninger — Board Member
- Carole Ho — Board Member
- Richard Hargeaves — Board Member
- Story Landis — Board Member
- Zach W Hall — Board Member
- John Dunlop — Board Member
- Daniel L Doctoroff — Chair
- Kenneth Devaney — Treasurer
- Manish Raisinghani — President
- Chris Henderson — Board Member
- Andy Berndt — Board Member
- Allison Jaffin — Board Member
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $9,271,989 | $6,070,799 | $115,562,468 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $15,859,537 | $10,709,339 | $180,572,961 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $27,108,058 | $18,048,427 | $128,911,762 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to Target ALS?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- New York, NY
- targetals.org
Applying to Target ALS?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- New York, NY
- targetals.org