The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson’s today.

We believe without fail that our goal is within reach - but we can’t get there without your support. Please join the fight today.

For The Michael J. Fox Foundation, there is one clear measure of success: delivering patients better treatments and, ultimately, a cure for Parkinson's disease. We've developed a targeted approach to research funding that helps us identify and prioritize the patient-relevant science that will allow us to reach our goal.

We tap leading specialists from around the globe to help us maintain a comprehensive view of the field and determine the research areas that hold the most promise for improving diagnosis and treatment of PD. In 2006 we convened over 350 top researchers from academic and industry labs all over the world for meetings to set strategy and future direction. Our meetings lead directly to funding initiatives, new collaborations and other action steps that will move the field forward faster.

The Foundation's scientific staff and expert advisors review proposals from researchers around the world. What are they looking for? The ideas that are most readily translatable into new treatments, the teams that can execute those ideas, thoughtful and realistic work plans, and outcomes that can take us closer to our goal: delivering better treatments and, ultimately, a cure for PD.

As soon as we identify the research proposals best aligned with our patient-relevant goals, we eliminate red tape to get funding to scientists as quickly as possible. We fund projects fast - in most cases, within two months.

But the Foundation's involvement doesn't stop there. Our scientific staff and advisors stay closely involved as research teams carry out their projects. We establish milestones and evaluate outcomes and progress, troubleshoot problems if they arise, and work with the team to set future directions. We believe our interactive approach is the best way to ensure accountability.

When we learn of promising findings (whether or not they resulted from research we funded), we work quickly to identify and partner with researchers equipped to further develop those discoveries in pursuit of the ultimate goal: improved treatments for Parkinson's patients.

Science is risky by nature, and not all of our research leads to positive outcomes. But even negative outcomes are useful for informing our next steps. Everything we learn helps us prioritize the next promising areas of focus, and the process starts again-one step closer to our goal.

Since we began in 2000, the Foundation has funded more than $221 million in Parkinson's research, either directly or through partnerships. And every one of those dollars has helped us learn more about the disease, develop better treatments for patients and, ultimately, get us closer to ending Parkinson's.

Orders

Orders recognize significant achievements and remarkable service. 

The Order of Canada

Established in 1967 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Order of Canada is the centrepiece of Canada’s honours system and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. The Order recognizes people in all sectors of Canadian society. Their contributions are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and made a difference to this country. The Order of Canada’s motto is DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM (They desire a better country)

The Companion of the Order of Canada recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement and merit of the highest degree, especially in service to Canada or to humanity at large.

Officer (O.C.)

The Officer of the Order of Canada recognizes a lifetime of achievement and merit of a high degree, especially in service to Canada or to humanity at large.

Member (C.M.)

The Member of the Order of Canada recognizes a lifetime of distinguished service in or to a particular community, group or field of activity

The insignia of the Order is a stylized snowflake of six points, with a red annulus at its centre which bears a stylized maple leaf circumscribed with the motto of the Order, DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM (They desire a better country), surmounted by St. Edward’s Crown.

Maximum number of appointments per year, according to

*not to exceed 165 living Companions at any given time