The Brain Museum Awarded Dana Foundation Grant to Create a Public Home for the Brain
The most extraordinary object in the known universe is inside your head — and most of us never get to see it, touch it, or understand it. A new $120,000 grant from the Dana Foundation launches The Brain Museum's 18-month planning phase to change that, shaped hand-in-hand with the community it will serve.
A new nonprofit invites educators, families, scientists, donors, and civic leaders to help shape the first large-scale public museum dedicated entirely to the brain
The Brain Museum, a new nonprofit creating the first large-scale public museum dedicated entirely to neuroscience and its connection to everyday life, has been awarded a $120,000 grant from the Dana Foundation. The grant launches an 18-month planning phase to design the museum in partnership with the communities it will serve.
Neuroscience increasingly shapes some of society’s most important conversations — about learning, mental health, healthy aging, creativity, and artificial intelligence — yet for most people, brain science still feels distant and hard to access. The Brain Museum aims to change that by creating a place where people of all ages can explore the brain through immersive, hands-on, and scientifically credible experiences that connect directly to their own lives. The museum envisions experiences that will turn abstract neuroscience into something you can move through, play with, and feel.
Guided by nationally recognized museum-planning firms, the 18-month planning phase will define the museum’s mission and vision, develop early exhibit concepts, test ideas with the community, and produce an implementation-ready plan to bring the museum to life.
“The most extraordinary object in the known universe is inside of our heads, and it has never had a public home,” said Dr. Manuella Oliveira Yassa, founder and president of The Brain Museum. “We’re building a place where anyone can explore how their mind works and come away understanding a little more about what it means to be human.”
Dr. Oliveira Yassa is an award-winning neuroscientist and science educator who has spent her career bringing brain science to the public. She serves as Director of Outreach and Education at the University of California, Irvine Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory and directs the USA Brain Bee, the national neuroscience competition. She founded programs including Brain Camp, the Brain Explorer Academy, and the Summer Institute in Neuroscience, which bring thousands of students and families into hands-on neuroscience each year. In 2025, she received the Society for Neuroscience’s Science Educator Award, a national honor for public engagement with neuroscience.
The planning effort builds on early momentum from a founding circle of community members who have already stepped forward with leadership support. With the Dana Foundation’s backing now in place, the museum is seeking additional partners and supporters who share its vision.
“The Brain Museum represents a bold new model for engaging people with neuroscience, one that extends beyond a single visit to create meaningful, ongoing connections between science and society,” said Caroline Montojo, president and CEO of the Dana Foundation. “By helping people see themselves in neuroscience and creating opportunities for communities to help shape its future, it closely reflects the Dana Foundation's mission to advance neuroscience that benefits society.”
An Invitation to Get Involved
The Brain Museum welcomes conversations with anyone who wants to help bring this vision to life, including:
Educators and schools interested in shaping the museum’s learning experiences
Scientists and clinicians who want to contribute their expertise
Families and community members who want a voice in the design process
Donors and founding partners who want to invest in a lasting community institution
Civic and business leaders interested in a new cultural and educational anchor for Orange County
To request a meeting or learn more, contact Dr. Manuella Oliveira Yassa at manuella@nationalbrainmuseum.com or visit nationalbrainmuseum.com.
About The Brain Museum
The Brain Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 39-4531438) creating the first large-scale public museum dedicated entirely to neuroscience and its connection to everyday life. Envisioned as a lasting relationship between brain science and the public, it will invite people of all ages to explore how the brain works — and what it means to be human — through immersive, hands-on experiences. Rooted in Orange County and shaped with the community it serves, The Brain Museum believes science belongs to everyone. Learn more at nationalbrainmuseum.com.
About the Dana Foundation
The Dana Foundation is a private philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing neuroscience and society, a human-centered neuroscience paradigm that connects brain research to real-world needs, values, and experiences. It brings together students, scientists, practitioners, and communities to reflect on assumptions, share expertise, and ensure that neuroscience serves people in meaningful and socially responsible ways.