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The Silverstein Foundation for Parkinson's with GBA
The Silverstein Foundation for Parkinson's with GBA was established in 2016 by Jonah Silverstein, whose family built Silverstein Properties, one of New...
The Silverstein Foundation for Parkinson's with GBA
The Silverstein Foundation for Parkinson's with GBA was established in 2016 by Jonah Silverstein, whose family built Silverstein Properties, one of New York's largest privately held real estate firms (per The New York Times, 2018). Unlike traditional family offices that invest across asset classes, the Foundation operates as a single-thesis entity solely focused on Parkinson's disease associated with mutations in the GBA1 gene. Its strategy centers on accelerating drug development through direct research grants and strategic partnerships with academic medical centers and biotechnology companies. The Foundation targets preclinical and early clinical-stage interventions, funding work at institutions such as Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania (per public record). It also supports biomarker development and patient registries to enable clinical trials. The geographic focus is North America and Western Europe, with some collaboration in Israel. Jonah Silverstein runs the foundation alongside Dr. Roy Alcalay, a neurologist and movement disorders specialist who serves as Chief Medical Officer. The organization employs a lean team of scientists and grant administrators. As of 2025, the Foundation has committed over $50 million in research funding globally (per the Foundation's public communications). In March 2024, the Foundation announced a multi-year partnership with the global Parkinson's advocacy group The Michael J. Fox Foundation to fund a GBA-Parkinson's clinical trial network. The Foundation's structure is unique among family offices: it operates not as a conventional investment vehicle but as a mission-driven grant-making organization with a singular biomedical research focus. This model allows for concentrated capital deployment into a narrow therapeutic area, leveraging the family's business discipline to manage scientific risk.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
2016
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Jonah Silverstein
Founder
Dr. Roy Alcalay
Chief Medical Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at The Silverstein Foundation for Parkinson's with GBA?
Jonah Silverstein, a member of the Silverstein real estate family, founded and oversees the Foundation. Dr. Roy Alcalay, a board-certified neurologist specializing in movement disorders, serves as Chief Medical Officer and guides scientific strategy and grant allocation (per public record).
Is this structured as a single family office or a philanthropic foundation?
The Foundation operates as a hybrid model: it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization but behaves like a single family office due to its focused capital allocation and family-led governance. It does not manage a diversified investment portfolio; its 'deployment' is entirely grant-making for Parkinson's research (per the Foundation's public communications).
What is the Foundation's specific medical focus?
The Foundation exclusively funds research on Parkinson's disease associated with mutations in the GBA1 gene, which is implicated in about 5-10% of Parkinson's cases globally and is particularly prevalent in Ashkenazi Jewish populations. This narrow focus is distinct among Parkinson's foundations (per The New York Times, 2018).
Does the Foundation invest in for-profit companies or only academic research?
The Foundation primarily funds academic preclinical and clinical research programs, but it also supports early-stage biotechnology companies developing GBA-targeted therapies. It has funded companies such as Prevail Therapeutics (acquired by Eli Lilly) and others in the GBA-Parkinson's space (per public record).
How does the Foundation relate to the Silverstein Properties fortune?
The Foundation is funded by the Silverstein family, which controls Silverstein Properties, one of New York's largest privately held real estate firms. Jonah Silverstein is a member of that family. The Foundation is legally separate from Silverstein Properties and operates as a distinct nonprofit (per The New York Times, 2018).
What is the Foundation's geographic focus?
The Foundation primarily supports research in North America and Western Europe. It has also funded programs in Israel, given the GBA mutation's higher prevalence in Ashkenazi Jewish populations. Its partnerships include institutions in the United States, United Kingdom, and Israel (per public record).
How large is the Foundation's staff?
The Foundation operates with a small team of fewer than a dozen professionals. Exact staffing numbers are not publicly disclosed, but the organization relies heavily on external scientific advisors and partnerships with academic medical centers and patient advocacy groups (per public record).
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