Ontario Brain Institute Announces $552K in Support of Community Organizations

TORONTO, July 17, 2025 /CNW/ - The Ontario Brain Institute (OBI) is pleased to announce $552,000 in funding to support four community organizations advancing brain health and wellness across the province. This commitment comes as part of the Growing Expertise in Evaluation and Knowledge Translation (GEEK) program.

"Each of these organizations brings a deep understanding of the communities they serve," said Dr. Tom Mikkelsen, President and Scientific Director of OBI. "Through GEEK, we're proud to support programs that build capacity, align program delivery with care needs, and create long-term impact for people living with neurological conditions."

Now in its seventh year, the GEEK program offers evaluation expertise, support, and funding to community-led programs and services focused on brain health or people managing brain disorders. GEEK is a unique model of funding in that it improves evidence-informed care close to home while centering the role of community in healthcare.

The 2025 OBI 'GEEKs' are:

• Brain Injury Association of Peel and Halton (BIAPH): BIAPH is a community-led charity dedicated to enhancing quality of life for individuals with acquired brain injuries (ABI) and their caregivers in the Peel and Halton regions. The ABI Support Group program serves over 200 participants annually through structured meetings, both in-person and virtual, for survivors and caregivers. The program provides peer-to-peer support, resource sharing, workshops, and expert guidance to reduce isolation and build coping skills for managing the long-term challenges of brain injury. Alongside its community programs, BIAPH also engages in research to improve services and amplify the voices of those affected by brain injury.
  
  
• The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario – Wellington Guelph: The Grove is a network providing integrated mental health, substance use and community services. The program serves youth ages 12–26 across Wellington County and Guelph through seven interconnected sites offering both clinical and non-clinical services. Their non-clinical service pathways include Skills & Wellbeing Activities and Community & Social Support Services including drop-in services, outreach, family support, education, employment, and housing. These non-clinical services often serve as youth's first entry point to more intensive support, emphasizing early intervention and primary prevention in a safe, accessible environment.
  
  
• Keep Your Head Up Foundation: Keep Your Head Up is a registered Canadian charity in Region of Waterloo focused on supporting youth with traumatic brain injuries through education, empowerment, and social connection. The Community Education program takes an upstream prevention approach by teaching youth about the holistic impacts of concussion on wellbeing, including invisible symptoms like social pressures, mental health impacts, learning difficulties, and recovery challenges. The program aims to reduce the long-term challenges to wellbeing by reducing stigma, improve recognition of concussion effects, and increase awareness of available supports like academic accommodations and mental wellness resources.
  
  
• LOFT Community Services: LOFT is a non-profit organization providing holistic multi-service supports to transitional-aged youth, adults, and seniors and older adults facing complex health challenges that may involve a combination of mental health, addiction, poverty, and homelessness concerns. The Culture and Calm program is a culturally-responsive Dialectical Behaviour Therapy initiative specifically designed for BIPOC youth ages 16–29 in the Greater Toronto Area. This 10-week virtual program teaches emotion regulation skills through a cultural lens, examining how systems of oppression influence mental health while providing a safer therapeutic space for marginalized youth.

"Ontario is home to exceptional researchers that drive groundbreaking innovation all across the province," said the Honourable Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. "Our government is proud to support the Ontario Brain Institute and commend their Growing Expertise in Evaluation and Knowledge Translation (GEEK) funding recipients that are advancing brain health and wellness in their communities."

Since launching GEEK in 2018, OBI has committed approximately three million dollars to support 24 community-led programs in evaluating and generating evidence for their programming. Collectively, GEEK teams have trained and supported over 3,600 individuals, shared or presented knowledge gained from their programs more than 122 times in various formats, and leveraged close to $6.5M in additional funding.

ABOUT:

The Ontario Brain Institute is a provincially funded, not-for-profit organization that accelerates neuroscience discovery and innovation, benefiting both patients and the economy. Our collaborative 'team science' approach promotes brain research, commercialization and care by connecting researchers, clinicians, industry, patients, and their advocates to improve the lives of those living with brain disorders. Visit braininstitute.ca for more information.

SOURCE Ontario Brain Institute

For further information: Narem Karakoyun, Communications Specialist ([email protected], 416-262-1568) or Renée Dunk, Senior Communications Lead ([email protected], 416-562-2695)