In late 2023, the Bluefield Project, a nonprofit biomedical funder focused on frontotemporal dementia (FTD), partnered with SPARC for an objective analysis at a milestone juncture in the organization’s evolution. For over 15 years, the Bluefield Project has played a leading role in advancing the research on FTD caused by mutations in the granulin gene (FTD-GRN), a rare and underfunded subtype of the disease. With limited therapeutic options and a complex underlying biology, FTD-GRN represents a critical frontier in neurodegenerative research.

Valuing an external perspective, the Bluefield Project leveraged SPARC’s preexisting due diligence on FTD and experience shaping high-impact scientific funding strategies. SPARC initiated a strategic reflection process, synthesized insights from over 30 interviews with external stakeholders, conducted an internal review, and analyzed Bluefield’s research and funding trajectories. Key findings, developed privately for organizational leadership, affirmed Bluefield’s long-held reputation as a source of critical funding, infrastructure, and strategic insight within the FTD community. In response, SPARC developed specialized recommendations for the organization’s strategy, operations, and programs. Bluefield further sought to align its leadership around shared goals, anchored in a long-term vision to pursue a cure. The partnership offered a path forward rooted in the organization’s legacy, identity, values, and potential to catalyze change across the FTD research ecosystem.

Through this and similar work, SPARC emphasizes the value of transparency, calibrated governance, and support for rigorous science. These insights provided a valuable foundation for the Bluefield Project to align around its next phase of growth.