Moved by a Schizophrenia Diagnosis, This Family Is Channeling Millions Toward Mental Health

The symptoms began when Brandon Staglin was 18 years old and home from his freshman year at Dartmouth. First, there was stress over a recent break-up, then anxiety, sleeplessness and confusion. Later, Brandon began hearing voices and developed the terrifying sense that parts of his brain were missing. His symptoms led to his first psychiatric hospitalization and a devastating diagnosis — schizophrenia.

An incurable brain disorder that affects 1 in 100 people, schizophrenia causes hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking, flat affect and depression. In many cases, the prognosis is extremely bleak. And yet, Brandon is a success story. Now the president of One Mind, a nonprofit organization and grantmaker that supports brain health, he attributes his recovery to “the loving support of my family, getting care early and staying involved in community activities that brought me a sense of meaning and purpose.”

Brandon also recognizes that the considerable resources and connections of his parents Shari and Garen Staglin — philanthropists and owners of Staglin Family Vineyards — were key factors in his ability to beat the odds. Over the years, the family has moved $562 million — including leveraged grants from the National Institute of Mental Health — to support brain health research and innovative solutions for individuals living with and impacted by brain disorders.

Shari, who formerly worked in government, and Garen, a venture capitalist, purchased their Napa Valley-based vineyard in 1985. By then, they were already philanthropists.

“We were very active at UCLA, where we both met, and Garen was active in his graduate school, Stanford,” said Shari. “We did local charities that we cared about, but not much was going on in the mental health area locally until we came on the scene.”

Getting started

After their son’s diagnosis, in 1990, the Staglins shifted most of their philanthropic focus to brain health causes. A few years after Brandon was diagnosed, the family endowed UCLA’s first chair to study schizophrenia.

“The scientist, Dr. Tyrone Cannon, came to us and said, ‘I have an idea not only to study the causes of schizophrenia, but why don’t we get ahead of it?” Shari said. Cannon had a big program in mind, one to identify symptoms in a patient early on and then provide the necessary care to ensure they never actually experience a psychotic break.  

“We said, ‘Yeah! But we don’t have the money to fund that.’ That led to our raising money in other ways. Because I had been involved in fundraisers for different arts programs in the city, we said, ‘Why don’t we just do our own event here? What about a music festival?’”

The Staglin’s first annual Music Festival for Brain Health was held on the vineyard grounds in 1994. The event raised enough money for the Staglins to fund Dr. Cannon’s study, which “was able to pinpoint with 70% accuracy the likelihood that somebody will develop psychosis, the hallmark of schizophrenia, within a two-year time span,” said Brandon.

The National Institute of Mental Health went on to provide follow-up funding, for about $90 million over the years. That led to a new, even larger program that One Mind is a partner in — the Accelerating Medicines Partnership – Schizophrenia, which is developing new medications for the earliest stages of schizophrenia. “So that’s a really exciting, hopeful thing,” Brandon said.

Now in its 29th year, the music festival is funded by a combination of corporate, foundation and private donors. This year’s festival, on September 9, features a science and innovation symposium, a wine tasting reception, a live performance by country music star Marina McBride and a VIP dinner.

Breaking new ground

Over time, the success of the music festival made it possible for the Staglins to expand their philanthropic efforts. Currently, One Mind takes a three-pronged approach to brain health philanthropy that includes science, business and media. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the advances in research go on to make a real impact in society.

When Brandon had his one and only relapse six years post diagnosis, another groundbreaking study funded by One Mind helped him to recover. The study, led by psychiatrist Dr. Sofia Vinogradov, looked at how a treatment called cognitive training can change the brain in people with schizophrenia.

“The use of cognitive training helps people with schizophrenia to redevelop their ability to pay attention in conversation,” Brandon said. “It helps them to understand better what they’re really hearing in their ears versus what they’re imagining in their minds. The study showed that cognitive training does change the brain in useful ways, so it’s gone on to become a standard protocol for use in early psychosis care programs around the world.”

Launched in 2005, One Mind’s Rising Star Awards recognizes and supports emerging neuroscientists doing cutting-edge research on the causes of and cures for brain health disorders. Since the program started, One Mind has awarded each of its 42 rising stars grants of $300,000 over three years to fund their work.

“The role that private philanthropy can do is to really take risks — this whole idea of funding these rising stars, [who are] too risky for the NIH to fund,” Garen said.

One Mind relies on its own independent scientific advisory board, which includes a former director of the NIH and many other top neuroscientists in the country. Each year, they receive over 150 applications and select the top three; some grantees have gone on to secure millions in follow-on grants from government sources once their ideas are proven out.

Another program, One Mind at Work, helps employers better support the mental health of their employees. Established in 2017, the program convenes leaders from 170 member organizations in sectors including business, medicine, research, education, law enforcement, military and civil society. Member companies include Bank of America, KPMG, Ey, Accenture and McKinsey as well as hospitals and healthcare organizations. “We’re about to do a big coalition of all the law firms in the country, which is a place where depression and anxiety are rampant,” said Garen.

One Mind at Work has also created a work mental health index on which companies can rate themselves on 10 measures and then work to improve. Most participants score well in terms of the services they offer, but score poorly on whether they provide a psychologically safe environment, a strategic plan for mental health and wellness in their organization, and the openness of leadership.

One Mind’s newest initiative is the Accelerator, an inaugural program that supports fledgling yet promising brain health start-ups with a $100,000 investment and 10 weeks of programming and collaboration. Garen feels the program, which was held last spring, is a great example of the role that venture philanthropy can play in “translating breakthrough ideas into commercial activities.”

Finally, One Mind’s media work is focused on educating the public about brain health, reducing stigma against the mentally ill and encouraging those with mental health challenges to seek help.

One of the organization’s most successful media projects was its partnership with famed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns to produce the PBS documentary “Hiding in Plain Sight: Our Mental Health Crisis.” The two-part, four-hour film features first-person testimony from young people between 11 and 27 years old who live with brain health conditions, as well as their parents, teachers, friends and healthcare providers and experts. Currently, One Mind is at work on another PBS documentary about adult mental health.

The Staglins credit their highly educated and committed scientific advisory board, the support of the local wine community and their employees/ambassadors, for much of their philanthropic success. But Brandon believes “the lived experience” that he brings to the table makes One Mind’s mission especially compelling to funders.

“My background gives us authenticity in the eyes of potential donors and people who can benefit from our programs. People in the community trust us for our commitment to the cause and I think that helps with the fundraising and the popularity of our programs. A lot of the entrepreneurs who went through the accelerator said they appreciated how committed we are to the cause and how we care from our hearts about the outcome.”