Myers & Briggs Foundation has its roots in the Isabel Briggs Myers Trust Fund. The Trust Fund was incorporated in 1980, after Isabel's death that same year, to fund continuing research with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator^® (MBTI) assessment. In 1999, the Foundation absorbed the Trust Fund and in 2023 the Center for Applications of Psychological Type merged with the Foundation. In addition to streamlining the mission and vision of these previous organizations, the Foundation continues the long history of research with the MBTI assessment through the Research Grant Program (RGP) focusing on building a body of rigorous applied research in academia.

In 1943, the first research instrument, Form A, of the MBTI assessment was published, and research has continued to this day. Myers & Briggs Foundation was established with a mission to steward the legacy of the MBTI assessment begun by Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs in the 1940s. Yet we know that to remain relevant and meaningful to people, the MBTI framework must continue to grow and evolve.

Our Research Grant Program embodies the mission of the Foundation by continuing the legacy of rigorous research while fearlessly evolving the theory and application of the MBTI assessment forward. In carrying out our mission, we value transparency and critical collaboration.

The MBTI framework is first and foremost about people, and our funding priorities are focused on research that helps people be their best selves and lead satisfying lives. The MBTI instruments are currently used in many areas of life: counseling, coaching, and self-growth; families and relationships; professional development; leadership; engineering effective teams; career counseling and college major choices; student retention; leveraging cognitive learning styles; mind-body relationship; and others.

A primary focus of the Research Grant Program is building capacity in academic research teams to work with the MBTI framework. Considering this, knowledge or experience with the MBTI instruments is not a requirement to apply for and be awarded a grant. Our focus is on the relevance, importance, and impact of proposed studies that will make a difference in people's lives and to further the innovative work of the MBTI system. Studies from teams that have not used the MBTI instruments but that demonstrate expertise in an area where the MBTI instruments are used, are well-designed, and have the resources to be successful will be considered alongside studies from MBTI-certified or knowledgeable applicants.

Myers & Briggs Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and operates independently from The Myers-Briggs Company, the exclusive world-wide publisher of the MBTI instruments and materials. This independence includes the Research Grant Program, through which we provide the MBTI instruments, supporting materials, and training for free to approved researchers, forfeiting royalties and financial gain from all activities in the Research Grant Program.