The Parapsychology Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1951 by the medium Eileen J. Garrett and Frances Payne Bolton, Ohio's first female representative in Congress. [1] [2] The foundation is based in New York. They offer grants and scholarships to those undertaking study in the paranormal. [1] [3] The organization also founded the Eileen J. Garrett Library, which eventually made its way to Greenport, Suffolk County, New York. [2] The contents of library have since been moved to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and have become the Eileen J. Garrett Parapsychology Foundation collection. [4]
Garrett claimed to be a medium and founded the organization with the explicit purpose of scientifically proving the existence of the soul. [5]
The current Executive Director is Anastasia Damalas, great-granddaughter of Garrett and was preceded by Lisette Coly, granddaughter of Garrett, who is Foundation President. [4] [1] [3] At one point the organization owned a conference center in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France and has subsequently hosted numerous conferences. [6] At their New York headquarters, they host numerous lecture series. [7] As of 2001 the organization had 200 active researchers. [2] The organization publishes the International Journal of Parapsychology. [3] [7]