Simons Foundation

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OVERVIEW: The Simons Foundation is one of the country’s largest foundations devoted entirely to science and math research. It also supports the communication of scientific discovery to the public.

IP TAKE: The Simons Foundation’s recent rebrand has made it more approachable and user friendly. In addition to its traditional support for research in mathematics, physics, life sciences and neuroscience, it has expanded its work to include education, outreach, journalism, film and events related to these fields of study. Still somewhat in transition, its website is somewhat difficult to navigate, but current opportunities for funding and collaboration can be found on its funding opportunities page. If you are in the New York area, attend one of the foundation’s free events to network with staff and past grantees.

This funder accepts unsolicited applications for a broad range of programs, but eligibility, guidelines and due dates vary significantly by program. Check the site periodically for updates and sign up for Simons’s newsletter at the bottom of the contact page.

PROFILE: Established in 1994 by Jim and Marilyn Simons, the Simons Foundation is “dedicated to to advancing the frontiers of basic science through grantmaking, in-house research and public engagement.” Jim Simons earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley at 23 years old. He then worked with the Department of Defense, teaching at MIT and Harvard before becoming chair of the math department at Stony Brook University, which has received more than $1.2 billion in funding from the Simons Foundation over the years. He left academia in 1978 to apply his expertise to finance and launched Renaissance Technologies in 1982. Renaissance was among the first funds to use quantitative models for trading. It remains one of the most successful funds in the history of investing.

Jim and Marilyn Simons currently serve as co-chairs of their foundation, which is based in New York City and maintains “a staff of over 500 people, half of whom are scientists.” The foundation recently underwent a “brand refresh” to improve its communications and better “emphasize the significance of basic science to a wider audience.” Its programmatic areas of engagement are Mathematics & Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Autism & Neuroscience and  Science, Society and Culture. The Simons Foundation also conducts in-house research through its offshoot, the Flatiron Institute, which aims “to advance scientific research through computational methods, including data analysis, theory, modeling and simulation.” Opportunities include grants, fellowships and collaborations with Simons-sponsored projects and events.

Grants for Science Research and Marine Conservation

The Simons Foundation supports science research through its Mathematics & Physical Sciences and Life Sciences programs.

Partners and grantees of Simons’s Mathematics & Physical Sciences program include University of California campuses at San Diego and Berkeley, the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, the Botswana International University of Science and Technology, Rice University and the University of Pennsylvania.

  • Simons’s Life Sciences program “seeks to advance basic research on fundamental questions in biology.” The program’s two stated areas of focus are Microbial Oceanography and Microbial Ecology and Evolution. Life Science awards and opportunities include the following:

    • Project Awards support individual research “in microbial oceanography, microbial ecology and evolution, and related areas.”

    • The Simons Investigator in Aquatic Microbial Ecology Awards offer support to “recently tenured, outstanding investigators in the field of microbial ecology in marine or natural freshwater systems” for “field studies, laboratory experiments, modeling or theory.”

    • The Early Career Investigator in Aquatic Microbial Ecology and Evolution Awards aim to “to launch the careers of outstanding investigators whose research will advance their field.”

    • Simon funds Postdoctoral Fellowships for Marine Microbial Ecology and Life Sciences. Both programs target postdoctoral scientists pursuing “fundamental problems” in the respective fields.

    • The Simons Foundation also supports specific Courses and Trainings in microbial studies and geobiology at institutions including the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

    • Finally, data from Simons’s Genome Diversity Project has also been made available at the program’s webpage.

Eligibility, guidelines and due dates for these programs vary and are linked to the program page during periods when the foundation accepts applications and/or LOIs. Prospective recipients should check back periodically for updates and subscribe to the foundation’s newsletter.

In addition to its regular awards programs, the Simons Foundation has made financial contributions and commitments to several large-scale projects and causes. In 2023, it announced its intention to award more than $1.2 million in support to 405 Ukrainian mathematicians, biologists, physicists and chemists who remain in Ukraine and continue “to conduct their research in the face of Russian bombings, failing power grids, internet disruptions and shattered windows.” The foundation also committed $100 million toward the creation of the New York Climate Exchange, an international institute led by Stony Brook University, to be built on New York’s Governors Island. Stony Brook, where Simons previously served as chair of the math department, was also the recipient of a $500 million endowment gift, the largest unrestricted donation to an institution of higher education in United States history. The Simons also gave $75 million to CUNY in 2024 to establish a center for computational science and support AI research.

Grants for Brain and Cell Research

The Simons Foundation’s Autism & Neuroscience programmatic area runs several grantmaking programs through three subprograms.

  • The mission of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) “is to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders by funding innovative research of the highest quality and relevance.” The program offers two funding opportunities.

    • The Bridge to Independence Award Program targets “talented early-career scientists from diverse and/or historically underrepresented backgrounds” engaged in autism research as they “transition into independent faculty positions at research institutions within or outside the U.S.” M.D. or Ph.D degree recipient may apply for up to five years of support, consisting of $85,000 per year for two years and, after securing faculty positions, $200,000 a year for three years. Due dates may vary from year to year but have fallen in early January. Proposals are accepted via ProposalCentral.

    • SFARI’s Supplement to Enhance Equity and Diversity grants support existing grantees with funding for “the recruitment of new lab members from American underrepresented minority groups at the postdoctoral level.” Applications for grants of up to $100,000 for as many as three years are accepted via ProposalCentral on an ongoing basis.

  • Simon’s Global Brain initiative supports research on “internal brain processes” and “the neural activity that produces cognition.” One of Simons’s newest programs, early grantmaking consists of two programs.

    • Transition to Independence Awards support early-career researchers “from diverse and/or historically uderrepresented backgrounds” who “pursue research in systems and computational neuroscience.” Recipients will receive funding during the years leading up to the attainment of faculty positions and support for the early years of of their careers. Applications for this opportunity are accepted via ProposalCentral. Due dates have fallen in January.

    • The Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience aims “to spark and sustain interest in neuroscience among undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds underrepresented in neuroscience research.” In addition to funding, the fellowship offers opportunities for students to work on “Simons Foundation-supported neuroscience laboratories under the mentorship of graduate students.” Details about applications and participating institutions are forthcoming.

  • The Plasticity and the Aging Brain initiative “aims to discover mechanisms of resilience and maintenance in the aging brain and to establish a baseline for age-related changes in plasticity across many model systems, in order to identify potential interventions to minimize cognitive decline and extend healthy lifespan.” Another new area of engagement for Simons, this program so far runs two funding programs.

    • Transition to Independence Awards support early-career researchers “from diverse and/or historically uderrepresented backgrounds” engaged in research on cognitive aging. Recipients will receive funding years leading up to the attainment of faculty positions and support for the early years of of their careers. Applications for this opportunity are accepted via ProposalCentral. Due dates have fallen in January.

    • The Plasticity and the Aging Brain program also participates in the Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience program. The program offers funding and research opportunities to undergraduate students in neuroscience who are from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. Details about applications and participating institutions are forthcoming.

Grants for Education, Journalism and Arts and Culture

The Simons Foundation’s newest initiative is Science, Society & Culture, which maintains the broad mission of “provid[ing] opportunities for people to forge a connection to science — whether for the first time or a lifetime.” The initiative, still in its earliest stages, supports a “portfolio” of in-house and external projects that “reflect our belief in the beauty of process, the importance of innovation and the transformative power of always asking ‘why?’”

  • Science Sandbox “supports boundary-pushing, interdisciplinary projects that support science in culture.” The project focuses on “the role scientific inquiry can play in people’s day-to-day lives” and “communities and voices that have been historically underserved.” Partners include the Black Girls Dive Foundation, youth summer programs at the Lewis Latimer House in Queens, New York and the Seattle Universal Math Museum, among others.

  • Presents “is a free events series exploring the connections between science, culture and society” at the Simons Foundation headquarters in New York City. Speakers’ presentations are followed by “an evening of conversation over drinks.”

  • Similarly, Presidential Lectures, take place at the Simons Foundation. This series presents “curated, high-level scientific talks feature leading scientists and mathematicians and are intended to foster discourse and drive discovery among the broader NYC-area research community.”

  • Autism in the Workplace supports “inclusive hiring, early career internships, and outreach” to increase opportunities for adults with autism.

  • Quanta Magazine is Simons’s online publication featuring articles on “basic science and math research” in journalistic formats.

  • The Transmitter, another online publication, serves “the neuroscience community” with “news and analysis of the field, written by journalists and scientists.”

  • Sandbox Films is a “production studio that illuminates the art and beauty of scientific inquiry: humankind’s weird, messy, brilliant way of navigating the world.”

  • Math for America provides grants and professional development opportunities to teachers of math and science with the goals of attracting and keeping talented educators in the field.

Important Grant Details:

Most of the Simons Foundation’s grants range from $5,000 to $500,000.

  • This funder has rebranded, and many of its programs are still developing, making it somewhat difficult to navigate grantmaking opportunities.

  • This funder generally accepts applications for its grantmaking and collaborative programs, but eligibility, guidelines and due dates vary significantly by program.

  • Some programs do not appear to run annually, making it important for grantseekers to check program pages periodically and sign up for the foundation’s newsletter at the bottom of its contact page.

  • Open funding opportunities can be found at the foundation’s funding opportunities page. 

  • For specific information about past grantees and the types of projects funded, see Simons’ annual report. 

Contact information for the foundation and its various departments is available at its contact page.

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