Funding
Opportunities
Our grantmaking efforts focus on mathematical and physical sciences, life sciences, neuroscience and autism research.
Linking Early Neurodevelopment to Neural Circuit Outcomes RFA, Ph.D.
The Linking Early Neurodevelopment to Neural Circuit Outcomes RFA aims to bridge the gap in our understanding of whether and how developmental phenotypes caused by autism risk gene mutation lead to altered circuit formation and function. We strongly encourage proposals involving close collaboration between investigators of diverse expertise, such as developmental neurobiologists and circuit neuroscientists,…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
SFARI Supplement to Enhance Equity and Diversity (SEED) — Request for Applications
The SFARI Supplement to Enhance Equity and Diversity (SEED) was a program that provided supplements to existing grants for the recruitment of new lab members from American underrepresented minority groups at the postdoctoral level. The goal of the award was to increase diversity and fight inequity. For the purposes of the supplement, eligible groups included…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
2024 SFARI Pilot Progression Award — Request for Applications
The goal of the Pilot Progression Award is to provide continuing support for projects initiated during SFARI Pilot awards that have advanced significantly and produced insights that justify an extension. Eligible applicants will be contacted with instructions for submission. Applications open on April 11, 2024.
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
2024 Pilot Award – Request for Applications
The goal of the Pilot Award is to provide early support for exploratory ideas considered higher risk but with the potential for transformative results, particularly those with novel hypotheses for autism. This funding mechanism is particularly suitable for investigators new to the autism field, though we encourage applicants to consult with experts in autism research…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Bridge to Independence Award Program
The SFARI Bridge to Independence (BTI) program engages talented early-career scientists from diverse and/or historically underrepresented backgrounds to pursue research in autism and facilitates their transition into independent faculty positions at research institutions within or outside the U.S. The program is aimed at Ph.D. and/or M.D.-holding scientists from diverse and/or historically underrepresented groups in science…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
2023 Cross-Species Studies of ASD — Request for Applications
Grants awarded through the Cross-Species Studies of ASD request for applications (RFA) are intended to support multi-disciplinary teams of PIs with expertise in both human and animal research to perform coordinated cross-species studies to advance our understanding of ASD-relevant behaviors and their underlying neurobiological mechanisms, with the potential for developing novel biomarkers or interventions. Applicants…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURFiN)
The goal of the Simons Foundation’s Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURFiN) program is to spark and sustain interest in neuroscience among undergraduate students from diverse and/or historically underrepresented backgrounds in science. SURFiN provides funds for paid research assistantships for undergraduate students living near participating laboratories in the U.S., Canada, and Europe that are…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
2023 Human Cognitive and Behavioral Science – Request for Applications, Ph.D.
The Human Cognitive and Behavioral Science RFA prioritizes research that produces foundational knowledge about the neurobehavioral differences associated with ASD. These projects are expected to inform or relate to the development and refinement of tools needed for translational efforts, such as biomarkers and outcome measures. Special emphasis is placed on objective, quantitative measures that may…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Genomics of ASD: Pathways to Biological Convergence and Genetic Therapies – Request for Applications
Grants awarded through this request for applications (RFA) are intended to improve our understanding of the molecular and cellular consequences of genetic risk for ASD, and to provide a foundation for the development of new therapies. Special emphasis is placed on the use of scalable methods, especially as applied to genes that are suitable targets…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
SPARK Research Match Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity – Request for applications
The SPARK Research Match Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity RFA aims to address historic disparities in research participation by Black or African American individuals by soliciting studies on autism that recruit Black or African American participants. Funding will provide per-person participant incentive (e-gift cards) for participation in projects that utilize SPARK Research Match to recruit participants…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Analysis of postmortem brain tissue from the Autism BrainNet collection — Request for applications, Ph.D.
Grants awarded through this request for applications are intended to advance the understanding of autism spectrum disorder through analyses of human postmortem brain tissue donated to the Autism BrainNet collection. The annual budget is between $300,000 and $1,000,000, inclusive of 20 percent indirect costs, for a period of two (2) years. We encourage…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Autism Rat Models Consortium – Request for Applications
Grants awarded through this RFA are intended to capitalize on the rat as a model system to advance our understanding of the behavioral and circuit neuroscience mechanisms driving autism. This RFA will support a consortium of investigators to collaboratively use SFARI autism rat models to examine the biological basis of complex behaviors and the underlying…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Maternal COVID-19 as a potential risk for autism: Supplemental funding for ongoing pregnancy cohorts – Request for applications, Ph.D.
Grants awarded through this RFA will supplement funding from other agencies for ongoing pregnancy cohorts to broaden biospecimen collection and to extend post-natal family tracking. These cohorts and biospecimen collections can be leveraged in future research to understand the effects of gestational infection and inflammation on autism risk in children. The maximum budget is $250,000…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
2020 SFARI Collaboration on Sex Differences in Autism — Request for Applications
SFARI Collaborations are a new funding mechanism that will provide substantive and stable funding support to multidisciplinary teams of investigators tackling critical issues in the autism research field. Collaborations will be led by a director who oversees interdisciplinary, synergistic research efforts across multiple laboratories. Investigative groups within a Collaboration will focus on the same conceptually…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
2020 Research Award – Request for Applications
Grants awarded through this RFA are intended to provide support for the investigation of key unresolved research questions in autism, particularly those that connect etiology to brain function and behavior. SFARI welcomes risk and novelty in Research Award proposals, but potential impact on the autism research field will be the most important criterion. Competitive applications…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
2019 Novel Outcome Measures in ASD Request for Applications, Ph.D.
Grants awarded through this request for applications are intended to develop and validate outcome measures that are suitable for use in intervention studies that target the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. Such measures should provide objective data with strong psychometric properties, be scalable for use in large, multisite studies, not be unduly burdensome to…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
2019 SPARK Clinical Site Network Request for Applications
SPARK is a SFARI initiative intended to recruit, engage and retain a community of 50,000 individuals with autism, and their family members, in the United States. This research cohort includes children and adults who span the full autism spectrum and individuals of all socio-demographic backgrounds. Through this RFA, SFARI will add additional clinical sites to…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Genomic Analysis for Autism Risk Variants in SPARK – Request for Applications
Grants awarded through this RFA are intended to advance our understanding of the genetic basis of autism. Investigators who are interested in analyzing genomic data in innovative ways from thousands of SPARK families are encouraged to apply. Available data will include whole-exome and genome-wide genotyping data from approximately 4,500 individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Explorer Awards RFA, Ph.D.
Application type for proposals requesting support of exploratory experiments that will strengthen hypotheses and lead to the formulation of competitive applications for subsequent larger-scale funding by SFARI or other organizations. Innovative, high-risk/high-impact proposals are encouraged. We especially encourage applications from investigators who are new to the field of autism, but who have expertise that could…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Whole-Genome Analysis for Autism Risk Variants Request for Applications
Grants awarded through this RFA are intended to advance our understanding of the genetic basis of autism, and in particular, to begin to assess genetic variants conferring risk in non-coding regions and in coding regions of the genome that may be less accessible to whole-exome sequencing. Investigators who are interested in developing innovative and efficient…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Functional Screen of Autism-Associated Variants Request for Applications
Grants awarded through this RFA are intended to advance our understanding of the genetic basis of autism, and in particular the potential role of missense and in-frame deletion variants in conferring risk. Investigators who are interested in developing medium- or high-throughput screens to test the functional effects of missense and in-frame deletion variants identified in…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Innate Immune System Impact Request for Applications, Ph.D.
Grants awarded through this RFA are intended to advance our understanding of the impact of activation of the innate immune system on behavioral, circuit, synaptic and neuronal functions in order to understand the consequences of infection and immune activation on autism-related behaviors. Experiments should include physiologically relevant activation/inhibition of the innate immune system in animal…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Circuit Dynamics Request for Applications
Grants awarded through this RFA are intended to advance our understanding of the circuit basis for behavioral and cognitive alterations relevant to autism spectrum disorders. The goal is to determine the downstream consequences of autism-associated genetic perturbations on neural circuitry, with an emphasis on how collections of neurons operate in concert during autism-relevant behaviors. Experiments…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Analysis of Simons VIP Biospecimens Request for Applications
This RFA seeks proposals that take advantage of the unique combination of biospecimens and rich phenotypic information collected by the Simons Variation in Individuals Project (Simons VIP). Although SFARI is open to many different approaches, we will likely give priority to those that aim to accomplish a comprehensive characterization of RNA expression differences and correlate…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Mouse phenotyping request for applications
This RFA seeks proposals that aim to comprehensively analyze the behavior of mouse models that have been generated with targeted genetic mutations based on strong human genetic evidence implicating them in autism spectrum disorders. We expect investigators will test at least three genetic models in the same background strain (C57BL/6). In addition, investigators should analyze…
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
SFARI Mouse phenotyping awardees
The following SFARI grant was awarded in response to the Mouse phenotyping request for applications (RFA): Ted Abel, Ph.D. (University… Read More
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
SFARI Innate Immune System Impact awardees
The following investigators have been awarded SFARI grants in response to the Innate Immune System Impact request for applications (RFA):… Read More
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
SFARI Circuit Dynamics awardees
The following investigators have been awarded SFARI grants in response to the Circuit Dynamics request for applications (RFA): Rui Costa,… Read More
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
SFARI Analysis of Simons VIP Biospecimens awardees
The following SFARI grant was awarded in response to the Analysis of Simons VIP Biospecimens request for applications (RFA):… Read More
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)
Innate Immune System Impact (RFA) Frequently Asked Questions
This Innate Immune System Impact Request for Applications is closed. A PDF of its accompanying FAQ document is here. More… Read More
Program Area: Autism Research (SFARI)