Simons Foundation

• The foundation's stated focus is the United States, Canada and international, and its themes are mathematical and physical sciences, life sciences, autism research, neuroscience and science outreach, so a request should clearly sit in one of those areas.
• Its typical grant, where about 8 in 10 grants fall between $8,400 and $275,000, is not a ceiling, since its largest grant was about $26,500,000, and half its grants are $75,000 or less, so a modest request of that order fits well.
• Most grant dollars go to organisations it has funded before, with 94% of grant dollars going to organisations it had also funded in earlier filings, so a new applicant should expect to compete with established relationships and should make the case for its work carefully.
• For Targeted Grants in MPS, the foundation accepts rolling letters of intent and favours high-risk theoretical projects of exceptional promise and scientific importance, considered case by case, so approaches there can be made at any time.
• Application methods otherwise vary by programme, so check the relevant one first, and a new or little-funded organisation is not ruled out by that alone.

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

• New York Genome Center · New york genome center 2018 "new gift"
  $20,000,0002024 tax year
• Stony Brook Foundation · Simons infinity investment matching gift
  $6,666,6672024 tax year
• University of Edinburgh · A major programme of fundamental and clinical autism research
  $5,146,4002024 tax year
• New York University · Simons center for computational physical chemistry
  $4,434,9192024 tax year
• Clinical Research Associates · Autism research
  $4,227,5152024 tax year
• Northwestern University · National institute for theory and mathematics in biology
  $4,125,0002024 tax year
• Uc Berkeley · Simons institute for the theory of computing
  $3,750,0002024 tax year
• Stony Brook Foundation · Simons math/physics operating fund
  $3,498,8682024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.