SFARI Mission
The mission of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is to advance the basic science of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders.
Background & Objective
Advancing open science and developing research-ready resources that accelerate autism research are central components of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI)’s mission. SFARI has generated a wealth of genomic and phenotypic data across several autism and related neurodevelopmental disorder cohorts and has also supported, through external grants, the generation of additional large datasets. In parallel, many other data resources have emerged. While such datasets have already been used to ask important questions relevant to autism, many opportunities for additional analyses and modeling remain, should scientists have the time and resources to invest in these directions. We are aware that further analyses of existing datasets are often not incentivized to the same degree as collection of new data.
The goal of this award is to increase use of large, publicly available data resources by supporting investigators to allocate time and personnel toward working in and publishing from these previously collected data. Applications should leverage existing publicly accessible datasets to ask new questions and extract new knowledge. Priority will be given to applications that use SFARI-supported resources, although all applications will be considered as long as data are publicly accessible at the time of application. Proposed questions should be relevant to SFARI’s mission.
Scientific Scope and Priorities
We will fund applications that use previously collected data that are publicly available, either by open or controlled access, and are relevant to the basic science of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders. We are open to the use of a range of different data types (e.g., genomic, transcriptomic, electrophysiological, brain imaging, phenotypic, epidemiological); investigators should justify their choice and the relevance to SFARI’s mission. This RFA will not fund new data collection.
Applicants must have access to or permission to access the data resources at the time of application. Priority will be given to SFARI-funded datasets, including SPARK, Simons Searchlight, Autism Inpatient Collection, Simons Sleep Project and Simons Simplex Collection, as well as to other datasets funded by SFARI grants (see a partial list here).
We are interested in projects that are feasible for the investigator team to complete within the duration of the award period. We encourage applicants to explore datasets from which they have not already published and to include co-investigators, consultants or letters of support from data generators or hosts to facilitate project aims. We require a one-page Dataset Descriptor that provides information on data access, how and where data were collected, what data and associated metadata are included in the dataset, variables of interest and how they are sufficient to address the proposed questions. Figures and tables may be appended to illustrate relevant characteristics of the dataset, as necessary. Preliminary analyses are not required, but data demonstrating feasibility of the proposed approach(es) may be included in the Proposal Narrative.
Level and Duration of Funding
Total project budget of $300,000 USD or less, inclusive of 20 percent indirect costs (see grant policies), over a two (2) year period. Compute costs can be requested separately (i.e., are not included in budget cap), with justification, including detailing institutional policy if computing locally or rates of commercial provider of choice. We encourage the use of funds to support trainees who can lead the analysis, modeling and publication efforts.
We encourage investigators to take advantage of the flexibility in budget and duration, tailoring the scope of the award as appropriate for their specific aims. Proposed budgets and timelines will be assessed on the appropriateness for the scope of work.
Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations, The Simons Foundation, Inc. (“the Foundation” or “SF”) reserves the right to refer an application to The Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (“SFI”) for consideration and funding. SFI and SF have entered into an agreement pursuant to which SF provides program operations and grant administration services, including payment processing, to SFI. SFI grant recipients are subject to SF Policies and Procedures.
Eligibility
All applicants and key collaborators must hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree and have a faculty position or the equivalent at a college, university, medical school or other research facility. We encourage both applicants who have long been working in autism research and those new to the field and interested in asking new questions in existing datasets.
Applications may be submitted by public and private institutions, such as colleges, universities, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local government and eligible agencies of the federal government. There are no citizenship or country requirements.
Simons Foundation employees who receive a W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) from the Simons Foundation, including employees of the Flatiron Institute, may not apply as a principal investigator (PI) to any Simons Foundation or Simons Foundation International Requests for Applications (RFAs) released by the Simons Foundation. PIs and any project personnel listed on the application who will receive funding for salary, travel, support for students, postdocs or research staff, lab equipment, computing time or other individual expenses may not be employees of the Simons Foundation, which includes the Flatiron Institute.
Multiple Applications and Revisions
Investigators may submit multiple applications on different topics. However, it is highly unlikely that two awards will be made to the same PI within one RFA cycle.
Unsuccessful applications submitted to previous SFARI RFAs may be resubmitted to this RFA, if appropriate for this call. For all resubmissions, we ask principal investigators (PIs) to submit a statement of changes describing substantive changes to the application since the previous submission (this can be uploaded as an attachment in the ‘Other’ field). If the previous application was externally reviewed, this document should include point-by-point responses to the reviewers’ critiques.
Instructions for Submission
Applications must be submitted via the Simons Award Manager (SAM). Please click on the Funding Opportunities icon and navigate to the Autism Research – Data Analysis – 2025 call. Click the Create Application button to begin. Applications should be started and submitted under the applicant’s own account in SAM. The deadline for application submission is September 4, 2025, 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern Time.
Application templates are available in Simons Award Manager (SAM). Applications will include a three-page Proposal Narrative (including up to five (5) additional pages of tables and figures that do not count towards the three-page limit) and a one-page Data Descriptor form (including up to five (5) additional pages of tables and figures that do not count towards the one-page limit). Please refer to the How to Apply section for detailed instructions.
Informational Session for Potential Applicants
To answer questions about this RFA, SFARI held an informational Zoom meeting on July 23 at 12 p.m. Eastern Time. Interested applicants can watch the recording here.
Our Commitment to Expanding Pathways to Science and Opportunities for All
Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences. The Simons Foundation is committed to advancing basic science and mathematics to benefit humankind and expand our collective understanding of our world. As part of our mission, we support partners, programs and initiatives that seek to broaden the scientific community and open pathways to science and mathematics careers.
The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants for funding without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law.