Science, Society & Culture

We provide opportunities for people to forge a connection to science, whether for the first time or a lifetime.

From strategic grantmaking, storytelling, national initiatives and more, our work reflects our belief that science is part of culture.

Explore

Explore

From strategic grantmaking, storytelling, national initiatives and more, our work reflects our belief that science is part of culture.

What We Do

Three people sit on stage having a panel discussion in front of an audience, with a screen behind them displaying a night sky with star trails. Two women and one man are featured; plants decorate the stage.

A photograph showing the white beads of the abacus that is used in the Abacus Bee.

3 Students and a teacher working with microscope

A photo of two people talking and writing.

Three people in suits write equations and a wave diagram on a classroom chalkboard. One stands on the left, one crouches to write, and another draws on the right side of the board.

A person stands in a dark room, silhouetted against a large screen displaying eight images, including medical scans, people interacting, and scientific activities.

A young girl in a pink hoodie wears solar eclipse glasses and looks up at the sky in a sunlit park with bare trees and blurred buildings in the background.

A hand holds pink chalk while drawing arrows and symbols on a blackboard.

A person stands in front of a large, colorful digital art display featuring abstract swirling shapes, reflections, and floating bubbles against a dark background.

A person stands in front of a large, colorful digital art display featuring abstract swirling shapes, reflections, and floating bubbles against a dark background.

A person stands in front of a large, colorful digital art display featuring abstract swirling shapes, reflections, and floating bubbles against a dark background.

A large group of people pose together outdoors on a paved area in front of green grass and trees, smiling at the camera.

People sit at yellow tables on a sunny rooftop patio, working on laptops or talking. Trees provide shade, and city buildings with domes and balconies are visible in the background.

A woman with glasses points at a projected presentation slide with a long stick in a lecture room with blue seats and a podium.

Grantmaking

We support innovative science engagement initiatives in New York and nationwide.

Media Initiatives

We cultivate curiosity by pushing the boundaries of science storytelling.

National Initiatives

We create opportunities, across the United States, for people to reimagine their relationship with science.

Researcher Engagement

We connect Simons Foundation scientists and other researchers with public engagement opportunities.

Public Events

We create space for conversations about science.

News

An older man wearing a sun hat stands in a field while a person in the blurry background holds a parabolic microphone.

How Math Helped Argentine Sparrows Relearn Lost Songs

October 13, 2026

Three graduates in black caps and gowns smile closely together outdoors, celebrating their achievement. A building and trees are blurred in the background under a sunny sky.

Apply Now: New Grants To Support HBCU Faculty and Research Excellence

October 1, 2026

A man in a suit plays a saxophone on a park bench, surrounded by colorful, hand-drawn arrows and squiggles overlaying the photo.

Music and STEM Collide for Students at Sound + Science

September 16, 2026

Quanta Magazine Launches Weekly Dispatch to Cover How AI Is Changing Math

September 11, 2026

Music and STEM Collide for Students at Sound + Science

Sound + Science is a mentor-driven organization that illuminates STEM concepts through music production. The program transforms traditional classroom settings into ones where, as Alexander puts it, “you feel like you’re in a recording studio.” Students are encouraged to improvise and are given the room to make mistakes and achieve breakthroughs. Continue

Stories of Impact highlight the real-world influences of Science, Society & Culture projects through personal narratives.

Stories of Impact

Contact Us

Simons Foundation
160 Fifth Avenue, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10010

Science, Society & Culture
[email protected]
Phone: 646.654.0066

A teacher leans over to help a student seated at a desk in a classroom. Other students are writing or reading at their desks. Bookshelves are visible in the background.