Eligible applicants will be contacted with instructions for submission. Applications open on April 11, 2024.
SFARI Mission
The mission of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) by funding innovative research of the highest quality and relevance.
To this end, we solicit applications for Pilot Progression Awards from individuals who will conduct bold, imaginative, rigorous and relevant research.
Objective of the Pilot Progression Award
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 (please see below for specific eligibility criteria). We have always intended for SFARI Pilot awards to allow investigators to generate the preliminary data necessary to obtain continued funding from other sources for these novel projects, and indeed we have found that Pilot projects often lead to successful applications to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other government funding agencies. However, we recognize that some projects remain too risky or are not considered high priority for other funders, yet they remain relevant and important to SFARI’s mission. The Pilot Progression Award is intended to fill this gap. Applicants are encouraged, where possible, to provide evidence of attempts to obtain funding for proposed work from other sources.
The Pilot Progression mechanism is intended for projects that generated promising preliminary data during their initial Pilot funding and remain relevant to ASD but may not yet be suited for funding from other sources. Pilot Progression awards are not meant to provide additional time and budget to support the completion of the original Pilot aims, but instead to support extensions or expansions of these projects, e.g., expanding the number of genetic models studied, moving to the next logical level of mechanistic understanding or broadening experiments to include additional behaviors or brain regions.
As with the original Pilot RFA, applications for Pilot Progression funding will be reviewed first by the SFARI science team, and then a subset will be peer-reviewed by an external review panel.
To get a better understanding of SFARI’s various funding initiatives in 2024 and whether the Pilot Progression Award may be the best mechanism to support your project, please carefully read the eligibility criteria below, as well as our recent blog post, “Updates to SFARI’s 2024 requests for grant applications.” Investigators who are unsure of which of the RFAs planned in 2024 would be the best fit for their project can also contact [email protected] for further information.
Level and Duration of Funding
The total budget of a Pilot Progression Award is $900,000 or less, including 20 percent indirect costs, over a period of up to three (3) years. Allowable indirect costs to the primary institution for subcontracts are not included in the total budget threshold (see grant policies). 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. Funds are expected to be expended as requested during each annual budget period. As with all SFARI funding, proposed budgets will be assessed on the appropriateness for the scope of work and merit of commitment. Larger budgets invite heightened scrutiny and will raise the bar for funding. Overlap of the proposed project with funding from other sources should be avoided and, if unavoidable, must be carefully explained and justified.
We strongly encourage investigators considering budgets that exceed our guidelines to consult SFARI before submission (please contact [email protected]).
Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations the Simons Foundation reserves the right to refer an application to the Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (SFI) for consideration and funding, in which case SFI’s grant policies would apply.
Eligibility
This RFA targets investigators who previously held SFARI Pilot grants that have ended or will end between July 1, 2022 and December 31, 2024 (including no cost extensions). Access to the online application for this RFA will be limited to investigators meeting these criteria. Investigators who do not meet these criteria (e.g., Bridge to Independence awardees) but view their projects as competitive for the objectives and scope of the Pilot Progression RFA may send a one-page summary of their project/specific aims to the SFARI science team at [email protected] for evaluation; rare exceptions to the criteria stated above may be made.
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.
Applications may be submitted by investigators within or outside the U.S. employed at nonprofit organizations; public and private institutions, such as colleges, universities, hospitals, laboratories, and units of state and local government; and eligible agencies of the federal government. There are no citizenship or country requirements.
Instructions for Submission
The deadline for application submission is 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern Time on Thursday, June 13, 2024.
Applications must be completed electronically and submitted via SAM. Eligible applicants will be notified by email with details on how to access the RFA call once the application opens on April 11, 2024.
Application templates will be available in SAM for those eligible to apply. Applications will include a Specific Aims page, a 5-page Proposal Narrative, and must include an up-to-date Progress Report from the previous Pilot grant. Up to 10 figures may be included separately and do not count towards the page limit.
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.
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