Simons Foundation Autism & Neuroscience Conferences and Courses Awards

Opportunity

The Autism & Neuroscience division at the Simons Foundation is accepting applications for funding of conferences and courses. This year, conferences and courses that align with the scientific missions of any of the following programs will be prioritized: Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), with a mission to advance the basic science of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders, Simons Collaboration on Plasticity and the Aging Brain (SCPAB), with a focus on healthy cognitive aging, Simons Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience (SCENE), with a focus on understanding how interacting with the world shapes representations in the brain and mind, and the Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain (SCGB), with a focus on the fields of systems and computational neuroscience.

Eligibility

Applications may be submitted by conference or course organizers who are employed by 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 requirements.

SF and SFI do not provide funding to institutions in China (including institutions in Hong Kong) or to fiscal sponsors or agents of institutions in China or Hong Kong. This includes funding to support subcontracts at institutions in China or Hong Kong or consultants residing or working for institutions in China or Hong Kong.

To be eligible for funding through the 2026 RFA for the Conferences and Courses Award, at least one instance of the conference or course must occur between September 1, 2026, and August 31, 2027. The last instance of an eligible conference or course must occur by August 31, 2029.

Eligible conferences or courses must have an open application or registration process.

The Gordon Research Conferences (GRC) or Seminars (GRS) are not eligible for funding through this RFA. The Simons Foundation Autism & Neuroscience division funds an annual block grant to GRC to fund select conferences of relevance to our programs. Please reach out to the GRC administration to have your conference considered for support through the block grant.

Conferences organized by Patient Advocacy Groups (PAGs) with a focus on one or a few genes linked to autism or related neurodevelopmental disorders are not eligible for funding through this RFA. If you are interested in support for a PAG-organized conference, you can explore the Conference Support for Rare Neurodevelopmental Disorder Communities Participating in Simons Searchlight RFA.

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.

Funding and Timeline

Funding may be requested for instances of conferences or courses occurring over a period of up to three (3) years between September 1, 2026, and August 31, 2029. For each year of support, funding will be determined by request and justification. Applicants must provide strong reasoning for requests of $25,000 per year and above. Please note that we do not typically fund any conference or course in its entirety, and all applicants are strongly encouraged to seek multiple sources of funding support. Funding will be provided in the form of a gift, and indirect costs will not be permitted. The Simons Foundation Autism & Neuroscience division intends to run a yearly Conferences and Courses RFA. Funding requests may not overlap across years for the same conference or course instance through this RFA or any previous Simons Foundation RFA.

Your institution will be contacted by Simons Foundation staff for a summary of the events after their completion.

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.

Instructions for Submission

Prospective applicants must submit a letter of intent (LOI) by April 15, 2026, 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern time. LOIs must be completed electronically and submitted through the Simons Award Manager (SAM). Please refer to the How to Apply and FAQ sections for further details.

The following information constitutes the LOI and must be submitted:

• Proposal Narrative (1-2 pages). The narrative should include (but is not limited to) the following: the objective and structure of the conference or course, its planned frequency, a description of how the conference or course aligns with the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), Simons Collaboration on Plasticity and the Aging Brain (SCPAB), Simons Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience (SCENE) and/or Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain (SCGB) scientific mission, start and end dates for each instance of the conference or course for which funds are requested, and location. If applicable, please provide information on why the location of this conference or course will enable access to populations and/or geographies where conferences or courses in neuroscience have been less numerous.
• Budget. Applicants will be asked to provide 1) a budget for the funds requested from the Simons Foundation’s Autism & Neuroscience division; and 2) an overall budget for the conference or course, including other sources of funding, both pending and confirmed. A separate budget should be provided for each year of funding requested, up to three (3) years, as per the instructions in the Funding and Timeline section. Applicants may request different funding levels for each year of funding, with corresponding budget justifications.
• Code of Conduct. Applicants will be asked to confirm that the conference or course has a code of conduct that will provide an environment for the exchange of scientific ideas and knowledge that conforms to the highest ethical, professional and legal standards.
• Description. Applicants will be asked to provide a description/abstract of the conference or course.

Finalists selected for an award will be notified in late June. All finalist LOIs will be converted to full applications in SAM by Simons Foundation staff. Full applications will require submission of a budget and signature indicating institutional approval by July 8, 2026, 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern time. Once we have received and approved the full application in SAM, we will issue a formal gift letter.

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.