Forming a connection with science starts with an entry point. We exist to shine a light on existing onramps and, when necessary, help build new ones.

Through our grantmaking arm Science Sandbox, we support organizations that illuminate the role scientific inquiry can play in people’s day-to-day lives. Organizations like the New York Hall of Science support the parents, caregivers and communities that greatly influence young people. And for those young people, we scaffold their science journeys through supporting programs like BioBus and STEM from Dance.

These programs embrace every aspect of their participants’ identities, not just the science-interested parts. They, like us, believe that science does not have to conflict with a person’s existing values or interests.

We provide opportunities and support for our researchers to engage with public audiences through Simons Foundation Presents, a series of conversations around science and its intersection with society and culture.

We also help researchers maintain their connection with science. Spectrum, an editorially independent online magazine of the Simons Foundation, has become a go-to destination for news and analysis about autism research. Through our Presidential Lectures series, we offer free conversations at the cutting-edge of science featuring leading scientists and mathematicians, with the aim of serving as a meeting place for the New York scientific research community.