The Office of Foundation Relations is pleased to share this open call for letters of interest from the Simons Foundation.
- UCSC Contact: Samantha Forde | forde@ucsc.edu
- Funder: Simons Foundation
- Program: SFARI New Ideas
- Deadline: rolling
Overview: The mission of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is to advance the basic science of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). The goal of the New Ideas Award is to provide early stage support for bold, exploratory research that tests novel hypotheses and opens new conceptual or experimental directions. This program is intentionally broad in scope and looks to fund:
- New approaches not previously supported by SFARI
- Basic science grounded in autism biology
- Research with a clear and explicit case for relevance
Please see the Program Officer’s Perspective for additional context on the program.
Eligibility:
- Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree and have a faculty position
- Unsuccessful applications submitted to previous SFARI RFAs may not be resubmitted to this RFA
- Applicants are limited to one application to this RFA per calendar year
Funding:
- Up to $600,000 over two years
- Indirect costs are limited to 20% of the modified total direct costs (see grant policies)
Timeline
- LOIs will be accepted on a rolling basis starting on April 29, 2026.
Special Instructions
Please notify the Office of Foundation Relations if you are interested in applying to this opportunity (fr@ucsc.edu). For support developing your LOI, please send a request to the Office of Research Development, resdev@ucsc.edu. Within the Division of Social Sciences, please contact Ashlee Tews (ashleeac@ucsc.edu).
Call sent: May 4, 2026
The Office of Foundation Relations is a unit of University Advancement. The FR team creates and maintains mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with private organizations, matching grant initiatives with educational and research programs and centers. FR supports faculty and staff to identify and approach these and other private foundations for funding, to assist in strategic positioning of the grant application, and to facilitate funder campus visits. For a list of recent funding opportunities, please visit the FR website: FR Calls for Funding.