The Office of Foundation Relations is pleased to share this open call for funding from the Heising-Simons Foundation.
- UCSC Contact: Samantha Forde | forde@ucsc.edu
- Funder: Heising-Simons Foundation
- Opportunity: Science Events and Gatherings
- Deadline: July 10, 2026, 2pm PT
Overview
The Heising-Simons Foundation’s Science program is soliciting proposals for grants supporting meetings, workshops, conferences, summer schools, research collaboration gatherings, and other events related to astronomy, cosmology, fundamental physics, climate change science, as well as increasing the representation and retention of underrepresented groups within these areas.
Through its funding, the Science program has three main goals:
- Enable basic scientific research
- Connect key stakeholders
- Communicate scientific results
Please click here for the full guidelines.
Please review the list of FAQs.
Award Amount & Terms
- Grants between $20,000 and $80,000, in increments of $10,000, including indirect costs.
Relevant Eligibility Requirements
- The request must be related to organizing or hosting an in-person, hybrid, or virtual event related to the fields of astronomy (including planetary science), cosmology, fundamental physics, climate change science, and/or increasing the representation and persistence of underrepresented groups in these fields.
- Events focused on science communication are ineligible for funding in this call.
- In-person events must take place in the U.S., including U.S. territories.
- The duration of the event must be 15 days or less.
- The event must take place between January 15, 2027 and July 31, 2028.
- The primary audience of the event must be undergraduate level and above, and aimed at the scientific community.
Timeline
- July 10, 2026, 2pm PT Submission deadline
- October 23, 2026 Applicants notified of selection status
- December 23, 2026 Anticipated payment date
Special Instructions
Please notify the Office of Foundation Relations if you are interested in applying to this opportunity (fr@ucsc.edu). Please submit a proposal intake form prior to UCSC’s internal Institutional Deadlines. For support developing your proposal, 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) to initiate notification and proposal support.
Call Sent: May 18, 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.