Discover Funding Opportunities

The Fellows-to-Faculty Award program supports talented early career scientists and their research vision as they transition into tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions. Fellows engage in a larger community of investigators, and receive funding toward the end of their postdoctoral career and a three-year faculty research grant. The program is offered by the Simons Foundation's Autism & Neuroscience division to nurture new talent and broaden the community of scientists contributing to their scientific mission. The award supports scientists whose scientific vision for their future independent laboratory is within the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) or the Simons Collaboration on Plasticity and the Aging Brain (SCPAB). The postdoctoral award provides two years of funding including an $85,000 annual stipend, $10,000 career development allowance, and $15,000 health insurance and benefits allowance, followed by a three-year faculty research grant upon securing a tenure-track position.

The Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURFiN) program aims to spark and sustain interest in neuroscience among undergraduate students who have not had access to research training opportunities. SURFiN provides funds for paid, in-person undergraduate research assistantships during the academic year to students living near Simons Foundation-supported laboratories in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Fellows gain hands-on, in-person research experience with direct mentorship from early-career scientists such as graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. This program is specifically designed for students currently enrolled in a bachelor's or associate's degree program who have not had access to research training opportunities. Fellows participate in career development activities, including a virtual coding boot camp and a scientific symposium in New York City in spring 2027. The program is named in honor of neuroscientist Krishna Shenoy.

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. Funding may be requested for instances of conferences or courses occurring over a period of up to three years between September 1, 2026, and August 31, 2029. The foundation does not typically fund any conference or course in its entirety, and all applicants are strongly encouraged to seek multiple sources of funding support. Eligible conferences or courses must have an open application or registration process.