New Ideas, Request for Applications

About this funding opportunity

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$600,000 USD Application Available

April 29, 2026 Scientific Inquiries

sciencerfa@simonsfoundation.org Administrative Inquiries

sfarigrants@simonsfoundation.org SFARI Data and Biospecimen Repository

sdbr@simonsfoundation.org Technical Assistance

samsupport@simonsfoundation.org Office Hours

Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Apply Now

$600,000 USD Application Available

April 29, 2026 Scientific Inquiries

sciencerfa@simonsfoundation.org Administrative Inquiries

sfarigrants@simonsfoundation.org SFARI Data and Biospecimen Repository

sdbr@simonsfoundation.org Technical Assistance

samsupport@simonsfoundation.org Office Hours

Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Eastern Time SFARI Mission

The mission of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is to advance the basic science of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD).

To this end, we solicit applications for a new grant mechanism, the New Ideas Award, from individuals who will conduct bold, imaginative, rigorous and relevant research. Objective of the New Ideas Award

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 in the study of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). This program is intentionally broad in scope and is designed to encourage ideas, approaches and perspectives that may differ substantially from those previously supported in the field or by SFARI. Proposed research may draw on any scientific discipline, methodology or experimental system (including humans) and may operate at any scale or level of analysis. Applicants are encouraged to propose work that challenges existing assumptions, introduces new frameworks or applies new tools and insights to advancing the basic science of autism and related NDDs. All projects should include a compelling case for the relevance and potential of the proposed experiments to SFARI’s mission: to advance the basic science of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD).

Applicants are encouraged to consult this perspective piece for more detail on this RFA and SFARI’s scientific perspectives for context on the foundation’s guiding principles. Applicants are strongly encouraged to think beyond existing frameworks and to articulate new directions that could reshape the field. We also strongly advise applicants to familiarize themselves with the currently funded projects and resources that SFARI supports to avoid duplicating efforts. Projects that represent extensions/continuations of ongoing work (whether funded by SFARI or other funders) are not appropriate for this mechanism.

Given the RFA’s emphasis on new ideas, preliminary data are not required; however, sufficient information to demonstrate feasibility should be included.

Applicants to this RFA do not need to have worked on autism previously; investigators who have not previously been funded by SFARI are especially encouraged to apply. We encourage those new to the field to consult with experts in autism research to ensure their projects are relevant to the human condition. Use of SFARI Resources

To accelerate research on autism and related NDDs, SFARI generates and shares essential data, tools and resources with scientists across academia, industry and nonprofits. We encourage applicants to familiarize themselves with the resources SFARI makes available and make use of them in their applications as appropriate. In particular, given the heterogeneity and multifactorial causes of autism, SFARI has invested in the establishment of well-characterized and sufficiently powered cohorts of individuals with autism ( SPARK) and associated NDDs ( Simons Searchlight). In order to facilitate recruitment from these cohorts into investigator-initiated studies SFARI has developed the Research Match program. RFA applicants proposing work in humans with…

Topic areas: General and Cross-cutting R&D, Life Sciences and Health.

Funding amount

This grant provides Varies in funding.

Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; there is no single fixed deadline.

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to the following applicant types:

• Not specified by the program.

Eligibility

The program did not publish a separate eligibility statement. See the official opportunity page for the full eligibility criteria.

Agency

New Ideas, Request for Applications is administered by Simons Foundation (Simons), listed via Simons Foundation.