The Simons Foundation is an American private foundation established in 1994 by Marilyn and

Jim Simons James Harris Simons (April 25, 1938 – May 10, 2024) was an American hedge fund manager, investor, mathematician, and philanthropist. At the time of his death, Simons's net worth was estimated to be $31.4 billion, making him the 55th-richest ...

with offices in New York City. As one of the largest charitable organizations in the United States with assets of over $5 billion in 2022, the foundation's mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and basic sciences. The foundation supports science by making grants to individual researchers and their projects. In 2021, Marilyn Simons stepped down as president after 26 years at the helm, and astrophysicist

David Spergel David Nathaniel Spergel is an American theoretical astrophysicist and the Emeritus Charles A. Young Professor of Astronomy on the Class of 1897 Foundation at Princeton University. Since 2021, he has been the President of the Simons Foundation ...

was appointed president.

The Flatiron Institute

In 2016, the foundation launched the

Flatiron Institute The Flatiron Institute is an American internal research division of the Simons Foundation, launched in 2016. The mission of the Flatiron Institute is to advance scientific research through computational methods, including data analysis, theor ...

, its in-house multidisciplinary research institute focused on

computational science Computational science, also known as scientific computing, technical computing or scientific computation (SC), is a division of science, and more specifically the Computer Sciences, which uses advanced computing capabilities to understand and s ...

. The Flatiron Institute hosts centers for computational science in five areas:

Funding areas

The foundation makes grants in four program areas:

Simons Investigators awardees

Among other programs, the Simons Foundation funds the Simons Investigators in MPS programSimons Investigators
The Simons Foundation which provides a stable base of support for outstanding scientists, enabling them to undertake long-term study of fundamental questions.

Simons Collaborations

In 2012 the foundation launched a new funding model, the Simons Collaborations, which brings funded investigators — sometimes from different disciplines — together to work on an important scientific problem. To date, 25 Simons Collaborations have been launched by the foundation's Mathematics and Physical Sciences and Life Sciences divisions and by its neuroscience initiatives.

White House BRAIN Initiative Alliance membership

the Simons Foundation is listed as a White House BRAIN Initiative Alliance Member. The Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain (SCGB) is working to understand the internal processes underlying cognition.

Major gifts

In May 2022, the Simons Foundation partnered with Stony Brook University to boost diversity in

STEM Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

, with a $56 million gift. In April 2023, the Simons Foundation pledged $100 million to support “The New York Climate Exchange” (“The Exchange”) on

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk ...

in New York City. The Exchange — a $700 million, 172-acre international center for developing and deploying dynamic solutions to the global climate crisis — is set to open in 2028. In June 2023, the Simons Foundation presented Stony Brook University with a $500 million unrestricted gift, which is one of the largest gifts ever made to a U.S. university. The Simons Foundation is a major supporter of Math for America, which has built a community of accomplished mathematics and science teachers who make a lasting impact in their schools, their communities, and the profession at large through collaboration and continued learning.

Supported institutes

Philanthro-journalism

The foundation also funds two editorially independent online publications: ''

Quanta Magazine ''Quanta Magazine'' is an editorially independent online publication of the Simons Foundation covering developments in physics, mathematics, biology and computer science. History ''Quanta Magazine'' was initially launched as ''Simons Science ...

'' and ''

The Transmitter ''The Transmitter'' is an online publication dedicated to neuroscience research news and commentary. Aimed at professionals from across the neuroscience discipline, the website is an editorially-independent publication of the Simons Foundation. ...

''. Quanta reports on developments in mathematics, theoretical physics, theoretical computer science and the basic life sciences. ''The Transmitter'' provides news and analysis of advancements in

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions, and its disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, ...

research and is the successor to ''

Spectrum A spectrum (: spectra or spectrums) is a set of related ideas, objects, or properties whose features overlap such that they blend to form a continuum. The word ''spectrum'' was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of co ...

'', a publication focused on

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

research which originated as the News & Opinion section of the

Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, or SFARI for short, is a research program established in 2005 by the Simons Foundation, which focuses on all aspects of autism research. Its director is Kelsey Martin. The organization has funded ...

website.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Scientific foundations based in the United States Organizations established in 1994 Organizations based in New York City Autism-related organizations based in the United States Mental health organizations based in New York (state) * 1994 establishments in New York City