Revision as of 23:50, 6 February 2023 by Saksapoiss(talk | contribs)(Changing short description from "US research foundation established in 1994" to "American research foundation")
The Simons Foundation is a private foundation established in 1994 by Marilyn and Jim Simons with offices in New York City.[2] As one of the largest charitable organizations in the US with assets of over $5 billion in 2022,[3] the foundation's mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the 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 astrophysicistDavid Spergel was appointed president.[4]
The Flatiron Institute
In 2016, the foundation launched the Flatiron Institute, its in-house multidisciplinary research institute focused on computational science.[5] The Flatiron Institute hosts centers for computational science in five areas:
The foundation makes grants in four program areas:[6][7]
Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS)
Life Sciences
Autism Research / Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI)
Outreach, Education, and Engagement
Simons Investigators awardees
Among other programs, the Simons Foundation funds the Simons Investigators in MPS program[8] which provides a stable base of support for outstanding scientists, enabling them to undertake long-term study of fundamental questions.[9]
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.[10]
White House BRAIN Initiative Alliance membership
As of December 2018, the Simons Foundation is listed as a White House BRAIN Initiative Alliance Member.[11]The Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain (SCGB) is working to understand the internal processes underlying cognition.[12]
Major gifts
In May 2022, the Simons Foundation partnered with Stony Brook University to boost diversity in STEM, with a $56 million gift.[13]
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.[14][15]
The foundation also funds two editorially independent online publications: Quanta Magazine and Spectrum (see Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative). Quanta reports on developments in mathematics, theoretical physics, theoretical computer science and the basic life sciences.[16] Spectrum provides news and analysis of advancements in autism research.[17]
