The Simons Foundation Inc
The Simons Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in New York, New York. Its mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences, through grant funding, support for research, and public engagement.
Key facts about The Simons Foundation Inc
In short: The Simons Foundation Inc gave $272.0M across 1,727 grants in 2024 (avg $157K), top state New York. 27% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 13-3794889
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $271,958,633
- Grants made (2024)
- 1,727
- Average grant
- $157,475
- Median grant
- $72,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (117 of 433, 2024)
- Total assets
- $4,482,291,699
- Primary geography
- New York (31% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- Listed future deadlines include October 6, 2026, for the Solar Radiation Management letter of intent; October 29,…
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$4.5B
-2.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$272.0M
-6.7% YoY
Grant Count
1,727
-12.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$157K
+6.0% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Simons Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $203.3M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is The Simons Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 117 of 433 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $385K; repeat grants $718K. How we count
Medians: $97K first-time, $138K repeat.
- 69% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−12%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 249% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences. Its grantmaking includes fundamental questions in mathematics, theoretical physics, and theoretical computer science; life sciences; autism and neuroscience research; and opportunities for public engagement with science.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate the range of its grants. The New York Genome Center describes its mission as using advanced genomics to understand the genetic basis of disease. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory says it conducts biological sciences research, particularly basic research in molecular biology and genetics. Northwestern University describes its mission as teaching, research, and students’ personal and intellectual growth. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 1,727 grants totaling $271,958,633. Grant amounts ranged from $1,480 to $20 million, with a median grant of $72,000.
The largest reported grant was $20 million to New York Genome Center for a “NEW GIFT.” Other large grants included $6,666,667 to Stony Brook Foundation for a Simons Infinity Investment Matching Gift; $5,146,400 to the University of Edinburgh for a major programme of fundamental and clinical autism research; $4,434,919 to New York University for the Simons Center for Computational Physical Chemistry; and $4,227,515 to Clinical Research Associates for autism research. Additional grants included $4,125,000 to Northwestern University for the National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology and $3,750,000 to UC Berkeley for the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing.
The foundation’s listed programs include Simons Collaborations in Mathematics and the Physical Sciences, Travel Support for Mathematicians, Targeted Grants in MPS, Simons Investigators, and the Scientific Software Research Faculty Award. The foundation describes the Scientific Software Research Faculty Award as supporting faculty positions focused on scientific software; its program summary specifies five years of salary support and a $50,000 yearly research allowance. The Pivot Fellowship supports researchers transitioning to new disciplines with one year of salary support and a $10,000 research and development allowance. A listed conference-support opportunity for Simons Searchlight communities covered conferences scheduled through February 2026, so that stated conference period has passed.
Review Cycle
Listed future deadlines include October 6, 2026, for the Solar Radiation Management letter of intent; October 29, 2026, for Simons Collaborations in Mathematics and the Physical Sciences letters of intent; and November 12, 2026, for Simons Centers of Excellence at Historically Black Colleges and Universities applications.
How to Apply
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. For Mathematics & Physical Sciences applications, its instructions say applicants submit through the foundation’s application process and generally need a signature from an institutional signing official; the stated exception is the Simons Symposia application.
Open Grants
26 open opportunities from The Simons Foundation Inc
Autism Rat Models Consortium 2.0 RFA - Collaboration Track
The Simons Foundation Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Autism Rat Models Consortium 2.0 RFA - Explorer Track
The Simons Foundation Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Centers of Excellence in Ukraine Grant
The Simons Foundation Inc
Amount
Up to US $600,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Ready to take the next step with The Simons Foundation Inc?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 filing’s grant dollars were reported as 31% to recipients in New York, 16% in California, 14% in a category listed as “?”, 13% in Massachusetts, and 4% in New Jersey. The filing also lists grants to organizations outside the United States, including the University of Edinburgh and Hautes Études Scientifiques.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 1,727 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $272.0M (2024) to $310.0M (2022). In 2024 it made 1,727 grants totaling $272.0M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was New York Genome Center ($20.5M across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $109.4M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($11,500), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
8,579 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 3,349 grants of 8,579 (39%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| New York Genome Center New York, NY | New York Genome Center 2018 "New Gift" | $20,000,000 |
| Stony Brook Foundation Stony Brook, NY | Simons Infinity Investment Matching Gift | $6,666,667 |
| University of Edinburgh | A major programme of fundamental and clinical autism research | $5,146,400 |
| New York University New York, NY | Simons Center for Computational Physical Chemistry | $4,434,919 |
| Clinical Research Associates New York, NY | Autism Research | $4,227,515 |
| Northwestern University Chicago, IL | National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology | $4,125,000 |
| Uc Berkeley Berkeley, CA | Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing | $3,750,000 |
| Stony Brook Foundation Stony Brook, NY | Simons Math/Physics Operating Fund | $3,498,868 |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cold Spring Harbor, NY | Applications of genomics to breast cancer detection, risk assessment and treatment response | $3,380,302 |
| Stony Brook Foundation Stony Brook, NY | Presidential Innovation and Excellence Fund Matching Gift | $3,072,666 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,482,291,699 | $171,400,960 | $364,993,487 | $271,958,633 |
| 2023 | $4,587,102,476 | $124,058,660 | $565,004,000 | $291,357,755 |
| 2022 | $4,912,204,674 | $373,367,640 | $523,078,723 | $309,976,519 |
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $4,482,291,699 | $4,587,102,476 | $4,912,204,674 |
| Revenue | $171,400,960 | $124,058,660 | $373,367,640 |
| Expenses | $364,993,487 | $565,004,000 | $523,078,723 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $505,551,912 | $503,448,267 | $499,676,040 |
| Net Investment Income | $165,978,684 | $119,155,614 | $476,018,207 |
| Distributable Amount | $203,319,907 | $211,263,537 | $224,929,264 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The foundation’s website identifies Marilyn Simons as chair and David Spergel as president. The 2024 filing lists Marilyn Simons as co-chair of the board and James Simons as co-chair through May 2024. It also lists trustees David Eisenbud, Emery N. Brown, Peter Littlewood, Andrew Golden, Shirley M. Tilghman, William H. Press, Cornelia Bargmann, and Jill Pipher.
The Simons Foundation Inc is led by David Spergel, President on every filing since 2021; 11 of 16 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
David Spergel
President
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$808K (2021) → $929K (2024)
David Eisenbud
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$15K (2020) → $18K (2024)
Emery N. Brown
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$8K (2020) → $20K (2024)
Peter B. Littlewood
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$10K (2020) → $20K (2024)
Shirley M. Tilghman
Trustee & Vice Chair
Trustee → Trustee & Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$8K (2020) → $18K (2024)
William H. Press
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$8K (2020) → $17K (2024)
Ingrid Daubechies
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
$7K (2022) → $15K (2024)
Cornelia Bargmann
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
$5K (2023) → $19K (2024)
Andrew Golden
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bill Ford
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jill Pipher
Trustee
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Euan Robertson
COO
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$533K (2020) → $630K (2024)
Marlow Kee
CFO & Treasurer
Secretary & CFO → CFO & Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$439K (2020) → $510K (2024)
Brett Dakin
General Counsel, Secretary & Chief Compl. Officer
Secretary & General Counsel → General Counsel, Secretary & Chief Compl. Officer, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$222K (2023) → $456K (2024)
James Simons
Co-Chair
Co-Chairman of the Board → Co-Chair of the Board, 2023
Co-Chair of the Board → Co-Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
16 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marilyn Simons
Co-Chair of the Board
President & Co-Chair → Co-Chairman of the Board, 2022
Co-Chairman of the Board → Co-Chair of the Board, 2023
On filings since 2020
16 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Margaret A. Hamburg (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Mark Silber (2020–2022) — Treasurer & Trustee
- Former: Robbert H. Dijkgraaf (2021–2022) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $929K, to David Spergel (President). 11 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 160 Fifth Avenue 7Th Floor, New York, NY 10010
Phone: (646) 654-0066
Website: https://www.simonsfoundation.org
Frequently asked questions about The Simons Foundation Inc
How much does The Simons Foundation Inc give each year?
The Simons Foundation Inc gave $272.0M across 1,727 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $291.4M across 1,962 grants.
What is The Simons Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
The Simons Foundation Inc's median grant in 2024 was $72,000, and its average grant was $157,475, across 1,727 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Simons Foundation Inc that year got $385K on average.
Where does The Simons Foundation Inc give grants?
The Simons Foundation Inc's top state is New York, with 31% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (16%) and Massachusetts (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (134 grants), Cambridge, MA (96 grants), Chicago, IL (53 grants) and Princeton, NJ (50 grants).
Does The Simons Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Occasionally: 1% of The Simons Foundation Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (9 of 1,727) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Simons Investigator in Physics" (47 grants), "Simons Investigator in Mathematics" (37 grants) and "Simons Society of Fellows - Junior Fellow" (24 grants).
Who are The Simons Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
The Simons Foundation Inc's largest 2024 grantees include New York Genome Center ($20,487,140 across 3 grants), Stony Brook Foundation ($18,279,437 across 11 grants) and Harvard University ($11,703,414 across 44 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($11,500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 19% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Simons Foundation Inc?
The Simons Foundation Inc reported $4.5B in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $505.6M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $203.3M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Simons Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Simons Foundation Inc?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Simons Foundation Inc's EIN?
The Simons Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3794889. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Simons Foundation Inc accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
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