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THE SIMONS FOUNDATION INC

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 133794889 · Form 990PF · FY2024 · NTEE T20 · Philanthropy & Grantmaking · Very Large (>$50M)
revenue
$171.4M
expenses
$258.0M
net assets
$3.7B
employees
profile · synthesized from sources

The Simons Foundation is a private foundation based in New York that supports scientific research through major grants to academic and research institutions. Its funding focuses on mathematics, theoretical physics, computational biology, and autism research. The foundation primarily advances its mission by funding collaborative research programs and institutional initiatives worldwide.

named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Autism Research Program
Supports clinical and fundamental research on autism spectrum disorder at multiple institutions including the New York Genome Center and Clinical Research Associates
National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology
Collaborative research initiative at Northwestern University integrating theoretical approaches with biological sciences
Simons Center for Computational Physical Chemistry
Funded center at New York University focused on advancing computational methods in physical chemistry
Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing
Supports foundational research in theoretical computer science at UC Berkeley through funding and academic collaboration
activities · 4 groups

What they do

  • Medical Research Funding 2 activities
    • Funding theoretical and computational science research
      Supports advanced research in theoretical computing, mathematics, and physical chemistry through grants to the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing at UC Berkeley, the Simons Center for Computational Physical Chemistry at NYU, and the National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology at Northwestern University.
    • Providing operating support to scientific research institutes
      Offers general operating support to independent research institutes such as Hautes Études Scientifiques to advance scientific inquiry in mathematics and theoretical sciences.
  • Cancer Research Funding 1 activity
    • Funding genomics and cancer research
      Finances research applying genomics to breast cancer detection, risk assessment, and treatment response at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and supports a major research initiative at the New York Genome Center.
  • University-Specific Endowment and Program Funding 1 activity
    • Funding math and physics initiatives at Stony Brook Foundation
      Awards matching grant funding through the Simons Infinity Investment Matching Gift program and supports the Presidential Innovation and Excellence Fund and the Simons Math/Physics Operating Fund at the Stony Brook Foundation.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Funding fundamental and clinical autism research
      Provides grants to support fundamental and clinical autism research at institutions including the University of Edinburgh, Clinical Research Associates, and UCSF, with studies focusing on mechanisms of sex bias in autism spectrum disorder and related topics.
financials · form 990PF · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$171.40M
Contributions & grants
Program service revenue
Investment income$6.10M4%
Other revenue$53.57M
expenses
Total expenses$258.00M
Program expenses
Admin / overhead
Fundraising
Salaries & benefits$3.00M
Grants paid out$271.96M
balance sheet
Total assets$4.48B
Cash
Investments
Liabilities
Net assets$3.71B
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +38.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 11
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
DAVID SPERGEL PRESIDENT 40 $990K
EUAN ROBERTSON COO 40 $711K
MARLOW KEE CFO/TREASURER 40 $577K
BRETT DAKIN GEN. COUNSEL/SEC./CHIEF COMPL. OFF. 40 $522K
CORNELIA BARGMANN TRUSTEE 1 $34K
WILLIAM H PRESS TRUSTEE 1 $32K
PETER LITTLEWOOD TRUSTEE 1 $31K
DAVID EISENBUD TRUSTEE 1 $31K
INGRID DAUBECHIES TRUSTEE 1 $30K
EMERY N BROWN TRUSTEE 1 $20K
SHIRLEY M TILGHMAN TRUSTEE/VICE CHAIR 1 $18K
board members · 5
  • ANDREW GOLDEN — TRUSTEE (AS OF 6/2024)
  • BILL FORD — TRUSTEE (AS OF 6/2024)
  • JAMES SIMONS — CO-CHAIR (THRU 5/2024)
  • JILL PIPHER — TRUSTEE (AS OF 10/2024)
  • MARILYN SIMONS — CO-CHAIR OF THE BOARD
relationships · 10

Who they work with

  • CLINICAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATES Partner — Conducts autism research funded by the foundation
  • COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY Partner — Conducts genomics research for breast cancer detection and treatment
  • HAUTES ETUDES SCIENTIFIQUES Partner — Receives operating support from the foundation
  • NEW YORK GENOME CENTER Partner — Funded for a major research initiative
  • NEW YORK UNIVERSITY Partner — Host institution for the Simons Center for Computational Physical Chemistry
  • NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY Partner — Host institution for the National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology
  • STONY BROOK FOUNDATION Partner — Recipient of multiple matching and operating grants including the Simons Infinity Investment Matching Gift and Simons Math/Physics Operating Fund
  • UC BERKELEY Partner — Host institution for the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing
  • UCSF Partner — Conducts research on sex bias in autism spectrum disorder
  • UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH Partner — Funded for a major program of fundamental and clinical autism research
strategies · 2

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Institutional Support for Theoretical Computing
    methodology: institute_level_research_support
    By providing dedicated, long-term funding and fostering institutional collaborations, the foundation enables sustained progress in theoretical computing, because such support creates stable environments for high-risk, high-reward research.
  • Integrated Fundamental and Clinical Research
    methodology: integrated_fundamental_clinical_research
    By combining fundamental science with clinical research, the foundation advances both understanding and treatment of autism, because insights from basic science can directly inform clinical applications and vice versa.