ASF’s mission is to support autism research by providing funding and other assistance to scientists and organizations conducting, facilitating, publicizing and disseminating autism research. We also provide information about autism to the general public and serve to increase awareness of autism spectrum disorders and the needs of individuals and families affected by autism.
Autism Science Foundation concentrates on funding autism research training and early-stage scientific work, with recent grants reaching postdoctoral fellows, predoctoral trainees, undergraduates, and projects on profound autism. The largest recent award in the data is $98,000 to The Regents of the University of California Davis for a Next Gen Sibs grant and post-undergrad fellowship grant, showing that the foundation supports both research and the next generation of researchers in the same portfolio. Other sizable awards include $60,000 to University of California Los Angeles for a post-undergrad grant and $50,000 to University of California San Diego for a post-doc grant, alongside multiple $35,000 awards for profound autism pilot grants and training grants at major universities. The grantmaking pattern also includes awards tied to sibling-focused work, travel support, and accelerator funding for active research. Across the recent grants listed, the foundation backs universities, medical schools, and research institutions that are conducting autism research or building research capacity. Its programs include fellowships, pilot grants, accelerator awards, and conference travel awards, all aligned with autism science and workforce development.
Several cause areas appear across Autism Science Foundation’s recent grantmaking. In profound autism, they awarded $35,000 to Washington University for a profound pilot grant and another $35,000 to University of California San Francisco for a profound pilot grant. For training and workforce development, Rutgers University received $50,000 for a pre-doc grant, while Arizona State University received $23,333 for a pre-doctorate grant. Sibling-focused work also appears in the portfolio: The Regents of the University of California Davis received $98,000 for a Next Gen Sibs grant and post-undergrad fellowship grant, and Els for Autism Foundation received $10,000 for Sam’s Sibs Stick Together Project. The foundation also supports research acceleration, including $7,500 to Boston University for an accelerator grant.
Typical awards cluster in the middle range, with a p25 of $12,500, a median of $17,500, and a p75 of $37,000. The recent grant list shows repeated funding to the same institutions across years, including University of California Los Angeles, Rutgers University, Yale University, and University of California Davis, which points to ongoing relationships rather than isolated one-off gifts. Autism Science Foundation does not fund individuals; its support goes to institutions and organizations. The active programs list shows that several grant programs accept unsolicited applications, including fellowships, pilot grants, postdoctoral support, and accelerator awards.
Current and upcoming funding from Autism Science Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Applicants must hold active autism research grants and seek supplemental funding to accelerate existing projects.
Deadline: RFA released April 21, 2026; Application Due July 6, 2026; Notification September 2026
$426K
$2.1M
$2.6M
$1.5M
Most grants fall between $13K and $37K, with a median of $18K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$18K
75th Percentile
$37K
About 5% of grants go to recipients in RI.
ALISON SINGER
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The foundation gives nationally, and all recent grants in the data went to U.S. recipients. California appears repeatedly through Davis, Los Angeles, La Jolla, and San Francisco, including The Regents of the University of California Davis and University of California Los Angeles. Other recurring recipient locations include Chapel Hill, North Carolina; New Haven, Connecticut; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Piscataway, New Jersey. New York recipients appear as well, including University of Rochester, but only 5% of grants went to recipients in the HQ state.
It funds universities, medical schools, hospitals, and nonprofit organizations conducting or facilitating autism research. Recent grants went to institutions such as University of California Los Angeles, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Yale University, and Els for Autism Foundation.
The recent grant data shows a p25 of $12,500, a median of $17,500, and a p75 of $37,000. Individual awards in the listed grants range from $1,000 travel awards to $98,000 for a combined Sibs and post-undergrad fellowship grant.
Yes. Several active programs in the data accept unsolicited applications, including Profound Autism Pilot Grants and Pre-Doctoral Fellowships, Pre-Doctoral / Postdoctoral Fellowships, Post-Doctoral S.O.S. Grants, Post-Undergraduate Two-Year Fellowships, Suzanne Wright Memorial Research Accelerator Awards, and Undergraduate Summer Research Awards.
The foundation supports autism research, genetics and genomics, neurobiology, early diagnosis and biomarkers, interventions and treatments, service delivery and policy, profound autism, and workforce development and training. Recent grants also show sibling-focused projects and research accelerator support.
Yes. University of California Los Angeles, Rutgers University, Yale University, and University of California Davis each appear more than once in the recent grants list, suggesting repeated support for certain research institutions over multiple years.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS | DAVIS, CA | $98,000 | 2025 | NEXT GENT SIBS GRANT AND POST-UNDERGRAD FELLOWSHIP GRANT |
| RUTGERS UNIVERSITY | PISCARAWAY, NJ | $50,000 | 2025 | PRE-DOC GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $35,000 | 2025 | PROFOUND PILOT GRANT |
| REGENTS UNIV OF CALIFORNIA | LOS ANGELES, CA | $35,000 | 2025 | POST-UNDERGRAD GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $35,000 | 2025 | PRE-DOCTORATE GRANT |
| TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $35,000 | 2025 | PROFOUND PILOT GRANT |
| WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $35,000 | 2025 | PROFOUND PILOT GRANT |
| YALE UNIVERSITY | NEW HAVEN, CT | $35,000 | 2025 | PROFOUND PILOT GRANT |
| EMORY UNIVERSITY | ATLANTA, GA | $35,000 | 2025 | NEXT GENT SIBS GRANT |
| ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY | TEMPE, AZ | $23,333 | 2025 | PRE-DOCTORATE GRANT |
| ELS FOR AUTISM FOUNDATION | JUPITER, FL | $10,000 | 2025 | SAM'S SIBS STICK TOGETHER PROJECT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $60,000 | 2024 | POST-UNDERGRAD GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO | LA JOLLA, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | POST-DOC GRANT |
| JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE | BALTIMORE, MD | $50,000 | 2024 | POST-DOC GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $39,000 | 2024 | PRE-DOC AND UNDERGRADUATE GRANT |
| BROWN UNIVERSITY | PROVIDENCE, RI | $35,000 | 2024 | PRE-DOC GRANT |
| RUTGERS UNIVERSITY | PISCARAWAY, NJ | $35,000 | 2024 | PRE-DOC GRANT |
| YALE UNIVERSITY | NEW HAVEN, CT | $7,500 | 2024 | ACCELERATOR GRANT |
| LEHIGH UNIVERSITY | BETHLEHEM, PA | $7,500 | 2024 | ACCELERATOR GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $40,782 | 2023 | 1ST PAYMENT OF PRE-DOC GRANT & NEXT GEN SIBS PROJECT |
| MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $25,000 | 2023 | 1ST PAYMENT OF POST-DOC GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN AT MADISON | MADISON, WI | $25,000 | 2023 | 1ST PAYMENT OF POST-DOC GRANT |
| WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE | ST LOUIS, MO | $17,500 | 2023 | 1ST PAYMENT OF PRE-DOC GRANT |
| RUTGERS UNIVERSITY | PISCARAWAY, NJ | $17,500 | 2023 | 1ST PAYMENT OF PRE-DOC GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS | DAVIS, CA | $17,500 | 2023 | 1ST PAYMENT OF PRE-DOC GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER | ROCHESTER, NY | $17,500 | 2023 | 1ST PAYMENT OF PRE-DOC GRANT |
| YALE UNIVERSITY | NEW HAVEN, CT | $17,500 | 2023 | 1ST PAYMENT OF PRE-DOC GRANT |
| BOSTON UNIVERSITY | BOSTON, MA | $7,500 | 2023 | ACCELERATOR GRANT |
| CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $7,500 | 2023 | ACCELERATOR GRANT |
| KENNEDY KRIEGER INSTITUTE | BALTIMORE, MD | $7,500 | 2023 | ACCELERATOR GRANT |
THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS
$98,000NEXT GENT SIBS GRANT AND POST-UNDERGRAD FELLOWSHIP GRANT
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
$50,000PRE-DOC GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO
$35,000PROFOUND PILOT GRANT
REGENTS UNIV OF CALIFORNIA
$35,000POST-UNDERGRAD GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
$35,000PRE-DOCTORATE GRANT
TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
$35,000PROFOUND PILOT GRANT
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
$35,000PROFOUND PILOT GRANT
YALE UNIVERSITY
$35,000PROFOUND PILOT GRANT
EMORY UNIVERSITY
$35,000NEXT GENT SIBS GRANT
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
$23,333PRE-DOCTORATE GRANT
ELS FOR AUTISM FOUNDATION
$10,000SAM'S SIBS STICK TOGETHER PROJECT
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
$60,000POST-UNDERGRAD GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO
$50,000POST-DOC GRANT
JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
$50,000POST-DOC GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
$39,000PRE-DOC AND UNDERGRADUATE GRANT
BROWN UNIVERSITY
$35,000PRE-DOC GRANT
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
$35,000PRE-DOC GRANT
YALE UNIVERSITY
$7,500ACCELERATOR GRANT
LEHIGH UNIVERSITY
$7,500ACCELERATOR GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
$40,7821ST PAYMENT OF PRE-DOC GRANT & NEXT GEN SIBS PROJECT
MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
$25,0001ST PAYMENT OF POST-DOC GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN AT MADISON
$25,0001ST PAYMENT OF POST-DOC GRANT
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
$17,5001ST PAYMENT OF PRE-DOC GRANT
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
$17,5001ST PAYMENT OF PRE-DOC GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS
$17,5001ST PAYMENT OF PRE-DOC GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
$17,5001ST PAYMENT OF PRE-DOC GRANT
YALE UNIVERSITY
$17,5001ST PAYMENT OF PRE-DOC GRANT
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
$7,500ACCELERATOR GRANT
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA
$7,500ACCELERATOR GRANT
KENNEDY KRIEGER INSTITUTE
$7,500ACCELERATOR GRANT