Allegra Thomas

SFARI’s mission is to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders by funding innovative research of the highest quality and relevance. Launched in 2003, SFARI is a scientific initiative within the Simons Foundation's suite of programs and is its only program focusing on the science underlying a medicalcondition.In 2007, SFARI issued its first request for applications, its goal being to attract top researchers to the field of autism research. Today, with a budget of approximately $65 million per year, SFARI supports 175 investigators and since its launch has provided or committed more than $362 million in external research support to more than 250 investigators in the U.S. and abroad. SFARI now offers annual Research Awards and Pilot Awards, as well as Explorer Awards, awarded on a rolling basis, all of which solicit applications for projects across all areas of autism science. From time to time, SFARI also offers targeted requests for applications, seeking to fund projects in a tightly defined area.