Open Grants & How to Apply

Grants Programs

Autism Speaks supports global biomedical research into the diagnosis, causes, prevention, and treatment of autism or its disabling symptoms. Our mission is to improve the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders. In support of that mission we provide funding along the entire research continuum - from discovery to development to dissemination - for innovative projects that hold considerable promise for significantly improving the lives of those affected by autism.

Autism Speaks research funding will be restricted to projects that address one of the following priorities:

• Understand environmental risk factors and their interaction with genetic susceptibility to enable prevention and improve diagnosis and treatment
• Discover biomarkers that can improve risk assessment and subtype stratification that will allow for an individualized approach to treatment
• Improve quality of life through more effective medicines, behavioral interventions, and technologies
• Enhance diagnosis and treatment of underserved and under-studied populations, specifically,
  • Nonverbal persons with ASD
  • Ethnically-diverse and/or low resource communities
  • Adults
  • Those with medical co-morbidities
• Disseminate and implement evidence-based clinical practices to the broader community worldwide

For more information including specific examples of types of projects relevant to the above priority research areas, please see 2012 Research Emphasis Areas.

For all applications, the relevance of the proposed research to Autism Speaks targeted research priorities (outlined above and in the RFA) must be explicit. Please refer to the specific Request for Applications (RFA) for the details of eligibility, the application process, and access to the new Autism Speaks grant system.

Current Announcements

Innovative Small Business Research Pilot Grants (Released 5/23/2012)
We are pleased to announce the inaugural year of the Autism Speaks Innovative Small Business Research Pilot Grants, designed to support promising, well-qualified small businesses that are endeavoring to develop innovative products that can improve the quality of life for individuals with ASD. Ideal applicants will be in relatively early phases of research and development of medicines, biomarkers /tests, and software or devices that hold real promise of commercial potential. It is anticipated that these grants will enable small businesses to complete essential research and development activities that can serve as the basis for subsequent funding from other market-based sources. This grant program is intended to jumpstart entrepreneurial efforts that may otherwise have difficulty achieving the requisite level of visibility on the way to successful product development. More details and instructions for applying can be found in the RFA here.

Treatment Research
Autism Speaks invites both Full- and Pilot-Level Treatment research grant applications to conduct innovative clinical studies of novel interventions for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) throughout the lifespan. These may include medical approaches including complementary and alternative forms of health care and pharmacological treatments, as well as behavioral and/or psychosocial interventions, and evaluation of the efficacy, safety or therapeutic benefits of all types of interventions. Also appropriate are animal model studies that test the effects of novel compounds for reducing autism symptoms. Access the RFA here.

Basic Clinical Research
Autism Speaks invites both Full- and Pilot-Level Basic & Clinical research grant applications to conduct innovative biomedical and behavioral research into the causes, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and dissemination of evidence-based practices for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Autism Speaks supports global biomedical research into the diagnosis, causes, prevention, and treatment of autism or its disabling symptoms. Our mission is to improve the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders. In support of that mission, we provide funding along the entire research continuum -- from discovery to development to translation and dissemination -- for innovative projects that hold considerable promise for significantly improving the lives of persons with autism. Access the RFA here.

Postdoctoral Fellowships in Translational Research (Updated 12/29/2011)
We are pleased to announce the second year of the Autism Speaks Postdoctoral Fellowship in Translational Research, designed to support promising, well-qualified postdoctoral scientists in their pursuit of research training in translational research. Translational research seeks to accelerate the pace at which basic scientific discoveries are translated into novel and effective ways of diagnosing, preventing, and treating conditions. We seek to encourage new investigators to enter into the field of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) translational research by providing funding for multidisciplinary training. This fellowship will support postdoctoral training in research that seeks to move biological science “from bench to bedside” or from experiments conducted in the laboratory into preclinical or clinical trials to real world settings, including hospitals, clinics, and other community settings, with the goal of improving outcomes for individuals with ASD. This fellowship aims to support biological researchers interested in seeking clinical experience in ASD as well as clinical or behavioral researchers who are seeking basic science experience in order to discover more effective methods or strategies for diagnosing and treating ASD.

A key motivation behind this fellowship is to remove barriers and develop better communication and collaboration among basic scientists, applied researchers, and clinicians. To this end, this fellowship requires a multidisciplinary setting and training plan that includes experience in both the laboratory and clinical settings. In addition to providing exceptional research training, the fellowship must include opportunities for two-way communication between basic scientists and clinicians. This fellowship encourages a collaboration of mentors to ensure that basic science mentors provide insights into mechanisms and research tools that ultimately will be useful in clinical settings while clinical mentors provide insights into the clinical phenomena and needs of the people being served that might then inform basic questions. Thus, trainees are required to have a primary mentor, the faculty member with whom they directly carry out their research, as well as one or more secondary mentors, who will provide integrated training experiences in different disciplines. Together, the mentoring team should offer opportunities for the fellow to learn about both basic laboratory science and people with ASD seen in clinical practice or clinical research. More details and instructions for applying can be found in the RFA here.

Dennis Weatherstone Predoctoral Fellowships
We are pleased to announce the fourth year of the Weatherstone Fellowships.  Autism Speaks invites applications from predoctoral students interested in pursuing careers in autism research. The Dennis Weatherstone Fellows will work directly with mentors who are leading scientists in autism research.  This program supports the growth of a promising cadre of young scientists who will make autism research their chosen field.  In order to cross-fertilize ideas and facilitate a network of collaboration, the Weatherstone program will include group interaction among the class of fellows and an annual meeting with the Weatherstone family and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.  Application deadlines are listed in the table below and in the RFA.  More information about the recently awarded Weatherstone fellowships can be found here. Access RFA here.

Suzanne and Bob Wright Trailblazer Award
Autism Speaks places a high priority on innovation and has designed its new Trailblazer Award to respond quickly to fund highly novel transformative projects. The Trailblazer Award mechanism will support highly novel “out of the box” autism-relevant research that opens new avenues to understanding the causes, diagnosis, subtyping, prevention, treatments, and cure of autism spectrum disorders. The Trailblazer Award mechanism is designed to fund small investigator-initiated high risk/high impact projects that are potentially transformative, paradigm shifting, and/or will overcome significant roadblocks in autism research within a 12 month period. We are seeking projects that may be too risky for regular research mechanisms, including that of Autism Speaks Pilot Study grants.

The proposed Trailblazer project:

• Must explore a highly novel idea or research technique that potentially could have high impact, i.e., have the capacity to change the way we diagnose, subtype, prevent, and/or treat ASD or the way we conduct relevant research on ASD.
• Generally should not have preliminary data.
• Should be considered so risky as to not likely be supported though other AS grants programs, including pilot studies.
• Trailblazer awards are limited to a period of 12 months and an amount up to $100,000 total, inclusive of 10% indirect costs. Access RFA here.

Future announcements

Announcements of new RFAs will appear on this page and in the e-Speaks newsletter.

Researchers can sign up to receive email notification of new RFAs by clicking here: http://events.autismspeaks.org/openRFAs

Information about Family Services Community Grants can be found here.

Apply Online:

All proposals must be submitted online via the Autism Speaks grants administration site. Through its various user-friendly features, applicants and corresponding host institutions can monitor the status of their applications and interact with the Autism Speaks grant administration staff. System access instructions can be found in the RFAs.

Electronic submissions are mandatory. No paper or e-mailed applications will be accepted. For inquiries, please contact:

Joan L. New, Grants Associate Manager
Autism Speaks
1060 State Road, 2nd Floor
Princeton, NJ 08540

Phone: (609) 228-7313 | Fax: (609) 430-9163 | jnew@autismspeaks.org

Funding Timetable:

For information on Autism Speaks' policies on science research, please click here.