Funding work that
can answer to the public record.
The Foundation's grant programs, eligibility, and review process — published in the same place as the ethical charter that governs them.
The four commitments.
Every Foundation grant operates under these four commitments. They are conditions of award, not aspirations. They are reviewed annually by an external ethics board with the authority to revoke.
All foundation-funded research is published open-access. Methods, data, and negative results are shared on a defined cadence — not when convenient.
Commercial entities founded or held by foundation principals are disclosed in full and walled off from grant decisions through an independent ethics review.
The foundation accepts no funding that conditions a research outcome. Donor influence ends at the moment of the gift.
Every research initiative is evaluated against a single durable test: does it expand the conditions for human flourishing, or merely human consumption?
Four steps, no surprises.
The application process is deliberately simple. The Foundation does not solicit pitch decks, host invite-only events, or operate a back channel. Every awarded grant began with the letter of intent below.
I
Letter of Intent
A short letter (under 1,000 words) describing the proposed work, the lead investigator, and how it fits the Foundation's charter. No budget required at this stage.
II
Full Proposal
Selected investigators are invited to submit a full proposal: research plan, budget, ethics statement, data-release timeline, and conflict-of-interest disclosure.
III
Independent Review
Proposals are reviewed by an external panel of three investigators with no commercial or institutional ties to the applicant. Reviews are returned in writing.
IV
Award & Reporting
Awarded grants run on multi-year terms with annual reporting. Negative results, methodology shifts, and ethics-board flags are part of the public reporting record.
Who can apply.
Lead investigator holds a research appointment at a recognized institution, or has a documented record of independent research output.
Proposal sits within at least one of the Foundation's four initiatives — the Catch-22 Project, Cognisom, Cogs, or the AI Watch Lab — or articulates a clear convergence across them.
Applicant agrees to open-access publication of methods, data (where ethics permit), and negative results on the Foundation's defined cadence.
Applicant discloses, in full, any commercial or institutional relationship that could shape the research direction.
Beyond research, direct help.
Under the Catch-22 Project, the Foundation also makes direct grants to organizations meeting the immediate needs of autistic young adults aging out of foster care. These awards follow the same charter, but fund service delivery rather than research.
Legal & Administrative Advocacy
Independent legal clinics and social-work networks that manage transition paperwork — SSI, Medicaid waivers, and Disabled Adult Child applications — for neurodivergent foster youth aged 16 to 23, so no one misses a statutory deadline.
Neuro-Inclusive Housing Blueprints
Architectural and community-based pilots that design scalable, sensory-safe, semi-independent living micro-communities — a humane alternative to institutionalization and housing instability.
Sensory-Aligned Transition Programs
Employment and life-skills programs built around the sensory, cognitive, and communicative profiles of autistic adults, so meaningful work and a stable routine become realistic outcomes.
Two windows each year.
The Foundation runs two review cycles annually. Letters of intent submitted between cycles are held until the next window opens.
- 15 March
- 30 June
- 15 September
- 15 December
Ready to send a letter of intent?
Letters under 1,000 words are reviewed in the cycle in which they are received. There is no application fee.