Simons Centers of Excellence at Historically Black Colleges and Universities – 2027 Request for Applications: How to Apply

The applicant’s name and institution will appear in this section. The institution will default to the user’s primary affiliation in their SAM profile. Please ensure the listed institution is the one to which funds must be administered if selected for funding. If the institution or applicant must be changed, please refer to the SAM Frequently Asked Questions for assistance.

• Applicant Details: Enter all required fields, including your ORCID iD. The applicant may edit information via the “Edit Profile” button as needed. To add your ORCID iD, navigate to the ORCID tab of the user profile, and select the “Create or Connect Your ORCID iD” button to link to your ORCID profile. Applicants must complete their profiles by clicking the “Complete Profile” button on the user profile in order to submit.
• Degree(s): Click the “Add/Modify Degree(s)” button to provide this information.
• Application Details:
  • Enter a title, start and end date. Start dates must occur on the first of the month, and end dates must be on the last day of the month. Please refer to the RFA guidelines for any restrictions on award period lengths and dates.
• Proposal:
  • LOI Narrative: Upload a PDF using the template available for download in SAM, which includes the instructions, formatting requirements and page limits.
  • Personnel Biosketches: Upload a PDF of the applicant’s biosketch, as well as any key collaborators or personnel. Biosketches must be in SciENcv-, NIH- or NSF-style format.
  • Indicate the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop your proposal.

• Institution Administrative Contacts: Institution contacts are not required at this stage. However, if you would like to grant an institutional official or administrator access to your application, please add them to this section.
• Project Personnel: All project personnel, including, but not limited to, additional PIs, co-investigators, research scientists, graduate students, and postdoctoral research associates, must be added to this section. Please do not add the applicant to this section.
  • Subcontracts: Applications with multiple PIs from different institutions that would like to be paid directly by the main institution must be added to the “Project Personnel” section, as follows:
    • Will there be a subcontract? (Indicate Yes.)
    • Click the “Add/Modify” button to add the Subcontract PI.
    • If the Subcontract PI should be given access to the application to complete their own budget, please add them in the role “Subcontract Lead – With Application Access.” This will send an email to the Subcontract PI notifying them that they have been granted access to the application.
    • If the Subcontract PI should not be given access to the application, please add them in the role of “Subcontract Contact – Without Access.” Once added to the table, click the “Add More Details” button and select the role “Subcontract Lead” from the dropdown. In this case, they will not receive a notification.
    • Please click the “Save Draft” button in order for the newly added personnel to be displayed in the table.
  • Multisite Applications: Applications with multiple PIs from different institutions that would like to be paid separately must be added to the “Project Personnel” section, as follows:
    • Will there be multiple sites? (Indicate Yes.)
    • Click the “Add/Modify” button to add each individual PI, excluding the Spokesperson PI, in the role Principal Investigator (Multisite). Each PI will receive a notification informing them that they have been added as a Multisite PI.
    • Please click the “Save Draft” button in order for the newly added personnel to display in the table.

Click the “Check Application Progress” button to verify that all required information and files have been submitted. Any missing requirements will be listed at the top of the screen and must be corrected before the application can be submitted.

Click the “Submit Application” button. A confirmation page will appear once the application is successfully submitted. You will also receive an email confirming its submission. The submitted LOI will appear in the “Submitted” tab of the “Applications and Awards” table on your SAM home page.

Once your application has been submitted, the Simons Foundation staff will be in touch if we require any additional information or revisions to your application.

If an LOI is approved, the status will change to “In Progress” and appear in the “Draft” column of the “Applications and Awards” table. A notification will be sent to the PI listed on the application, inviting them to submit a full application in SAM.

Separate full applications will also be created for any personnel who were added in the role of Principal Investigator (Multisite). All Principal Investigator (Multisite) applications must be signed and submitted to the Spokesperson PI, who is responsible for submitting the entire Multisite package to the foundation.

The applicant’s name and institution will appear in this section. The institution will default to the user’s primary affiliation in their SAM profile. Please ensure the listed institution is the one to which funds must be administered if selected for funding. If the institution or applicant must be changed, please refer to the SAM Frequently Asked Questions for assistance.

• Applicant Details: Enter all required fields. The applicant may edit information via the “Edit Profile” button as needed. Applicants must complete their profiles in order to submit.
• Degree(s): Click the “Add/Modify Degree(s)” button to provide this information.
• Application Details:
  • Enter a title, start and end date. Start dates must occur on the first of the month, and end dates must be on the last day of the month. Please refer to the RFA guidelines for any restrictions on award period lengths and dates.
    • For multisite applications: Please make sure that all Collaboration/Multisite Principal Investigator (PI) applications have the same title, start and end dates as the Spokesperson PI’s application.
  • Proposal:
    • Proposal Narrative: Upload a PDF using the template available for download in SAM, which includes the instructions, formatting requirements and page limits.
      • For multisite applications: Only the Director is responsible for submitting the proposal narrative.
    • Indicate the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop your proposal.
    • Indicate if the PI or any project personnel listed on this application are affiliated with the Simons Foundation or the Flatiron Institute as visiting scholars, independent contractors or employees.
  • Data & Renewable Reagents: If applicable, indicate your plan for generating and sharing data and/or renewable reagents.

• Institution Administrative Contacts: At least one Signing Official and one Financial Officer must be added to this section.
• Project Personnel: All project personnel, including, but not limited to, additional PIs, co-investigators, research scientists, graduate students, and postdoctoral research associates, must be added to this section. Please do not add the applicant to this section.
  • Subcontracts: Applications with multiple PIs from different institutions that would like to be paid directly by the main institution must be added to the “Project Personnel” section in order to generate separate budgets for each PI, as follows:
    • Will there be a subcontract?: Indicate Yes.
    • Click the “Add/Modify” button to add the Subcontract PI.
    • If the Subcontract PI should be given access to the application to complete their own budget, please add them in the role “Subcontract Lead – With Application Access.” This will send an email to the Subcontract PI notifying them that they have been granted access to the application, and a subcontract budget will be created for them in the “Budget” tab.
    • If the Subcontract PI should not be given access to the application, please add them in the role of “Subcontract Contact – Without Access.” Once added to the table, click the “Add More Details” button and select the role “Subcontract Lead” from the dropdown. In this case, a subcontract budget will be created for them in the “Budget” tab; however, they will not receive a notification. The main PI will be responsible for completing the subcontract budget on behalf of the Subcontract PI.
    • Please click the “Save Draft” button in order for the newly added personnel to display in the table.
  • Multisite Applications: Applications with multiple PIs from different institutions that would like to be paid separately must be added to the Project Personnel section in order to generate separate applications for each PI, as follows:
    • Will there be multiple sites? (Indicate Yes.)
    • Click the “Add/Modify” button to add each individual PI, excluding the Spokesperson PI/Director, in the role Principal Investigator (Multisite). Each PI will receive a notification informing them that they have been added as a Multisite PI.
    • Please click the “Save Draft” button in order for the newly added personnel to display in the table.
    • Separate full applications will be created for each PI, and they are responsible for submitting their completed application to the Spokesperson PI. A “Principal Investigators” tab will appear on the application, displaying the list of all Multisite PIs and the record IDs of their individual applications.

• Click the “Edit/Modify” button to complete a budget for the proposed project. Please adhere to all budget guidelines listed in the RFA, your LOI Approval notification, and the detailed instructions provided within the budget window. The total amount requested for each individual budget period must be a whole number.
  • You must first enter the start and end dates in the “Proposal” tab to open the budget window.
  • If there is a subcontract, you must first add the subcontract lead to the “Project Personnel” section of the “Contacts & Personnel” tab. Once added, a subcontract budget will be created and must be completed.
  • If including personnel costs, you must add the relevant personnel to the “Project Personnel” section of the “Contacts & Personnel” tab. If personnel have not been hired at the time of submission, you may report their costs under TBD.

• Publications: Please report any publications (submitted to journals, published in journals or published on preprint server) via PDF upload or by selecting from your profile. Applicants selecting from their profile can import data from other publication databases such as ORCID, PubMed or OpenAlex.
• Other Support: Please report any current or pending funding sources via PDF upload (SciENcv-, NIH- or NSF-style format) or by selecting them from your profile. Applicants selecting from their profile can import data from other publication databases such as ORCID.

Indicate if organizational assurances are required for the project, such as IRB, IACUC and/or biosafety approvals. If yes, you will be prompted to provide additional information.

Click the “Check Application Progress” button to verify that all required information and files have been submitted. Any missing requirements will be listed at the top of the screen and must be corrected before the application can be submitted.

• For Non-multisite Applications: When the application is complete, please click the “Send for Sign-off” button to send the application to your Signing Official for signature. You will not be able to send the application for sign-off if any application requirements are missing. The Signing Official will receive an email from [email protected] notifying them that an application requires their signature. The Signing Official must electronically sign the application via the “Submission” tab of the application. Once their signature is entered and saved, the Signing Official must click the “Submit Signature” button. This will officially submit the application to the foundation. Upon submitting their signature, the Signing Official will see a confirmation page, and the application will now appear in the “Submitted” tab of the “Applications and Awards” table. The applicant, Signing Official and Financial Officer will receive an email from [email protected] when the application is signed and submitted. Please note that you will not be able to submit an application if the deadline has passed.
• For Multisite Applications:
  • Institutional Sign-off: When the application is complete, each individual PI must click the “Send for Sign-off” button on their respective application to send it to their Signing Officials for signature. You will not be able to send the application for sign-off if any application requirements are missing. The Signing Official will receive an email from [email protected] notifying them that an application requires their signature. The Signing Official must electronically sign the application via the “Submission” tab of the application. Once their signature is entered and saved, the Signing Official must click the “Submit Signature” button. Upon submitting their signature, the Signing Official will see a confirmation page. For Collaboration PIs, this will move their applications to “Submitted to Spokesperson PI” status, and they will receive an email from [email protected] notifying them that the application has been submitted to the SPI. The SPI will also receive an email from [email protected] notifying them that a collaboration application has been submitted for their review. For the SPI, this will move their application to “Signed – Pending Submission” status, and they will receive an email from [email protected] notifying them that the application has been signed, but is still pending submission. Please note that you will not be able to submit the applications if the deadline has passed.
  • Collaboration Package Submission: Once the SPI’s application and all Collaboration PI applications have been signed, the SPI must click the “Submit Application Package” button on their application, which will submit the package to the foundation. Once the package has been successfully submitted, the SPI will see a confirmation page, and the package will appear in the “Submitted” tab of the “Applications and Awards” table. The SPI and each Collaboration PI will receive an email from [email protected] when the collaboration package has been submitted. Please note that you will not be able to submit the package if the deadline has passed.

Once your application has been submitted, the Simons Foundation staff will be in touch if we require any additional information or revisions to your application.