Fellows-to-Faculty – 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 that the listed institution is the one to which funds must be administered if selected for funding. Awards must be administered through the fellow’s institution. Please refer to our grant policies for guidelines. 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 for your proposal. The start and end dates will auto-populate with the postdoctoral award period dates of September 1, 2027, through August 31, 2029.
  • Indicate if this application is a resubmission.
• Proposal:
  • Proposal Narrative (not to exceed five [(]5] pages): Upload a PDF using the template available for download in SAM, which includes the instructions, formatting requirements and page limits. The proposal narrative should provide a detailed statement of your scientific vision for your future laboratory and how your intended research program fits with the scientific area to which you are applying (SFARI, SCPAB or SCENE).
  • Graphical Abstract (not to exceed one [1] page): Upload a graphical abstract summarizing your research directions and how they align with the scientific area to which you are applying (SFARI, SCPAB or SCENE).
  • Personnel Biosketch (not to exceed five [5] pages): Upload a PDF of the fellow’s biosketch using the template available in SAM or SciENcv format. Please also provide a URL link to a full list of your published work. For applications to SFARI, the preferred URL is a My Bibliography link.
  • Personal Statement (not to exceed one [1] page): The Simons Foundation’s Autism & Neuroscience division offers the program to nurture new talent and to broaden the community of scientists contributing to our scientific mission. We drive innovation and collaboration by supporting scientists with a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences. With this in mind, the Personal Statement is an opportunity to tell us who you are, what you will bring to our community and what you hope to gain from our community.
  • Other (Optional) (not to exceed 100 words): If your training path or duration is not typical, please explain. Please provide additional information on your readiness to seek a tenure-track faculty position or equivalent during the upcoming academic job cycle that is not reflected elsewhere in your application.
  • Statement of Changes (SFARI Only) (not to exceed one [1)] page): For resubmissions to SFARI, upload a description of 1) a description of substantive changes to the proposal since your previous submission and 2) a list of new publications or preprints since your previous submission. If the previous proposal was externally reviewed, please include a point-by-point response to the reviewers’ critiques.
  • Confirmation Letter for Mentored Training Position: Upload a letter from your current institution officially confirming you are in a non-independent mentored research training position (e.g., a letter from your department chair or grant office). The confirmation letter should include a description of how your current position meets these criteria.
  • Permission for Additional Program Review: Select “Yes” if you grant permission for your submitted application to be reviewed for a different scientific area of the Fellows-to-Faculty Award, should the scientific officers identify your application as potentially relevant. Select “No” if you do not grant permission for your submitted application to be reviewed for a different scientific area.
  • 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.

Institution Administrative Contacts: At least one Signing Official and one Financial Officer must be added to this section.

Click the “Edit/Modify” button to complete a budget for the two-year postdoctoral award only. Please adhere to all budget guidelines listed in the RFA and the detailed instructions provided within the budget window. The total amount requested for each individual budget period must be a whole number.

• Three (3) confidential letters of recommendation from current or previous mentors and/or senior scientists who have substantial familiarity with your scientific career thus far are required for submission. At least one (1) letter of recommendation must be from a current scientific mentor. Your current scientific mentor(s) must explain the portion of research you will take with you for your future independent laboratory, and which will remain with them as your postdoctoral mentor. Confidential letters must be submitted through SAM.
• If you plan to request a letter from someone with whom you have a significant nonacademic relationship (personal, business or other), please inform our administrative staff prior to requesting the letter (see “Contacts” section). The Foundation will determine whether the relationship creates a conflict of interest (COI). If a COI is present, the Foundation will request the letter of recommendation come from a different mentor or scientist.
• Instructions for inviting referees are provided within this tab of the application in SAM. Once formally invited, referees will receive an automated email from [email protected] requesting that they accept or decline the invitation. Referees must accept the invitation before they can submit their letter. All letters must be uploaded as a PDF and submitted by the referee prior to the application deadline.
• You will not be able to send the application for sign-off or submit your application until all required letters of recommendation have been submitted.

• Publications: Please report any publications (submitted to journals, published in journals or published on preprint server) 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.
• If the status of a publication or other support changes after your application has been submitted and before February 17, 2027, please update the information in your user profile and contact the administrative staff (see “Contacts” section) for assistance in updating your application. No updates or changes will be accepted after February 17, 2027.

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.

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.

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.

Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations, The Simons Foundation, Inc. (“the Foundation” or “SF”) reserves the right to refer an application to The Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (“SFI”) for consideration and funding. SFI and SF have entered into an agreement pursuant to which SF provides program operations and grant administration services, including payment processing, to SFI. SFI grant recipients are subject to SF Policies and Procedures.