Simons Centers of Excellence at Historically Black Colleges and Universities – 2027 Request for Applications

The Simons HBCU Centers of Excellence program, funded by Simons Foundation International (SFI) and administered by the Simons Foundation (SF), will support up to two Centers of Excellence (“CoEs”) at HBCU institutions in mathematics, neuroscience, physics and ecology & evolutionary biology. The program aims to foster research excellence and collaboration, and to provide pathways for students to successfully enroll in graduate STEM programs.

Each CoE will be an ambitious research and training hub grounded in cutting-edge computational, data-driven, and theoretical basic science and mathematics. Proposals with experimental or observational science projects that meaningfully supplement a primary computational, data-driven or theoretical program will be considered in exceptional cases.

The CoE must be anchored at a single HBCU institution, which will serve as the lead applicant and host of the center. However, CoEs are strongly encouraged to engage nearby institutions and establish partnerships with leading research institutions. Collaborative arrangements with other institutions should be described in the proposal.

Research output of CoEs will be expected to be of the highest quality, advancing the development of the respective field, with well-defined scholarly deliverables disseminated via open-access repositories and peer-reviewed journals.

An informational webinar about the award program will be held on October 6, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Zoom. Register here.

Each Center of Excellence (“CoE”) must be established in an accredited Historically Black College and University as defined by the Higher Education Act of 1965, or an academic institute that is part of an HBCU.

Each CoE will be expected to benefit nearby institutions by welcoming other scientists to participate in their scholarly activities and by stimulating the work of younger researchers from those institutions. Each proposal will be required to clearly outline concrete plans for the CoE to serve as a hub of excellence for nearby institutions.

CoEs will be expected to seek scientific exchanges with leading research institutions that prioritize basic science and mathematics. Plans for partnerships with institutions with concretely identified resources supporting such partnerships will be an important consideration in the review process.

Each CoE will be led by a Principal Investigator (PI)/Director who will be a tenured faculty member at an accredited HBCU or an academic institute that is part of an HBCU. The PI will set the scientific agenda and be responsible for its fulfillment. PIs will be expected to hold a Ph.D. and be excellent scientists at an active stage of their research careers with a demonstrated record of recognized scholarship. Their scholarship should be comparable to that of an associate or full professor. Interdisciplinary groups of PIs are welcome.

The PI will serve as the Director of the CoE and will be the primary contact with SF. The Director will be responsible for academic and administrative matters, including budgetary oversight of the CoE.

Each CoE will include:

• A PI/Director who sets the scientific agenda and oversees the CoE;
• Research scientists (all Ph.D. holders) hired by the PI, who will engage in the CoE’s research agenda and who will be afforded freedom to pursue their own research projects relevant to the CoE;
• A Program Administrator who will report to the Director and manage logistics and budgetary matters;
• A minimum of three faculty members, two graduate students and two postdoctoral researchers.

CoEs are strongly encouraged to engage nearby institutions and establish partnerships with leading research institutions. The Director can recruit CoE personnel from other research institutions. The PI and research scientists will be expected to recruit students and actively engage them in the research agenda.

Simons Foundation employees who receive a W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) from the Simons Foundation, including employees of the Flatiron Institute, may not apply as a principal investigator (PI) to any Simons Foundation or Simons Foundation International Requests for Applications (RFAs) released by the Simons Foundation. PIs and any project personnel listed on the application who will receive funding for salary, travel, support for students, postdocs or research staff, lab equipment, computing time or other individual expenses may not be employees of the Simons Foundation, which includes the Flatiron Institute.

SF will prioritize proposals with ambitious research and training programs in cutting-edge computational, data-driven, and theoretical basic science and in mathematics. To illustrate: A mathematician focused on improving our understanding of the geometry of moduli spaces in a range of contexts or a physicist building computational models of complex systems would be well aligned with this priority. For neuroscience computational modeling of biological and behavioral systems would be well aligned. For ecology and evolutionary biology, we are particularly interested in interdisciplinary research that jointly considers processes on both ecological and evolutionary timescales, or that links studies of ecology and evolution to other STEM fields, including physics, computer science, mathematics, chemistry and other areas of biology, especially genetics. An ecologist conducting field-based observational studies as their primary research activity would be less competitive; however, proposals in which observational or experimental work meaningfully supplements a primary computational or theoretical program will be considered in exceptional cases.

• Award Amount: Up to $1,500,000 USD per year over five years, for a total award amount of $7,500,000 USD, inclusive of 20 percent indirect costs (see grant policies).
• Award Duration: September 1, 2027, through August 31, 2032.
  • During year four, a comprehensive review of the CoE and its progress will be conducted. Continued funding into year five will be contingent on satisfactory progress as determined by SF and the external review committee.
• Number of Awards: We expect to select up to two (2) Centers of Excellence for funding.
• Use of Funds: Allowable expenses include personnel costs (PI, research scientists, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, Program Administrator), travel, conference registration, materials and supplies, equipment, annual scientific meeting costs, external advisory committee convenings, publication support and research stipends for students.

Applicants must submit a letter of intent (LOI) via Simons Award Manager (SAM) by 12 p.m. (noon) Eastern time on November 12, 2026.

The Principal Investigator/Center of Excellence Director is responsible for submitting the LOI.

When completing the LOI, applicants must refer to the “How to Apply” tab for details about LOI requirements and submission instructions. LOIs will be reviewed by Simons Foundation staff.

Review criteria include, but are not limited to:

• Intellectual Merit (30%): Proposals will be evaluated on the scientific rigor, originality and significance of the proposed research program. Proposals will be assessed using criteria modeled on NSF’s Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts framework, to help faculty build competitive grant-writing skills and prepare for future federal submissions.
• Alignment with SF Research Priorities (30%): Projects that are cutting edge computational, data-driven, and/or theoretical in nature and grounded in basic science or mathematics will be prioritized.
• Qualifications and Demonstrated Work (15%): The PI and proposed research scientists will be expected to have a demonstrated record of peer-reviewed publications and scholarly accomplishment commensurate with their career stage.
• Student Engagement Plan (15%): Reviewers will assess the quality and specificity of the plan for engaging undergraduate and graduate students.
• Hub Strategy and Sustainability Plan (10%): Reviewers will assess the quality and credibility of the CoE’s plan to serve as a regional hub of excellence and to sustain research activity beyond the award period.

Upon review, select applicants will be invited to submit a full application via SAM by December 17, 2026. Full applications must be submitted by 12 p.m. (noon) Eastern time on February 9, 2027. When completing the full application, applicants must refer to the “How to Apply” tab and the LOI approval notification they received for details on the full application requirements and submission instructions. Full applications will be reviewed by Simons Foundation scientific staff and an expert review committee.

Review criteria include, but are not limited to:

• Intellectual Merit (30%): Proposals will be evaluated on the scientific rigor, originality, and significance of the proposed research program. Proposals will be assessed using criteria modeled on the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts framework, to help faculty build competitive grant-writing skills and prepare for future federal submissions. Applicants should clearly articulate the long-term research vision of the CoE, how the award will enable the team to build a competitive and collaborative research program, and how the work will position them to submit future proposals to NSF, NIH or other major funders. Strong proposals will demonstrate a coherent, feasible and ambitious multiyear research agenda with well-defined scholarly deliverables.
• Alignment with SF Research Priorities (30%): Projects that are cutting-edge computational, data-driven and/or theoretical in nature and grounded in basic science or mathematics will be prioritized. Proposals with experimental or observational science projects supplementing the primary computational, data-driven and theoretical programs will be considered for funding in exceptional cases. Reviewers will assess the degree to which the proposed research reflects the frontier of the relevant field and the CoE’s potential to impact that field.
• Qualifications and Demonstrated Work (15%): The PI and proposed research scientists will be expected to have a demonstrated record of peer-reviewed publications and scholarly accomplishment commensurate with their career stage. Reviewers will evaluate the leadership team’s collective capacity to execute the proposed research agenda and to build a thriving center. A strong application will include a narrative that contextualizes the team’s accomplishments and articulates why this team is well-positioned to lead a CoE.
• Student Engagement Plan (15%): Reviewers will assess the quality and specificity of the plan for engaging undergraduate and graduate students in research. A strong student-engagement plan will:
  • Identify the number and level (undergraduate/graduate) of students to be supported;
  • Describe the specific research roles students will play and the mentoring structures that will support them;
  • Articulate a concrete plan for supporting students’ science identity and sense of belonging, such as participation in cohort-based research experiences, peer mentoring, science communication activities or connection to broader research communities;
  • Describe how students will be made aware of graduate school pathways, funding opportunities and career options in science;
  • Include a plan for tracking student outcomes (e.g., graduate school enrollment, conference presentations, co-authored publications) and administering an annual survey to students for two to three years following the conclusion of their participation in CoE-supported research.
• Hub Strategy and Sustainability Plan (10%): Reviewers will assess the quality and credibility of the CoE’s plans to serve as a regional hub of excellence and to sustain research activity beyond the award period. A strong plan will:
  • Identify nearby institutions that will benefit from the CoE and describe concrete mechanisms for engagement;
  • Name specific partner institutions with identified resources supporting scientific exchange;
  • Outline a realistic path to federal funding and institutional sustainability beyond the five-year award;
  • Detail a plan to host annual scientific meetings and to convene an external advisory committee. These gatherings are expected to support scientific exchange, community building, and accountability for the CoE’s research agenda.
  • Describe how the CoE will grow a community of scholars who will carry the research forward after the award concludes.

Note: Alignment with SF STEM Pathways Strategic Goals will be evaluated holistically across all five criteria rather than as a stand-alone score. SF’s long-term goal is to triple the number of underrepresented students who earn Ph.D.s in mathematics and basic sciences within 10 years. Reviewers will consider how each proposal advances this mission through its research vision, student engagement approach and hub strategy.

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.

Additional award terms may be included in the official award notification. Grantees are subject to the conditions outlined in their official award notification.

Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences. The Simons Foundation is committed to advancing basic science and mathematics to benefit humankind and expand our collective understanding of our world. As part of our mission, we support partners, programs and initiatives that seek to broaden the scientific community and open pathways to science and mathematics careers.

The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants for funding without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law.