Prospective applicants must submit a letter of intent (LOI) by April 15, 2026, 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern time.
LOIs must be completed electronically and submitted through Simons Award Manager (SAM). Please click on the Funding Opportunities icon and navigate to the Simons Foundation Autism & Neuroscience Conferences and Courses Call. Click the Create Application button to begin. Informational videos and answers to frequently asked questions on submitting applications in SAM can be found here.
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.
Letter of Intent Submission Instructions
To submit a LOI, you must complete the following sections in SAM:
- Proposal Tab: Please enter and/or upload all required application materials in SAM. This includes a proposal narrative, a budget narrative and a code of conduct for the conference or course. Templates are available in SAM for all required fields. Detailed instructions for each requirement are provided within the templates. Please adhere to all page limits and guidelines provided in the templates.
- Abstract & Keywords Tab: Please provide a description/abstract for the conference or course and any social media handles (optional) to be posted on the Simons Foundation website/social media, if awarded.
- Check Application Progress: Click the Check Application Progress button to check for any missing required information or files. All missing required information will be listed at the top of the screen and must be corrected before the LOI can be submitted.
Submit Application: When the LOI application is complete, please click on the Submit Application button to submit to the foundation. A confirmation page will appear once the LOI is successfully submitted. A confirmation email is also sent upon submission. Please make sure that spam filters allow emails from [email protected]. Please contact [email protected] if you did not receive a confirmation email, and it is not in your spam folder. The submitted application will appear in the Submitted tab of the Applications in Progress table. 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 will be in touch if we require any additional information or revisions for your submission. Please monitor your inbox and make sure that spam filters allow emails from [email protected]. Applicants are encouraged to monitor the status of the submission through SAM periodically.
LOI Approval: A submitted LOI will appear in the Submitted queue of the Applications in Progress table on your SAM home page. If an LOI is approved, the status changes to In Progress. Click on the record to gain access to the full proposal application.
Full Application Submission Instructions
The deadline for full proposal submission is July 8, 2026, 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern Time. Please plan carefully with your institution to meet this deadline. Applicants invited to submit a full application will receive a notification from [email protected] with a detailed list of requirements and information about the amount to request in the budget. Please refer to the details in that notification while completing the full application.
- Proposal Tab: Please complete all required fields in this section. Applicants must refer to the details in the notification sent from [email protected] for a detailed list of requirements.
- Contacts & Personnel Tab: Institution contacts are required at the full application stage. You must add at least one (1) institution signing official and financial officer to the Institution Administrative Contacts section before you will be able to submit.
- Abstract & Keywords Tab: You can update the description/abstract for the conference or course, if needed. Please note that this description will be used on the Simons Foundation website.
Check Application Progress: Click the Check Application Progress button to check for any missing required information or files. All missing required information will be listed at the top of the screen and must be corrected before the application can be submitted.
Send for Sign-off: When the application is complete, please click on the Send for sign-off button to send to your signing official for signature. You will receive a notification when the application is signed.
Submit Application: When the full proposal application is complete and signed, please click on the Submit Application button. A confirmation page will appear once the application is successfully submitted. A confirmation email is also sent upon submission. Please make sure that spam filters allow emails from [email protected]. Please contact [email protected] if you did not receive a confirmation email, and it is not in your spam folder. It will appear in the Submitted tab of the Applications in Progress table. Please note that you will not be able to submit an application if the deadline has passed.