Simons Historically Black Colleges and Universities Faculty Fellowship – 2027 Request for Applications: How to Apply

The Primary Award Contact’s name and institution will appear in this section. Please note that the Primary Award Contact should be a senior institutional leader who has the authority to affirm the institution’s commitment to the teaching buyout and mentoring structure. 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. 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 Primary Award Contact 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.
  • The start and end dates will auto-populate.
• 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 Primary Award Contact’s biosketch, as well as biosketches for any mentors and nominated fellows who have been identified. 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.

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 Primary Award Contact listed on the application, inviting them to submit a full application in SAM.

The Primary Award Contact’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. 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 Primary Award Contact 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.
  • The start and end dates will auto-populate.
• Proposal:
  • Proposal 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 nominated fellows’ biosketches. Biosketches must be in SciENcv-, NIH- or NSF-style format.
  • Institutional Commitment Letter: Upload a signed letter on institutional letterhead confirming your institution’s commitment to the teaching buyout and mentoring structure. The letter may be signed by the Primary Award Contact or another senior institutional leader.
  • Indicate the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop your proposal.
  • Indicate if the Primary Award Contact 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 the nominated faculty fellows, mentors, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students, must be added to this section. Please do not add the Primary Award Contact to this section.

• 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.
• 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

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 Primary Award Contact, 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.