AMS-Simons Research Enhancement Grants for Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI) Faculty

AMS-Simons Research Enhancement Grants for Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI) Faculty is sponsored by American Mathematical Society. Fosters research collaboration among full-time mathematicians at primarily undergraduate institutions in the U. S.

## AMS-Simons Research Enhancement Grants for Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI) Faculty The American Mathematical Society is pleased to offer this program to foster and support research collaboration by mathematicians employed full-time at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs), i.e., those colleges and universities that do not award doctoral degrees in mathematics.

With generous funding from the Simons Foundation; the AMS; and Eve, Kirsten, Lenore, and Ada of the Menger family, at least 40 awards will be made per year. In support of the AMS's continuing efforts to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in the mathematical research enterprise, we strongly encourage and welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

The AMS is committed to selecting a diverse group of researchers from PUIs across the country, from small liberal arts colleges, to large public universities with master's (but not doctoral) mathematics degree programs. Want to stay up-to-date? Please provide your email to receive occasional communications about grants from the AMS.

## Eligibility Requirements Mathematicians with an active research program employed full-time in tenured or tenure-track positions at PUIs in the United States are eligible to apply. For the purpose of this program, PUI institutions are colleges and universities that do not confer doctoral degrees in mathematics. Additionally, to be eligible, applicants must have earned a PhD degree at least five years before the start of the grant.

For the 2026 application cycle, that was prior to August 1, 2021. The applicant's research must be in a disciplinary research area supported by the Division of Mathematical Sciences of the National Science Foundation. Faculty with appointments solely in statistics departments are not eligible.

The intended awardees will not concurrently hold external research funding exceeding$3,000 per year and will not be in residence at a National Science Foundation institute. Additionally, no more than two applicants will be awarded from the same institution each application cycle. No person may receive an AMS-Simons Research Enhancement for PUI grant more than once.

**Each year for three years, awardees will receive up to $3,000** to support research-related activities. Institutions are required to administer the grants on behalf of the AMS, unless the awardee is attending ICM in grant year 1.

**Institution support for successful applicants who intend to use grant year 1 funds to attend ICM 2026:**If the awardee is attending ICM, the AMS will administer grant year 1, and the awardee's department will receive $600 with the goal of building on the momentum of the ICM by establishing honoraria, research projects, or other activities stemming from collaborations forged at the ICM.

The institution will administer grant years 2 and 3, and at the end of grant years 2 and 3, the awardee's institution will receive $600 (totaling $1,200) to offset costs for grant administration. No additional institutional overhead or indirect costs will be covered with these award funds.

**Institution support for successful applicants who do not use grant year 1 funds to attend ICM 2026:**The awardee's institution will receive $600 at the end of each grant year ($1,800 total) to offset costs for grant administration. No additional institutional overhead or indirect costs will be covered with these award funds. Activities that will further the awardee's research program are allowed.

These expenses include but are not limited to conference participation, institute visits, collaboration travel (awardee or collaborator), computer equipment or software, family-care expenses, hiring a student assistant, publication expenses, stationery, supplies, books, and membership fees to professional organizations.

During the three-year funding period, the awardee may spend up to $2,500 on electronic devices to support their research activities. ## What is the timeline for this grant? Applications were accepted from January 5, 2026 - February 11, 2026 (11:59 p.

m. EST) with institutional verification also due by February 11, 2026 (11:59 p. m.

EST). In the institutional verification prompt, a representative from the applicant's office of sponsored programs (or equivalent) was prompted to indicate the institution's willingness to administer the grant if the applicant is successful and continues to be employed at the institution. _Applicants are strongly encouraged to coordinate preparation of their applications with_ _their institution representative.

Applicants should_ _submit their applications in a timely manner to ensure that their institution representative has sufficient time to complete the verification by the deadline. _ Applicants were notified of their status in May 2026. **Successful applicants who intend to use grant year 1 funds to attend ICM 2026:**Grant year 1 will begin July 1, 2026, and will be administered by the AMS.

Eligible expenses related to ICM 2026 attendance (e.g., registration fee, plane ticket) will be reimbursable with appropriate documentation,even if they are incurred prior to the grant start date. Grant years 2 and 3 will run September 1 - August 30 and will be administered by the awardee's institution.

**Successful applicants who do not use grant year 1 funds to attend ICM 2026:**The AMS-Simons PUI grant year is September 1 - August 30 for all three years. Grant year 1 funds will be disbursed to the awardee's institution in August or September 2026. For all institution-administered grants, faculty awardees should adhere to their institution's internal processes for expending grant funds and obtaining reimbursements.

Applications will be accepted through MathPrograms. org. Application materials will include: * **Cover letter.

**In this cover letter, up to one page, you will describe how you expect the award to have an impact on your research and on your development as a mathematician. The cover letter may include information on factors affecting research productivity, such as teaching loads, significant institutional or departmental duties, and features of the student population and type of institution.

You may also wish to address any special circumstances not addressed elsewhere in the application, including but not limited to career interruptions. * **NSF-style biographical sketch.

** This document should be at most three pages and include the following sections: professional preparation, appointments, products (at most five products most closely related to the proposed research), and other significant products (at most five products, whether or not related to the proposed project). * **Summary of previous research. ** This summary, up to one page, should describe your past research results.

* **Research proposal. ** This proposal should be at most three pages with(including references) describing the research goals and/or objectives and the potential for the proposed work to add new knowledge and impact the profession. You should include potential collaborators and geographic locations where the work will be conducted.

Applicants are encouraged to indicate in the project description the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop their proposal. * **NSF-style summary of current and pending support. **This list should describe current and pending support.

If you do not have current or pending support, please upload a document stating "No current or pending support." * **Budget proposal and narrative. **The budget proposal should detail anticipated grant expenses, and should explain the expenses' connection to the outcomes described in the research proposal.

The budget questions are numbers 23 - 25 on the application. * **Institutional verification. **This prompt will send an email to the administrator at your institution (preferably a representative in your office of sponsored programs or equivalent) who can coordinate the administration of your award if your application is successful.

Email AMS Education, Grants, and Awards staffwith questions. We are here to help! Please note the frequently asked questions below.

### Frequently Asked Questions: Are faculty members with a shared tenured/tenure-track position eligible? Because of the way the grant is structured, it can only be awarded to individuals who are in full-time tenured/tenure-track positions. My institution does not offer tenure.

Am I eligible? Yes. Note that the application allows for the response, My college or university does not confer tenure.

I got my PhD four years ago. Am I eligible? For 2026, eligible applicants will have earned their PhD prior to August 1, 2021.

My university offers some doctoral degrees. Am I at a PUI? For purposes of this award, an applicant is at a PUI if their college or university does not offer a PhD in mathematics.

I am at a community college. May I apply? Yes, the only institutional requirements are that the applicant's college or university is in the United States and does not offer a PhD in mathematics.

What if I am in a non-mathematics department? The only departmental restrictions are that faculty members who are appointed solely to a statistics department or who are in mathematics education are not eligible to apply.

What is important is that an applicant's research is in a disciplinary research area supported by the NSF Division of Mathematical Sciences, and that the applicant makes the case in their cover letter that their work is mathematical in nature. Is AMS membership a requirement? No, AMS membership is not a requirement.

Is U.S. location or U.S. citizenship a requirement? Applicants must be employed full-time at a college or university in the United States. There are no citizenship or permanent residency requirements.

Could a heavy teaching load determine if you get the award? Awardees have had a variety of teaching loads, and it is likely that future awardees will have a range of teaching loads as well. How a teaching load affects an applicant's ability to engage in research should be addressed in the cover letter.

How much does the institution where someone works affect their chance of receiving a grant? While each application is reviewed individually, no more than two grants will be awarded per institution. What if I am unsure what my institution's equivalent of the "office of sponsored programs" is?

An applicant's institution should have an administrative office that supports researchers in their efforts to secure external funding and in the management of externally funded projects. Although this office may not be called an "office of sponsored programs," it would typically be located outside the applicant's academic department. #### Application Materials May teams submit proposals?

No, individuals submit proposals. Each eligible member of a collaborative effort is encouraged to submit a proposal. Applicants are prompted in the application to identify collaborators.

Are references included in the page counts for the Summary of Previous Research and the Research Proposal? Yes, the one-page limit for the Summary of Previous Research and the three-page maximum for the Research Proposal both include references. Should the proposed research be a continuation of prior work, or may it be a new project?

Both types of research proposals are acceptable. In the case of a proposal for a new project, however, the applicant should provide credible evidence of their ability to achieve what they are proposing. If the applicant does not have prior publications in the proposed area of research, they will need to articulate a clear, specific plan of how they will accomplish what they are proposing.

May an applicant propose different areas to pursue? Or should the application focus on one research idea? Reviewers consider the specificity of the preparation and approach presented in each proposal.

If an applicant presents wide-ranging and disparate lines of research, it may be difficult to discern a cohesive picture of their research agenda. With only three pages for the research proposal, space is limited to describe multiple projects in depth. It may be more effective to present a compelling case for one or two projects rather than multiple projects.

How does the committee weigh the research accomplishments of applicants from different types of institutions? Reviewers are instructed to look at a variety of evidence and not only research publications. Do student and collaborator participation enhance the application?

Research enhancement and collaboration are stated goals of this program. Applicants may speak to how their research agenda could have broader impacts on their institution by inclusion of their undergraduate students. Research does not necessarily have to connect with students, but student and collaborator involvement are certainly important in terms of the impact of the award.

May I include student conference travel funding in my budget statement? The proposed activities must directly further the awardee's research program, so the applicant must detail how student expenses will meet that expectation. Would a start-up package or other faculty development funding be reported as grant funding?

In the NSF Current and Pending Support document, this funding is classified as an in-kind contribution. A start-up package or other internal funding does not count toward the $3,000 limit on external research support. Is feedback available on my prior application that may help me prepare this year's proposal?

Formal feedback on prior applications is not available. Applicants are encouraged to use online resources, including the program webpage and webinar presentation, and opportunities to ask AMS Education, Grants, and Awards staff questions at conferences and via email to help them prepare new proposals. Could the AMS share example proposals from previous awardees?

While the AMS shared a news release announcing the recipients of the grant for the inaugural cycle, awardees' proposals will not be shared. #### Grant Policies and Eligible Expenses What happens if an awardee moves to an administration position during the grant period? Awardees and their institutions are required to submit technical and expense reports annually.

If an awardee moves into an administrative role at their PUI and continues to advance their research agenda, the awardee would not be required to forfeit the grant. What happens if an awardee moves to a different institution during the grant period? Program eligibility depends on an awardee's remaining in a tenured/tenure-track, full-time position at a PUI.

If an awardee moves to another PUI, the award may continue, but if an awardee moves to a non-PUI, then the awardee would have to forfeit the award. May publication expenses go towards open access fees? Yes, they may, as they are being used to drive and advance the applicant's research.

May funds be used to for cloud computing, such as renting computing time through a web services provider? Does the $2,500 limit apply in this case? If cloud computing is a need of the research project, over the three years of the grant, up to $2,500 may be used to cover it.