Targeted Grants in MPS is sponsored by Simons Foundation. Supports high-risk theoretical mathematics, physics, and computer science projects.

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience. Mathematics & Physical Sciences Mathematics & Physical Sciences Letters of Intent (LOI) Deadline: Letters of Intent (LOI) Deadline: Program or Administrative Questions: Senior Manager for Programs and Administration Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.

m. - 5:00 p. m.

Eastern Time, except designated holidays. Office Closures: November 25–27, 2026, December 24, 2026–January 1, 2027. The Simons Foundation’s Mathematics & Physical Sciences (MPS) division invites applications for its Targeted Grants in MPS program.

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 . The program is intended to support high-risk theoretical mathematics, physics and computer science projects of exceptional promise and scientific importance on a case-by-case basis. Funding and Allowable Expenses The Targeted Grant in MPS program provides funding for up to five years.

The funding level and duration is flexible and should be appropriate based on the type of support requested in the proposal. There is no recommended or assumed funding level for this program. Allowable expenses include: Up to one month of summer salary and related benefits per year for the PI and any co-Investigator(s).

These salary funds are not substitutional (cannot be used to relieve a university of salary costs) and cannot be used to reduce teaching loads below the departmental norm. They can only be used to supplement the salary similarly to a summer salary in the U.S. system.

For scientists at non-U.S. universities on calendar year (12-month) salaries, the program will allow PIs to request up to 1/12 of their calendar year salary as a contribution to research time on the project, provided that the salary request is not in violation of their institution’s policies of more than 100% effort per year. Domestic or international travel for the PI(s), co-Investigator(s) and students, as appropriate.

Parking, hotel, taxi, registration and other related travel and conference costs are allowable. Salary support and related benefits, including tuition support, for staff/research scientists, postdoctoral fellows and research associates, graduate students or undergraduate research assistants. Support for visitors and collaborators, including domestic and international travel, meals and lodging expenses.

Conferences and working meetings appropriate to the needs of the project, including meals, travel, lodging, vehicle rentals for participants and facility fees. Research equipment, experiments, computations, supplies and other expenses directly related to the research, including computers, computer support, professional literature, publication expenses and professional membership dues.

Please see the Simons Foundation’s grant policies on our website for further guidelines. Indirect costs are limited to 20 percent of applicable direct costs, as outlined in the policies. PIs and co-Investigators (co-Is) must hold a tenured or tenure-track faculty, or equivalent, position at said institutions or centers at the time of application and for the duration of the award.

There are no restrictions on the department and/or discipline of the PIs/co-Is. PIs and co-Is may be from non-U.S. institutions. A co-I must be employed by or be affiliated with a PI institution or another organization participating in the project under a consortium agreement.

Please see the foundation’s grant policies for further information regarding requirements and responsibilities of PIs and co-Is. Additionally, there are no citizenship requirements for project personnel.

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. Applications may be submitted by established U.S. and foreign public and private educational institutions and stand-alone research centers.

Funding to U.S. national labs or salary support of scientists employed at these labs is not allowed. Scientists employed at national labs may be non-funded project members, and funding may be used to support travel or local expenses related to the participation of the lab-based scientist in project activities. For-profit institutions are also not eligible to receive grant funds.

SF and SFI do not provide funding to institutions in China (including institutions in Hong Kong), or to fiscal sponsors or agents of institutions in China or Hong Kong. This includes funding to support subcontracts at institutions in China or Hong Kong or consultants residing or working for institutions in China or Hong Kong. Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) via the Simons Award Manager (SAM), https://sam.

simonsfoundation. org/ . The deadline is rolling, and an LOI can be submitted at any time.

Please refer to the How to Apply tab for instructions. Applicants will be notified of a decision within three months of the LOI submission. Please note that the volume of interest in this program is such that the foundation is not able to provide advance guidance on potential proposals.

We use the LOI stage to assess suitability and novelty. The foundation recommends submitting an LOI if applicants believe their research meets the criteria outlined in the RFA. A review of the LOI may lead to a request for a full proposal.

Full proposals must be submitted via SAM by the main PI and respective institution. The full proposal deadline will be noted in the LOI notification and will be no sooner than three months from the date of the LOI approval. Applicants will be notified of a decision within three months of the full proposal submission.

Our Commitment to Expanding Pathways to Science and Opportunities for All 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.

Letters of Intent (LOI) Deadline: Program or Administrative Questions: Senior Manager for Programs and Administration Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a. m. - 5:00 p.

m. Eastern Time, except designated holidays. Office Closures: November 25–27, 2026, December 24, 2026–January 1, 2027.

For projects with more than one PI, the LOI should be submitted by the PI designated as the main PI and their institution. LOI and proposal attachments should be single spaced and in typeface no smaller than 10-point font. Margins, in all directions, must be at least one-half inch.

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 . Please complete the application as follows: Applicant Details: Complete all required fields for the applicant/PI, including academic rank, position/title and ORCID. This information should be completed in the applicant’s profile.

The applicant may use the Edit Profile button to update their information as needed. Academic Degrees: Enter degrees (optional). Enter the title of the LOI application.

Enter the requested budget total.

Proposal – Upload required files as follows: Letter of Intent Narrative (two-page limit, plus up to one page for references and figures, which can be embedded within the text): Signed by the main PI on letterhead and which includes a brief summary of the support requested, including the names of the other PIs involved, if applicable, the scientific goals, background relevant to the application and a brief budget justification.

Budget (one-page limit): A tentative yearly budget, indicating total amount and major expense categories with proposed start and end dates. Personnel Biosketches: Upload an NIH- or NSF-style biosketch or a two- to three-page CV for for each PI and co-Investigator ( co-I) . Please name each PDF as Last Name_First Name_Biosketch .

Indicate the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop your proposal. Contacts & Personnel Tab: Please refer to the instructions provided in SAM. Under Project Personnel, indicate all project personnel, other than the applicant PI, including additional PIs, co-Is, collaborators, consultants, postdoctoral research associates and others.

Project personnel include individuals who contribute to the scientific development or execution of a project in a substantive, measurable way, whether or not they request salaries or compensation. Please note that the Simons Foundation does not use the role type co-PI. 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. Submit Application: When the LOI application is complete, please click on the Submit Application button to submit to the foundation. Institutional sign-off is not required for the LOI stage.

Please note that you will not be able to submit an application if the deadline has passed. A submitted LOI will appear in the Submitted queue of the Applications in Progress table on the applicant’s 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. Applicant Details: Complete all required fields for the applicant/PI, including academic rank, position/title and ORCID iD. This information should be completed in the applicant’s profile.

The applicant may use the Edit Profile button to update their information as needed. Academic Degrees: Enter degrees (optional). The application title will be prepopulated with the title entered in the LOI section.

Enter the requested Start and End Dates. Proposal – Upload required files as follows: Proposal Narrative (six-page limit, plus up to two pages for references and figures, which can be embedded within the text): A summary of the support requested, names of the PI(s) involved, if applicable, scientific goals, background relevant to the application and the significance of the requested support.

Personnel Biosketches: Upload an NIH- or NSF-style biosketch or a two- to three-page CV for each PI and co-I . Please name each PDF as Last Name_First Name_Biosketch . Indicate the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop your proposal.

Indicate whether the PI or any project personnel listed on the application are affiliated with the Simons Foundation or the Flatiron Institute as a Visiting Scholar / Independent Contractor or Employee.

Note: 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 PI to any Simons Foundation or Simons Foundation International RFAs released by the Simons Foundation.

If the PI will receive funding for salary, travel, support for students, postdocs or research staff, lab equipment, computing time or other individual expenses they may not be employees of the Simons Foundation, which includes the Flatiron Institute. Contacts & Personnel Tab: Please refer to the instructions provided in SAM for adding Institution Administrative Contacts. Select ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to ‘Will there be a subcontract?

’, as applicable, and Add/modify as needed. Under Project Personnel, indicate all other non-subcontract project personnel, including additional PIs, collaborators, consultants, postdoctoral research associates and others. Please note that the Simons Foundation does not use the role type co-PI.

Note: Additional PIs must be added in either the ‘Subcontract Personnel’ or ‘Project Personnel’ section in a ‘Subcontract Lead – With or Without Application Access’ or ‘Project Personnel – With or Without Application Access’ role, respectively; then, once the application has been saved, click on the Add More Detail button and select Additional Principal Investigator.

Project personnel include individuals who contribute to the scientific development or execution of a project in a substantive, measurable way, whether or not they request salaries or compensation. Budget Tab: Click the Edit/Modify button to add an up to five-year budget in U.S. dollars. Please refer to the allowable expenses outlined in the RFA.

In projects where there is more than one PI at different institutions, all but one of the budgets should be entered as a subcontract. Please enter each PI on each proposal in the Personnel Costs section of that proposal budget even if not requesting salary in order to reflect the PI’s percent effort.

For PIs and co-Is requesting summer salary, please only select Academic (referring to 9 or 10-months) for the Appt Type (which refers to the individual’s institutional appointment) and the base salary corresponding to this appointment type.

For PIs and co-Is requesting summer salary at non-U.S. institutions and/or those receiving 12 months of salary, the program allows them to request up to 1/12 of their calendar year salary as a contribution to research time on the project, provided that the summer salary request is not in violation of their institution’s policies of more than 100% effort per year.

Please only select Annual for the Appt Type (which refers to the individual’s institutional appointment) and the base salary corresponding to this appointment type.

Important: In order for known project personnel to display in the Personnel column drop-down list, you must add them as Project Personnel in the Contacts & Personnel tab of the application as well as add an application role to each personnel using the “Add More Details” button. You will need to close and reopen the budget for the changes to populate. Do not select TBD in the Personnel drop-down list if the personnel is known.

They must be first entered in the Project Personnel section as outlined above. Do not combine personnel on one budget line (e.g. multiple postdocs must be itemized individually). Provide justification for each budget line item entered, including all Personnel Costs requested.

Please note that the budget justification should be detailed and appropriate for the funds being requested. An insufficient budget justification will result in the proposal not being considered further . The addition of subcontract budgets is handled via the Project Personnel section in the Contacts & Personnel tab.

Please click on the ‘Add/modify project personnel’ button in that section for additional instructions. Within each budget period, you have the ability to copy the budget and justification from the previous period and then make edits as needed.

Important note: If content has already been entered in year 2 or 3, for example, copying from the previous year will not replace the content – it will only add the previous year’s content, potentially duplicating the budget the next year. Duplicated entries can only be deleted individually by line item. Publications & Other Support Tab: Please provide other support as indicated.

Publications: Provide a list of up to 10 relevant publications for each PI and co-I via PDF upload or SAM profiles. Please name each PDF as Last Name_First Name_Publications. Other Support: Please follow instructions for providing current and pending support for each PI and co-I via PDF upload or via SAM profiles.

If providing via SAM profile, reporting overlap is required to submit an application. While overlap is not a consideration for funding in this program, please click on the Report Overlap button for each entry and select Yes or No as appropriate.

If using PDF upload, NSF or other format is sufficient and should at least provide the award number, source of funding, title of award, dates of project and total costs for each support item listed. Please name each PDF as Last Name_First Name_Support . 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 & Submit: When the application is complete, please click on the ‘Send for sign-off’ button to send to your signing official for signature. The Signing Official will receive a notification when the application is ready for sign-off.

The Signing Official must provide an electronic signature in the Submission tab of the proposal. When the application is signed, the Signing Official must click on the Submit Signature button which will submit the application to the foundation.

A confirmation page will appear for the Signing Official once the application is successfully submitted, and the application will now appear in the Submitted tab of the Applications in Progress table. The applicant, Signing Official and Financial Officer will receive a notification when the application is signed and submitted. Please note that you will not be able to submit an application if the deadline has passed.

Letters of Intent (LOI) Deadline: Program or Administrative Questions: Senior Manager for Programs and Administration Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a. m. - 5:00 p.

m. Eastern Time, except designated holidays. Office Closures: November 25–27, 2026, December 24, 2026–January 1, 2027.

What types of projects are appropriate for consideration under this program? While there are no fixed guidelines, projects at the single- or few-PI scale that might be funded by federal agencies would not normally be considered under the Targeted Grants in MPS program. Would both theoretical and experimental projects be funded?

The emphasis of the program is theory, but projects with some experimental components may be considered. I am an adjunct faculty member at my institution. Am I eligible to apply to this program?

No, we do not accept applications from adjunct faculty. Are proposals in the chemistry field eligible? No, we are not considering proposals in chemistry at this time.

To whom is the grant awarded? The grant is awarded to the applicant’s institution. Is there a limit to the number of applications per PI or institution?

If I am not awarded a Targeted Grant in MPS, may I reapply? Yes, there is no limit on the number of times one can reapply.

Note regarding potential referral of an application to The Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (SFI) 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 . Targeted Grants in MPS awards are funded by the Simons Foundation and Simons Foundation International and administered by the Simons Foundation.

Scialog: Quantum Matter and Information Muon Colliders: A new direction in High Energy Physics Central American-Caribbean Bridge in Astrophysics Associated Universities for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Fundamental Fluid Processes in Climate, Stellar and Planetary Modeling Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique University of California, San Diego University of California, San Diego On the Cosmological and Particle Physics Implications of the String Swampland Small-scale Experiments for Fundamental Physics Using Permanent Magnets for Near Perfect Quasi-Symmetry in a Stellarator Astrophysical Investigations of Dynamical Chern–Simons Theory University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Texas at Austin École des Ponts ParisTech Svetlana Jitomirskaya, Ph.

D.

University of California, Irvine University of California, Berkeley University of Minnesota – Twin Cities Max Planck Institute/Flatiron Institute University of California, Berkeley Revisiting the Turbulence Problem Using Statistical Mechanics University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign École normale supérieure de Lyon Weizmann Institute of Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute of Science and Technology Austria Laurette Tuckerman, Ph.

D. Searching for Interactions of Ultra-Light Axion-Like Dark Matter New Directions in Cosmology and Gravitational Theory: Cosmological Bounces and Bouncing Cosmologies Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) FASER: Forward Search Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN University of California, Irvine University of California, Irvine University of California, San Diego Kurt Hinterbichler, Ph.

D. Case Western Reserve University University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania Matias Zaldarriaga, Ph. D.

Institute for Advanced Study University of California, San Diego University of Pennsylvania University of California, Berkeley University of Wisconsin-Madison MathJax: Universally Enhancing Math on the Web Cosmic Axion Spin Precession Experiment (CASPEr) University of California, Berkeley PTOLEMY project: Princeton Tritium Observatory for Light, Early-Universe, Massive-Neutrino Yield Christopher G. Tully, Ph. D.

All applicants for this grant must use our new grants management portal, the Simons Award Manager (SAM), to submit applications. If you are applying to the Simons Foundation for the first time, please register in SAM before selecting “Create Application. ” Instructional videos about using SAM can be found here .

If you have a ProposalCentral (pC ) account, a profile was created for you in SAM using the email address associated with your pC account. Please select “ Forgot Password? ,” set a new password for your SAM account and then select “Create Application.

” To create a new application, click on the button below. After creating an application, navigate to the “Applications in Progress” section on your homepage to access the in-progress application. For assistance, contact [email protected] .