Create a Letter of Intent (LOI):

LOIs must be submitted via Simons Award Manager (SAM). Please click on the Funding Opportunities icon and navigate to the Autism Research – New Ideas funding call. Click the Create Application button to begin. LOIs should be started and submitted under the applicant’s own SAM account.

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 applicant 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.

Letter of Intent (LOI) Submission:

To submit an LOI, the following sections must be completed in SAM:

• Record Summary:
  • The applicant’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 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.
• Proposal Tab:
  • Applicant Details: Enter all required fields, including your ORCID iD. The applicant 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: Please enter a project title.
  • Proposal:
    • SFARI Cohorts Data and/or Biospecimens: Note whether any of the listed samples/phenotypic data are being requested as part of the application. If yes, please include a description of use in the application, including the type and estimate of the number of samples needed.
    • LOI Narrative: Upload a PDF adhering to the template available for download in SAM, which includes the prompt and formatting requirements.
    • Personnel Biosketches: Upload a PDF of the applicant’s biosketch, as well as any key collaborators or personnel. Biosketches must be in SciENcv, NIH, or NSF-style format.
    • Budget Justification: Upload a PDF adhering to the template available for download in SAM, which includes the prompt and formatting requirements.
    • Indicate the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop your proposal.
  • Abstract & Keywords Tab:
    • Abstract: Please provide an abstract of your proposed project, following the instructions in SAM.
  • Check Application Progress: 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.
  • Submit Application: 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.

Please note that institutional sign-off is not required at the LOI stage for this program.

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.

LOI Approval: A submitted LOI will appear in the Submitted tab of the Applications and Awards table on your SAM home page. 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 PI listed on the application, inviting them to submit a full application in SAM.

Full Application:

The full application can be found in the ‘Drafts’ tab of the Applications and Awards table on your SAM home page.

Full Application Submission: Please adhere to any additional guidelines that may be included in your LOI Approval notification. The following sections must be completed in SAM:

• Record Summary:
  • The applicant’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 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.
• Proposal Tab:
  • Applicant Details: Enter all required fields. The applicant 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 start and end date. Start dates must occur on the first of the month, and end dates must be on the last day of the month. Please refer to the RFA guidelines for any restrictions on award period lengths and dates.
      • If you are submitting a multi-site application, please make sure that all Multi-Site Principal Investigator (PI) applications have the same title, start and end dates as the Spokesperson PI’s application. Additional instructions on how to generate a multi-site application can be found below.
    • Proposal:
      • Specific Aims: Upload a PDF adhering to the template available for download in SAM, which includes the prompt and formatting requirements.
      • Proposal Narrative: Upload a PDF adhering to the template available for download in SAM, which includes the prompt and formatting requirements.
      • Resources and Research Environment: Upload a PDF adhering to the template available for download in SAM, which includes the prompt and formatting requirements.
      • Human Participants Study Information Sheet (optional): Investigators proposing human participant/clinical studies must complete the Human Participants Study Information Sheet using the template provided and upload a PDF version.
      • Other (optional): Please upload any additional application materials that were specifically requested.
      • Indicate the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop your proposal.
      • Indicate if the PI 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.
    • Contacts & Personnel Tab:
      • 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, additional PIs, co-Is, collaborators, consultants and postdoctoral research associates, must be added to this section. Please do not add the applicant to this section.
        • Multi-Site Applications: Applications with multiple PIs from different institutions that would like to be paid separately must be added to the Project Personnel section, as follows:
          • Will there be multiple sites?: Indicate “Yes”
          • Click the Add/Modify button to add each individual PI, excluding the Spokesperson PI, in the role Principal Investigator (Multi-Site). Each PI will receive a notification informing them that they have been added as a Multi-Site PI.
          • Please click the Save Draft button in order for the newly added personnel to display in the table.
          • Separate full applications will be created for each PI, and they are responsible for submitting their completed application to the Spokesperson PI. A Principal Investigators tab will appear on the application, displaying the list of all Multi-Site PIs and the record IDs of their individual applications.
        • Subcontracts: Applications with multiple PIs from different institutions that would like to be paid directly by the main institution must be added to the ‘Project Personnel’ section, as follows:
          • Will there be a subcontract?: Indicate “Yes”
          • Click the Add/Modify button to add the Subcontract PI.
          • If the Subcontract PI should be given access to the application to complete their own budget, please add them in the role “Subcontract Lead – With Application Access.” This will send an email to the Subcontract PI notifying them that they have been granted access to the application, and a subcontract budget will be created for them in the Budget tab.
          • If the Subcontract PI should not be given access to the application, please add them in the role of “Subcontract Contact – Without Access.” Once added to the table, click the Add more Details button and select the role “Subcontract Lead” from the dropdown. In this case, a subcontract budget will be created for them in the Budget tab; however, they will not receive a notification. The main PI will be responsible for completing the subcontract budget on behalf of the Subcontract PI.
          • Please click the Save Draft button in order for the newly added personnel to display in the table.
        • Budget Tab: 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.
          • You must first enter the start and end dates in the Proposal tab to open the budget window.
          • If there is a subcontract, you must first add the subcontract lead to the Project Personnel section of the Contacts & Personnel tab. Once added, a subcontract budget will be created and must be completed.
          • 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.”
        • Abstract & Keywords Tab:
          • Abstract: Please provide an abstract of your proposed project, following the instructions in SAM.
          • Keywords: Please select any scientific tags that apply to your proposed project.
        • Publications & Other Support Tab:
          • Publications: Please report any publications (submitted to journal, published in journal or published on pre-print server) by selecting from your profile. Applicants can import data from other publication databases such as ORCID, PubMed or OpenAlex.
          • Other Support: Please report any current or pending funding sources via a PDF upload or by selecting them from your profile. If selecting from your profile, applicants can import data from other publication databases such as ORCID.
          • Other Funders: Please indicate if there are currently any other funders of the proposed project. If you select “Yes,” please list the funders in the text box.
        • Organization Assurances Tab: Indicate if organizational assurances are required for the project, such as IRB and/or IACUC. If yes, you will be prompted to provide additional information.
        • Check Application Progress: 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.
        • Institutional Sign-off and Application Submission: 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. 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 and Awards table. The applicant, 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.
        • Multi-Site Institutional Sign-off: If you are submitting an application with multiple sites, when the application is complete, each individual PI must click the Send for Sign-off button on their respective application to send it to their Signing Officials 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. A confirmation page will appear for the Signing Official once the application has been signed. For Collaboration PIs, this will move their applications to Submitted to Spokesperson PI status, and they will receive an email from [email protected] notifying them that the application has been submitted to the Spokesperson PI (SPI). The SPI will also receive an email from [email protected] notifying them that a collaboration application has been submitted for their review. For the SPI, this will move their application to Signed – Pending Submission status, and they will receive an email from [email protected] notifying them that the application has been signed, but is still pending submission. Please note that you will not be able to submit the applications if the deadline has passed.

Multi-Site Application Submission: Once the SPI’s application and all Multi-Site PI applications have been signed, the SPI must click the Submit application package button on their application, which will submit the package to the foundation. A confirmation page will appear for the SPI once the package has been successfully submitted, and it will appear in the Submitted tab of the Applications and Awards table. The SPI and each Multi-Site PI will receive an email from [email protected] when the collaboration package has been submitted. Please note that you will not be able to submit the package 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.

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.