Fellows-to-Faculty Award Grant

The Fellows-to-Faculty Award by the Simons Foundation supports early career scientists from underrepresented backgrounds as they transition into tenure-track faculty positions. This initiative aims to foster diversity in scientific research, encouraging innovative ideas that align with the foundation's mission in autism and neuroscience. Awardees receive up to five years of funding, facilitating their research vision and participation in a collaborative community. Applications are open to eligible postdoctoral scholars seeking to advance their scientific careers.

NOTE:
Pre-Proposal - This deadline represents when the application and letters are due.Full Proposal - Invite Only - This deadline represents when finalists will have their short virtual interview. It is spread across 2 days.
The Fellows-to-Faculty Award is a new iteration of the previously offered Simons Foundation Independence Awards.
In order to advance the frontiers of research in science, the Simons Foundation’s Autism & Neuroscience division recognizes the need for diverse ideas and perspectives that contribute to the scientific enterprise. We offer the Fellows-to-Faculty Award program to identify scientists with extraordinary potential to advance our scientific areas of interest and nurture greater diversity in our scientific community.
This award supports talented early career scientists and their research vision as they transition into tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions. Fellows engage in a lively, interdisciplinary community and participate in scientific and career development activities.
This request for applications is intended for senior postdoctoral scholars or equivalent researchers whose backgrounds and experiences are underrepresented in science and whose future research program advances the mission of either the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) or Simons Collaboration on Plasticity and the Aging Brain (SCPAB). Fellows may activate awards at research institutions within or outside the United States.
Scientific Areas
For the request for applications (RFA), we seek to support scientists whose scientific vision for their future independent laboratory contributes to the mission of either or both of the following scientific areas:

• Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), consistent with SFARI scientific perspectives
• Simons Collaboration on Plasticity and the Aging Brain (SCPAB), consistent with the SCPAB’s mission

We welcome applications from scientists with a previous background in these areas and those newly applying their expertise to these areas.
Individuals may submit an application to SFARI, SCPAB or both. If submitting to both areas, applicants must submit two (2) separate applications, tailored to the respective scientific areas.
Funding
Each fellow is provided up to five (5) years of financial support, split into a faculty research award over three (3) years and an optional postdoctoral award for a maximum of two (2) years.
For either phase, the fellow may be affiliated with institutions located within or outside the United States. Awards must be administered through the fellow’s institution.
Faculty Research Award: The central focus of this award program is the Faculty Research Award, which is intended to support the fellow’s scientific research vision over the first three (3) years of their independent lab.The Faculty Research Award includes:Total budget of $600,000 USD, inclusive of 20 percent indirect costs, intended as a supplement to a full, institution-provided start-up package. Funds may be used for reasonable costs related to the fellow’s scientific research, except for:the fellow’s salary support andgeneral lab equipment, such as freezers and refrigerators.Postdoctoral Award: The Postdoctoral Award is intended to support the fellow while on the faculty job market during their transition to the faculty position. Fellows are not required to use the Postdoctoral Award.The Postdoctoral Award must be activated on the specified date. The end date of the Postdoctoral Award is the date the fellow departs from their postdoctoral position or the specified date, whichever occurs first. The Postdoctoral Award includes the following, annually:$85,000 USD stipend
$10,000 USD career development allowance
$15,000 USD health insurance and other benefits allowanceFunds may be supplemented from other sources of funding.

Eligibility

Fellows are expected to transition to a tenure-track or equivalent faculty position any time between notification of their selection for the award and the end of the stated academic year. To be eligible for the Fellows-to-Faculty Award, applicants must meet the following criteria.The program is for individuals whose backgrounds and experiences are underrepresented in science, such as members of historically underrepresented racial or ethnic groups, individuals whose gender, gender identity, sexual orientation and/or disability status is underrepresented in science, or other individuals with disadvantaged social and/or economic backgrounds.We consider applicants to have come from a disadvantaged background if they meet at least two (2) of the following criteria:Current or prior homelessness;
Current or prior participation in the foster care system;
Have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree;
Current or prior eligibility for government-assisted meal programs, such as, for U.S. applicants, the U.S. Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program;
Current or prior eligibility for government-assisted programs for low-income individuals, such as, for U.S. applicants, the U.S. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children as a parent or child;
For U.S. applicants, current or prior eligibility for U.S. Federal Pell grants; or
For U.S. applicants, grew up in one of the following areas:a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer, orCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas (qualifying zip codes are included in the file).U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status is not required.
Applicants must hold a Ph.D. and/or M.D., or equivalent degree.
Applicants must be currently in a non-independent, mentored training position.
Applicants must be actively seeking and applying to tenure-track faculty positions at research institutions within or outside the U.S. between the specified time period. Independence Fellows are expected to apply, secure and transition to a tenure-track faculty position at a research institution within or outside the U.S. by the end of the specified academic year.Applicants may submit applications to one or more science areas offered by the Fellows-to-Faculty Award in a given application RFA cycle. Applicants are limited to submitting applications to the Fellows-to-Faculty Award for a maximum of two (2) application RFA cycles.

Ineligibility

Applicants may not simultaneously hold other career development awards that facilitate a transition to an independent research career.Applicants must not have accepted a formal offer for a tenure-track faculty position by the time of award notification.Individuals who have already applied to any Simons Foundation Independence Awards (e.g., SFARI Bridge to Independence Award, SCGB Transition to Independence Award, SCPAB Transition to Independence Award) for any two (2) years in the past are not eligible to apply to the Fellows-to-Faculty Award.