Solar Radiation Management

The deadline to submit LOI applications is September 30, 2024, at 12 p.m. (noon) EDT. Late applications will not be accepted. Applications must be submitted via the Simons Award Manager (SAM), https://sam.simonsfoundation.org/. Please click on the Funding Opportunities icon. Applications should be started and submitted under the applicant’s own account in the Simons Award Manager (SAM). For the Mathematics and Physical Sciences – Solar Radiation Management application, please click on Create Application and then on Begin Application. After creating an application, navigate to the Applications in Progress section on your homepage to access the in-progress application.

Informational videos on submitting applications in SAM can be found here.

LOI and proposal attachments should be single-spaced and in a common typeface and font size no smaller than 10 points. Margins must be at least half an inch in all directions.

Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations, The Simons Foundation, Inc. reserves the right to refer an application to The Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (SFI) for consideration and funding, in which case SFI’s grant policies would apply.

Please complete the application as follows:

LOI:

1. Proposal Tab:
   1. Applicant Details & Personal Data: Enter required fields.
   2. Degrees: Add/modify degrees (required).
   3. Application Details: Enter the title of the LOI application.
   4. Proposal – Upload required files as follows:
      1. LOI Narrative (two-page limit, including references and figures, which can be embedded within the text): Must include the problem statement, a brief statement of planned work, anticipated outcomes and relevant expertise of the individual or the team.
      2. Personnel Biosketches: A SciENcv or fillable PDF NIH- or NSF-style biosketch is to be uploaded for each senior investigator on the proposal. Please name each PDF as Last Name_First Name_Biosketch.
   5. Indicate the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop your proposal.
2. Contacts & Personnel Tab: Please refer to the instructions provided in SAM. Under Project Personnel, indicate all project personnel, other than the contact principal investigator (PI), including additional PIs, co-investigators, 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.
3. 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.
4. Submit Application: When the LOI application is complete, please click on the Submit Application button to submit to the foundation. Please note that you will not be able to submit an application if the deadline has passed.

LOI Approval:
A submitted LOI will appear in the Submitted queue of the Applications in Progress table on your 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.

Full Proposal:

1. Proposal Tab:
   1. Applicant Details & Personal Data: Complete all required fields, including academic rank, demographic data, position/title and ORCID iD. This information should be completed in the user’s profile. The applicant may use the Edit Profile button to update their information as needed.
   2. Degrees: Add/modify degrees (required).
   3. Application Details:
      1. Title: The title of the full proposal application will be the same as in the LOI proposal. The title for the full proposal application can be updated as long as the title is substantially similar to the LOI title.
      2. Enter start and end dates. The three-year award will commence July 1, 2025, and end June 30, 2028.
   4. Proposal – Upload required files as follows:
      1. Narrative (five-page limit, including references and figures, which can be embedded within the text): The narrative should contain a clear description of the work plan, including materials to be tested, where applicable, and a summary of the goals and milestones for each year of the project, including the groups/individuals responsible for each task. For collaborative proposals a management plan describing the coordination of the participating research groups must be included.
      2. Personnel Biosketches: A SciENcv or fillable PDF NIH- or NSF-style biosketch is to be uploaded for each senior investigator on the proposal. Please name each biosketch PDFs as Last Name_First Name_Biosketch.
2. Contacts & Personnel Tab: Please refer to the instructions provided in SAM. Under Project Personnel, indicate all project personnel, other than the contact PI, including additional PIs, co-investigators, 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.
   
   Note: Demographic Data is required for all project personnel with the role of Additional Principal Investigator or Subcontract Lead – Additional Principal Investigator. For each individual in these roles, within their SAM profile, a response must be provided for all required fields; however, “Prefer not to disclose” is an available option for each required question. Disclosing demographic data is voluntary.
3. Budget Tab: Click the Edit/Modify button to add a detailed, three-year budget and justification. Please refer to the RFA for funding levels and allowable expenses.
   1. Please enter each PI on each proposal in the Personnel Costs section of that proposal budget even if not requesting salary.
   2. 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.
   3. For PIs and co-Is requesting summer salary at non-US institutions and/or those receiving 12 months of salary, the program allows them to request an additional 1 month of summer salary for their research effort on the project, provided that the summer salary request is not in violation of their institution’s policies of more than 100 percent 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.
   4. 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.
   5. Do not select TBD in the Personnel drop-down list if the personnel are known. They must be first entered in the Project Personnel section as outlined above.
   6. Do not combine personnel on one budget line (e.g., multiple postdocs must be itemized individually).
   7. 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.
   8. 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.
   9. Within each budget period, you have the ability to copy the budget and justification from the previous period and then make edits as needed.
4. 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.
5. Send for Sign-off: 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 must go to the Submission tab of the application, enter their signature, and then click on the Submit Signature button on the bottom right-hand side of the screen. The applicant will receive a notification when the application is signed.
6. Submit Application: When the full proposal application is complete and signed, the applicant must click on the Submit Application button. A confirmation page will appear once the application is successfully submitted. Please note that you will not be able to submit an application if the deadline has passed.