Simons Centers of Excellence at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

About this program

The Simons Foundation, through Simons Foundation International, will fund up to two Centers of Excellence at HBCUs to advance computational, data-driven, and theoretical research and expand pathways to graduate STEM programs in mathematics, physics, and ecology and evolutionary biology. Each center may receive up to $1.5 million annually for five years, or $7.5 million total, including indirect costs. Centers must be anchored at a single accredited HBCU and led by a tenured HBCU faculty member with a Ph.D. and a strong scholarly record; proposals must include at least three faculty members, two graduate students, two postdoctoral researchers, research scientists, and a program administrator. Letters of intent are due through Simons Award Manager by noon Eastern on November 12, 2026, with invited full applications due February 9, 2027.