It’s all about phone calls now. We have maybe five days while the Senate is still writing the Appropriations bill to make our voices heard! The goal is 500 calls for each state.

Instructions

Use the contact table to find your SEPA program. Click on the hyperlinked Zip code find the Senators for the state where your SEPA is located,
Call those Senators, using the script below.
Next, call as many members of the Senate Appropriations Committee as you can. Use the scripts and contact information below. Call then in the order that they are listed below (in order of importance). If you need to come back to finish the list the next day, that’s okay.
Repeat. Continue calling for the next two days, and ask anyone you can think of to call.
Shoot us an email at board@nsepassoc.org to let us know how many calls you’ve made!

General Script

Check the contact table to find your SEPA’s Senators.

“I’m calling to ask you to insert language into the Appropriations Bill that preserves funding for NIH’s SEPA program and all existing grants at current levels.

SEPA is the main federal program that provides biomedical and health care workforce development for K-12 students.”

Targeted Scripts

Start with the General Script, above, then add the following personalization for each Senator on the Appropriations Committee.

Susan Collins (Committee Chair ME) 202-224-2523

You personally rescued both of Maine’s SEPA grants but if the whole program is eliminated, they will disappear anyway.

Katie Britt (Major role in writing appropriations, Al) 202-224-5744

Both of Alabama’s highly respected programs have been terminated. Alabama is now a K-12 biomedical and health care workforce development desert*.

Shelley Moore Capito (Subcommittee Chair, WV) 202-224-6472

West Virginia’s highly effective SEPA program is in limbo, if SEPA is terminated West Virginia will be a K-12 biomedical and health care workforce development desert.

Patty Murray (Subcommittee vice chair, WA) 202-224-2621

Your state’s highly effective SEPA programs have been terminated or are in limbo. Unless you preserve them and the SEPA program itself you will be a K-12 biomedical and health care workforce development desert.

John Boozman (AR) 202-224-4843

Both of Arkansas’ highly respected SEPA programs have been terminated. Arkansas is now a K-12 biomedical and health care workforce development desert.

John Kennedy (LA) 202-224-4623

Louisiana’s highly effective SEPA program has been terminated. Louisiana is now a K-12 biomedical and health care workforce development desert.

Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS) 202-224-5054

One of Mississippi’s highly effective SEPA programs has been terminated and the other is in limbo. Unless you preserve them and the SEPA program itself you will be a K-12 biomedical and health care workforce development desert.

Lindsey Graham (SC) 202-224-5972

South Carolina’s highly effective SEPA program is in limbo. Unless you preserve it and the SEPA program itself you will be a K-12 biomedical and health care workforce development desert.

Chris Murphy (CT) 202-224-4041

Connecticut’s highly effective SEPA programs are in limbo. Unless you preserve them and the SEPA program itself you will be a K-12 biomedical and health care workforce development desert.

Dick Durbin (IL) 202-224-2152

One of Illinois’ highly effective SEPA programs have been terminated and three are in limbo. Unless you preserve them and the SEPA program itself you will be a K-12 biomedical and health care workforce development desert.

Brian Schatz (HI) 202-224-3934

Hawaii’s highly effective SEPA program is in limbo. Unless you preserve it and the SEPA program itself Hawaii will be a K-12 biomedical and health care workforce development desert.

Jerry Moran (KS) 202-224-6521

Unless you preserve the SEPA program, Kansas will be a K-12 biomedical and health care workforce development desert.

6/27 • All SEPA hands on deck

Instructions

Copy the letter template below and personalize the highlighted sections.
Use the contact table to find your SEPA program. Click on the hyperlinked Zip code find the Senators for the state where your SEPA is located.
Copy and paste your personalized letter into each Senator’s website contact form. (Some Senators' emails are full, so you need to use the website.)
Hit send!

Template Letter (Friday, June 27)

Dear Senator [name],

I am writing as one of your constituents and a member of the National Science Education Partnerships Association (NSEPAssoc). NSEPAssoc represents Principal Investigators from NIH’s Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA), currently administered by NIGMS as part of its capacity building mission. I wish to express my profound concern that NIGMS has removed SEPA from its 2026 budget and summarily terminated nearly half of existing grants. I hold a SEPA award, [which has been terminated.] [whose status is currently unknown, but which will lose funding if NIGMS eliminates the SEPA program.] [which will lose funding if NIGMS eliminates the SEPA program.]

What does SEPA do? The US is not keeping pace with the demand for qualified workers in the biomedical science and healthcare fields including for skilled technical jobs that do not require a college degree. But young Americans aren’t gravitating to biomedicine and health or other STEM careers even though this marketplace is expanding, and stable, well-paid jobs are common. Why not? The answer is simple. At the time when most U.S. students are making decisions about their future, they’re neither exposed to STEM and biomedical careers nor taught the skills necessary to flourish in them. Why not? Because most K-12 schools lack the capacity teach innovative and essential STEM topics to entice their students into the future workforce. SEPA is the major federal program aiming to bridge this gap.

SEPA supports colleges, universities, non-profits and museums in providing K-12 students with career exposure and skills training and their teachers with relevant science content and pedagogy. Programming includes classroom visits, afterschool activities, summer programs, museum exhibits, teacher professional training and curriculum resource development. My own program [summarize in one sentence].

SEPA’s budget is very small; individual grants are around $250K p.a. and SEPA’s entire budget is about $24M or 0.0005% of the total NIH budget. Nonetheless each year the 100+ SEPA awards reach more than 16 million K-12 students and teachers, and more than 29 million family and community members. If SEPA disappears, [state] will be a biomedical and health workforce development desert for K-12 students.

In 2013, a Republican congress, with bipartisan support, realized the implications of defunding SEPA and enshrined its budget in the Appropriations Bill. Today we are asking you to include language in the Bill that:

Reiterates the 2013-24 commitment for NIH to fund the SEPA program so it can continue its capacity building mission.
Continues to fund all funded SEPA awards and preserves the SEPA budget at current levels.
Permits modification of all awards to adapt to new NIH guidelines.
Sincerely,
[Your name]

Contact: board@nsepassoc.org

The contents of this website belong to the National Science Education Partnerships Association, and do not represent the position of any university, college, or other entity where SEPA programs are carried out.