Guidance for writing to Members of Congress

• Identify your Members of Congress (1 House and 2 Senate) using the address where you register to vote [insert MAA website link]
• Use the MAA NSF FY 2026 advocacy template message to prepare your message
• Using their website information, call the 3 congressional offices to determine who on staff handles NSF appropriations and their email addresses
• Email your tailored NSF FY 2026 advocacy message to attention of those staff members
• Consider follow-up meeting and/or video/call per instructions below the following draft letter.

Here is a sample letter than you can customize and send to your representative and senators. Our elected officials care about their constituents, and it's important that they hear from you!

Dear [Insert Representative or Senator and appropriate name]:

As you and your colleagues in Congress make decisions about Fiscal Year 2026 funding for the
National Science Foundation (NSF), I am writing to request your support for this critical
investment in our nation’s economic future, including for continued leadership in the
mathematics field. Specifically, we urge Congress to appropriate at least $9 billion as
recommended by the Senate Appropriations Committee in its version of the bill and to ensure
that the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education programs are maintained.

Mathematics is essential to both scientific discovery and economic strength. It helps us
understand complex systems, design new technologies, and make data-driven decisions in
fields such as health care, finance, agriculture, transportation, national security, and artificial
intelligence. In our work at [insert your organization and location], we focus on [insert brief
description of your organization’s mathematics activities].

NSF is the leading federal funder of mathematical sciences research and undergraduate STEM
education. Its programs directly support work in classrooms, research labs, and professional
development programs across the country. At [insert organization], we work with NSF to
[insert brief description of your relationship with NSF whether directly funded or not].
Stable, sustained NSF funding ensures that America can prepare the future STEM workforce
and remain at the forefront of scientific and technological progress. Mathematics is a
fundamental part of this effort and must remain a focus of NSF support to achieve these goals.

Thank you for considering these points and please let me know any questions.

Sincerely,