Support Us

Add your name to our letter of support!

Send a strong message to Congress to support Sea Grant.

As Congress finalizes next year’s federal budget, we face the possibility that the Trump administration will again propose eliminating all federal funding for Sea Grant. Thanks to our supporters, Congress restored and increased funding with bipartisan support during the first Trump administration. Today, we need your support to ensure Congress maintains our current level of funding.

Take one or more of these actions now to ensure congressional delegations hear your support while budgets are being finalized in April.

1. Add your name to our letter to Congress in support of Sea Grant. Please feel free to share this request with your networks and any individuals or organizations who have benefited from the work of Pennsylvania Sea Grant.
2. Send a support letter to your US representative or senators. For your convenience, here are instructions and a sample letter.
3. Submit a programmatic request to your US representative or senators. For your convenience, here are instructions and a sample programmatic request form.

Please share this request with your networks and any individuals or organizations who have benefited from Pennsylvania Sea Grant’s work.

Thank you for voicing your support for Pennsylvania Sea Grant and our important contributions to healthy coastal communities and economies.

With gratitude,

Sarah Whitney

Pennsylvania Sea Grant Director

Consider sending your own letter to Congress on behalf of Pennsylvania Sea Grant!

Every member of the House of Representatives is already thinking about reelection in November 2027. As a constituent, this is an impactful time to inform your representative of your priorities. Especially now, private sector or commercial partners and supporters who represent jobs and economic development are the most influential with elected officials. Members of Congress are always interested in the economics of their district, so being able to demonstrate positive economic impacts — more jobs, new businesses, more money coming into the district — will always be a powerful talking point.

What is Sea Grant requesting for funding for FY26?

The Sea Grant Association’s FY 2026 Programmatic Request for Sea Grant is $134.985 million, which includes $116.985 million for the Sea Grant College Program and $18 million for the Sea Grant Aquaculture Research Program. Please use this resource to help write your letter. It describes the programmatic ask and justification.

How do I submit a support letter?

Please submit your letter as soon as possible, though we encourage continued submission of support letters throughout April 2025, as this is a key time for the development of Congressional budgets. Please let us know you’ve submitted a letter by copying or blind-copying (bcc) us at paseagrant@psu.edu.

Visit your representative’s website to get instructions on the best way to submit a letter to them. Members of Congress only prioritize letters from people who are their constituents, so it is important to direct your letter to your representative. You can find your representative here. If time is short, digital submissions are best!

Use our sample partner letter to get started. We encourage you to personalize the letter as much as possible, being specific about how Sea Grant has benefited you, your organization, your community, etc. However, please keep the letter to the single issue of supporting Sea Grant’s programmatic request. Additional issues should be addressed with separate letters.

Thank you, in advance, for taking the time to submit a partner support letter on behalf of Pennsylvania Sea Grant and the Sea Grant Association.

Dear Partners and Supporters,

Thank you for taking the time to complete a programmatic request on behalf of Pennsylvania Sea Grant and the Sea Grant Association.

As a constituent, this is an impactful time to inform your Representative of your priorities. Especially now, private sector or commercial partners and supporters who represent jobs and economic development are the most influential with elected officials. Members of Congress are always interested in the economics of their district, so being able to demonstrate positive economic impacts — more jobs, new businesses, more money coming into the district — will always be a powerful talking point.

What is a programmatic request?

A programmatic request is a formal submission from a member of Congress to the Appropriations Committee requesting funding or legislative language in the upcoming spending bill. (Note: this is an internal process that is not made public and is different from earmarks.) This is how members of Congress who are not on the Appropriations Committees (and some who are) weigh in on programs of importance to them. Members submit programmatic requests privately to the Appropriations Committees via internal information systems within the House and Senate and in accordance with committees’ instructions and deadlines (see last year’s Senate guidance here). These requests are then used by the Appropriations Committees when they decide which programs to fund and at what levels.

Most members provide an opportunity for constituents to weigh in on what their programmatic requests to the committee should be. Each office that does so has its own programmatic request form — there is not one standardized form — and its own internal process to receive, categorize, and prioritize requests to determine which to submit to the Appropriations Committee.

Programmatic request deadlines vary for each office, typically ranging from February to April. Programmatic requests are more impactful but less visible than conventional “Dear Colleague” Letters (DCLs).

What is Sea Grant requesting for funding for FY26?

The Sea Grant Association’s FY 2026 Programmatic Request for Sea Grant is $134.985 million, which includes $116.985 million for the Sea Grant College Program and $18 million for the Sea Grant Aquaculture Research Program.

How do I submit a programmatic request?

• Visit your representative’s website to see if they posted their programmatic request forms; if you don’t see them, call your office. Not all members partake in the programmatic request process; for example, fiscally conservative legislators are less likely to engage in this. Note the programmatic request deadline for your representative. Find your representative online.
• Use our sample programmatic request as a starting point to help complete your representative’s programmatic request. Note that it may have different questions than our sample.
• Submit your programmatic request by the representative’s deadline. When you submit your programmatic request, please send a copy or bcc paseagrant@psu.edu so that we can track who has submitted requests.
• Use this resource for helpful background information and talking points.

If you have any questions, please reach out to paseagrant@psu.edu – thank you again for your support of Pennsylvania Sea Grant!