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Letter of Inquiry: SIECUS State Policy and Technical Assistance Program

Submission details

  • Submitted to: Alli Jernow, Vice President, Social Justice Program, Arcus Foundation
  • Arcus Foundation address: 44 West 28th Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 1001
  • Submitted by: SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change
  • Organization address: 1012 14th Street NW, Suite 1108, Washington, DC 20005
  • Phone: (202) 265-2405
  • Website: www.siecus.org
  • Author: Ethan Freedman
  • Amount requested: $85,000
  • Project duration: 12 months
  • Date submitted: February 24, 2026

SIECUS advances sex education through advocacy, policy, and coalition building.

Introduction: Advancing Health and Sexual Education with SIECUS

Serving as a leading national voice for sex sex and health education since 1964, SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change has the mission of advancing sex education through advocacy, policy, and coalition building, asserting that sexuality is a fundamental part of being human and is worthy of dignity and respect (SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, n.d.). We envision an equitable nation where all people receive health and sex education, are affirmed in their identities, and are empowered to make decisions about their own health, pleasure, and wellbeing. SIECUS advances sex education as a vehicle for social change, applying an intersectional lens to ensure people’s lived realities and embodied experiences inform our policy, education, and strategic communications work towards dismantling systems of power and oppression which perpetuate disparate sexual and reproductive health outcomes (SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, n.d.). This proposal requests $85,000 to support our critical state level advocacy work.

SIECUS State Policy Advocacy and Technical Assistance Program Description

Purpose of Request

Funding is requested for SIECUS’s State Policy Advocacy and Technical Assistance Program, designed to defend and advance comprehensive, evidence based, and equitable sex education in 50 states. In a political landscape where sex education is increasingly under attack, this program provides the infrastructure for state level advocates and coalitions to succeed. The grant will provide partial funding for core activities, including the necessary operating support to execute this work. $85,000 will support our year round monitoring of all legislation related to sex education in 25 priority states to enable responses and advocacy. It will support our policy staff to provide in-depth technical assistance, guidance, and resource support to at least 20 state based partner organizations. The funding will strengthen coordination and expansion of the Sex Education Policy Action Council (SEPAC), fostering a robust, collaborative network of state and national advocates. Finally, the grant will contribute to salaries of policy analysts and communications staff who execute this work along with the indirect costs, such as data infrastructures, communications, and administrative support, that make it possible.

Population Served by SIECUS

This program serves a diverse population of people at many levels. The primary population served consists of state level policy advocates, nonprofit organizations, educators, and coalition partners across the United States who rely on SIECUS for timely data, strategic guidance, and collaborative support. These partners are working in all states, from politically hostile to supportive environments. The ultimate beneficiaries of this work are the millions of young people, parents, and community members across the country. Our program prioritizes an intersectional and equitable approach, focusing on dismantling systemic barriers to ensure that all young people, particularly LGBT+ youth, youth of color, immigrant youth, and youth with disabilities, have access to sex education that is affirming, inclusive, and empowers them to lead healthy lives. Geographically, our work is national in scope, with a strategic focus on states facing the most significant legislative threats.

Outcomes of Supportive Funding

Last year, our policy team tracked over 200 anti-education bills and provided direct support to advocates in 35 states, contributing to the defeat of 85% of harmful legislation. With this funding, we anticipate that in the coming year we will track and analyze over 250 state level bills related to sex education, providing real time updates to the field through legislative reports and state profiles. We will provide direct technical assistance to advocates and coalitions in at least 25 states, resulting in more effective and coordinated state level advocacy campaigns. We will also increase the active membership of the SEPAC, strengthening the national coalition of sex education. Finally we will publish and disseminate the annual Legislative Look-Ahead and Mid-Year reports to over 10,000 stakeholders to equip them with data and analysis needed to counter disinformation and advocate for positive change. We measure the effectiveness of our activities with a combination of methods, including tracking legislative outcomes, surveys, websites, report analytics, and regular feedback with SEPAC members to assess our impact.

SIECUS Staff Benefiting From Support

SIECUS is powered by a dedicated and experienced team of ten full time staff members, led by CEO, Christine Harley, and Executive Director, Callie Simon. The State Policy Advocacy and Technical assistance program is executed by our expert policy team, which includes Nawal Umar, Senior Policy Analyst leading legislative tracking and policy analysis across all 50 states; Miranda Estes, State Policy Action Manager, who provides direct technical assistance and strategic guidance to state level advocates and coalitions; Sarah Wing, Federal Policy Manager, who ensures our state work is informed by federal policy context. Our communications work is led by Alison Macklin, Director of Public Affairs, who oversees the dissemination of our reports, state profiles, and legislative information to thousands of stakeholders nationwide. This team brings decades of combined experience in advocacy, coalition building, legislative analysis, and strategic communications. They have a proven track record of effective advocacy and they ensure SIECUS is well positioned to execute the proposed activities and achieve the stated outcomes.

Appendix

  • Appendix A: Annual Report — organized around three themes of partnerships, power, and persistence.
  • Appendix B: Form 990 — available upon request and publicly through ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer.

Other Prospective Funders

In addition to the Arcus Foundation, we have identified four other prospective funders who have a demonstrated history of supporting sex education and reproductive justice initiatives. These organizations represent strong potential partners for this work, and are each being asked for participation in $85,000 of support.

  • The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation — Contact: Janet Holt, Program Officer (Gender Equity and Governance). Why: co-funder of the Working to Institutionalize Sex Education (WISE) initiative; alignment with U.S. Reproductive Equity Strategy and state/local advocacy. Ask amount: $85,000.
  • The David and Lucile Packard Foundation — Contact: Elizabeth Arndorfer, Director (U.S. Reproductive Health Initiative). Why: focus on state-level reproductive health; co-funder of WISE. Ask amount: $85,000.
  • The Ford Foundation — Contacts: Anita Khashu and Chi-hui Yang, Program Directors (Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice). Why: intersectional systems-level advocacy; history of support for sex education policy and WISE. Ask amount: $85,000.
  • The Grove Foundation — Contact: Alicia Harris, Senior Program Officer (Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice). Why: explicit focus on comprehensive sex education; trust-based philanthropy; WISE involvement. Ask amount: $85,000.

References