Cover details

• Submitted to: Alli Jernow, Vice President, Social Justice Program, Arcus Foundation
• Address: 44 West 28th Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 1001
• Date of application: March 10, 2026
• Submitted by: SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change
• Purpose: Partial funding for SIECUS’s State Policy Advocacy and Technical Assistance Program (all 50 states)
• Executive Director: Callie Simon (csimon@siecus.org)
• 501(c)(3) status: Yes
• Amount requested: $85,000
• Current budget: FY2024: $1,407,113 (Oct 1, 2023 – Sep 30, 2024)
• Total project budget: $1,050,990 (Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026)

Proposal Summary

SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change has served as a leading national voice for sex education since 1964, asserting that sexuality is a fundamental part of being human and is worthy of dignity and respect. Through advocacy, policy, and coalition building, SIECUS advances health and sex education as a vehicle for social change. This proposal requests a grant of $85,000 to provide partial funding for our State Policy Advocacy and Technical Assistance Program, which is the core of our work to defend and advance comprehensive and evidence based equitable sex and health education in all 50 states. In a political landscape where sex education is increasingly under attack, this program provides the essential infrastructure for advocacy and coalitions to succeed at the state level. The funds will be used to support our year round monitoring of all legislation related to sexual health education in 25 priority states, provide in-depth technical assistance to at least 20 state based organizations, strengthening the coordination of the Sex Education Policy Action Council (SEPAC), and contribute to the salaries of the expert staff who execute this work. With this funding, we anticipate tracking over 250 bills at the state level, providing direct technical assistance to advocates in at least 25 states, increasing the active membership of the SEPAC, and publishing our annual Legislative Look-Ahead and Mid-Year Reports to over 10,000 stakeholders.

I. Proposal Narrative

Introduction and Background

Founded in 1964 by Dr. Mary S. Calderone, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) was established out of concern for the lack of accurate information about sexuality available to both young people and adults. For over 50 years, SIECUS has been a recognized leader in the field, publishing numerous resources and advocating for the rights of all people to access and enjoy accurate and comprehensive sexuality information, education, and related health services. Our mission is to advance sex education through advocacy, policy, and coalition building. We envision an equitable nation where all people receive sex education, are affirmed in their identities, and have the power to make decisions about their own health, pleasure, and wholeness. This work has evolved from a primary focus on information dissemination to a broader strategy of using sex and health education as a vehicle for social change, recognizing its power to impact gender and racial equity, sexuality, consent, and autonomy at all levels of society.

The Problem Guiding SIECUS and the Population We Aim to Serve

SIECUS works to address the urgent and growing need for equitable comprehensive and evidence based health and sex education in the United States. In recent years, we have witnessed a coordinated and well funded attack on sexual health education, with a proliferation of state level bills seeking to restrict or eliminate access to critical information and resources. In 2025 alone, our policy team tracked over 200 anti-education bills, many of which specifically targeted LGBTQ+ youth and sought to erase their identities from the classroom. This coordinated opposition creates a climate of fear and misinformation, leaving young people without the knowledge and skills they need to make healthy decisions, and contributing to negative mental outcomes for already marginalized youth. Our work serves a diverse population at multiple 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. 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 with a focus on dismantling systemic barriers to ensure that all young people, particularly marginalized populations of LGBTQ+ youth, youth of color, immigrant youth, and youth with disabilities, have access to health and sexuality education that is affirming, inclusive, and empowers them to lead healthy lives. Geographically, our work spans a national realm, with a strategic focus on states facing the most significant legislative threats, such as Florida, Texas, and Ohio.

SIECUS Programming and Recent Achievements

SIECUS operates a series of interconnected programs that combine to constitute a comprehensive national infrastructure for sexual health education advocacy. Our flagship program and the focus of this funding request is the State Policy Advocacy and Technical Assistance Program. This program encompasses our year round monitoring of legislation at the state level, direct technical assistance to state based partners, and coordination of the Sex Education Policy Action Council (SEPAC). In FY25, our policy team tracked over 650 state and federal bills related to sex education and reproductive health, provided direct support to advocates in 35 states, and contributed to the defeat of harmful legislation in key battleground states. Our annual Legislative Look Ahead and Mid-Year Reports were disseminated to over 10,000 stakeholders, equipping advocates, educators, and policymakers with the data and analysis needed to counter disinformation and advance inclusive policy.

Complementing this core advocacy work, SIECUS maintains a robust Federal Policy Program that tracks and analyzes federal legislation and appropriations affecting sex education, including the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program and the Real Education and Access for Healthy Youth (REAHYA) Act. In FY25, SIECUS tracked over 100 federal bills and actively engaged Congress to cosponsor the REAHYA Act, which would provide dedicated federal funding for comprehensive sexual health ed. Our Sex Education Report Card provides a comprehensive and publically accessible grading of every state’s sex ed laws and policies, and our Sexual Health in the States: A Policy Heat Map Series visualizes the intersecting landscape of abortion access, LGBTQIA+ issues, HIV criminalization, and sexual violence prevention policies to provide advocates with a powerful tool for organizing.

SIECUS also leads the SEPAC, a growing coalition of over 50 state and national organizations that coordinates advocacy, shares resources, and amplifies the voice of advocates on the national stage with urgency. Our publications program produces original research, policy briefs, and op-eds that shape the national discourse on sex education, including recent pieces on intersex exclusion in curricula, indigenous curricula, and the connection between health education and youth safety. In 2025, SIECUS was featured in the Associated Press, the Ohio Capital Journal, and Baptist News Global, demonstrating our growing national media presence and influence. Together, these programs position SIECUS as the essential backbone organization for the sexual health education movement in the United States.

SIECUS Staff

SIECUS is powered by a dedicated and experienced team of nine full time staff members and one policy intern. The Executive Director, Callie Simon, provides overall organizational leadership and planning with over 15 years of experience in nonprofit management and advocacy, while Alison Macklin oversees communications as the director of affairs. Gail Cowan functions as the development director, Donna Muñoz as Finance and Operations Director, Nawal Umar as the Senior Policy Analyst, and Jessica Jernigan who is the policy intern. Miranda Estes is the State Policy Action Manager and serves as point for SIECUS state level partners, while Sarah Wing tracks and analyzes federal legislation as the Federal Policy Manager. Lastly, Hannah Risman supports the Development Director as the Development Manager, and Kojo Aurelien is the Digital Content Coordinator for SIECUS. SIECUS is further supported by an estimated ten to 15 volunteers who assist with research, event coordination, and administrative tasks. This group of volunteers includes graduate students in public health and social work, retired educators, and community advocates who bring deep expertise and personal commitment to advancing sex ed.

SIECUS’s Relationship to Adjacent Organizations

SIECUS has strong and sustained relationships with a wide range of organizations working in fields of sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice. We are a founding member of Sex Education Roundtable, a coalition of national organizations that work to advance federal support for comprehensive sex education. We also lead the Sex Education Policy Action Council (SEPAC), a coalition of over 50 state and national organizations. Our partners include organizations such as the Guttmacher Institute, Advocates for Youth, and the National LGBTQ Task Force. We also work closely with state advocacy organizations, such as California School-Based Health Alliance and the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. These collaborations take many forms, including joint advocacy on federal and state legislation, co-authoring amicus briefs, sharing research and data, and coordinating communication strategies to ensure a unified and powerful message.

How SIECUS Stands Out Among Other Organizations

While we share a common goal with many of our partner organizations, SIECUS is unique in that we are the only national organization exclusively dedicated to sexual health education policy and advocacy. While other organizations may have sex education as one of their many priorities, it is our sole focus. This allows us to have a deep and unparalleled expertise in this area. Our work is also distinguished by our focus on state level policy, our commitment to an intersectional and equitable approach, and our leadership of the SEPAC coalition. We serve as a vital hub and backbone organizations for the sex education movement, providing infrastructure, data, and strategic coordination that enables our partners to be more effective in their own work.

II. Funding Request

Primary Purpose of Funding Request and Aims

The primary purpose of this funding request is to secure partial funding for SIECUS’s State Policy Advocacy and Technical Assistance Program, the core of our work to defend and advance comprehensive, evidence-based, and equitable sex education in all 50 states. We are seeking $85,000 to address the urgent and escalating problem of coordinated and well funded attacks on sexual health education at the state level. This efficient opposition creates a climate of fear and misinformation, leaving young people without the knowledge and skills they need to make healthy decisions, and contributing to negative mental health outcomes for marginalized populations. This program provides the essential scaffolding for state level advocates and coalitions to succeed in this hostile political landscape.

The Population that Funding Helps SIECUS Support

This program serves a diverse population at multiple 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. When a harmful bill is introduced in the state legislature, a local advocate can immediately access our bill tracking database, receive tailored analysis of the bill’s language and potential impact, and connect with other advocates in their state through the SEPAC network to coordinate a rapid response. These partners will benefit from our program by having access to resources and support they need to be more effective in their advocacy efforts. The ultimate beneficiaries of this work are the millions of young people, parents, and community members across the country who will have access to sexual health education that is affirming, inclusive, and empowers them to lead healthy lives.

Strategies for Program Implementation with Funding

We will employ a strategy with three levels to implement this project. The primary level focuses on championing bold federal policy for sexual health education. This is followed by transforming sex ed policy across the states, and ultimately building a national movement for sexual health education. Our state level work is the core of this strategy. To transform health education policy across the states, we will continue to track and analyze all legislation at state levels that relates to sexuality and reproductive rights, providing real time updates to the field through our legislative reports and state profiles. We will provide direct technical assistance to advocates and coalitions in at least 25 states to support more effective and coordinated advocacy campaigns. To build a national movement, we will also increase the active membership of the SEPAC to strengthen the national coalition of sexual health education advocates through regular convenings, shared resources, and coordinated action processes. To defend bold federal policy that supports sexual health, we will leverage our expertise of state strategies to inform federal policy debates and advocate for increased federal funding for comprehensive sexual education.

SIECUS Staff Supported Directly by Funding

This particular program and the projects in tandem are led by the expert policy team at SIECUS. Nawal Umar, our Senior Policy Analyst, who is responsible for our legislative tracking and analysis at state levels. In coordination, the SIECUS State Policy Action Manager, Miranda Estes, serves as the primary point of contact for partners within each state, providing them with direct technical assistance. Moreover, Sarah Wing functions as the Federal Policy Manager and ensures that our state level work is informed by and contributes to federal policy debates. The project will be overseen by Callie Simon, our Executive Director with over 15 years of experience in nonprofit management and advocacy, while any related communications work will be led by Alison Macklin who has a decade of experience in strategic communications for social justice organizations as Director of public affairs. Jessica Jernigan, the SIECUS policy intern, will also be supported with research, writing, and legislative analysis.

Anticipated Length of the Project

This is an ongoing program, reflecting a continuous nature of state legislative sessions and the persistent need for advocacy and vigilance. The funding requested is for a 12 month period, from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026. This 12 month period is critical as it covers the entirety of the 2026 legislative session, a period when we anticipate a high volume of both proactive and defense legislative activity.

How Programming Champions the Mission of SIECUS

This project is the core of our work and directly contributes to our mission of advancing sex education through advocacy, policy, and coalition building. By defending and advancing comprehensive, evidence based, and equitable sexual health education at the state level, we are working to create a country where all people have the information and skills they need to make healthy decisions about their own bodies and lives. This work oriented towards the state is the foundation of our national strategy, as progress here creates the conditions for broader social and political change, ultimately contributing to our vision of an equitable nation where all people are affirmed in their identities and have power over their own health and wellbeing.

III. Evaluating Funding and Programming Efficiency

SIECUS will employ a mixed methods evaluation approach to understand the effectiveness of the State Policy Advocacy and Technical Assistance Program, combining quantitative tracking with qualitative feedback to provide a comprehensive picture of our impact. On the quantitative side, we will use our proprietary legislative tracking database to monitor all relevant bills at the state level, tracking the number of pro-sexual health education bills passed and the number of anti-sex education bills defeated or amended. We will also track the number of advocates and coalitions receiving technical assistance, the number of resources disseminated as well as which specific materials, and the reach of our publications through website and social media analytics. For qualitative assessment, we will conduct post engagement surveys and simi-structured interview with a sample of our state partners and stakeholders to assess the quality, timeliness, and impact of our support on their advocacy efforts. Our criteria for success are both quantitative and qualitative. Quantitatively, we aim to contribute to the defeat or positive amendment of at least 80% of harmful state level legislation, while providing direct technical assistance to advocates in at least 25 states. We also aim to increase the active membership of the SEPAC coalition by 15%, and reach at least 10,000 stakeholders with our annual Legislative Look Ahead and Mid-Year Reports. Qualitatively, success will be defined by positive feedback from our partners indicating that our support and your funding was critical to their ability to effectively counter legislative threats and advance proactive policy. By the end of the funding period, we expect to have achieved these results that translate into a stronger, more resilient, and more effective sexual and reproductive health education advocacy movement at the state level – directly contributing to our mission of advancing sex education for all.

Appendix

A. List of Board Members and Affiliations

B. List of Prospective Funders

1. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Contact: Janet Holt, Program Officer, Gender, Equity, and Governance, 2121 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 Priority: U.S. Reproductive Equity Strategy (state/local org capacity) Intended ask amount: $85,000
2. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation Contact: Elizabeth Arndorfer, U.S. Reproductive Health Director, 343 Second Street, Los Altos, CA 94022 Priority: State-level work to protect/regain/expand abortion & contraception access Intended ask amount: $85,000
3. Ford Foundation Contact: Anita Khashu and Chi-Hui Yang, Program Directors, Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice, 320 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017 Priority: Reproductive & gender justice; systems advocacy Intended ask amount: $85,000
4. The Grove Foundation Contact: Alicia Harris, Senior Program Officer, Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice, P.O. Box 1667, Los Altos, CA 94023 Priority: Comprehensive sex education movement support (WISE initiative) Intended ask amount: $85,000

C. Project Budget

Breakdown notes:

• Senior Policy Analyst (30% time): $25,500
• State Policy Action Manager (25% time): $18,750
• Federal Policy Manager (10% time): $7,000
• Director of Public Affairs (15% time): $13,500
• Data and subscription services: $10,000
• Communications and dissemination: $5,000
• Travel and convenings: $2,500

D. Links and attachments referenced

• Annual report (FY25): https://siecus.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-SIECUS-Annual-Report.pdf
• Press release (Feb 4, 2026): https://siecus.org/statement-on-fy26-lhhs-appropriations/
• Form 990 (FY2024): https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/132508249/202501289349301720/full
• Supporters list source: https://siecus.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-SIECUS-Annual-Report.pdf