Dear Colleague Letters for Community College Appropriations (Senate)

Join Congressional Dear Colleague Letters for Student Aid and Workforce Funding 

 

Each spring, members of Congress can sign public letters to the Appropriations Committee supporting programmatic requests for key national programs (separate from earmarks). Community college advocates are requesting that their members of Congress sign these letters when they circulate again in FY27, and submit each program with a high priority in the internal Appropriations Committee submission database. Congressional offices may click the internal Quill links to view the FY27 letters and sign on. 

 

Pell Grants, Federal Work Study (FWS), and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG)  

  • Pell Grants: Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) are leading a letter urging “the Pell Grant program be provided with enough funding to continue its mission serving students,” including Workforce Pell. FY27 letter. Quill Link. Contacts: Sarah Melone (Marshall) [email protected] and Rebecca Howard (Kaine) [email protected]. Deadline: Friday, April 17. 

  • Pell Grants: Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Jack Reed (D-RI) are leading a letter urging an increase in funding for Pell without making cuts to Pell eligibility. FY27 letter. Quill Link. Contacts: Ben Strand (Hirono) [email protected] and Moira Lenehan (Reed) [email protected]. Deadline: Monday, April 20. 

  • SEOG and FWS: Senators Merkley (D-OR) and Hirono (D-HI) led 27 senators on the FY26 letter supporting inflation-adjusted levels of $966.3 million for SEOG and $1.31 billion for FWS. The FY27 Letter asks for the same funding increases. FY27 Quill Link. Contact: Becca Damante (Merkley) [email protected]. Deadline: Friday, April 17. 

     

Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants (SCCTG)

  • Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) support funding for SCCTG. FY27 Letter Draft. Contacts: Sarah Melone (Marshall) [email protected] Deadline: Friday, April 17. 

 

Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) 

  • Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) led 40 senators on the FY26 letter supporting an increase in funding. FY 2027's letter asks for an increase as well. Contact: Kasandra Navarro (Blumenthal) [email protected] Deadline: Friday, April 17. 

 

Adult Basic Education (ABE) 

 

Apprenticeships, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Formula and National Employment and Training, Adult Education and Literacy, Wagner/Peyser Employment Services, Dislocated Worker National Reserve, Vocational Rehabilitation, Workforce Data Quality Initiative Grant, Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations, Sector Partnerships, and Career and Support Services. 

  • Senator Blumenthal (D-CT) led 38 senators on the FY26 letter supporting similar increases. Contact: Kasandra Navarro (Blumenthal) [email protected]

 

Postsecondary Student Success Grants (PSSG) 

  • Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) led 11 senators on the FY26 letter supporting $100 million. Contact: Elizabeth Hill. 

 

Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program (Basic Needs Grants) 

  • Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) led 40 senators on the FY26 letter supporting $45 million. Contact: Adrienne Epstein 

 

Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) 

 

TRIO Programs (Upward Bound, Student Support Services, Talent Search, etc.) 

  • Senators Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) led 46 senators (39 Democrats and 5 Republicans) on the FY26 letter urging robust funding. Contacts: Annette Christie (Warnock) and Ron Anderson (Cassidy) 
     

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) 

 

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTIs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNHSIs), 

  • All Programs Above: Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) led 19 senators on the FY26 letter supporting increases to each of the programs above. Contact: Ben Strand (Hirono) 

     

International Education and Foreign Language Studies (Higher Education Act Title VI and Fulbright-Hays) 

  • Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Todd Young (R-IN) led 22 senators on the FY26 letter supporting robust funding. Contact: Gabrielle Schechter (Schatz) and Burke Miller (Young)