IN PERSON MEETING REQUEST 

Invite your Member of Congress to visit your TRIO program! Each month, Members of Congress travel between Washington, DC and their home States and Districts to connect with local constituents. COE is challenging all members of the TRIO community to host as many local visits with your Representatives and Senators as possible between now and the end of the appropriations cycle in December. While Members of Congress are traveling, it is an opportune time to demonstrate that TRIO WORKS! Enter your contact information below and fill-in-the-blanks for the sample invitation letter drafted below.

Review the FY26 TRIO Appropriations Request Letter

Understand what’s at stake and what we’re fighting for: View the Letter

Reach Out to Congressional Staff

Follow up with a phone call or personal message: Staff Contact List

Use Local Advocacy Materials

Get talking points, social media templates, and more to help you advocate effectively: Local Advocacy Folder

Below are links to additonal TRIO resources::

• TRIO Fact Sheet
• Information on TRIO in your state
• TRIO Helps Students Graduate College
• TRIO Return on Investment
• TRIO and STEM – Strengthening the Pipeline for Low-Income Students

TRIO has never faced a larger challenge. We need to defend our programs.

As the political landscape shifts dramatically, TRIO programs and the futures of the students they serve are under unprecedented threat. With the recent election, we are facing a critical turning point. The new administration has openly targeted higher education policies that support diversity, affordability, and access—core values that TRIO programs have championed for over 60 years. We cannot afford to be passive. Now, more than ever, it’s essential for every TRIO advocate to protect our programs from harmful policies that could dismantle decades of progress.

Download the Congressional Outreach Packet here.

Congressional TRIO Caucus 

The Congressional TRIO Caucus is a bipartisan group of Members of Congress supportive of the Federal TRIO Programs and higher education access for low-income, first-generation, and disabled students.

TRIO programs serve students from middle school through post-graduate study across America and provide academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, financial guidance, and other supports necessary for educational access and retention. In addition to providing direct support services for students, TRIO also provides relevant training for directors and staff.

It is the aim of the Congressional TRIO Caucus to generate support for TRIO programs from congressional offices, the U.S. Department of Education, and other entities and to expand awareness of the need for improving educational opportunities for all Americans.

Members List

Key Information about your Member of Congress

• House FY25 Signers
• Senate FY25 Signers
• Appropriators by State-Region 2025
• Authorizers by State-Region 2025
• Republican Leadership 119th Congress
• Democratic Leadership 119th Congress
• Key Committees Member Lists
• Legislators with Ties to Education 119th Congress

Our ask is simple but powerful: Reach out to your TRIO alumni using your program’s alumni database. Encourage them to join our advocacy campaign by signing the TRIO Alumni Sign-On Letter  and contacting their elected officials in support of TRIO.

Action Steps:

Email or Call Your Alumni – Ask them to:

• Sign the TRIO Alumni Letter [Link]
  
• Email and call their Members of Congress

Share the Blueprint and Advocacy Toolkit – Equip them to be effective advocates.

• Highlight Prominent TRIO Alumni – Inspire participation using the Complete List of National TRIO Achievers and profiles of Notable TRIO Alumni.

Use Social Media – Direct alumni to follow and tag their posts using:

• #ProtectTRIO
  
• [TRIO Social Media Handles]
  

Direct Them to the TRIO Advocacy Center – For resources, contact information, and updates on the TRIO Caucus.

• TRIO Caucus

This is a critical moment for us to stand united and make our message clear: TRIO works – and it must be protected.

If you need sample email templates or call scripts to send to alumni, please reply to this message, and we will provide them.

Let’s keep the momentum going and make sure every TRIO alumnus has the chance to give back by speaking out.

Your continued engagement and advocacy are critical as we work together to protect and sustain TRIO programs nationwide. For those who were unable to attend--or for anyone who would like to revisit the discussion--we're sharing both the recording and the presentation slides below.

• Meeting Recording (Use password: dm0Sd!WH)
• Presentation Slides

Secure your spot for the next COE Government Relations Community Meeting, next Tuesday, May 27, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET. Register here.

This handbook will help you speak boldly and act strategically to ensure TRIO's story reaches the audiences who matter most.

Help raise awareness and generate media coverage that shows the world--and your members of Congress--how vital TRIO is to your students, families, and communities. Make sure everyone knows what's at stake and what TRIO delivers. Download the Handbook here.

 What's inside the TRIO Media Relations Handbook:

• Best practices for working with local journalists
• How to pitch stories and write op-eds that get published
• Templates for press releases, media advisories, and student stories
• Sample soundbites and quotes that resonate in interviews
• Social media toolkits and strategies for visual storytelling
• Guidance for planning media-friendly events and engaging elected officials

NOTE: This type of media outreach falls squarely within the "information-sharing" advocacy category. It does not constitute lobbying and is completely permissible under federal grant guidelines.  

        

COE Policy Seminar 2025