Fundraising Stamps (Semipostal Stamp Program)
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The U.S. Postal Service® currently has two 60¢ fundraising or “semipostal” stamps available for purchase at Post Offices™, online at The Postal Store®, and by toll-free phone order at 1-800 STAMP-24: the Breast Cancer Research stamp and the Save Vanishing Species stamp.
The price of a semipostal stamp pays for the First Class™ single-piece postage rate in effect at the time of purchase plus an amount to fund causes that have been determined to be in the national public interest. By law, revenue from sales (minus postage and the reasonable reimbursement of costs to the U.S. Postal Service®) is to be transferred to a selected executive agency or agencies.
Breast Cancer Research Stamp
The Breast Cancer Research semipostal was issued on July 29, 1998, at a first day ceremony held at the White House. It was the first semipostal in U.S. history.
As of May 2016, the stamp has raised over $82.5 million for breast cancer research. By law, 70 percent of the net amount raised is given to the National Institutes of Health and 30 percent is given to the Medical Research Program at the Department of Defense.
Designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, the stamp features the phrases, “Fund the Fight” and “Find a Cure” and an illustration of a mythical “goddess of the hunt” by Whitney Sherman of Baltimore.
Breast Cancer Research stamp sales information through 5/2016:
Total Stamps Sold: 1 billion
Total Raised, Net: $82.5 million
Save Vanishing Species Stamp
The Save Vanishing Species semipostal was issued on September 30, 2011 at a first day ceremony held at the Louisville, KY Zoo. It was the fourth semipostal in U.S. history.
As of May 2016, the stamp has raised over $3.3 million to help protect threatened and vanishing species. By law, 100 percent of the net amount raised is transferred to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support the Multinational Species Conservation Funds.
Save Vanishing Species stamp sales information through 5/2016:
Total Stamps Sold: 32.5 million
Total Raised, Net: $3.3 million
USPS® Philatelic Archive 