SfN remains dedicated to supporting the neuroscience community, uniting members locally, nationally, and internationally to raise global support for investment in basic research and neuroscience discovery. Explore SfN’s advocacy efforts below.
SfN began 2025 by launching the Advocacy Response to Recent Actions by the U.S. Administration webpage, an online hub for advocacy efforts including action alerts, statements, sign-on letters, webinars, long-term campaigns, and more. It remains a resource in 2026.
In the spring, SfN welcomed 10 Early Career Policy Ambassadors from nine states to grow the next generation of NeuroAdvocates. and SfN also maintained strong outreach to Congress by co-hosting three Capitol Hill briefings, submitting outside witness testimony to three appropriations subcommittees, joining over a dozen sign-on letters, and hosting the 19th annual Capitol Hill Day in March, with 49 advocates in 57 meetings across 29 states. Following Capitol Hill Day, SfN staff, SfN’s coalition partners, and NeuroAdvocates also met with lawmakers to discuss the responsible and ethical use of animals in research, FY26 appropriations, and the BRAIN Initiative.
SfN remained active in coalition work, recognizing that partners play an important role in successful advocacy. SfN joined Americans for Medical Research, an education and media campaign organized by Research!America focused on the importance of federal investment in biomedical research. SfN also helped launch People for Effective and Ethical Research (PEER), and participated in PEER’s Hill Day. SfN also helped launch a task force, alongside the National Association for Biomedical Research, aimed at addressing concerning language surrounding the use of animals in research at the Department of Veterans Affairs in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill.
Thank you, NeuroAdvocates, for using your voices to support the field. SfN shared stories from SfN members highlighting the real-life impacts that recent federal actions toward the scientific enterprise had on researchers, their work, and the biomedical research community. Submit your story by contacting advocacy@sfn.org.
The year concluded with connections being made at Neuroscience 2025, where NeuroAdvocates attended the Advocacy Forum and the Animals in Research Panel. This work is only possible thanks to NeuroAdvocates like you, and SfN looks forward to another year of meaningful advocacy in 2026.
