Help stamp out breast cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the U.S. Postal Service is reminding customers that they can help fund the cause by purchasing the Breast Cancer Research stamp.

These 90-cent self-adhesive semipostal stamps are available year-round in sheets of 20 to help raise funds for breast cancer research. Each stamp is equal to the First-Class Mail 1-ounce postage rate. The stamps are available at Post Offices nationwide, online at usps.com, by mail order through the USA Philatelic catalog, or by calling 800-STAMP-24 (800-782-6724).

The stamp has raised about $98 million since its release in 1998. The amount the Postal Service contributes to breast cancer research is determined by the difference between the 90-cent purchase price and the First-Class Mail rate in effect at the time of purchase, minus any costs incurred by USPS. The distribution of the Postal Service contribution is specified by law, with 70 percent given to the National Institutes of Health and 30 percent given to the medical research program at the Department of Defense.

The Breast Cancer Research stamp was the first semipostal stamp in U.S. history. In 1997, Congress authorized it for the specific purpose of raising funds from the American public to assist in finding a cure for breast cancer. Legislation was reauthorized by the Stamp Out Breast Cancer Reauthorization Act of 2019, which extended the stamp's sale authority through 2027.

In addition to the Breast Cancer Research stamp, the Postal Service offers three other fundraising stamps. The Save Vanishing Species semipostal stamp, first issued in 2011; the Alzheimer’s semipostal stamp, issued in 2017; and the Healing PTSD semipostal stamp, issued in 2019.

All four stamps help raise money for causes in the national public interest and are available for purchase year-round.