Meeting Request Template

There are two ways to request a meeting with your elected officials.

  1. Use the form on the elected official’s website (look under the “Contact Me” section). Some members of Congress have this, and some don’t. You can usually find your member’s website at <lastname.house.gov> or <lastname.senate.gov> (e.g. mikulski.senate.gov).
  2. Send an email to a staff person you’ve met with before, or to the informational email address provided on the Member’s website. A template is provided below.

E-mail Template:

Dear [REPRESENTATIVE NAME/SENATOR NAME/STAFF PERSON],

I am writing to request an appointment with you and/or members of your staff on [INSERT DATE AND TIME] in your [WASHINGTON, DC/DISTRICT OFFICE]. I wish to discuss how funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal science agencies supports researchers in [YOUR STATE AND/OR DISTRICT].

Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request. Please contact me at [YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS] or [YOUR PHONE NUMBER] to schedule a meeting time. I apologize in advance if I am contacting the wrong person in your office and would appreciate it if you could refer me to the appropriate staff person so that I may reach out to him or her directly.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME, INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION, AND CONTACT INFORMATION WITH MAILING ADDRESS (INCLUDING ZIP CODE), PHONE NUMBER, AND EMAIL ADDRESS