Events

Events
Advocacy Day Generic
Advocacy Day Generic

COSSA's Social Science Advocacy Day is the only annual, coordinated advocacy day in support of all of the social and behavioral sciences. It brings together social scientists and other science advocates from across the country to engage with policymakers.

COSSA makes it easy to connect with Congressional representatives.

Advocates are teamed with other social scientists from their state to participate in a day of meetings with House and Senate offices to share with them why federal support for social and behavioral science research is so important. COSSA provides training and logistical support (including scheduling meetings with Congressional offices and providing an on-call expert to answer day-of policy questions), as well as polished, up-to-date materials to help advocates communicate their message to policymakers. Teams also have the option to partner with an experienced government relations professional to guide them through their meetings with members of Congress and their staff.

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COSSA Member Benefit

Participation in Advocacy Day is a benefit reserved exclusively for COSSA member organizations. Check our member list to see if you belong to a member organization, or contact us to learn more about joining COSSA.

Advocate Testimonials

Hear what participants have to say

“This was a very rewarding experience for me and my faculty. We learned a lot, made some good connections, and have concrete next steps for follow up.”

"I think if you work in the social sciences, this should be something you take advantage of... These conversations don’t happen enough."

"Last year was my first COSSA Advocacy Day participation and I learned a lot, I also shared my experiences with my students as I had to miss classes. This year they were eager to hear again how advocacy works and were pleased to know several of the staffers in the offices were graduates of my institution. I had a chance to reconnect with staffers through the phone this year whom I met in person at last year's event. I am committed to building these very important connections for the goals of COSSA and my sponsoring organization."

I love it. I like the connection made between social science, funding, and congress. I had no idea that this type of interaction was possible.

2024 Advocate

My participation also reminds me of how policy work and research are mutually influential – policy changes or debates can spark research ideas, just as research results can inform policy.

2023 Advocate

Very much looking forward to participating in person. [Congressional] office staff seemed very keen to establish better connections with campus.

2021 Advocate