The Postal Service sells several First-Class Mail stamps — called semipostal stamps — at a price higher than the standard 1-ounce letter rate to help raise money for causes in the national interest.
The current price of a semipostal stamp is $1.
USPS has issued six semipostal stamps since 1998 and currently sells four of them — with another one to be issued later this year.
Breast Cancer Research
The Breast Cancer Research stamp — the first semipostal issued by the Postal Service — was released July 29, 1998. Sales from this stamp support the breast cancer research work of the National Institutes of Health and the Defense Department’s medical research program.
More than 1.1 billion of these semipostal stamps have been sold, totaling more than $99 million in funding for a cure.
Heroes of 2001
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks spurred the release of the Heroes of 2001 semipostal stamp on June 7, 2002. The stamp features a photograph of three firefighters raising the American flag amid the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York City.
This stamp was sold through 2024 and raised $10.5 million for the families of emergency workers killed or injured in connection with the attacks.
Stop Family Violence
The Stamp Out Domestic Violence Act of 2001 called for a semipostal stamp recognizing the importance of raising awareness about family violence. The Stop Family Violence stamp, which was sold from 2003 through 2006, highlighted an image of a “sad mommy” drawn by a young child.
More than $3 million in proceeds from sales of the stamp supported domestic violence programs offered through the Department of Health and Human Services.
Save Vanishing Species
Issued in 2001, the Save Vanishing Species semipostal stamp has raised more than $8.8 million for the Multinational Species Conservation Fund managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on sales of 74 million.
The Postal Service promotes sales of this stamp in November.
Alzheimer’s
Based on the design of the 2008 Alzheimer’s Awareness stamp, the Alzheimer’s semipostal stamp was issued in 2017 to support research of the most common form of dementia.
Sales of 13 million stamps have raised more than $1.7 million for research and treatment of the disease at the National Institutes of Health.
The Postal Service promotes sales of this stamp in September.
Healing PTSD
The Healing PTSD semipostal stamp was issued in 2019.
Sales of more than 30 million stamps have raised more than $2 million for the Department of Veterans Affairs to treat those suffering from the disorder.
The Postal Service promotes sales of this stamp in December.
Know the Facts About Fentanyl
USPS recently announced Know the Facts About Fentanyl, a new semipostal stamp to be released Oct. 6.
Sales of this stamp will raise money for the National Institute on Drug Abuse — the world’s largest funder of substance use and addiction research.
The Alzheimer’s, Breast Cancer Research, Healing PTSD and Save Vanishing Species semipostal stamps are available at Post Offices and on usps.com.
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