The Breast Cancer Research stamp has raised nearly $100 million since 1998
The Postal Service is spotlighting its Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Semipostal stamps are First-Class Mail stamps sold at a price above the cost of a regular stamp to raise funds for causes determined to be in the national public interest. The current price of a semipostal stamp is $1.
The Breast Cancer Research stamp — the organization’s first semipostal — was issued on July 29, 1998, in Washington, DC. As of July 2026, it has raised $99.8 million for its cause. Of the funds raised, 70 percent go to the National Institutes of Health and 30 percent to the Defense Department’s medical research program.
The image on the stamp depicts a woman with her right arm raised, reaching behind her head in the position recommended for breast self-examination. Whitney Sherman provided the artwork; Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp.
The stamp is sold in sheets of 20 and is available at Post Offices and usps.com.
USPS facility leaders and employees may promote the stamp in October but must follow the organization’s rules on semipostal activities.
Employees should email the USPS Ethics Office with questions.
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