2026 Fund Our Future Messaging Guide
At a time when billionaires are brazenly robbing our country and the regime in power is using our government as a weapon against us, it feels daunting to make the case for a fully-funded government to deliver what our families need.
Yet new research conducted by We Make the Future, ASO Communications, and Voss Research and Strategy shows that not only is there a path forward for advocates on taxes, but that this moment offers a potent opportunity to make bold demands for revenue.
Through language analysis, focus groups, and several Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) conducted in the first half of 2026, we found that anger over authoritarianism can be harnessed both to persuade Americans that we can and should make corporations pay what they owe, and to demand our leaders fund the services and supports our families deserve.
This research revisits and builds upon the findings of the Fund Our Future research conducted in 2021-22. To address the upended political and economic landscape of 2026, we must strengthen our language to go beyond simply asserting that taxes are a necessary means to a desirable end. While still important to highlight the tangible goods and services taxes provide, we must do so in a way that emphasizes people’s agency and the community’s role in ensuring our public money goes toward our public good.
This updated messaging guide contains:
Key Guidance: Messaging
Full Narratives
Adapting Messaging For Different State Contexts
Words to Embrace and Replace
Please use this guidance freely and as you see fit! We’re absolute believers that if our words don’t spread, they don’t work and as such we are honored to have you use this language verbatim. You can also use them as inspiration when crafting new content in your own voice and tailored to your audiences.
You can also check out our Fund Our Future page for messaging guides and more resources.
