The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) and the Minnesota Budget Project believe Minnesota needs to step up for Minnesotans, and we need additional state revenues to do that. Sign your nonprofit organization onto this letter educating candidates for the state Legislature and the governor’s office on what’s at stake next year at the Capitol and why bold leadership is needed for a strong future for our state.

Under the brand Together We Rise Minnesota, MCN and the Minnesota Budget Project have created a campaign to engage nonprofits to advocate for raising the state revenues needed to meet this moment and build a strong future for our communities and state. Learn more about the campaign on the Together We Rise website.

Reach out to Laura Mortenson at lmortenson@mnbudgetproject.org or Nan Madden at nmadden@mnbudgetproject.org if you have any questions about this letter to candidates or about the Together We Rise campaign.

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Letter Text:

To Minnesota legislative and gubernatorial candidates:

On behalf of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, the Minnesota Budget Project, and XXX nonprofit organizations from across the state, we are asking candidates for state public office to support bold actions in the 2027 Legislative Session:  

• To prioritize and protect Minnesotans’ health and economic well-being;  

• Ensure Minnesotans’ access to health care, food support, and other public services, regardless of their immigration status or other identities or circumstances beyond their control; and  

• Raise state revenues, especially from those with the most resources, in order to replace lost federal funding, protect crucial services, and meet Minnesotans’ needs.  

Minnesotans have long done the work to build community, unite around shared goals, and tackle problems, creating the state of Minnesota we know today. We believe people closest to the challenges are best able to shape the solutions. That belief shows up in Minnesota’s culture of neighbors stepping up for neighbors, and in the work of nonprofits that listen, respond, and build solutions from the ground up to meet the needs of their communities.

But right now, many Americans and Minnesotans continue to struggle to afford their lives, facing rising costs and ongoing economic uncertainty. Nonprofit organizations and local governments are bracing for the full impact of federal cuts and harmful policy changes to Medicaid, SNAP, and other public services, while trying to weather the ongoing uncertainty and disruption from other federal actions and threats.  

As nonprofits dedicated to the service of Minnesota communities and people, we are calling for policymakers to take people-centered approaches to prevent increased hardship in the aftermath of the 2025 federal budget reconciliation law. That law, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill or H.R. 1, made large cuts to basic needs services and other public investments in order to provide large tax cuts to high-income households, and fund a large deportation and detention program.

Without strong state action, as many as 140,000 Minnesotans will eventually lose their health care. Unsustainable cost shifts to health care providers and hospitals will put Minnesotans’ access to care at risk. Tens of thousands of Minnesotans may no longer be able to put food on the table. These are just some examples of the increased hardship and challenges that communities are facing in every part of the state that requires Minnesota state policymakers to act.

Minnesota needs to step up for Minnesotans, and we need additional state revenues to do that.

As we face threats to our stable future, we must boldly meet this moment. In our country today, too much of our tax system and economy primarily benefit those who already have wealth and power. The public policies that impact our lives have skewed too far from the priorities of everyday folks, making it harder for people to build a secure life and care for their families, and for older adults and people with disabilities to live in dignity in their own communities.
 
In Minnesota, we can chart a different course. We think public policies should ensure all Minnesotans have what they need to thrive. We are coming together to call for changing our state’s tax system so that it raises additional tax revenues, with a focus on individuals and corporations that can afford to pay more to meet what this moment demands. That way Minnesota will have more resources to truly care for our neighbors and families, preserve environmental essentials like clean water and air, build strong public schools and vibrant communities in every part of the state, and ensure Minnesotans have the health care, housing, and other resources that support full and free lives.

As a candidate for our state’s highest public offices, we ask you to commit to bold leadership, and to work to protect and invest in our shared public services to create safe, healthy neighborhoods, cities, and towns all across our state.

Sincerely,

[list of signed organizations]