Southerners for Fair School Funding
Advocacy
2024 Webby Award Honoree | Press Release
2025 Telly Award Winner | Press Release
More than one-third of all public school students attend school in the South, yet Southern schools have long been—and continue to be—among the most underfunded in the nation. The Southerners for Fair School Funding coalition aims to reverse this generational trend by identifying funding disparities and outlining a concrete path toward lasting, systemic change. To help launch and amplify the coalition’s efforts, Bright Matter developed the logo, brand, website, launch video, and a comprehensive suite of resource materials.
“Bright Matter has been an incredible creative partner in bringing Southerners for Fair School Funding to life. From our website to major projects like our Action Guide and The Fair Share video series, they’ve helped us translate complex ideas about school funding into clear, engaging design that invites people in and inspires action. Their team is thoughtful, collaborative, and mission-aligned, and they've made our vision for this work feel both possible and powerful.”
Juliana Hoover Potash | Southerners for Fair School Funding
Flower Mark
Building Mark
Star Mark
Unerringly Bold
The Southerners brand was designed to be bold from the start, featuring expressive typography, powerful language, and a vibrant palette of colors and textures. Bright Matter partnered with EdTrust-Tennessee to craft a tone that carries personality and purpose, unafraid to speak the truth: education funding in the South must change, and we're here to drive that change now.
Show and Tell
The Southerners brand was designed to be bold from the start, featuring expressive typography, powerful language, and a vibrant palette of colors and textures. Bright Matter partnered with EdTrust-Tennessee to craft a tone that carries personality and purpose, unafraid to speak the truth: education funding in the South must change, and we're here to drive that change now.
How is my state doing?
Making measurable progress starts with understanding where we stand: this principle was central to the Southerners for Fair School Funding strategy. Bright Matter supported this effort by designing a comprehensive state-by-state ratings rubric and a suite of clear, engaging data visualizations—tools built to help advocates and communities grasp the current state of education funding across the South.
The Southerners for Fair School Funding homepage features an interactive map that puts education funding data at the user's fingertips.
How Fair is School Funding in My State?
Bright Matter created a wide range of supporting materials for Southerners for Fair School Funding. From the Action Guide, developed in collaboration with We Are Rally to equip advocates with tools to push for better education funding in the South, to the coalition’s launch one-pager and a full suite of social media templates and posts.
