Census 2010

GFNY becomes 2010 Census Partner.

Grantmakers Forum has signed on as a partner with the U.S. Census Bureau to promote the 2010 Census in Upstate NY. Why does this matter?

• Census affects funding in your community
  Census data directly affect how more than $400 billion per year in federal and state funding is allocated to communities for neighborhood improvements, public health, education, transportation and much more. That's more than $3 trillion over a 10-year period. An accurate census will help ensure your community gets its fair share of federal and state funding.

• Census affects your voice in Congress
  Mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the census is also used to apportion seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and to redistrict state legislatures. More information about the 2010 Census Redistricting Data Program . . .
  
• Census affects representation in state and local government
  Census data are used to define legislature districts, school district assignment areas and other important functional areas of government.
  
• Census informs your community's policy decisions
  The census is like a snapshot that helps define who we are as a nation. Data about changes in your community are crucial to many planning decisions, such as where to provide services for the elderly, where to build new roads and schools, or where to locate job training centers.

Allowing anyone not counted means leaving money and power on the table. Full representation means more power for the nonprofit sector in our communities. 

What does the partnership mean? GFNY helps and supports grantmakers to promote individual response to the Census questionnaires. Share these messages with their grantees about the importance of the census in influencing future government funding, and to encourage their constituents to fill out the census forms.

How is funding allocated?

Allocation of $400 billion annually in federal program funds, is based in whole or in part on Census Bureau data*
( *Source: Brookings Institution, “Federal Funds Distributed On the Basis of Census Bureau Statistics, United States, FY 2007,” December 2008. )

More than half (roughly $230 billion) is allocated for Dept. of Health and Human Services programs

Examples:

Medicaid ($197B);

SCHIP ($5.5B);

Substance Abuse block grants ($1.6B);

Nutrition Services for the elderly ($565M);

Maternal & Child Health Services ($529M);

Community Mental Health Services ($401M)

Who is at risk of being uncounted:

•  People of color

•  Low income populations/renters

•  Highly mobile people

•  Immigrants and people with limited English proficiency

•  People living in complex households

•  Adults without a high school diploma

•  Young children

•  Unemployed people

Census challenges

•  Increasing diversity of population and growth in immigrant population

•  Post-9/11 and “Internet age” concerns about data confidentiality

•  Displacement related to economic downturn

•  Changes to 2010 census plan late in the process

•  Lack of complete testing of key systems and operations

•  Leadership vacuum at critical time

Nonprofits can help:

•  ACCESS: To hard to count communities

•  TRUST: Nonprofits are trusted messengers

•  CULTURAL COMPETENCY: Highest response when people approached by people of similar cultural backgrounds in a culturally appropriate way

NEW
Guiding Principles and Practice Options for Grantmakers

NYS Community Foundations Retreat
May 17, 2013

Family Foundations Luncheon
June 12, 2013

Introduction to Philanthropy webinar, open to the public
June 18, 2013

SAVE THE DATE!
NYS Funders Conference
Syracuse, NY
October 20-22, 2013