We focus on those at risk of being undercounted such as communities of color, low-income households, immigrants, and young children. Building on the successful work that led up to the 2020 Census, we now support census work as an ongoing, multi-year activity. We believe the census is a core building block for equitable access to democratic participation and the fair allocation of resources.
CFC’s primary role is to bring resources and other forms of support to nonprofits at local, state and national level working on a fair and accurate census. To achieve this, we work with funders across the country as well as with other philanthropic entities promoting the decennial census and the ACS, in line with our Plan of Action:
- Addressing key census policy and operational issues affecting those at risk of being undercounted.
- Sustaining the extensive civic partnerships developed during the 2020 Census.
- Supporting applied research that can help the census community in their work.
- Engaging funders and other partners in outreach and public education to maximize the accuracy of data collection for the 2030 Census, ACS and related surveys.
Our History
In 2015, a group of national funders began to meet to discuss how philanthropy could make a difference in assuring a fair and accurate 2020 Census count. During the 2020 Census, the group helped to coordinate the distribution of more than $200 million to nonprofits across the country with reach and trust among persistently undercounted populations to encourage participation in the census. Combining pooled funding and aligned grants from participating foundations, the collaborative supported more than 260 grantee organizations engaged in litigation, advocacy, outreach and other activities, including targeted funds to support state-based activities. At the same time, there was coordination with regional, state, and local funders who were also investing locally to get out the count. This coordinated infrastructure handled challenges such as the pandemic, natural disasters, and attempts to add a citizenship question.
In 2021, based on feedback from funder and grantee partners, the Steering Committee determined there was an ongoing role for CFC to raise awareness and funding to support ongoing work on the census.
Funders engaged with CFC make grants directly to organizations and projects aligned with the Plan of Action or to a pooled fund at New Venture Fund through which resources are deployed to fill gaps and meet urgent needs.
