Census 2020

It happens once every 10 years, and it’s just a month away!

The Census is the largest non-wartime activity that America takes on, and so many things in our day-to-day life are determined by the data it collects—from how well-funded our local schools and public transportation system are, to how many representatives a state sends to Congress.

We are pleased to announce that we are partnering with Brooklyn Borough Hall to distribute New York State funding for Census 2020 outreach in hard-to-count communities. 
 

The New York State Census Equity Fund—of which Brooklyn Community Foundation is a Steering Committee member—has announced its second round of grants, totaling $1,437,000, to 56 organizations to support efforts across the state to reach hard-to-count communities in the 2020 Census. 

Our Invest in Brooklyn Dinner, held on Friday, October 18th, featured a powerful discussion with Stacey Abrams and Elaine Welteroth.

Our statement in response to today’s oral arguments before the Supreme Court on whether Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross can legally add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census.

While we are pleased to see that advocates were able to successfully push Governor Cuomo and state legislators to fund Census 2020 outreach in the state budget, the $20 million that they have allocated is woefully insufficient and just half of the $40 million needed. Even $40 million would have put New York far behind the $150 million California has invested in Census 2020.

It’s been a busy few weeks as we approach the one-year countdown to Census 2020 — which has included an op-ed in the New York Daily News authored by our President and CEO Cecilia, the second meeting of the Brooklyn Complete Count Committee, and a trip to Albany to advocate for $40M in this year’s state budget.

Don't miss our NY Daily News op-ed on why New York needs to fund Census 2020 outreach now.