Census Day is 134 days away and with major federal support at stake for our state (an estimated $1,800 per person per year for ten years) – along with the distribution of political representation at the national, state and local levels – efforts to ensure a complete count of all Michigan residents are in full swing.

Through the Michigan Nonprofits Complete Count Campaign (NPCCC), many CMF members, in particular those serving as regional census hubs, are helping to spread the word about the importance of Census 2020.

Nonprofits that have received grants through NPCCC are doing on-the-ground outreach to educate, engage and empower their communities, especially those in historically undercounted communities, to participate in Census 2020. According to a study by the Urban Institute, populations most at-risk for being undercounted are children under the age of 5 and people of color.

Here’s a round-up of some of the latest census happenings:

Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan (CFNEM) recently awarded $19,500 in grants to help increase the chances of a fair and accurate count of residents in the region. CFNEM is now accepting applications for the second round of Census 2020 grants. Specifically, the foundation is seeking applications from organizations that serve populations in the counties of Alcona, Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Montmorency, Oscoda and Presque Isle. Grant applications are due January 2.

Berrien Community Foundation President Lisa Cripps-Downey recently appeared on WSJM News Talk where she shared information about the critical state and federal funding for communities calculated based on population numbers obtained through the census. She also emphasized that census information is kept strictly confidential.

Kathy Stady, census hub coordinator at the Berrien Community Foundation, reviewed the local push that will be underway from March 20 through April 30 at the Bridgman City Council meeting and the Buchanan City Council meeting. Stady shared that based on the 2010 census response rate, organizers predict an 80.9 percent response rate, leaving 11,291 Berrien County households that will require follow-up to be sure they are counted.  

Buchanan City Manager Bill Marx said the city is on board to support census efforts and shared an initiative involving a local food pantry. The pantry hopes to use grant money to give away ham at the pantry as a way to incentivize clients. Staff will be on hand with tablets and available to help clients complete the census while they are there. “It sounds small,” Marx said, “but for a group identified as hard to count, it could be helpful.”

Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation and its partners making up the Great Lakes Bay Regional Census Hub are also working to raise awareness. In a recent Epicenter article, Amanda Schafer, executive director of the Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation, shared why the census is important to philanthropy.

“If there’s not enough dollars coming from the federal and state revenues, where are people going to go to make up the difference in the food stamp program? Where are people going to go to make sure that kids have lunches and that babies have formula and diapers?” Schafer said. “They’re going to go to philanthropy, and I’ve got to tell you—there’s not enough. I could fundraise from now until the 2030 census and it wouldn’t be enough to make up that difference.”

Hiring Policies for Census Workers

In addition to getting the word out early, hiring policies for census workers have also made recent news. The Census Bureau is expected to hire nearly half a million temporary workers next spring. Recognizing the importance of speaking the languages of the neighborhoods where workers will be collecting information, the Census Bureau recently confirmed that noncitizens can be hired for their non-English language skills.

Research from past advocacy campaigns has demonstrated that residents are more responsive to answer the door for people from within their community. However, members of the historically undercounted communities are often ineligible to work even temporarily as census enumerators without losing their public assistance (SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, or CHIP). To help recruit census workers from within these historically undercounted communities, the federal government permits states to opt into a waiver process, which Michigan has done. The waiver ensures that additional income from the census work does not cause temporary workers to lose access to federal assistance programs. These waivers encourage members of historically undercounted communities to become census enumerators and thus help ensure a fair and complete count.

Want more?

Connect with the Michigan Nonprofits Complete Count Campaign.

Access NPCCC campaign materials, including graphics for social media, videos and audio files.

Check out upcoming census webinars.