Census 2020 begins on April 1, one year from today. As CMF has shared, efforts to ensure a fair and complete count in Michigan are well underway.

We’re getting updates from a few of the CMF members who are serving as census hubs around the state as part of the Michigan Nonprofits Count Campaign (NPCC) on what this work looks like in their region.

CMF worked with the Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA) and funders to help create the Michigan NPCC that launched in 2017 with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The campaign is supported by more than 40 CMF members, growing the campaign’s assets to $5.4 million.

CMF worked with MNA to create the framework for the campaign which has been highlighted in a national census scan.

The campaign framework leverages the community leadership and grantmaking expertise of community foundations, United Ways and other community-based organizations as regional hubs connecting the state level activities with the grassroots organizations that are closest to the people who are hardest to count.   

There are 13 regional hubs in total, covering every region of our state; they will receive mini-grants to grant to grassroots organizations doing on-the-ground outreach efforts.

Eleven CMF member community foundations are serving or partnering as regional hubs through the NPCC in their area. This includes: Battle Creek Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Berrien County, Community Foundation of Greater Flint, Community Foundation of Marquette County, Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan, Community Foundation of the Upper Peninsula, Fremont Area Community Foundation, Midland Area Community Foundation in collaboration with Bay Area Community Foundation, Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation and Saginaw Community Foundation.

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan (CFSEM) is currently accepting grant applications for organizations that serve historically undercounted communities in their region.

“The actual census count begins in a year, but this is already a busy time,” Melissa Smiley, Ph.D., special assistant and strategy officer at CFSEM said. “Our goal is to ensure a complete and accurate census count in southeast Michigan, and we are proud be a regional hub for Michigan’s Nonprofits Count Campaign. In March, we launched our Southeast Michigan Counts campaign, which includes a grantmaking opportunity for nonprofits in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties. Funded projects will support awareness and participation in the census in historically undercounted communities, such as people of color, low-income households, immigrants and young children.”

Smiley said as a hub, they are also collaborating with local municipal and county officials who are organizing their own census campaigns.

In Southwest Michigan, the Battle Creek Community Foundation (BCCF) is serving as a census hub.

“At the local level, we have contracted with the Urban League to fulfill the ‘on the ground’ outreach that is needed to help increase awareness and gain the trust of our citizens in participating in the 2020 Census,” Brenda Hunt, president and CEO of BCCF said. “The Urban League has the ability to outreach and motivate neighborhood councils, blocks of neighbors who will develop creative approaches for engagement and education. Later this year we hope to have a mini-grant program available to provide support at the neighborhood level, block by block, to assist with this effort.”

Up North, the Community Foundation for Marquette County (CFMC) and Community Foundation for the Upper Peninsula (CFUP) are partnering and serving as a census hub.

The UP hub is planning to launch its RFP for grant applications in mid-April. The hub has been sharing many training opportunities with their networks to get organizations thinking about what they can do to encourage hard to count populations they serve to take part in the census. 

“This work is very important to the Upper Peninsula,” Gail Anthony, CEO of CFMC said. “With the aging population and lack of internet access in rural areas, there may be new challenges that haven’t been seen in previous years. Although we have a small population, we want to ensure they are all counted so our communities can best be represented at local, state and national levels.”

In the coming months CFMC and CFUP will be working directly with the mini-grant recipients to learn what’s working in different communities. They will also provide community trainings and serve as a resource for all nonprofits interested in learning more about the census and its impact on the Upper Peninsula. 

Want more?

Connect with the Michigan Nonprofits Count Campaign.

Learn more about CMF’s Census 2020 work.