AN UPDATE FROM THE NYS CENSUS EQUITY FUND


The New York State Census Equity Fund (NYSCEF) is pleased to announce 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. Read the press release here .

While the NYSCEF continues to deepen its work on promoting and achieving an accurate census count, it is also focusing on how philanthropy can support fair redistricting. In November, with support of Philanthropy New York, the Fund hosted a convening to start the conversation about the importance of philanthropy engaging in this body of work. As part of the post meeting follow-up, NYSCEF Chair, Pat Swann wrote a blog about What Funders Need to Know About the Next Big Democracy Challenge . Please read the blog post, and plan to attend future conversations in 2020 about the importance of redistricting.


The NYSCEF Steering Committee
Sol Marie Alfonso Jones, Long Island Community Foundation
Jennifer Drake , Dyson Foundation
Lisa Fasolo Frishman , Engage New York
Sabrina Hargrave , Brooklyn Community Foundation
Randi Hewit, Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes
Maria Marcantonio, Charles H. Revson Foundation
Maria Mottola, New York Foundation
Robyn Smith, Central New York Community Foundation
Pat Swann , The New York Community Trust (Chair)
Allie Urbanski , Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo



To learn more about the NYS Census Equity Fund and its activities,
read this one-pager for more information.

NEW YORK STATE
Read some of the latest headlines, resources, and news stories impacting our State's Census count





FROM THE NEW YORK STATE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE
 
  Part of New York State's $60 Million New York State 2020 Census Outreach Efforts, Request for Plans Released to Local Governments to Apply for their Share of the $20 Million Made Available in the FY 2020 Budget
 
Letter to Localities for Requests for Plans Available Here
   
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today (December 4, 2019) announced local governments can apply for their shares of the $20 million in funding made available in the FY 2020 State Budget and designated to help make sure every New Yorker is counted in the upcoming 2020 U.S. Census. The Funding is part of the State's $60 million outreach effort that also includes up to $40 million from existing resources that leverages the outreach capacity of dozens of State agencies and public authorities.
 
"While this federal administration does its best to instill fear in our immigrant communities in an attempt to stop them from filling out the Census questionnaire, we are fighting back to ensure every New Yorker is counted," Governor Cuomo said . "We are making these funds available to local governments so they can work with local organizations that have the necessary on-the-ground expertise to connect with our hardest-to-count communities and help ensure New York is properly represented at the federal level."
 
The State's support for the Census count builds on findings and recommendations released in October by the New York State Complete Commission, which held 10 public hearings and reviewed hundreds of comments, expert testimonies and in-depth analysis of previous census results. The Commission found that the 2020 Census faces unprecedented challenges. For the first time, the Census will be conducted primarily online, and while the Trump Administration failed in its effort to include a citizenship question on the Census, its attempt to do so spread fear among immigrant communities.
 
The Trump administration and Congress have also failed to fully fund Census operations in the years leading up to 2020. As a result of this failure, the Census Bureau has been forced to cut costs, shifting responsibility for on-the-ground work necessary to drive participation in the 2020 Census from the federal government to state and local partners. The number of U.S. Census Bureau field offices in New York has dropped from 35 in 2010 to 21 in 2020.
 
Of the $20 million made available through the FY 2020 Budget, $15 million is being distributed to all 62 counties as well as the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers. Each locality that responds to the Request for Expressions of Interest that was released today will then submit a plan outlining how they will use the funds. The remaining $5 million will be deployed over the coming year to target specific communities where further outreach will be necessary as 2020 Census questionnaire filing results become available.
 
The $15 million is distributed to local governments based on a formula that builds on the Rockefeller Institute of Government's At-Risk Community Index, a data-based measure of undercount risk, while accounting for differences in population density and its impact on outreach logistics. The funding allocations to counties and cities is available here .
 
Further guidance on how localities can develop their plans will be provided in the near future. Counties and cities have 30 days to submit their final plans, and funding awards will be approved in late January.
 
The $20 million from the FY 2020 Budget is in addition to the up to $40 million in existing resources being deployed across dozens of State agencies and authorities to support a statewide Census awareness campaign.
 
These state entities, including the departments of Labor, Motor Vehicles, Agriculture and Markets, and the offices of Mental Health, Alcohol and Substance Abuse, and People with Developmental Disabilities, and Empire State Development, and the Division of Veterans' Services will conduct outreach and provide Census-related information across their millions of contacts with the public. While the U.S. Census Bureau is only providing translation for a fraction of the languages spoken in New York State, State employees are already trained to use Language Line, which provides on the spot translation services for more than 200 languages. Examples of how State entities will leverage their resources include, but are not limited to:
 
  • The Department of Labor, which reaches more than 9 million workers, 550,000 businesses, and serves more than 500,000 New Yorkers directly will open all 96 of its Career Centers as census assistance centers where members of the public can securely complete their 2020 Census questionnaire online. Career Centers will also display Census information on TV monitors in the waiting room, posters, and handouts in multiple languages. The Department of Labor has also already promoted Census Bureau jobs at more than 100 jobs fairs and other recruiting events it hosts in every region of the state.
 
  • Every New Yorker lives within 30 miles of one of SUNY's 64 campuses and CUNY adds 25 campuses across New York City's five boroughs all of which can serve as nodes that combine outreach efforts with resources. The two university systems, including their community college networks, will also collaborate with the State to ensure their nearly 700,000 students are counted. Empire State College will open dozens of computer labs across the state for members of the public to use to complete the Census.
 
  • The Department of Motor Vehicles has 27 state-run district offices and 94 county-run field offices across the state through which it reaches about 12 million customers annually. Census information will be displayed and distributed at every location and staff will be equipped to promote the Census in discussions with all visitors. It will also tap its database of approximately 4 million email addresses.  
 
These efforts will build on action already taken directly by the State, that added over 225,000 addresses to the Census Bureau's Master Address file. In addition, following leadership from New York State, local governments added and corrected several hundred thousand addresses. This multi-layered, multi-year effort produced a nation-leading results. Governor Cuomo also invested $500 million to leverage $1.4 billion from the private sector to expand high-speed Internet to all New Yorkers with nearly 90 percent of the funding already awarded.

OTHER CENSUS NEWS AND RESOURCES
In 2020 Census, Big Efforts in Some States. In Others, Not So Much.

California is spending $187 million to try to ensure an accurate count of its population. The Texas Legislature decided not to devote any money to the job. Why?




Counting People in Colleges & Universities
Many people living in group quarters, such as colleges and universities, are at risk of being undercounted in the 2020 Census. This Group Quarters Operation fact sheet provides advocates and stakeholders with an overview of how people living in college and university-run housing will be counted during the 2020 Census.

NEWS FROM THE CENSUS BUREAU




US Census Bureau Releases the sneak peek of the
2020 Census Online Form

The US Census Bureau released a sneak peek of the 2020 Census online form during the National Advisory Committee Fall Meeting . Community ConnectLabs broke down the details, see below for some of the highlights.

First, a few general notes:

  1. The entire survey must be completed in one session. You cannot start it, save your work and come back later.
  2. There is a 15 minute timeout for security purposes - if the survey has been started and activity goes dormant, the respondent will be logged out and have to re-start the process again. Users are warned at 13 minutes that they will be logged out if no activity is taken.
  3. The Census Bureau is still working on accessibility requirements and how those are defined. 508 compliance is a requirement, but there are still many concerns about the usability of the online form.
The 2020 Census online form will be available in English +12 languages. Languages can be toggled throughout the experience to translate the form as necessary. 

To learn more click here .


US Census Bureau Announces Media Buy for 2020 Census

Last week the U.S. Census Bureau posted their  media buy   for its 2020 Census paid advertising campaign, “Shape Your Future. START HERE”! This outlines the various outlets where the Census Bureau has purchased advertising space to support its census education and outreach, along with the dates those ads will be released. Additional information from the Bureau can be found  here  and the Bureau will be releasing a tip sheet soon. Y&R, who is coordinating the buys for the Bureau, has issued this  press release . 
Census and the Holidays: A toolkit that includes
Dinner Table Tips for the Holidays
The holidays are coming, and what better time to talk with family and friends about the importance of the census! The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans has created an toolkit to share with family, friends, nonprofit partners, and to push through your social media outlets. Click here for more information.
FOUNDATION RESOURCES

CUNY Hard to Count Maps gets
more fantastic updates!

CUNY Hard to Count Maps wants to assist with GOTC efforts. To focus GOTC efforts, anyone can now select Census tracts within a county based on any of the demographic data available in the map. This will help agencies and nonprofits determine how to prioritize census tracts based on self-response rates in 2010. This feature is call Advanced Tract Search.

Also, the new state Maps will also visualize the tract-level contact strategies the Census Bureau will use in 2020 to ask individuals to participate in completing a questionnaire. The team at CUNY will be releasing this data by county soon.

Feature updates planned by CUNY include:
  • Real-time response data will begin on March 20, 2020. This will capture the Census Bureau's real-time daily data reflecting self-response rates.
  • Analysis of the real-time self-response rates.
  • Population updates for the 2014-2018 American Community Survey estimates


Find out Why Your Foundation Should Become a 2020 Census Official Partner by clicking here .
GRANTEE RESOURCES

INFORMATION TO SHARE

NY Counts 2020 State Convening
January 15, 2020
City Hall Common Atrium
Syracuse, NY
9:00 am - 4:00 pm

This event is for grantees and CCCs interested in learning more about how to approach get out the count efforts. There will be presentations, information sharing, and networking for attendees. Please click here for the registration link.

NY Counts 2020 has released its Guide to Organizing for the Census. Click on the link to read this resource and to share it with your grantee partners, and with your local Complete Count Commission.
Make sure your grantees and your foundation sign up to receive the latest news, resources, and updates from NY Counts 2020 by clicking on this link and adding your name and email address. Each week, NY Counts 2020 is sending out Mobilize Monday and We Count Wednesday emails with tips, events, and resources.
RESOURCES FROM THE
NY CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TABLE
The NY Civic Engagement Table has released a resources folder for nonprofits to access information and materials to help them implement their get out the count (GOTC) programming. You are encouraged to share this resource with your nonprofit partners and CCCs preparing and interested in implementing GOTC programming.

RESOURCES FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

The NYSCEF has learned that many counties and CCCs are focused on counting college students at NY State colleges and universities. To assist with these efforts, the Funders Census Initiative has shared the following resources to aid in engaging college students in the 2020 Census:

For grantees looking to engage in census-related activities, refer them to  NY Counts 2020 .  NY Counts 2020 is a coalition of nearly 100 diverse nonprofits/groups from across New York State developing a state-strategy focused on advocacy efforts, and providing information, resources and technical assistance as it relates to 'get out the count' measures to community-based organizations. 

This email was generated by Engage New York in support of the NYS Census Equity Fund; a pooled fund focused on supporting and mobilizing get out the count efforts to ensure every New Yorker is counted in Census 2020.