The 2020 Census is coming, and it is essential that nonprofits help as many people be counted as possible. There is $800 billion at stake and many states are woefully underprepared due to the slow mobilization of the federal government.

A successful 2020 Census count is essential due to the wide-spanning reach of the Census. Over 300 federal programs allocated for states, communities, and families rely on the Census to set their priorities. An undercount of the most vulnerable will result in underfunded programs and misdirected policy initiatives for the next 10 years.

The 2020 Census is Fraught with Problems         

The unprecedented obstacles that the 2020 Census is facing threaten our democracy and our social safety net. The current Census apparatus is severely hampered in comparison to previous years. As it is being implemented now, it is far behind the 2010 Census get-out-the-count initiatives, which still resulted in undercounting. In fact, the current approach mirrors the 1980 Census. Delays in funding, under-resourcing, deferred question testing, the new online submission format, and diminished community outreach and engagement are coalescing to create circumstances that will lead to an undercount. Furthermore, the “citizen question” debate has also had a chilling effect on immigrants who fear that participation will result in deportation or having their citizenship taken away by the government. 

2020 Census Will Negatively Impact Difficult to Count Populations

This 2020 Census has the potential to significantly destabilize homeless, disabled, minority, immigrant, and low-income communities, including young children for the next 10 years. The inadequate capacity building makes it difficult to address newly surfacing challenges that did not previously exist or have been exacerbated since the last census: 

* It is estimated that hard-to-count populations have grown significantly so more resources should be allocated to support reaching them, instead of less; 

* Immigrants are likely to opt out of participating in the Count for fear of deportation and distrust of the government; 

* There has been a spike in misinformation campaigns that are being undertaken on the web that aims to disenfranchise and incite fear; and

* There are insufficient supports in place to assist and reach individuals impacted by the digital divide, which will undercount anyone without access to computers or the internet. 

2020 Census Undercount Consequences for the Next 10 Years

The Census informs the decision-making of policymakers and brokers. The consequences of an undercount, then, are manifold and long-lasting: 

* $800 billion in funding, particularly for the arts, research, education, health and human services, will be in danger of being reduced or cut. The funding for over 300 federal programs allocated for states, communities, and families will be threatened. As a result, many nonprofits would be forced to reduce services or shut down because philanthropic entities and private donors do not have the ability to make up the potential losses in funding. 

* All policymaking, planning, and budget decisions will be based on flawed data for the next 10 years since most government data is linked to the Census. The impact will be felt at all levels of government: federal, state, and local.

* The consequences of having to rely on flawed data for a decade will extend beyond government with negative impacts on academia and businesses. Many research projects, proposals, new initiatives, and commercial ventures outside of government rely on the Census to provide them with accurate information for planning purposes and the allocation of resources.   

* Our democracy will be threatened because congressional districts will be redistricted based on biased data collected from the Census. An undercount in the constitutionally mandated Census will reflect that there are less minorities, immigrants, and difficult to reach populations. This will also increase the likelihood that redistricting could occur based on political orientation.  

What should you do? 

Churches, community organizations, schools, and trusted voices, which have been previously engaged in a more systematic manner in getting people counted, must reach out to their cities, municipalities, townships, and Census hubs. They are in a unique position to help. They have access to the most difficult-to-count communities and have established relationships. They are also linguistically and culturally competent pillars of their communities. 

States like New Jersey, Arkansas, and Utah have already allocated funding for these initiatives. Cities like Miami in Florida and Boston in Massachusetts have already taken some action. However, more needs to be done:

1) Join a 2020 Census Complete Count Committee to help spread the word about the Census, 2) and to find employees who will actually go out in the field to provide correct information. 

2) Help find people to conduct Census outreach and education by either applying for a job with the Census or holding job fairs to facilitate the connections. 

3) Join Census Hubs to help provide education and reach hard-to-count people in 2020. This is done through a local Complete Count effort.

4) Educate yourself and your organization on the 2020 Census. Understand your rights and protections with respect to the Census. It is illegal for the government to use the Census as a means of finding or targeting citizens. Also, maintain communications and printed materials that provide accurate information regarding the purpose of the Census, benefits, and anonymity that must be guaranteed. 

5) Provide computers at your organization for those you serve to complete the census online.

Other Resources

There are also a couple of resources you can turn to for how to become involved: 

• Funders Census Initiative (FCI) 2020
• National Conference of State Legislatures
• National Council of Nonprofits

You can also reference the following articles for more information:

• Nonprofit Times – Nonprofits Already Eyeing 2020 Census, $800 Billion At Stake
• Nonprofit Quarterly  – The 2020 Census Is in Trouble and Needs Our Help
• United Philanthropy Forum. CENSUS 2020: Why an Accurate Count Matters to Philanthropy

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