Funding Brings Total to $12.7 Million in Support of 100 Community Partners

LOS ANGELES – September 6, 2019 – In preparation of the landmark Get out the Count census effort in Los Angeles County, the California Community Foundation (CCF) awarded $7 million in grants to local nonprofits for education and outreach efforts across the region.

Earlier this year, CCF was named the region’s Administrative Community Based Organization (ACBO) by the State of California. This designates CCF as responsible for leading and coordinating education and outreach in Los Angeles County – which is ranked the hardest to count region in the nation.  In addition to resources from the state for this role, philanthropic leaders have stepped in to contribute to a pooled fund supporting community-based outreach efforts for the 2020 Census. Key funding partners of the pooled fund include the Weingart Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, Ballmer Group, the California Endowment, Smidt Foundation, Mindy and Gene Stein, Libra Foundation and the City of Los Angeles.

Grantees will receive funding ranging from grants of $35,000 to $500,000 to support community education, digital media outreach, direct outreach, coalition building, assistance centers and technical assistance.

“Census data drives federal funding in Los Angeles County for services and programs that are critical to the health and well-being of our communities, particularly our most vulnerable populations. Accurate data also impacts our political representation in Congress,” said Antonia Hernández, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation. “There is simply too much to gain – too much at stake – to not do all we can to ensure everyone is counted.”

Nearly half of L.A. County residents meet the hard-to-count criteria, including racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, mixed-status families, young children and the homeless. For the first time, the census will be principally administered online, creating major concerns around privacy and digital literacy. Controversy around the citizenship question, though no longer on the census questionnaire, leaves many immigrant communities suspicious of how their information will be used. Compounding these issues is anticipation that bad actors will emerge to suppress participation.

The cohort of community groups awarded reflect the county’s incredible diversity and breadth of engagement required to Get Out the Count. Their work, understanding and credibility among diverse populations will be crucial to count all of Los Angeles.

CCF will continue to work with community and government partners to ensure that no Angeleno goes uncounted. A second request for proposals will open on September 9^th, which will fund additional community-based outreach and education activities across the region.

CONTACT
Roshin Mathew
[cryptx]rmathew@www.calfund.org[/cryptx]
(213) 452-6229

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See below for full list of grantees.

We Count L.A Grantees:

A New Way of Life Reentry Project (ANWOL)

Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON)

Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice

Community Partners fbo California Native Vote Project

Consejo de Federaciones Mexicanas en Norte America

Korean American Federation of Los Angeles (KAFLA)

Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates of Southern California

NALEO Educational Fund

Pars Equality Center, Los Angeles

Pomona Economic Opportunity Center

Salvadoran American Leadership & Educational Fund (SALEF)

Social Justice Learning Institute

Southeast Los Angeles Collaborative

Families In Schools

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles

Black Women for Wellness

Central City Neighborhood Partners

Centro CHA Inc.

Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC)

Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition

Los Angeles Black Worker Center (LABWC)

Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California

Proyecto Pastoral

South Asian Network (SAN)

Special Service for Groups, Inc. / API Forward Movement

Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE)

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)

International Rescue Committee

Filipino Migrant Center

Long Beach Forward, A project of Community Partners

Asian Youth Center

Building Skills Partnership

Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment (CAUSE)

Equality California Institute

Pukuu Cultural Community Services

InnerCity Struggle

California Black Women’s Health Project

AltaMed Health Services Corp

Antelope Valley Partners for Health (AVPH)

Greater Long Beach Interfaith Community Organization  (ICO)

Community Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment

Children’s Institute, Inc.

Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE)

LA Voice

YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles

Community Development Technologies Center (CDTech)

ACCE LA

Human Services Association

California Calls

LA Partnership

By Cora Jackson-Fossett, Los Angeles Sentinel

In Los Angeles and around the world, CCF and our donors are making an impact. Discover how we’re partnering to transform lives and futures in South L.A., protect vital services by ensuring an accurate census count and much more in our Fall 2019 newsletter.

Data from the U.S. Census, taken every 10 years, plays a tremendous role in almost every aspect of our lives, driving more than 80 percent of California’s federal funding. The future of our schools, hospitals, childcare centers, public transit and government services depend on full participation.

The California Endowment newsroom

Funders’ Committee For Civic Participation newsroom

Los Angeles Sentinel

The 2020 Census is a way for all of us in California – individuals, families, businesses and communities – to get our fair share. An accurate count of the U.S. population forms the basis for many important, but often overlooked political, economic and social decisions that end up affecting our daily lives. An undercount bodes poorly for California, and Los Angeles in particular.

The Census Bureau has identified Los Angeles County as the hardest-to-count county in the nation. Half of Los Angeles’ residents are categorized as hard-to-count, and they include racial and ethnic minorities, children, urban and rural low-income households, limited-English-proficient immigrant and mixed-immigrant status families and single parent households. Getting them counted in the 2020 Census will be a real challenge because many are afraid to participate, live in homes that are hard to track and face informational and technological gaps that preclude participation.

Thought the challenges we face for the 2020 Census are unprecedented, we have come together as a cross-sectoral coalition for greater strategic collaboration and investment.

The California Community Foundation believes that we are stronger together—we strive to include and not exclude are most vulnerable communities. The 2020 Census is the most fundamental exercise in inclusion. We have made the 2020 Census a major priority for our foundation and believe that we should work to ensure every person and every community in Los Angeles have the right and ability to be counted in 2020.

In partnership with California Census 2020 Statewide Funders’ Initiative, we share the below statement:

As members of the California Census 2020 Statewide Funders’ Initiative, we commend the U.S. Supreme Court for striking down the citizenship question. The removal of the citizenship question from the 2020 census is essential not only to ensuring a fair and accurate count of all Californians but to the future of our state.

Although the citizenship question will no longer be included, investing in efforts to achieve a complete count remains critical. Our foundations have collectively invested $15 million to date—and plan to invest at least another $15 million—to ensure that all hard-to-count communities will be counted. Given the climate of fear, encouraging immigrants and their families to participate in this census will continue to be a challenge. It is essential to invest in trusted community-based organizations to deliver messages that resonate with specific immigrant communities. As a statewide funders’ table, we will continue to coordinate and strategize with one another, with the California Census Office, and with key stakeholders in the non-profit, public, and private sectors.

We call on all California funders to step up as the 2020 census quickly approaches. If you have funded census efforts, consider making additional grants to educate communities about the Court’s ruling and address lingering concerns, or to support efforts to reach a hard-to-count population that aligns with your funding priorities. If you have not funded the census, we invite you to learn more, join our table, and make an investment.

The census is a critical cornerstone of our democracy. Every grantmaking entity has a stake in making sure the 2020 census is a success given the lasting impact it will have on our state, particularly in marginalized and disenfranchised communities. We invite you to join us as we move forward to ensure a fair and accurate count.