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CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AND PARTNERS MAKE AN UNPRECENDENTED INVESTMENT TO GET OUT THE CENSUS COUNT ACROSS LOS ANGELES COUNTY

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

Los Angeles, Dec. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In anticipation of one of the most consequential census efforts of our time, the California Community Foundation (CCF) completed a second wave of funding to local nonprofits for education and outreach efforts across Los Angeles County for $5.7 million. With the first wave of grants made in July 2019, total investment for the census efforts in the region total $12.7 million to 100 community-based partners from every corner of L.A. County. This powerful network of community groups have formed the We Count LA campaign to ensure all of Los Angeles is counted.

CCF has been appointed as the region’s Administrative Community Based Organization (ACBO) by the State of California. In addition to providing state funding, this role designates CCF as responsible to lead and coordinate education and outreach in Los Angeles County–which is ranked the hardest to count region in the nation. In addition to the state, CCF’s other key funders supporting the We Count LA campaign include the Weingart Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, Ballmer Group, The California Endowment, Smidt Foundation, Libra Foundation, Mindy and Gene Stein, California Wellness Foundation, Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation and the City of Los Angeles.

“The magnitude of the effort in L.A. County demonstrates the value we place on ensuring every person is counted,” said Antonia Hernández, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation. “Too much is on the line. We must all stand up and be counted.”

Once per decade, the U.S. Constitution requires the count of every living person in the nation. Census data influences the amount of federal funds allocated at the local level for schools, hospitals, public transit and vital programs, such as Medicaid and Head Start. In 2015, 80 percent of California’s federal funding was tied to the census.

The count also defines our representation in Congress. The Census Bureau will reapportion the country’s 435 U.S. House seats in 2021 using the data derived from the Census 2020 count. California’s independent redistricting commission will then draw the new congressional districts lines for the apportioned seats. An inaccurate count could cost California at least one Congressional seat.

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. Census 2020 will be principally administered online for the first time, creating major concerns around privacy and digital accessibility. Many immigrant communities are suspicious of how their information will be used. Compounding these issues is anticipation that bad actors will emerge to suppress participation.

In the face of such challenges, funding will provide critical support to the We Count LA groups’ efforts in direct outreach activities.

Grassroots community-based organizations are trusted ambassadors within the county’s diverse communities. With so many challenges facing Census 2020, this network of community groups will serve as essential messengers on the importance of being counted as well as answer questions on how to participate in Census 2020. Please visit www.wecountla.org for more information. See our data snapshot to learn more about our grantee outreach efforts by tactic, population and region. 

 

CONTACTS

MEDIA: Roshin Mathew

rmathew [@] calfund [.] org

(213) 452-6229

 

COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS: Stephania Ramirez

sramirez [@] calfund [.]org

(213) 452-6247

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See below for full list of grantees.

Action Network

ALMA Family Service

Anahuak Youth Soccer Association

Armenian National Committee of America- Western Region

Black Alliance for Just Immigration

CANGRESS (dba Los Angeles Community Action Network)

Child Care Resource Center Inc.

Chinatown Service Center

Clinica Msr. Oscar A. Romero

Community Partners fbo ActiveSGV

Community Partners fbo El Monte Promise Foundation

Community Partners fbo Latino Equality Alliance

Council on American-Islamic Relations California

Crystal Stairs, Inc.

El Nido Family Centers

Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)

Golden State Opportunity Foundation

Homies Unidos, Inc.

Instituto de Avance Integral Latino CDC

Korean American Coalition

Korean Resource Center

Koreatown Youth & Community Center, Inc.

Lancaster Museum & Public Art Foundation

Legacy LA Youth Development Corporation

Mar Vista Family Center

Maternal and Child Health Access

Meet Each Need with Dignity

Mexican American Opportunity Foundation

NewStart Housing Corporation

ONEgeneration

Pacoima Beautiful

Para Los Niños

Parent Engagement Academy

Pasadena Altadena Coalition of Transformative Leaders

Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley Inc.

Pueblo y Salud Inc

Rio Hondo Community Development Corporation

SALVA

Self Help Graphics

South Bay Center for Counseling

South Central LA Regional Center

Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing

Southern California Education Fund

Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California

Toberman Neighborhood Center Inc.

United Cambodian Community, Inc./Cambodian Complete Count Committee

University Auxiliary Services, Inc./Pat Brown Institute

Vision Y Compromiso

Watts Century Latino Organization

Westside Center for Independent Living, Inc. (Disability Community Resource Center)


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Roshin Mathew
The California Community Foundation
213-377-5630
rmathew@calfund.org