California Census 2020 Statewide Funders' Initiative

About

The California Census 2020 Statewide Funders’ Initiative was established in 2017 in order to achieve two overarching goals:

  • To ensure that hard-to-count populations in California are accurately counted
  • To build a stronger movement infrastructure across the state that can improve opportunities and conditions for Californians who have been politically, economically, and socially marginalized

Strategies  

Statewide

  • Ensure that specific hard-to-count populations and geographies are reached
  • Invest in resources that can be utilized across the state, including talking points, communications tools, and multilingual community information
  • Support strategies with a high return on investment, such as identifying hidden or low-visibility housing that will increase the census count in under-resourced areas
  • Coordinate with state government to identify funding needs and gaps, devise complementary and coordinated funding strategies, and inform the allocation of state funding
  • Develop a single statewide evaluation plan
  • Align grantmaking with movement-building goals, including bringing civic engagement funders to the table and engaging movement leaders in census mobilization efforts
  •  Support regional planning and capacity building and develop related grantmaking strategies

How We Connect

 

  • Quarterly meetings support relationship building, deeper dialogue on major issues, and expanded collaboration
  • Subgroups offer participants opportunities to dive deep on specific issues, exercise their leadership, and forge partnerships on shared concerns
  • A listserv brings regular updates and information about issues and events related to the census in California and beyond

census Updates and Resources

GCIR is compiling national and California-focused resources for philanthropy on the 2020 Census. We will be regularly posting news and resources to this page as the enumeration effort proceeds in the weeks ahead.

Visit the resource page for the latest updates.  

Leadership

Steering Committee

Christian Arana, Co-Chair
Policy director
Latino Community Foundation
 
Tara Westman, Co-Chair
Program Manager
The California Endowment
 
Lisa Cleri Reale 
Consultant
Lisa Cleri Reale & Associates
 
Leslie Dorosin
Co-Executive Director
Grove Foundation
 
Stephania Ramirez
Director, Strategic Initiatives
California Community Foundation
 

Advocacy Partners

Statewide Funders’ Advocacy Table, organized by Philanthropy California

Cecilia Chen
Public Policy Director
Northern California Grantmakers
 
Karla Mercado
Senior Manager, Public Policy and Philanthropy California
Southern California Grantmakers
 
Megan Thomas
Vice President of Collaboration & Special Initiatives
San Diego Grantmakers



 

Staff

sheila Chung hagen
chung hagen consulting 
GCir consultant
[email protected] 
 

Membership

Membership is open to professionals affiliated with grantmaking organizations, including philanthropic consultants and advisors, from throughout California. For more information, contact Caleb Beaudoin

 

 

News

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Census Counts Letter on Census Modifications

Census Counts issued a letter to Congress, signed by 144 national, state, and local groups outlining recommendations to closely examine the Census Bureau’s adjusted operational timeline are impacting 2020 Census outreach. 

Thursday, May 7, 2020

2020 Census Operational Adjustments Due to COVID-19

The U.S. Census Bureau is adapting or delaying some of our operations to protect the health and safety of our staff and the public and make sure we get the same population counted another way. Visit this page for the lates announcements.