In past years, threats to our democracy have become so regular and alarming that not every development gets sufficient public attention. That was also the case with the 2020 census: Not only did the pandemic make it unusually difficult to conduct a fair and accurate count but the political environment presented obstacles in ways that could have left out many people of color, children, people in tribal communities, immigrants, low-income families, and others who have historically been missed.
The census matters not only because it determines how much states and localities receive for an array of essential social programs but also because it influences state and federal redistricting efforts that can change representation and power dynamics for a decade or more. The census can have a profound impact on those who have historically been underserved. A fair and accurate decennial count is critically important in assuring that all communities have voice, power, representation, and resources.
That’s why our foundations were part of an unprecedented campaign of grant makers and nonprofits that worked together to make sure the 2020 census obtained the most accurate count of America’s demographic changes even amid challenging circumstances. Philanthropy can’t achieve many of its important goals if government aid doesn’t reach people who need it most, nor can we achieve our objectives if demographic data is not accurate and fairly representative of all communities.
We have yet to determine the degree to which the 2020 U.S. census missed people of color and other historically undercounted communities, but one thing rings clear: Our engagement was critical.
In the course of this work, we learned many lessons for philanthropy. At the top of the list: Grant makers need to provide early and sustained support to nonprofits working at all levels to protect the country’s core democratic systems — including the census, redistricting, and elections. That’s why we are already focused on what needs to happen to ensure the 2030 count goes well.
As philanthropy continues the work of advancing equity and justice and strengthening democracy, here’s what we learned about what it takes to succeed. Grant makers must:
Start working together early and genuinely. It was 2015 when a small group of foundations started talking about working together on the 2020 census. No one would have predicted how those early conversations would lead to a sprawling, nationwide collaborative effort connecting philanthropy at all levels, along with national and community-based nonprofit partners that worked heroically to get out the count in historically undercounted communities.
At the national level, the Democracy Funders Collaborative supported creation of a census steering committee that brought together philanthropy, national civil-rights groups, organizations representing state and local governments and businesses, and other key players to develop a three-part plan to guide our 2020 census fundraising and investments. We pooled our money at the New Venture Fund. Participating grant makers also had the option of making their own direct grants for census work, with the steering committee helping to make sure all investments were aligned for maximum impact.
We ultimately raised at least $118 million in national philanthropic funding from more than 100 grant makers, with state and local organizations and philanthropic collaboratives raising at least $75 million more. With the active partnership and support of the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation’s Funders Census Initiative and United Philanthropy Forum, we created a collaborative space where hundreds of grant makers at all levels gathered regularly with key players involved in census activities. Grant makers and our nonprofit partners also participated in numerous specialized efforts, such as the Count All Kids Committee, focused on the largest undercounted group in previous decennial counts: young children. We knew that we would only succeed by working together.
Get clear on their purpose. From the start, we knew that philanthropy and our partners could not and should not try to copy the Census Bureau’s broader mandate. We focused on working to assure a fair and accurate count of people of color, low-income people, young children, and others who have been historically undercounted and who too often lose representation and resources because their true numbers are not reflected in census results.
These objectives resonated with grant makers at a time when philanthropy and society increasingly are focused on issues of equity and justice. We supported a broad philanthropic outreach and education program explaining the purpose of this census campaign. Grant makers working on health, education, democracy, and the environment, along with community foundations and others, saw the connection between the census and their missions and joined hands.
In making our case for action to colleagues, nonprofits, as well as officials in the government and business worlds, we shared research showing that the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal funds to communities across the United States relies on census data. We also shared interactive maps showing where historically undercounted people were likely to reside throughout the country.
Act with agility. The twists and turns of the 2020 census cycle were legion. It began with the threat of congressional funding shortfalls that would have undermined the integrity and accuracy of the census. Then we faced the Trump administration’s proposal to add a citizenship question to the census, which deepened existing fears among immigrants and put their participation at even greater risk. Next was the advent of the Covid-19 crisis at the precise moment when the Census Bureau intended to start its in-person operations nationwide. There were also natural disasters, repeated instances of political interference, and other challenges.
In the face of these problems, nonprofits worked tirelessly at the local, state, and national levels to adjust strategies and keep census work on track, in part by keeping policymakers and the public squarely focused on the importance of a fair and accurate count. In communities across the country, nonprofits were trusted voices focused on protecting the census and ensuring maximum local participation.
Grant makers had to shift gears, too. When the debate over the citizenship question came to a head, we organized 300 foundation leaders to sign a letter advocating against it, and the Funders Census Initiative and United Philanthropy Forum provided extensive resources, background briefings, and calls to action to rally philanthropy to the cause. Even more important, grant makers provided emergency funding to national civil-rights groups to take court action to prevent the citizenship question from getting on census forms.
Similarly, as the Covid-19 pandemic continued, grant makers across the country provided funds to help nonprofits shift to socially distanced outreach methods and digital organizing. We also began to support groups that were providing food and other relief to people in need so they could help distribute census forms.
Rapid response became the name of the game as grant makers set out to support local organizations and communications strategies in the midst of the 2020 count.
Take partnerships with grantees seriously. Throughout the 2020 census cycle, grant makers were conscious of the importance of building a powerful partnership between philanthropy and nonprofits. We knew that the nonprofits we were working with had census expertise and organizing skills and that many local groups were known and respected in communities where outreach was needed. Combined with the resources and skills of grant makers, there was the potential of a powerful collaborative.
Grant makers organized daylong quarterly meetings where nonprofits participated on an equal footing with foundations in conversations about strategies and tactics. Meanwhile, national foundations regularly consulted with local grant makers, national civil-rights groups, and community organizations about their priorities and needs and where national and regional support could make the biggest difference.
Grantees also appreciated that foundations created a streamlined and speedy means of obtaining philanthropic funding to support their work. Said one grantee: “Everyone was there at the table, and they all wanted to support some aspect of census work.”
Did the 2020 census grant makers eliminate all the consequences of the power imbalance that too often stands in the way of productive foundation-grantee partnerships? Of course not. Despite our best intentions, our evaluations turned up instances of grantees suggesting that foundations were sometimes single-handedly driving strategy or that we were placing onerous and unreasonable expectations on grantees. It’s just more evidence, if we needed it, that philanthropy can and must always do better when it comes to engaging nonprofits in truly collaborative ways.
Looking Forward
The national census funders invested in numerous independent evaluations assessing the work of philanthropy and our partners during the 2020 census cycle, including a case study of the grant-maker collaborative, qualitative and quantitative research, vignettes describing the census activities undertaken in each of the states, two policy case studies, and recommendations to the Census Bureau for 2030, based on our learning.
Our evaluation efforts turned up two reverberating messages.
First, we need to start now in preparing for the 2030 census and advancing the Census Bureau’s other important work throughout the coming decade to ensure more detailed and accurate measures are deployed to address the undercount. And second, we can’t afford to let the collaboration dissipate.
Despite unprecedented philanthropic support and extensive involvement on the part of diverse nonprofits at the national, state, and local levels, the 2020 census may still have undercounted many people. As the Census Bureau continues to release census results, our organizations and our partners are committed to monitoring the results and advocating for better processes to ensure underserved people and young children aren’t repeatedly missed. We’ve got to do better — these people are counting on us.
This is why we have a formed a new effort called the Census Equity Initiative to keep the work going and to maintain connections forged during the 2020 cycle. Grant makers also have formed a collaborative to make sure the post-census redistricting process protects the interests of marginalized people nationwide.
Thanks to our work together on the 2020 census, grant makers are increasingly aware that their philanthropic goals rely on the proper functioning of core democratic institutions — and that linking arms with other foundations means we can accomplish things we never imagined possible.
But we need to enlist more philanthropies to join in the work to build a stronger, healthier, more equitable democracy. There’s still much to do.
Gary D. Bass
Executive Director Emeritus
Bauman Foundation
Lisa M. Hamilton
CEO
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
La June Montgomery Tabron
CEO
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Barbara Picower
President
JPB Foundation
Ann B. Stern
CEO
Houston Endowment
Darren Walker
President
Ford Foundation
