Whidbey Community Foundation is excited to announce that we have received $10,000 in funding from the Washington Census Equity Fund which will help us promote a robust and accurate count in the 2020 Census. Census data is used to determine how more than $800 billion in federal funds are distributed back to local communities every year for services and infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, fire departments and roads.
WCF will provide targeted training opportunities for local nonprofit organizations, informational handouts, and a public outreach campaign. Training for nonprofits will include workshops for staff, board members, and volunteers that work with hard-to-count individuals from all backgrounds on Whidbey Island.
Washington has more than 1.6 million residents from historically “hard- to- count” population groups, including communities of color, Native Americans both on and off tribal lands, immigrants and limited English speakers, young children and rural residents of all backgrounds. With this grant we will be able to support opportunities for participation in the census which will help ensure that all communities receive their fair share of critical federal and state funding.
Each person counted leads to significant resources to support critical programs and services including transportation, health care, education and housing. Risks to the success of the 2020 Census include a new online format, a lack of testing and a shortage of federal funding for outreach. The new online innovations increase the potential to omit residents where housing has grown or changed, to overlook those with less computer literacy or broadband access, and to undercount hard-to-count populations.
We are thrilled to be a recipient of this grant and a participant in this important work. View the other grantees.