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Community Foundation helps Fox Valley prepare for 2020 Census

2020 US Census Outagamie County Complete Count Committee partner kick-off meeting at the Appleton Public Library January 16


The Community Foundation, along with United Way Fox Cities and Appleton Public Library, is partnering with the U.S. Census Bureau to support the 2020 Census by helping to make sure our community is accurately represented in the spring census count. In March, you will receive an invitation from the bureau in the mail asking you to complete the census online, by phone or mail. Assistance will be available in 12 languages.

As a partner, we are considering ways to help Fox Valley area nonprofit organizations that serve historically underrepresented groups in the census. Nonprofit organizations can provide insight into their needs by completing this brief survey by Jan. 28. The Community Foundation will then use this information to create a process to consider small grant awards to boost census outreach this spring.

We’re also connected with the Outagamie County Complete Count Committee, which hosted a 2020 U.S. Census – Partner Agency Kickoff Meeting Jan. 16 at the Appleton Public Library. Check out and follow the county’s CCC Facebook page to stay informed and learn how you can get involved. Want to become a census partner to raise awareness of the census and encourage everyone to respond? It’s easy to get started here!

Why is the census important? The once-a-decade population count helps businesses make stronger decisions and nonprofits better serve their communities. Census results are used to:

  • target more than $675 billion in federal funds to states/counties for programs that support local residents for the next 10 years.
  • guide community decision-making affecting schools, housing, health care, emergency services and more.
  • allocate state congressional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and redraw the boundaries of congressional and state legislative districts.

This is the first time the census will be conducted mostly online. Federal law ensures that information collected is kept completely confidential and can only be used for statistical purposes.

We wish to ensure that every person in the Fox Valley is counted, in particular, members of what the Census Bureau refers to as “hard to count” populations. These include older adults, young children, racial and ethnic minorities, non-English speakers, people experiencing homelessness, and people with mental or physical disabilities to name a few. (You can learn more about the Census and hard to count populations at 2020census.gov.)

For more information about the 2020 Census and useful tools and tips curated specifically for local nonprofits, check out the Appleton Public Library’s Census page. 

Check out the news coverage from WLUK Fox 11 news.


Did You Know? The U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting to fill hundreds of thousands of temporary positions across the country to assist with the 2020 Census count. Apply or refer friends: 2020census.gov/en/jobs

 

 

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