Public Policy/Advocacy

On March 29, 2018, the Census Bureau sent the planned 2020 census survey, which included a citizenship question, as requested by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Many are concerned that the addition of this untested question will undermine efforts to achieve a fair and accurate census count in 2020, which helps grantmakers identify community needs and prioritize grantmaking. On June 8, the Commerce Department (which oversees the Census Bureau) invited the public to comment on the paperwork associated with the 2020 census. The public has 60 days – until August 7 – to submit comments. The notice and form to submit comments can be found here . For those interested, The Funders Census Initiative, under the leadership of the Bauman Foundation, is circulating a sign-on letter for foundations. To add your foundation's name to this letter, click here . Signatures will be collected until July 16.