2010 Census and Nonprofits
Working in partnership with the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network (NVEN), MNA is committed to providing tools and resources to help nonprofits engage their communities in the 2010 Census through the Nonprofits Count! campaign.
Why is the Census so important to nonprofits?
Lower income and more mobile populations, precisely those served by many nonprofits, are frequently undercounted by the census, leading to underfunding of critical services and infrastructure and under-representation in government. Nonprofits can play an important role in making sure their communities are fully and accurately counted by educating them on the importance of the census and how to participate.
How is the Census data used?
The data collected by the Census next year will be used to determine a host of issues critical to the nonprofits community, including but not limited to:
- Decisions about what community services to provide, and how to distribute over $300 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year for the next 10 years! Examples include spending on:
- Title 1 grants to educational agencies
(school districts across the nation)
- Head Start programs
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) (food grants)
- Public transportation
- Road rehabilitation and construction
- Programs for the elderly
- Emergency food and shelter
- Empowerment zone
- The drawing of Congressional, State House and State Senate district lines
- Distribution of Congressional seats to states
What is MNA doing?
Throughout the campaign, MNA will provide nonprofits with materials, web and email information, and workshop opportunities to help nonprofits engage in the 2010 Census. MNA is also a member of Montana's Complete Count Committee which serves to promote the overall Census effort to ensure an accurate count in Montana.
Questions?
For more information about nonprofits and the 2010 Census, please contact MNA Executive Director Brian Magee by email or call 406-449-3717.
For information about partnership opportunities, please contact Mike Brown, Montana Partnership Specialist, by email or 406-373-8340 (Billings Census Office).