“It is unusual for philanthropy to come before the Court,” said Peter Manzo, President & CEO of United Ways of California, “but we and our partners want to ensure the Court understands how important accurate Census data are to effective philanthropic and charitable activities, and the harm an undercount in the upcoming 2020 Census will have on philanthropy’s ability to design data-driven investments and solutions tailored to local communities.”

A prime concern is whether the 2020 Census will ask people about their citizenship status, as has been proposed.  The Census Bureau’s own analysis suggests that the effects of adding the citizenship question to the 2020 Census would significantly reduce the accuracy of the count. The inaccuracy that would result from this question is especially problematic because the groups likely to be undercounted are central to philanthropy’s mission, including young children, immigrants, low income families, and people in rural areas.

PRESS RELEASE 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, April 2, 2019 

CONTACT: Unai Montes, Communications Director, 213.476.8742

United Ways of California Joins Amicus Brief Urging U.S. Supreme Court to Reject Citizenship Question in 2020 Census:

31 Foundations and Philanthropy Partners Come Together to Address Census Impacts to Populations and State Agencies 

(Los Angeles, Calif.)—April 1, 2019 —United Ways of California (UWCA), alongside  30 other national, regional, statewide, and local foundations partners submitted an independent “friend of the court” brief to the United States Supreme Court in support of New York’s challenge to the inclusion of a citizenship question into the 2020 Census.

“It is unusual for philanthropy to come before the Court,” said Peter Manzo, President & CEO of United Ways of California, “but we and our partners want to ensure the Court understands how important accurate Census data are to effective philanthropic and charitable activities, and the harm an undercount in the upcoming 2020 Census will have on philanthropy’s ability to design data-driven investments and solutions tailored to local communities.”

A prime concern is whether the 2020 Census will ask people about their citizenship status, as has been proposed.  The Census Bureau’s own analysis suggests that the effects of adding the citizenship question to the 2020 Census would significantly reduce the accuracy of the count. The inaccuracy that would result from this question is especially problematic because the groups likely to be undercounted are central to philanthropy’s mission, including young children, immigrants, low income families, and people in rural areas.

The signatories to the amicus brief include national, regional, state, and community-based institutions, including private foundations, community foundations, philanthropy-serving organizations and a state association of United Ways. These institutions, their partners and grantees support a range of initiatives that are informed by census data. These include increasing access to affordable quality health care for underserved individuals and communities; ending homelessness; increasing access to quality early childhood and youth development opportunities and providing opportunities for learning beyond high school; supporting community development and access to affordable housing; providing services to vulnerable communities; and much more.

“Our work focuses on increasing opportunity for low-income children, families and individuals, many of whom are members of ‘hard to count’ communities,” Manzo said. “It is hard enough already to address  the real costs of living—of housing, health care, child care, transportation, food, and other basic needs—without compounding the challenge by failing to ensure every adult and child, citizen, and non-citizen are counted and represented by a decision-maker.”

We believe that every Californian resident should be counted, and that the society we build should benefit and serve all of the people who live within it. A nation’s greatness is judged by how it treats its weakest members, and their proper treatment begins with every one being counted.

Philanthropy-serving organizations and foundations filing independent amicus brief:

1. Annie E. Casey Foundation
2. The Bauman Foundation
3. Ford Foundation
4. Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation
5. Funders Together to End Homelessness
6. Kresge Foundation
7. Lumina Foundation
8. United Philanthropy Forum
9. W.K. Kellogg Foundation
10. Joyce Foundation (Great Lakes – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin)

11. Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation (South – Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia)

12. Philanthropy Northwest (Northwest – Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming)

13. The California Endowment
14. Colorado Health Foundation
15. The Fund for New Jersey
16. Minnesota Council on Foundation
17. New Mexico Association of Grantmakers
18. The New York Community Trust
19. Philanthropy California
20. Philanthropy New York
21. Philanthropy Ohio
22. The Piton Foundation (Colorado)
23. Sapelo Foundation (Georgia)
24. Thornburg Foundation (New Mexico)
25. United Ways of California
26. Women’s Foundation of California
27. Work Locally
28. Long Island Community Foundation
29. Samuel S. Fels Foundation (Philadelphia)
30. Silicon Valley Community Foundation
31. Westchester Community Foundation