Historically, the census has missed disproportionate numbers of racial minorities, immigrants, young children and those living in poverty – “hard-to-count populations” – leading to inequality in political power, government funding and private-sector investment for these communities.
The “Census 2020 Michigan Nonprofits Count Campaign” is an ambitious effort to mobilize nonprofits and partner with state and local government to encourage participation in the census in communities that are at significant risk of being undercounted. The campaign is spearheaded by the Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA) with seed funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and support from the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF).