If you haven’t registered with the Census you still have time. Florida Nonprofits’ CEO, Marina Pavlov, is on a board of 25 volunteers chaired by Lieutenant Governor Jeannette Nunez. A recent update from the Regional Program Director in charge of seven states including Florida indicated that Florida is below the national average in terms of reporting. Broward County is particularly poor with a response rate of less than 60%. However, there is still time to be counted as the deadline for the Self-Response Phase been extended from July 31 to October 31, due to COVID-19 delays and safety considerations. Nonresponse Followup should begin in August.
The census figures are key in many ways. Having an accurate count means receiving extra dollars for infrastructure and social services, including grant money, funding for schools, elder care, children’s needs, and even disaster aid. The distribution of more than $675 billion in federal funding annually is based on census numbers. The tally also determines how many representatives we have in Congress, with more equaling a greater voice. Currently, Florida has 27 Congressional representatives.
Go to 2020Census.gov to learn how you and your organization can help to assure that your community and state get their fair share of funding.
Hágase Contar, a campaign of Naleo Educational Fund, has resources and facts to assist nonprofits in their efforts to encourage full participation in the 2020 census.
Click here for more information on why the census is safe and valuable.