Rebecca Dames, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees
Gigi Barsoum, The California Endowment
John Fanestil, Foundation for Change
Sylvia Martinez, San Diego Census Office, United States Census Bureau

The data gathered from the 2010 Census will provide a comprehensive and critical snapshot of San Diego communities. It will be used to distribute nearly $41.9 billion in federal funding to California each year over the next decade. For each person not counted, $11,500 in federal funding is lost to our region over the next 10 years. Additionally, government agencies, the private sector and nonprofit groups will assess trends and develop programs based on the new Census numbers and the results will also inform redistricting decisions.

San Diego is one of top 50 most "hard to count" counties in the nation. Challenges to a fair and accurate count include:

• Growth in populations that are traditionally undercounted: ethnic groups, immigrants, homeless, and families that double-up on housing, among others
• Post-9/11 and "Internet age" concerns about data confidentiality
• Displacement related to economic downturn.

Funders can play a role in ensuring a fair and accurate count in 2010. Recognizing the need for coordination and leveraged resources, a group of funders has developed a statewide census outreach strategy. Join fellow grantmakers in a discussion about what this strategy and the 2010 census means for San Diego communities and learn about current and past successful outreach, education, and advocacy efforts and how those strategies may be applied in 2010.

For more information on funders and the census, check out The Funders Census Initiative (a program of the national affinity group, Funders Committee for Civic Participation). This working group seeks to stimulate interest in the 2010 Census among funders and their grantees, particularly focusing on hard-to-count communities.