Sep 22, 2020
NM Counts 2020 is requesting proposals for community-based outreach to populations most at risk of being under counted in the upcoming 2020 Census.
“The 2020 Census is a once in every ten years opportunity to count everyone living in NM and ensuring that we count our often-underrepresented communities is of utmost importance,” Nelsey Dominguez, NM Counts Grant Making Subcommittee Chair said.
The goal of this grant opportunity is to increase the Census participation rates of hard-to-count (HTC) communities such as African-Americans, Asian American/Pacific Islanders, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, in-state college populations, rural remote populations and other underrepresented ethnic/cultural population groups.
“Frequently, these populations have as much to lose, at times more, if there's an undercount in terms of services, opportunities and visibility,” Dominquez said. “With this new round of funding, NM Census Funder Collaborative want to ensure involvement in the Census includes everyone and every area of our state.”
Just a 1% undercount of New Mexicans in 2020 could result in a $780 million loss of federal assistance over a ten-year period.
Grant amounts range from $5,000 to $20,000 depending on demonstrated existing collaborations between multiple sectors, with priority given to applicants that have a strong history of collaboration with the HTC populations.
Grantee applicants should identify how their work is aligned or coordinated with relevant county complete count committees (CCC). Proposals should incorporate a clear strategy of engagement and measurable objectives including:
• Public education campaigns
• Media/communications
• Trainings & Special events
• Leveraging and adapting existing materials
• Engaging in social media
• Outreach and Education
Some of the submission requirements include: a brief organization overview, description of staff, capabilities of subcontractor partners, description of approach, outreach goals, primary activities such as canvassing efforts, description of collaborators, description of application of messaging research, projected timeline, project and organizational budget.
Proposals will be reviewed based on prior experience in advocacy, research, outreach, organizing, or public education, a clear commitment to increasing the participation in the Census of hard-to-count communities and a commitment to NM Counts messaging.
Submission timeline:
Wednesday, December 18, 2019: Issue RFP
Friday, January 10, 2020: Submissions due at 5:00 p.m. via email
Week of January 27, 2020: Organizations notified of grant approval or decline
Monday, February 3, 2020: Work begins
To access the RFP, visit: https://nmcounts2020.org/. The 5-page maximum PDF file submission should be sent to the Albuquerque Community Foundation at [email protected]. For more information, contact Cathy Frey at 608-239-8640 or email: [email protected].
ABOUT NM COUNTS 2020
NM Counts 2020 is an outreach campaign supported by a group of New Mexico foundations in partnership with the Census Working Group to help ensure that all New Mexicans are counted in the 2020 Census, especially in the most HTC and reach communities. NM Counts 2020 has distributed $417,500 in three grant rounds in 2019 for immigrants, young children, and Native American population.