About the Delco Counts 2020 Action Fund
The Delco Counts 2020 Action Fund is a partnership between The Foundation for Delaware County, Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia (Philanthropy Network), and the Delaware County Complete Count Committee. It was created to support Delaware County organizations in promoting a complete and accurate count of all residents in the upcoming 2020 Census.
The fund will provide grants up to $5,000 and in certain circumstances above $5,000 to nonprofit community-based organizations with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status that agree to advance the work of the 2020 Census in neighborhoods that are identified to be at risk of being under-counted.
Grant Management
All grant management for the Delco Counts 2020 Action Fund is being done through The Foundation for Delaware County.
If your organization has submitted an application for our second competitive grantmaking cycle, you are eligible to apply for a grant through Delco Counts 2020 Action Fund.
Proposal Review Process
The Foundation for Delaware County’s review committee will review applications as they are submitted using the timeline listed below. Pending a positive initial review, the proposal moves into a due diligence process designed to provide the review committee with a comprehensive understanding of the project—including overall goals, specific outputs, and the measurable impact of the project. During the proposal and due diligence review process, the applicant may be contacted by phone or email for additional information or clarifying questions.
Once the proposal has been reviewed, the full review committee will make final grant approvals. If the proposal is approved, the grant agreement will be signed by Philanthropy Network, The Foundation for Delaware County, and grantee, upon which the funding will be disbursed. Grantees will receive detailed information regarding grant reporting, which will also be outlined in the grant agreement.
Overview of Grant Opportunity
The Delco Counts 2020 Action Fund will consider proposals that meet the following criteria:
Proposals should promote Census awareness and completion in a hard to count community within Delaware County. Examples include:
> Alleviating language barriers in promoting Census awareness and completion
> Building trust in communities regarding protected Census data
> Unique marketing campaigns designed to encourage Census participation
> Building organizational capacity through technology and training
Typical grant requests will be between $500 and $5,000. Higher grant requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Grant Eligibility and Timeline
To be eligible for a grant from Delco Counts 2020 Action Fund, applying organizations must meet the following criteria:
- Organizations applying for grants must be based in and primarily serve Delaware County.
- The application must be for a grant that will be fully spent by July 31, 2020.
- If awarded funding, the organization must agree to complete a grant completion report and potentially make a presentation to the Delco Counts 2020 Corporate and Philanthropy Subcommittee upon request.
- Funding will not be approved for general operating costs; only project-specific support is available through this fund.
- Applicants must have a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed by the committee every other month. See schedule deadlines below.
**Please Note: All grants are subject to fund availability. There may be times when applications are held until a subsequent round as funds become available. *
Applications may be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the following dates. Applicants will be notified within three weeks of a completed application.
Monday, January 6, 2020
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Questions?
Please direct additional questions to: info@delcofoundation.org
What’s at Stake
The Census not only ensures fair political representation, but it also determines the annual appropriation of more than $883 billion in federal funds to states. This means that what happens in this next Census will have profound implications for every community in our commonwealth for the next decade.
According to researchers at George Washington University, in 2015 Pennsylvania received $26.79 billion dollars in federal grants ($2,093 per capita) that were allocated to 16 large federal assistance programs based on the Census count. In FY2016, Pennsylvania received $39 billion through 55 federal spending programs guided by data derived from the 2010 Census.
The stakes in the 2020 Census are especially high for Pennsylvania, which has been identified as the #2 state at risk of an undercount. An analysis by Keystone Counts identified 1.2 million Pennsylvania households in 24 counties at high risk for an undercount; of those households, 6 percent (69,462) are in Delaware County (see map above).
Just a 1 percent under-count could cost Pennsylvania $400 million annually, or $3.9 billion over 10 years. Among the populations at highest risk for an under-count are people of color, immigrants, children under 18 years old, low-income and rural communities, and the homeless.
Unique Challenges for the 2020 Census
Factors presenting a unique set of challenges for the 2020 Census include:
- massive under-funding of the U.S. Census Bureau itself;
- the shift to digital data collection, raising concerns about accuracy and cyber-security; and
- a prevailing climate of fear and distrust of government.
Additional Resources
Delaware County Complete Count Website: https://census-2020-dcpd.hub.arcgis.com/
Census Jobs: https://2020census.gov/en/jobs/how-to-apply.html