New Mexico Counts 2020, representing a group of 23 foundations supporting statewide efforts to help ensure full participation in the 2020 census, has created the Census Rapid Response Grant Funds for Tribal Governments and Nations program to help ensure full participation in the 2020 census. This special Tribal Government invitation-only fund will consider requests for up to $2,500 for additional outreach activities in Tribal communities with very low self-response rates based on real-time data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.**
New Mexico Counts 2020 will award the Census Rapid Response Grant Funds (CRRG) grants until September 31, 2020, on an expedited timeline to assure rapid deployment. Invited applicants include Tribal governments who are in good standing with the Albuquerque Community Foundation and have an established CRRG agreement.
Funded activities include, but are not limited to:
- Adapting Census tactics, strategies, and efforts to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
- Shifting from door-to-door canvass to online/digital outreach or phone canvass/outreach
- Addressing barriers to internet connectivity such as low broadband access by increasing internet ‘hot-spots’ or other
- Responding to disinformation or efforts to reduce complete count of HTC communities
- Responding to intimidation/threats of immigrant communities
- Supporting mobile Census units
- Post April 1, 2020 outreach and messaging
- Public Service Announcements (dissemination of PSAs)
- Short-term expansion of organizational capacity
The Albuquerque Community Foundation and the New Mexico Association of Grantmakers will manage the application process on behalf of NM Counts 2020. A NM Counts 2020 review committee consisting of partner organizations and our Grantmaking Subcommittee, chaired by Nelsy Dominguez, Program Director with the Con Alma Health Foundation, will review and approve the CRRG applications on a rolling or monthly basis based on the availability of funding. The review committee will also work closely with the NAVA Education Project, the parent organization of the NM Native Census Coalition, to assist in outreach and coordinating the Census Rapid Response Grant funding directed to Tribal governments.
Qualified Tribal Governments can download the CRRG application and submit to the Albuquerque Community Foundation at grants@abqcf.org. For questions, contact Cathy Frey at cathyfrey@nmag.org or 505-660-5073.
For additional assistance
Contact NAVA Education Project Executive Director, Ahtza Dawn Chavez at ahtza@navaeducationproject.org.
**Self-response rates as of April 20, 2020 will show response levels in Tribal areas after an initial phase of the census, while also providing time for community groups to apply for and utilize additional outreach funds. For more information on the US Census Bureau Participation Rate Map click here.
