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Charitable Ventures and the OC Census Fund Award More Than $600,000 in Grants

Charitable Ventures, the State-designated Administrative Community-Based Organization focused on 2020 Census outreach in Orange County, and the OC Census Fund, a collaborative philanthropic effort supported by Charitable Ventures, have awarded an additional 20 nonprofits with grants to support the participation of Hard-to-Count communities in the upcoming decennial Census. This recent distribution of funds marks the third round of Census funding administered by Charitable Ventures.

Charitable Ventures, which houses the OC Census Fund, awarded grants for community-based efforts through an open request for proposal process.

Every 10 years, the US Constitution requires that all residents, including non-citizens and undocumented immigrants, be counted through a nationwide Census.

Historically, a number of communities have been undercounted in Orange County, including people of color, children under age 5, individuals experiencing homelessness, veterans and more. The 2020 Census will also be the first time that a digital option is the first option for response, adding new challenges for counting those who lack digital literacy and Internet access. Furthermore, there are concerns that immigrants and their families will be afraid to participate in the Census, as a result of the current politicized environment and misinformation campaigns. Finally, the U.S. Census Bureau has significantly fewer resources than it did in past Census efforts.

“The Census is an important part of our political process. Knowing where people are helps determine where federal allocations are best spent. An undercount in Orange County could mean millions of dollars going elsewhere. We need it here. We need to make sure everyone is counted,” said Mary Anne Foo, founder and Executive Director of OCAPICA (Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance) and co-chair of the OC Census Executive Team.

The OC Census Fund pooled $1.02M from 13 foundations in California. Funding partners include Anonymous, Blue Shield of California Foundation, Hoag Community Benefit Program, James Irvine Foundation, National Asian American Community Foundation, Orange County Community Foundation, Pacific Life Foundation, Sisters of St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation, Sun Family Foundation, Swayne Family Foundation, Tarsadia Foundation, The California Endowment, and the Weingart Foundation.

This round of funding awarded grants to:

  • California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative
  • CAP OC (Community Action Partnership of Orange County)
  • CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice)
  • Coalition of Orange County Community Clinics
  • CommunityConnect Labs
  • Community Health Initiative of Orange County (CHIOC)
  • COR Community Development Corp.
  • Discovery Cube Orange County
  • Help Me Grow – CHOC Foundation
  • Institute for Healthcare Advancement
  • Jamboree Housing Corporation
  • Latino Health Access
  • LGBT Center
  • OC Labor Federation
  • Orange County Herald Center
  • Pretend City
  • Southland Integrated Services
  • The Kennedy Commission
  • VietRISE
  • WAVE (Women for Values and Ethics)

Full press release available here.