Forefront’s IL Count Me In 2020 initiative is pleased to announce a new grant opportunity. In 2019, Illinois community-based organizations will have the opportunity to apply for funding to engage in Census 2020 outreach and get out the count efforts.

The grant application will be available for download and review on Forefront’s website as of Tuesday, January 15, 2019. However, all applicants will formally apply through an online portal. The portal will go live on Forefront’s website at 11:59pm on Friday, February 1, 2019 and will accept applications through 11:59pm on Thursday, February 28, 2019.

On the morning of February 1, Forefront will host a webinar to discuss the IL Count Me In 2020 RFP, the operational timeline of the IL Count Me in 2020 program, and answer questions from applicants regarding the RFP. We encourage applicants to review the RFP before applying and to bring questions to the webinar. An FAQ document will be posted after the webinar, and the webinar will be recorded. Details to register for this webinar will be shared soon. (Please note: the webinar recording will be made available on Forefront’s website in early February.)

The IL Count Me In 2020 Funders’ Collaborative is a collaborative of Illinois foundations that have joined together to support coordinated census outreach in hard-to-count communities across the state. Co-chairs of the Funders’ Collaborative, Mark Murray of the Field Foundation and Deborah Bennett of Polk Bros. Foundation, have worked hard all year to help secure contributions for this pooled fund. This fall, Forefront worked closely with a number of foundations through a smaller working group to create a pertinent grant application, drawing from the 2010 IL Count Me In RFP, that the larger Funders’ Collaborative for 2020 is reviewing in order to inform the RFP for Census 2020.

It is vital that Illinois increase its participation in the 2020 census. Communities across the state are at risk of being undercounted. Without a fair and accurate count, Illinois will lose significant federal funds necessary for social service programs and resources utilized by all residents. In every census cycle since 1950, Illinois has lost one Congressional seat, and we stand to lose two more Congressional seats as a result of the 2020 census count. If we do not make a concerted, coordinated effort to ensure a comprehensive count, we will lose those two seats in the House of Representatives as well as millions of dollars in federal funding.

If you have any questions regarding the RFP or would like to RSVP for the February 1 webinar, please reach out to Yoselyn Ovalle, Associate Manager of the Democracy Initiative at yovalle@myforefront.org.

Stay tuned for more details regarding the February 1 webinar.  #ILCountMeIn2020