The census comes around every ten years, but ensuring communities are represented equitably happens every day in between. Lifting the voices of underrepresented communities, bringing together diverse groups, building capacity, and amplifying coalitions through the work of nonprofit organizations are essential to the ongoing process of fair representation for all Californians.

At the 2021 SCG Policy Conference, we invited a panel of experts to help funders connect strategic funding to work happening on the ground floor. Among the panelists was Jonathan Paik, Executive Director of the Orange County Civic Engagement Table, who transforms the collective power of communities throughout Orange County. Christopher Wilson, Associate Director of Alliance San Diego, leads with the belief that people can achieve their full potential when communities are engaged in the civic process. Finally, spotlighting the relationship between community leaders and philanthropy, VY Nguyen, Director of Special Projects and Communications at the Weingart Foundation, ties census and redistricting work to democracy in action.In addition, by

Now that California has lost a congressional seat, it is time to reckon with the long-term barriers to collecting census data and the groundwork needed before a single map is drawn. As our speakers emphasized, supporting local organizations working with and for the communities they represent is crucial for building long-term, equitable solutions that will ensure higher accuracy in future counts.

Watch the full video about generating representative census data at Southern California Grantmakers.