Chicago's Census Prep Sets Pace For Rest Of U.S.

Dec. 14, 2009

A local $1.2-million foundation-led effort to boost participation in the 2010 Census is putting the Chicago area at the forefront of preparations for the decennial head-counting.

“Some groups and some areas are not as energized as others,” U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said Monday at a press briefing in Washington, D. C. “Chicago is a model for other regions” because local nonprofits are able to pursue outreach efforts with funding from a group of foundations and Chicago-based Boeing Co.

Chicago’s Count Me In campaign has made 26 grants to about 60 nonprofit groups throughout Illinois to promote local participation in the Census, according to a spokesman for the Joyce Foundation, one of the leaders of the effort.

In past censuses, states and cities have largely funded such efforts, but this year budget constraints have crimped their role. The foundation’s Count Me In campaign “has filled a gap in that region that needs to be filled in other regions,” Mr. Groves said.

The 2010 population count will determine whether Illinois gains or loses a seat in Congress and the distribution of about $400 billion a year in federal spending. Illinois stands to lose about $12,000 over 10 years for every uncounted person, according to the Count Me In campaign.

In addition to Boeing and Joyce, the campaign is funded by Chicago Bar Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Grand Victoria Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Steans Family Foundation and Woods Fund of Chicago.