With Census data being used to allocate over $400 billion in public funds, jurisdictions like Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia are at risk of losing significant federal resources to address a wide range of issues important to the foundation community if residents are undercounted in the 2010 Census, especially in communities of color. Unfortunately, the best evidence from the 2000 Census suggests that Blacks, Hispanics, and other people of color were undercounted at significantly higher rates than Non-Hispanic whites. What happens to our region if the Census undercounts? Foundation grants and contributions are just not sufficient enough to fill the gap that would be created by federal resources lost due to a Census undercount. As Census workers begin their outreach to communities all over the country, join national experts and local leaders to discuss the 2010 decennial census count, its implications for communities of color, and what we can do to ensure that all residents get counted. 

• Bill O'Hare, Senior Consultant at the Annie E. Casey Foundation and a consultant to the Funders Census Initiative
• Cheryl Harrington, 2010 Census Complete Count Committee Coordinator for Prince George's County
• Mercedes Lemp, District of Columbia Office of Latino Affairs
• Myron Dean Quon, Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center