Advocacy Strategies

This call was the first in a two-part funders-only discussion series designed to share intelligence on timely, nonpartisan opportunities for philanthropy to help ensure full and fair participation in the democratic process.

The Census Bureau has proposed the addition of a Citizenship Status Question to the 2020 Census and indicated that data will be included in the transfer of census counts to states for the purposes of redistricting. Two state legislatures have already considered bills to require that state legislative reapportionment and redistricting be based on citizen totals rather than full population totals.

During this webinar, funders learned about: where the proposed citizenship question stands now and how key national stakeholder organizations are organizing to respond to it, how funders and Philanthropy Serving Organizations can sign-on to letters regarding the citizenship question and submit their own comments, and
how funders can help inform their grantees about sign-on comment letters and other organizing opportunities for stakeholder groups.

This discussion explored how grassroots leaders have leveraged or helped create big cultural moments to build long-term power in their communities and considered how funders have been supporting this work thus far.