AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Nearly $400,000 in grant funding will help 17 community-based organizations in their work targeting hard-to-count communities in Central Texas.
United Way for Greater Austin, St. David’s Foundation, Episcopal Health Foundation and Austin Community Foundation pooled their funds to create these grants. The funding will target hard-to-count communities in five Central Texas Counties: Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson.
The data collected from the 2020 Census will determine funding for services like health care, housing and education. Community leaders are urging organizations like Tuesday’s grantees to educate and promote the importance of getting a complete count.
“[It] will lead to a stronger community, a healthier region and a brighter future for all of us,” Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape said.
“If the people in our community are undercounted, our region risks cuts to programs that our entire community relies on. We need an accurate count so Central Texans can get an adequate level of federal funding for public programs and a fair amount of representation in our local, state and federal governments,” said Mariana Salazar, Census 2020 project director at United Way for Greater Austin.
The 17 grantees are:
Asian Pacific Islander American Political Affairs
Austin Area Urban League
Austin Community College District
Austin Ed Fund
Austin-Travis / Williamson / San Marcos Complete Count Committees
AVANCE-Austin, Inc.
Bastrop County Cares/Bastrop Complete Count Committee
Bastrop County Food Pantry
Caldwell County Complete Count Committee
El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission
Foundation Communities
Hays County Complete Count Committee
Housing Authority of the City of Austin
Mano Amiga
People’s Community Clinic
Todos Juntos Learning Center
Williamson County and Cities Health District
