News

The Andrew Goodman Foundation, a New Jersey-based national non-profit that empowers college students to be civic leaders and to make their voices heard in American democracy, announced today that it received a $55,000 grant from the Russell Berrie Foundation to support efforts in Bergen County, New Jersey to ensure that all residents, especially in hard-to-count communities, are accurately counted in the upcoming 2020 Census. The Andrew Goodman Foundation will work with two non-profits, Bergen Volunteers and Advocates for Children of New Jersey, to organize, train, and educate college students in its network on conducting outreach on campuses and in historically undercounted communities.

After the 2010 Census, New Jersey lost not only a congressional seat, but also an Electoral College vote because of undercounted populations such as immigrants, young adults, low-income Americans, and other hard-to-count populations. An accurate census count is essential for states to receive the appropriate allocation of federal funds, proportional representation in the House of Representatives, and constitutional representation in the Electoral College, which ultimately determines who becomes president.

“I thank the Russell Berrie Foundation for this generous grant in support of our work to expand voting rights and equity for young Americans. The census is a critical component of our constitutional democracy since it allocates political representation and federal resources based on population, not by land area or personal wealth,” stated David Goodman, President of The Andrew Goodman Foundation. “After the 2010 Census, New Jersey lost a congressional district and an Electoral College vote, which ultimately diminished our impact in the 2016 Presidential Election, and every presidential election since 2010. The state also receives less federal funding because a significant number of residents were not counted. This issue harms our state and in particular communities that are economically marginalized.”

“The Russell Berrie Foundation is pleased to partner with The Andrew Goodman Foundation in this vital work, especially given the added value of empowering students. The 2020 Census could be one of the most consequential for our state in generations and we want to ensure that New Jersey has the resources and support it needs to fulfill this important constitutional obligation,” explained Ruth Salzman, CEO of the Russell Berrie Foundation. “New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country and getting an accurate count is essential in securing the federal support that our State is entitled to. We look forward to collaborating with The Andrew Goodman Foundation to achieve this critical objective.”

The Andrew Goodman Foundation will begin its census work this month and conclude in August 2020. 

About The Andrew Goodman Foundation 

The Andrew Goodman Foundation’s mission is to make young voices and votes a powerful force in democracy by training young leaders, engaging low-propensity voters, and challenging

restrictive voter suppression laws. The Foundation’s Vote Everywhere program partners with America’s colleges and universities to provide resources, visibility, and mentoring to a national network of student leaders who involve their peers in participatory democracy through long-term voter engagement, public policy, and social justice initiatives. The organization is named after Andrew Goodman, a Freedom Summer volunteer and champion of equality and voting rights who was murdered by the KKK in 1964 at 20 years old while registering African Americans to vote in Mississippi.

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