Next year, the Federal Government will be conducting the 2010 census – a comprehensive effort to count every resident of the United States, including every New Yorker. New York’s population, as determined by this census, will play a critical role in determining our political representation in the United States House of Representatives, in the State Legislature and in our local governments. In addition, the federal government will use this census data to distribute over $400 Billion back to the states over the next ten years.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that millions of Americans were not counted in the 2000 Census, including over 209,000 New Yorkers. For 2010, we must make every effort possible to achieve a complete and accurate count of all New Yorkers – which is why Governor Paterson and State Legislative Leaders appropriated $ 2 million in the 2009-10 State Budget for community outreach to assist in reducing the undercount in the 2010 federal census.

To this end, I am pleased to announce that the Department of State is soliciting grant applications for the New York Census Complete Count Grant program. My department is seeking applications from local and tribal governments, as well as statewide, regional, local and community not-for-profit organizations to conduct public education, community outreach and other activities to promote participation in the 2010 Census. The complete Request for Applications (RFA) can be found on the Department of State website at www.dos.state.ny.us/census/. The deadline for applications is October 16, 2009.

I encourage you to review the Request for Applications and to forward this announcement to others you know who might be interested. Together, we can help achieve a complete count in New York.