By Katy Snyder, JVA Consulting
A new appropriations bill (H.R. 5326)—passed by the House of Representatives terminates the American Community Survey (ACS), which gathers social and demographic information to monitor the impact of economic trends on U.S. communities. While the bill has yet to pass the Senate, the consequences of losing the data gathered in the ACS loom large: Unlike Census data, which only come out every 10 years, ACS data are released annually, and include such statistics as age, sex, race, veteran and disability status. As a New York Times analysis says, “It is the largest (and only) data set of its kind and is used across the federal government in formulas that determine how much funding states and communities get for things like education and public health.”
Perhaps more troubling than elimination of the ACS could be other provisions in the bill, which would ban enforcement of the mandatory nature of participation in the ACS. According to Katie Genadek, who works at the Minnesota Population Center, the leading disseminator of ACS microdata in the country, “The big concern for us is that they will strip it of the legal requirement to fill it out.” Genadek also worries that if the House and Senate manage a compromise, funding for the survey could be cut, leaving it intact, but neutered. This underfunding could create “chaos surrounding it because different agencies have needs for various questions [and] cutting them would be a battle of sorts.” Furthermore, in Genadek’s estimation, underfunding it could lead to “bad data.”
At JVA Consulting, we regularly use ACS data to help our clients in all facets of their work, from writing grants to planning evaluations to strategic planning, and our clients use ACS data to inform their programming and measure outcomes. Keep reading to find out how the loss of the ACS could affect many of the areas in which nonprofits work:
Grants: Asked how she uses ACS data, Sarah Hidey, a JVA associate who writes grants, said, “I use ACS for every single federal/state grant I write that requires statistics at a census/neighborhood level—especially about poverty status, income, etc.” As Hidey points out, the consequences of terminating the ACS will be felt by more than just those of us who write grants, but those who issue RFPs, as well: “If the federal government were to get rid of ACS, the federal granting agencies would really need to think about their data/stats/need requirements—it will make it much harder to prove the need with stats.”
Planning and Social Enterprise: In order for nonprofits to grow, they must plan, and in order to plan, they need up-to-date data that shows who is in their target area. As Brett Reeder, a planning and research analyst at JVA, says, the loss of ACS data “makes it far more difficult to target areas where nonprofit services are needed most and/or to plan for an expansion in services. It also makes it far more difficult to tailor services to the particular needs of a community.” Along the same lines, nonprofits launching social enterprises, just like any business (click here to see a video from Target Corporation on why ACS data are vital for businesses), need to know who their target market is. Without recent data, they could be basing vital decisions on outdated data.
Evaluation: JVA and its clients use ACS data in both the planning and follow-up stages of evaluation—using data on the front end to ensure samples are representative, and on the back end to assesse whether projects have impacted measures such as income or diversity. As Nancy Zuercher, a senior managing associate in JVA’s evaluation department says, “We use the ACS for information such as geographic locations of populations by race/ethnicity; age, gender; income; education; housing; etc. Without this information, it will be challenging to create a snapshot of communities or population groups.”
The loss or scaling back of the ACS would clearly impact all areas of nonprofit work, but there is still time to act. What can you do? Leave a comment below to tell us how losing the ACS will impact you and your clients, and make sure to contact your senators (who have yet to vote on this measure) and tell them you why you need the ACS:
Senator Michael F. Bennet: 202.224.5852; www.bennet.senate.gov/contact/
Senator Mark Udall: 202.224.5941; www.markudall.senate.gov/?p=contact
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House bill H.R. 5326 eliminates American Community Survey—the impact for nonprofits
By Katy Snyder, JVA Consulting
A new appropriations bill (H.R. 5326)—passed by the House of Representatives terminates the American Community Survey (ACS), which gathers social and demographic information to monitor the impact of economic trends on U.S. communities. While the bill has yet to pass the Senate, the consequences of losing the data gathered in the ACS loom large: Unlike Census data, which only come out every 10 years, ACS data are released annually, and include such statistics as age, sex, race, veteran and disability status. As a New York Times analysis says, “It is the largest (and only) data set of its kind and is used across the federal government in formulas that determine how much funding states and communities get for things like education and public health.”
Perhaps more troubling than elimination of the ACS could be other provisions in the bill, which would ban enforcement of the mandatory nature of participation in the ACS. According to Katie Genadek, who works at the Minnesota Population Center, the leading disseminator of ACS microdata in the country, “The big concern for us is that they will strip it of the legal requirement to fill it out.” Genadek also worries that if the House and Senate manage a compromise, funding for the survey could be cut, leaving it intact, but neutered. This underfunding could create “chaos surrounding it because different agencies have needs for various questions [and] cutting them would be a battle of sorts.” Furthermore, in Genadek’s estimation, underfunding it could lead to “bad data.”
At JVA Consulting, we regularly use ACS data to help our clients in all facets of their work, from writing grants to planning evaluations to strategic planning, and our clients use ACS data to inform their programming and measure outcomes. Keep reading to find out how the loss of the ACS could affect many of the areas in which nonprofits work:
Grants: Asked how she uses ACS data, Sarah Hidey, a JVA associate who writes grants, said, “I use ACS for every single federal/state grant I write that requires statistics at a census/neighborhood level—especially about poverty status, income, etc.” As Hidey points out, the consequences of terminating the ACS will be felt by more than just those of us who write grants, but those who issue RFPs, as well: “If the federal government were to get rid of ACS, the federal granting agencies would really need to think about their data/stats/need requirements—it will make it much harder to prove the need with stats.”
Planning and Social Enterprise: In order for nonprofits to grow, they must plan, and in order to plan, they need up-to-date data that shows who is in their target area. As Brett Reeder, a planning and research analyst at JVA, says, the loss of ACS data “makes it far more difficult to target areas where nonprofit services are needed most and/or to plan for an expansion in services. It also makes it far more difficult to tailor services to the particular needs of a community.” Along the same lines, nonprofits launching social enterprises, just like any business (click here to see a video from Target Corporation on why ACS data are vital for businesses), need to know who their target market is. Without recent data, they could be basing vital decisions on outdated data.
Evaluation: JVA and its clients use ACS data in both the planning and follow-up stages of evaluation—using data on the front end to ensure samples are representative, and on the back end to assesse whether projects have impacted measures such as income or diversity. As Nancy Zuercher, a senior managing associate in JVA’s evaluation department says, “We use the ACS for information such as geographic locations of populations by race/ethnicity; age, gender; income; education; housing; etc. Without this information, it will be challenging to create a snapshot of communities or population groups.”
The loss or scaling back of the ACS would clearly impact all areas of nonprofit work, but there is still time to act. What can you do? Leave a comment below to tell us how losing the ACS will impact you and your clients, and make sure to contact your senators (who have yet to vote on this measure) and tell them you why you need the ACS:
Senator Michael F. Bennet: 202.224.5852; www.bennet.senate.gov/contact/
Senator Mark Udall: 202.224.5941; www.markudall.senate.gov/?p=contact
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