Submit a Public Comment: Proposed Rule Change - 2030 Census

On September 10, 2026, the U.S. Census Bureau issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) titled Decennial Census of the Population of Americans; Proposed Residence Criteria and Proposed Regulations for Demographic Questions. If adopted, the rule would make two unprecedented structural changes to the census:  

1. Redefine “usual residence” to exclude undocumented residents and temporary noncitizen visa holders from the congressional apportionment base.
2. Ban questions about race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation from the decennial census short-form questionnaire. 

The suggested changes would exclude broad categories of people from the count, including international students, H-1B visa holders, undocumented people and others. It would also eliminate questions on race and ethnicity from the census, an unprecedented departure from the census’s longstanding practice of collecting this critical information. The Census Bureau is accepting public comments with a deadline of October 13th, 2026.

Why It Matters

The Census is a core foundation of our democracy, and directly determines how communities are represented and funded through the government. The data collected by the decennial census determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and is used to distribute hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds to local communities, which also informs philanthropic funding. The proposed changes would limit the 2030 Census's ability to provide a fair and accurate count of people living in America by excluding broad categories of people, therefore impacting the equitable distribution of resources. These changes will lead to an undercount of the actual number of people living in communities and increases the challenges of identifying racial disparities through excluding race and ethnicity demographic information.

A just and fair count is the foundation for an equitable democracy for all Californians to have their voices heard. Effective civic engagement and democracy is an integrated, long-term, and continued effort, not just a single isolated action. Through non-partisan and cross-sector efforts, we can work to ensure all voices are heard and that barriers to participation are eliminated. Lifting the voices of underrepresented communities, bringing together diverse groups, building capacity, and amplifying coalitions through the work of nonprofit organizations are essential to the ongoing process of fair representation for all Californians.

Call To Action

We invite your organization to submit a public comment by October 13th, 2026, describing how the proposals could affect the communities they serve and their data-informed grantmaking, and request an extension of the comment period to 90 days. For proposed rule regulations, the quantity and individuality of public comments is imperative. We understand that the federal government is increasing its use of generative artificial intelligence tools in the agency rulemaking process, including the analysis of submitted comments from the public. To be counted as a unique, individual comment, we recommend writing the public comment in your own words, using examples specific to your organization as often as possible. You may also request that the Census Bureau disclose its usage of AI tools in the development of the rule on federal assistance. 

Submitting a public comment is within a foundation's advocacy rights and is NOT considered lobbying. Learn more at Alliance for Justice's Bolder Advocacy Resources or the United Philanthropy Forum's resource on Regulatory Engagement for Philanthropy. See the link below for an example of the language foundations can use to submit their own comments, provided by the Census Funders Collaborative.

Download the Funder Template and Guide Here

We also encourage organizations to sign on to The California Endowment's & the National Council of Nonprofits letters by October 12th, 2026.

CA Funder Sign-On by The California Endowment