In 2015, when the Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF) began developing our approach for the 2020 census, we could not have known we would be facing not only a global pandemic, but a federal administration hostile to a complete count and an intensified uprising for racial justice centered in Minneapolis. Our partnership worked to ensure voices of historically undercounted communities were heard by government, philanthropic, and non-profit leaders for a complete count. The relationships provided a foundation of trust allowing us to pivot through the ups and downs of 2020. We will share lessons learned as we navigated these challenges. We will include an emphasis on challenges of government to government relationships between Minnesota and the eleven Sovereign Tribal Nations that share our geography. We will share the impact of putting power for Census completion in the hands of historically undercounted communities.

Learning Objectives:

• Explore with partnership leaders what it took to build power in historically undercounted communities – and the challenges and opportunities that came with it.
• Explore policy considerations when partners include State Government, Federal Government, and Sovereign Tribal Nations.
• Explore policy considerations for 2030 Census.