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Our Mission

The CIC Program, started in 1988 as a pilot project, makes census information available to underserved communities whose utilization of census information was severely limited. The concept was to establish census data repositories using community-based organizations. The CIC Program strives to address two fundamental concerns: a lack of access and use of census data and a lack of participation in Census Bureau censuses and surveys by underserved communities. These same communities represent those in our society that experience persisting socioeconomic disadvantages. The situation has been aggravated by their lack of access to public information resources that might help to improve their lives. The CIC program is designed to broaden delivery of information and analysis of the socioeconomic conditions of underserved communities. It is an impressive demonstration of a public-private partnership in the service of social needs, at a time when such relationships are becoming a major public policy priority. Founding members of the CIC Program are:

  • William C. Velasquez Institute
  • National Urban League
  • National Council of La Raza
  • Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum
  • Native American Public Telecommunications

In August 2000, after an assessment of the current program and a year of planning and development work, we added 54 organizations to the program. Today, the CIC Program is very diverse. Combined with the 5 founding CICs, the program now includes 59 organizations representing minority serving colleges and universities, minority chambers of commerce, think tanks and other research, and national non-profit organizations representing underserved communities CICs represent a broad spectrum of diverse interests such as economic development, social justice, civil rights, education and health. CICs are located in 25 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and 42 major cities throughout the United States. The CICs provide efficient access to Census Bureau data through a network of national, regional, and local nonprofit organizations.

Complete listing of the CICs

Through their partnership with the Census Bureau, the CICs provide tremendous benefits to the communities they serve. For example:

  • CICs provide relevant data, statistics, and reports to the communities they serve.
  • CICs use census data in ways (e.g., fact sheets, briefs) that make the data and its implications accessible to those without Internet access or who have difficulty finding the right information or drawing relevant implications unassisted.
  • CICs use census data for program planing, needs assessment, defining disenfranchised populations, developing new business enterprises, and conducting race/ethnic related research.
  • CICs offer a community-based perspective in neighborhood settings that are user friendly.
  • CICs use census data to strengthen advocacy roles and help remove stereotypes about their communities.
  • CICs enhance understanding of census data by producing specialized reports that are not produced by the Census Bureau for sub-population groups for smaller geographic areas.
  • CICs use census data to perform data analyses, generate tables and charts, produce thematic maps, provide technical consultation, prepare issue-specific analytic briefs, conduct training and workshop sessions, perform cross tabulations and produce and disseminate in-depth public reports.
  • CICs support a wide variety of Census Bureau outreach and promotion efforts associated with the decennial census, the American Community Survey and other Census Bureau programs such as current surveys by encouraging cooperation with the Census Bureau by persons in underserved communities.
  • CICs serve as test sites for the development of Census Bureau data products and related software.