Over the past year, the Obama Administration has ushered into the American political dynamic a number of changes in how government, at least at the federal level, does business. Some changes reflect shifts in government’s relationship to the nonprofit sector, a few trends meriting special attention. (Read more from Rick Cohen.)

On Nov 12, Governor Doyle signed into law AB-209, now Act 75, which authorizes counties to contribute to the capital improvements of domestic violence shelters and to fund nonprofits that provide assistance to low-income individuals or individuals who are victims of domestic violence and related crimes.

The measure was sought after the Marathon County Board acted to contribute funding for a local domestic violence shelter, but was prevented from doing so because of a legal opinion stating the county lacked statutory authority.

“Local victim service providers and county governments obviously have strong shared interests in addressing domestic violence, especially as the effects of abuse ripple through entire communities, adversely affecting safety and quality of life,” said Patti Seger, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WCADV). “[This Act] gives counties another tool to partner with local victim advocates.” Bill History

The Census is around the corner. At stake is a decade of federal funding, political representation, and public and private investment. Make sure everyone is counted. Go to NonprofitsCount, the most comprehensive website on the 2010 Census for the nonprofit community. There you can:

• Request a free Census Toolkit that will help you ensure your constituents are counted.
  
• Stay informed about what's going on in Wisconsin.

What's at Stake - By the numbers:

$4 trillion

Federal funds distributed to the states based on Census data over the next 10 years.

$5.8 billion

Census-based federal funds Wisconsin received in 2007 alone!

$1,032.55

Amount each person counted in the 2000 Census earned for Wisconsin in federal funds in 2007

Warning Wisconsin Could Lose Population Count Due to Snowbird Confusion in Census, Help Needed, Job Opportunities. Dec 16, 2009
The results of the census are used to determine Congressional seats, legislative districts, and the distribution of over $400 billion in federal funds. Localities use census data to site hospitals and schools. Businesses use them to determine where to build new plants and site stores. “Wisconsin already ranks low in receiving federal dollars,” says Kaminski, “We don’t want an undercount to exacerbate that situation.”

In May 2009, WNA was a part of a group gathered and lead by Forward Community Investments to create, distribute and analyze information from Wisconsin Nonprofits and how they are Coping with Economic Crisis.  The report contains the results of a survey of nonprofits from all over the state of Wisconsin, diverse in geographic location, staffing size, budget, and mission. The commonality is that all these nonprofits are providing important services and strengthening the livelihood in our statewide communities.