NYC Census 2020 Inks Unprecedented Partnership with Seamless to Deliver Ten $1,000 Gift Cards to New Yorkers who Complete the 2020 Census

The differential between New York City’s self-response rate and the nation’s self-response rate is now smaller than it was when compared to the census self-response rates in 2010

NEW YORK - In an unprecedented partnership, NYC Census 2020 and Seamless, Grubhub’s NYC-specific brand, announced today a contest where winners will receive ten $1,000 gift cards to New York City residents who recently completed the 2020 Census.

“While New York City remains the greatest city on earth, we’re going to need all the help we can get to recover from the devastation COVID-19 has wrought, and that means doing everything we can to achieve a complete and accurate count in the 2020 Census,” said Julie Menin, Director of NYC Census 2020 and Executive Assistant Corporation Counsel, NYC Law Department. “Thanks to Seamless, we will boost our numbers and provide a helpful incentive, particularly during these difficult times, to New Yorkers for completing the census.”

“Seamless has been in New Yorkers’ lives for more than 20 years, so we’ve had the opportunity to watch New York City grow and change over time,” added Padma Rao, VP of Special Projects at Grubhub. “We’re excited to give back to a city we know and love by partnering with NYC Census 2020, helping drive respondents for an incredibly important effort.”

As of May 20, New York City’s self-response rate is 49.4%, whereas the nation’s is 59%. In 2010, 62% of New Yorkers responded to the 2010 census, while the U.S. average was 76%. New York City’s self-response rate is now higher than it was when compared to the national response rate in 2010. While our city trails behind the rest of the country, we have started to close the gap between the city and the nation, meaning that in this national competition for resources and representation, a strategic and sufficient investment of resources, combined with deep community mobilization, can result in progress. The NYC Census 2020 and Seamless contest is an example of another form of outreach that will help to mobilize the approximately 50 percent of New Yorkers who have not yet completed the census.

The 2020 Census will determine the next 10 years -- and beyond -- of New York City’s future, including the shape of the city’s recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. The census determines each state’s fair share of hundreds of billions of dollars distributed by the federal government annually for schools, transportation, housing, roads and bridges, and even for healthcare.

The census also determines each state’s rightful share of representation in the House of Representatives, where critical financial decisions about recovery and relief funding are being made every day, and New York stands to lose up to two congressional seats as a result of a potential undercount. Census data is also used to make important community health care decisions. For example, census data is used by public health officials to get the foundational data needed to plan for and manage situations like COVID-19.

The NYC Census 2020-Seamless contest is only open to residents of New York City, over the age of 18, who have not yet completed the census. For a New Yorker to enter this contest, they must complete the census online or on a phone and take a screenshot or photo of the confirmation page as proof of completing the census. They then can upload that picture at NYC.gov/CensusContest, explain what winning this contest would mean to them, and complete the rest of the entry form. The winners will be selected for providing the best answer to the question about what winning this gift card means to them. The full rules can be found at NYC.gov/CensusContest.

Ten winners will be selected on a weekly basis over the next ten weeks. Once someone enters they remain eligible to win every week over the course of the ten weeks. That means the sooner a New Yorker fills out their census and enters, the more chances they have to win a $1,000 gift card.

NYC Census 2020 is the largest coordinated municipal campaign in the nation around census organizing. As the NYC Census 2020 campaign responds to community health care needs and the ongoing need for personalized and effective outreach, organizing methods now feature new methods of peer-to-peer messaging, including at-home text-a-thons, phone banks, and tele-town halls. The campaign has also used creative tactics, including high-profile celebrity PSAs with personalities like Cardi B and Alicia Keys to garner attention.

Important Facts about the 2020 Census:

1. The census is available online and by phone this year: my2020census.gov and 1-844-330-2020. You can complete your census from anywhere. You do not need a census form to fill out the census. All you need is your address to start the process at my2020census.gov.
2. New Yorkers can complete the census form online in 12 languages in addition to English, and each of these languages have their own dedicated, unique phone number that speakers of these languages can call to receive direct assistance. In addition, the U.S. Census Bureau has published “explainer” guides in a total of 59 languages. For more information, please visit www.2020census.gov.
3. New Yorkers can also fill out the 2020 Census in 15 different language lines:

About NYC Census 2020:
NYC Census 2020 is a first-of-its-kind organizing initiative established by Mayor de Blasio in January 2019 to ensure a complete and accurate count of all New Yorkers in the 2020 Census. The $40 million program is built on four pillars: (1) a $19 million community-based awards program, The New York City Complete Count Fund, empowering 157 community-based organizations to engage historically undercounted communities around the 2020 Census; (2) an in-house "Get Out the Count" field campaign supported by the smart use of cutting-edge data and organizing technology, and a volunteer organizing program to promote a complete count in each of the city's 245 neighborhoods; (3) an innovative, multilingual, tailored messaging and marketing campaign, including a $3 million commitment to investing in community and ethnic media to reach every New York City community; as well as (4) an in-depth Agency and Partnerships engagement plan that seeks to leverage the power of the City's 350,000-strong workforce and the city's major institutions, including libraries, hospitals, faith-based communities, cultural institutions, higher educational institutions, and more, to communicate with New Yorkers about the critical importance of census participation. Through close partnerships with trusted leaders and organizations across the five boroughs, this unprecedented campaign represents the largest municipal investment in census organizing nationwide and will build an enduring structure that empowers New Yorkers to remain civically engaged.

About Grubhub
Grubhub (NYSE: GRUB) is a leading online and mobile food-ordering and delivery marketplace with the largest and most comprehensive network of restaurant partners, as well as nearly 24 million active diners. Dedicated to connecting diners with the food they love from their favorite local restaurants, Grubhub elevates food ordering through innovative restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms and an improved delivery experience. Grubhub features over 300,000 restaurants and is proud to partner with more than 200,000 of these restaurants in over 4,000 U.S. cities and London. The Grubhub portfolio of brands includes Grubhub, Seamless, LevelUp, AllMenus and MenuPages.