Data and statistics tell a story...

• Describes your target population and community
• Helps substantiate problems facing target populations and helps justify the need for projects
• Assists in program planning and design 
• Establishes a baseline
• Helps identify problems(s) and the need for particular projects
• Measurable objectives: who, what, where, what, and why

Caveats:

• Size of census geography matters 
• Data is not up-to-date; exact data you need may not be available
• Can be complicated to use and explain 

(Some of this is taken from using Census Data for Grant Writing / Tim Sarko) 

Pullman QuickFacts   Whitman County QuickFacts

Latah County QuickFacts

"The American Community Survey (ACS) is a nationwide survey designed to provide communities a fresh look at how they are changing. It is a critical element in the Census Bureau's reengineered decennial census program. The ACS collects and produces population and housing information every year instead of every ten years." Note: ACS data is on the American FactFinder site.     Tutorial