CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES

In anticipation of next year’s census, the California Community Foundation is offering $1.5 million in grants to community organizations to reach out to segments of the population that have traditionally been difficult to count.

The foundation is accepting applications and plans to distribute grants in the fall, officials said. Los Angeles’ diverse population, which includes a large number of illegal immigrants and poor people, has contributed to high undercounts in the past.

Federal dollars are allocated based on real data, not population estimates, said Lynne Choy Uyeda, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Census Bureau. Los Angeles County lost more than $100 million in federal funds in the last census, according to a 2001 report to Congress.

-- Raja Abdulrahim