Report - February 2026
5 Revenue-Raising Ideas for NYCThis report puts forward five concrete ideas to generate new recurring revenue for New York City. Taken together, the five ideas would raise more than $1.4 billion in new revenue each year, and would advance other critical policy goals at the same time.
Testimony - February 2026
Strengthening the Arts and Culture Sector Amid Mounting Affordability ChallengesIn this testimony before the New York State Senate and Assembly for Arts Day, Senior Data & Policy Researcher Rachel Neches details the mounting challenges facing the arts and cultural sector across New York State, and urges renewed state investment to ensure the arts continue to be a powerful engine of economic growth and vitality.
Testimony - February 2026
Tackling Affordability Challenges in NYC’s Arts and Culture SectorIn this testimony before the City Council's Committee on Cultural Affairs, Editorial and Policy Director Eli Dvorkin details the affordability crisis facing New York City's artists, creative workers, and cultural nonprofits, and advances ideas for how city government can respond.
Report - February 2026
5 Ideas for How Mayor Mamdani Can Bolster Workforce DevelopmentToo many New Yorkers are unemployed or stuck in low-wage work with little opportunity for advancement. This report's five ideas outline how the Mamdani administration can strengthen workforce development and expand access to middle-wage careers.
Report - January 2026
Integrating Artists into NYC’s Affordable Housing StrategyNew York City can not survive as a global center for arts and culture if artists can not afford to live here. And yet the city has fallen behind the rest of the state—and much of the nation—when it comes to developing artist housing. This report proposes solutions for integrating artists into NYC's affordable housing strategy.
Report - January 2026
15 Policy Ideas for NYC to Start 2026To start 2026, we offer up 15 policy ideas that CUF wrote about in 2025 that Mayor Mamdani and the City Council should consider implementing this year—on issues from expanding economic mobility and strengthening financial security for older adults to generating new revenues and cutting bureaucratic roadblocks that stifle progress.
Commentary/Op-Ed - December 2025
The Other Side of AffordabilityOur new commentary in Vital City argues that solving New York City’s affordability crisis will require more than just tackling the soaring cost of living. The incoming mayor also needs a plan for tackling the other side of affordability—raising incomes and building wealth. Our piece offers five ideas for how the new administration can jumpstart an economic mobility agenda.
Report - December 2025
State of the Chains, 2025Our eighteenth annual ranking of over 500 national retailers in New York City finds a 1.3 percent continued decrease in chain stores across the five boroughs over the past year.
Report - December 2025
Creative New YorkThe creative sector—from performing arts organizations to design firms—is more critical than ever to New York City's economy. But mounting affordability challenges threaten its future.
Report - December 2025
The High Cost of Free Job Training in NYCThis report urges city leaders to provide free childcare and a complimentary OMNY card for New Yorkers enrolled in career training programs. Coupling workforce development programs with these vital “wraparound supports” will address a key challenge: too many New Yorkers drop out of training programs due to everyday costs like childcare and transit fares.
Report - December 2025
NYC’s Safety Net on the BrinkThis report finds that the federal actions taken over the past year—from the massive cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to an array of executive orders—present the biggest threat in a generation to NYC's social service nonprofits and the millions of New Yorkers who rely on them.
Testimony - November 2025
Boosting Graduation Rates for Underrepresented New Yorkers Across CUNYIn this testimony before the NYC Council Committee on Higher Education, Senior Data & Policy Researcher Rachel Neches lays out the current disparities in college attainment in New York City and recommends three strategies to ensure that more New Yorkers persist and succeed in obtaining a college credential.
Report - October 2025
Preparing Every NYC Student for an AI-Powered FutureAs AI reshapes New York's economy, city leaders will need to prepare more young New Yorkers for an AI-powered workforce. To accomplish this, the city will need to train thousands of future teachers to integrate digital and computational literacy into their curriculum.
Commentary/Op-Ed - October 2025
NYC tech education in today’s AI ageIn this NY Daily News op-ed, Eli Dvorkin and Loris Toribio urge policymakers to seize a generational opportunity and ensure that the city leads the nation in preparing every teacher and student for success in the age of AI. To achieve this--and expand pathways into tech careers for underrepresented New Yorkers--the city can build on its landmark Computer Science for All initiative and scale-up CUNY's Computing Integrated Teacher Education initiative.
Report - September 2025
Sustaining Long Island’s Creative SparkFew factors have contributed more to Long Island’s economic vitality over the past decade than growth of its vibrant arts and culture sector. Local and state policymakers should address the challenges Long Island's artists and arts organizations face, in order to strengthen communities, retain young people and families, and support local businesses.
Report - August 2025
The Park Queens DeservesFlushing Meadows Corona Park is arguably New York City’s most underappreciated important park, even though it is the city's fourth most visited park and the only available expansive green space for hundreds of thousands of Queens residents. The Center for an Urban Future shares 20 ideas for realizing the park's full potential.
Report - August 2025
The Emerging Financial Security Crisis Facing Long Island’s Older AdultsLong Island is now home to more older adults than ever, but new data reveals that an alarming number these older Long Islanders are struggling with serious financial insecurity challenges.
Report - August 2025
Closing New York State’s Computing Education GapsNew York is making big bets on AI and the tech economy, but the state is falling well behind other states in preparing students with the foundational computing skills needed to thrive in these industries. This report outlines three key actions for state leaders to accelerate computing education across public K–12 schools.
Report - July 2025
5 Ideas to Advance Economic Mobility in NYC Amid Harmful Federal PoliciesThe first half of 2025 has brought an unprecedented wave of federal attacks on anti-poverty programs—threatening the safety net that millions of New Yorkers rely on and undercutting the city’s efforts to expand economic mobility. This report offers five actionable policy ideas for how New York City can lead in this environment, as a part of CUF's second annual NYC Economic Opportunity Summit.
Report - July 2025
Understanding and Overcoming the Bronx Digital DivideConsistent access to a computer and high-speed internet are essential to everyday life in New York, and in the Bronx, tens of thousands of residents remain cut off from these basic tools of modern life. Despite important investments in broadband infrastructure and digital skills programs, the gap has only grown wider between the Bronx and other boroughs in the areas of broadband affordability and adoption, device access, and digital literacy.
