Statement on NYS Executive Budget for FY 2021

On Tuesday, Governor Cuomo released his $178 billion 2021 Executive Budget, which includes investments in children and youth and income supports for low-income working families while navigating the $6 billion budget gap. FPWA enthusiastically supports the expansion of the Excelsior Scholarship program so that more students can get free tuition at SUNY and CUNY colleges and the expansion of the Empire State Child Credit to include children under the age of four in families earning less than $50,000 annually. Another win for children is the proposed expansion of Universal Pre-Kindergarten and continuation of the Empire State After School Program.

The human services sector is tasked with implementing these programs and yet, in the proposed Executive Budget, once again there is no investment in the nonprofit workforce and sector as a whole. Across the state, human services organizations and their committed, professional staffs provide these vital services to New Yorkers. But there has been a decline of 26% over the past ten years in state funding to the sector. We’re committed to working with the Governor and State Legislators to break the ten-year streak, and in this budget fund a 3% increase in nonprofit contracts and rates for the next five years. This is the only way to stabilize the sector and help providers meet the true needs of their communities.