Innovative Ideas. Independent Policy.

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  Report - May 2022

  Starting Up & Staying Out

  For many formerly incarcerated New Yorkers, entrepreneurship provides a meaningful pathway to economic opportunity. Strengthening support for reentry entrepreneurship offers policymakers one vital, yet largely untapped, opportunity to help far more returning New Yorkers succeed in reentry and beyond.
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  Report - May 2022

  In Good Company: What NYC’s Employers Should Do to Expand Access to Good Jobs

  Creating a more equitable economy will require bold action by the city. But the private sector will also need to step up. This study provides a snapshot of six innovative employer-led initiatives to expand access to good jobs—with enormous potential for replication among other companies in New York.
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  Report - April 2022

  Eliminating Discriminatory Fines & Fees: Learning From San Francisco

  The fifth edition of Economic Opportunity Lab, CUF's series spotlighting innovative policies from other cities and states that are helping to create a more inclusive economy, profiles San Francisco’s Financial Justice Project. A similar initiative in NYC could reform a system of fines and fees with disproportionate consequences for low-income New Yorkers.
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  Report - March 2022

  Scaling Minority-Owned Businesses: Adapting Cincinnati’s Accelerator for NYC

  The fourth edition of Economic Opportunity Lab, CUF's series spotlighting innovative policies from other cities and states that are helping to create a more inclusive economy, profiles Cincinnati's Minority Business Accelerator. If replicated in New York, it could help small businesses grow and contribute to a more equitable economy for the long term.
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  Report - March 2022

  New York’s Untapped Entrepreneurship Opportunity

  New York City policymakers have an enormous untapped opportunity to create a more equitable economy by increasing rates of entrepreneurship among New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents. Strengthening this vital pathway can enable the many public housing residents already engaged in side hustles and home-based ventures to grow their businesses and build wealth.
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  Report - March 2022

  Access Opportunity: Expanding Economic Opportunity for New Yorkers With Disabilities

  Unemployment and underemployment among people with disabilities long predated but was exacerbated by COVID-19. Policymakers have the opportunity in an economic recovery to make New York City a national leader in employment for people with disabilities.
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  Report - January 2022

  Reengaging Adult Learners to Complete College Degrees: Learning From Tennessee

  The second edition of Economic Opportunity Lab, CUF's series spotlighting innovative policies from other cities and states that are helping to create a more inclusive economy, profiles the Tennessee Reconnect program. The program could provide NYC with a framework to help thousands of adult learners earn a credential.