Federal Funds Tracker
A tool to protect and strengthen federal grants that support New York City’s social services and budget sector. Click an agency below to explore, or view all federal.
Administration for Children’s Services
Department of Social Services
Department of Youth and Community Development
Department for the Aging
Department of Homeless Services
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Housing Preservation and Development
Small Business Services
Administration for Children’s Services
ACS’s federal grants have fallen by $280 million (27 percent) since FY 2010 after adjusting for inflation
Department of Social Services
DSS’s federal grants have increased by $87 million (6 percent) since FY 2010 after adjusting for inflation
Department of Youth and Community Development
DYCD’s federal grants have fallen by $13 million (15 percent) since FY 2010 after adjusting for inflation
Department for the Aging
DFTA’s federal grants have increased by $9 million (10 percent) since FY 2010 after adjusting for inflation
Department of Homeless Services
DHS’s federal grants have increased by $118 million (22 percent) since FY 2010 after adjusting for inflation
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
DOHMH’s federal grants have fallen by $91 million (27 percent) since FY 2010 after adjusting for inflation
Housing Preservation and Development
HPD’s federal grants have increased by $90 million (16 percent) since FY 2010 after adjusting for inflation
Small Business Services
SBS’s federal grants have fallen by $64 million (167 percent) since FY 2010 after adjusting for inflation
Featured Work
House Appropriations Bills a Meaningful Start for Federal Fiscal Year 2021 Federal Budget Negotiations
During the FFY 2021 budget negotiations, Congress must spend boldly to ensure critical human services programs are strengthened to reflect the needs that existed prior to, and certainly after, Covid-19.
October 22, 2020
One-Off Funding for Human Services in Federal Relief Packages is Insufficient
From the 4 Covid-19 relief packages passed, we estimate that NYC will receive $831 million for human services programs such as child care, housing, homelessness prevention, support for older adults, and more.
September 1, 2020
Data Brief: Federal Funding for NYPD Up, Human Services Down
From FY 2010 to 2019, federal funding for NYC’s human services fell by $344m (8%) while funding for the NYPD increased by $144m (129%).
July 8, 2020
Federal Budget Recap — A New Decade and a Pivotal Moment
Nearly two years ago, FPWA launched the Federal Funds Tracker to advocate for increased federal human services funding and social safety net programs that nonprofits in New York City, and the city itself, rely on to support our communities. We do so, in part, by analyzing proposed and enacted federal budgets in the context of federal budget austerity that occurred following the Great Recession.
A decade later, we are in the middle of a nearly- year long pandemic and an even more uneven recovery threatens to manifest into exploding inequality and irreparable economic damage.
Several developments since federal fiscal year (FFY) 2010 define the trends in federal spending featured on our Tracker and demonstrate the need for meaningful course correction in the next decade: the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA) and Sequestration; the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA); the 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA); and Covid-19 Pandemic.
- The 2011 Budget Control Act and Sequestration: The BCA set caps on defense and nondefense discretionary funding through 2021 and further reduced funding over time through across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration on programs such as Head Start, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, Children (WIC), Social Services Grants, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Starting in 2013, these caps were lowered when Congress failed to pass deficit reduction legislation as laid out in the BCA. While a series of short-term budget deals reduced the amount by which the caps were lowered, since 2010 non-defense discretionary programs overall have seen significant reductions.
- The 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA): The BBA increased the BCA caps on non-defense discretionary spending by $63 billion in FY 2018 and $68 billion in FY 2019. It also extended direct spending on several health programs, provides a few narrow tax breaks, and raises the cap on non-defense appropriations. As a result, significant investments were made in the 2018 omnibus spending bill (a bill spanning multiple budget areas, not used in current budget documents), such as Housing for Urban Development (HUD) and the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). While the budget agreement began to reverse some of the BCA cuts, many areas remain funded below 2010 levels adjusted for inflation, and spending outside of Social Security and Medicare remain below a 40-year historical average and is projected to decline further
- The 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA): Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in 2018. The TCJA has widely regarded as a $2 trillion giveaway to wealthy households and profitable corporations. (DEREK WILL UPDATE DATA). Unless overhauled, the TCJA will widen income inequality and strain spending for decades to come.
- Covid-19 Pandemic: The economic climate has changed significantly because of Covid-19 and the level of human services funding will need to be considerably increased to meet growing needs for housing, food assistance, child care, support for older adults, and other poverty fighting programs. The unprecedented economic hardship faced by a growing number of New Yorkers highlights both the fragility of the economic gains of recent years and the need for immediate policy interventions to support those who are increasingly struggling to make ends meet. See our Covid-19 Resource page for analysis, advocacy, and more and our Tableau dashboard to monitor economic hardship in New York City since the pandemic began.
We are in a pivotal moment; policymakers must reject yesterday’s austerity politics and honor the millions who made tremendous sacrifices by meaningfully investing in our nation, including the lives of the more than two-hundred thousand who died, many unnecessarily.
The caring economy kept the nation’s economic lights on by making sacrifices to protect and provide for each other, even under the constraints of insufficient federal support. Human services workers helped keep food on the table and roofs over heads; shopkeepers and workers at bodegas, bars, and restaurants opened their doors to keep their communities and livelihoods intact; medical staff tirelessly cared for the sick and dying; and parents struggled to keep their families safe and nurture their children’s growth and education in isolation while managing their own jobs. Policymakers owe it to all of us to avoid the mistakes of the past and pass both a comprehensive and well-targeted coronavirus relief package and federal budgets that reflect the real needs of their constituents.
It is imperative that during the FFY 2021 budget negotiations, Congress spend boldly without the recent pasts’ constraints of deficit concerns to ensure these critical human services programs are fully restored and strengthened to reflect the needs that existed prior to, and certainly after, the current crisis.
EXPLORE TRENDS IN NEW YORK CITY'S FEDERAL HUMAN SERVICES GRANTS
The City’s FY 2020 budget of $95.1 billion relied on $9.4 billion in federal aid – equal to nearly one out of every 10 dollars the City spends – most of which supports services for low- to middle-income residents and are highly effective in reducing hardship, food insufficiency, and unmet medical needs.
From FY 2010 to FY 2020, federal grants have fallen by $2.0 billion (23 percent) after adjusting for inflation, driven by the decline of education ($1.6 billion, or 48 percent), social services ($726 million, or 17 percent), environmental protection ($22 million, or 89 percent), health ($1 million, or less than 1 percent), and transportation grants ($2 million, 2 percent).
EXPLORE TRENDS IN NEW YORK CITY'S FEDERAL HUMAN SERVICES GRANTS
Nominal Value: The value of the dollars in the year they were appropriated, before adjusting for inflation
Inflation Adjusted Value: Nominal value adjusted for inflation to reflect real values
Top Covid-19 Grants: From Covid-19 stimulus packages – the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act – we estimate that New York City will receive $831 million for human services programs, such as child care, housing, homelessness prevention, food assistance, mental health, support for older adults, and more.