Department of Social Services

DSS’s Federal Grants Have Increased by $211 Million
(14 Percent) Since FY 2010

DSS’s federal grants have increased by $211 million (14 percent) since FY 2010 after adjusting for inflation. This includes five primary grants and five city-wide grants, collectively accounting for 99.9 percent of the agency’s federal funding.

These trends are masked by a $550 million (45 percent) increase in TANF funding from New York State since Fy 2010 after adjusting for inflation. While the State has increased funding to NYC, the federal allocation of the TANF block grant to New York State has remained unchanged – representing a decline in value of more than 35 percent – since TANF was created in 1996 under the guise of “welfare reform” in 1996. These increases may also be a result of funding shifts at the state level. In other words, this analysis does not illustrate federal decline in the value of the TANF block grant.

Primary Grants (shown in chart below): DSS’s five primary grant accounts for just seven percent of the agency’s federal grants and have fallen by $61 million since FY 2010 after adjusting for inflation, driven by the decline of RCDI, LIHEAP, and CSE.

City-Wide Grants: DSS’s five city-wide grants account for 93 percent of the agency’s budget and have increased by $273 million since FY 2010 after adjusting for inflation, driven by increased TANF funding, which offset declines in SNAP, SSBG, and HOPWA. Read about DSS’s city-wide grants.