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EMPIRE CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY INC
ALBANY, NY · EIN 461987418 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE W052 · Public & Societal Benefit · Medium ($1M-$10M) · empirecenter.org
revenue
$1.0M
expenses
$754K
net assets
$372K
employees
12
volunteers
6
program ratio
75%
mission · from form 990

TO MAKE NEW YORK A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK BY PROMOTING PUBLIC POLICY REFORMS GROUNDED IN FREE MARKET PRINCIPLES, PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND THE IDEALS OF EFFECTIVE AND ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT.

profile · synthesized from sources

Empire Center for Public Policy is a think tank focused on promoting public policy reforms in New York grounded in free market principles, personal responsibility, and accountable government. The organization conducts research, publishes policy reports, and commissions public opinion polling on state-level issues including energy, healthcare, education, and government spending. It aims to influence public debate and policy decisions in New York through data-driven analysis and advocacy.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Policy Research and Analysis
Produces reports on state budget, healthcare, education, taxation, and government accountability issues in New York
Public Opinion Polling
Commissions and publishes statewide surveys on voter attitudes toward energy, climate, and fiscal policies in New York
Transparency Initiatives
Operates a transparency website providing public access to government pay, pension, and spending data in New York
activities · 1 group

What they do

  • Policy Advocacy & Research 2 activities
    • Advocating for public policy reforms
      Promotes policy changes in New York State grounded in free-market principles, personal responsibility, and government accountability. Advocacy efforts are informed by and aligned with published research findings.
    • Conducting and publishing public policy research
      Produces and disseminates independent, non-partisan research on New York state fiscal and economic policy issues, including government spending, taxation, pensions, energy prices, and healthcare financing. Research is based on analysis of public data, government reports, and original surveys.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.02M
Contributions & grants$1.02M100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$5710%
Other revenue$4K
expenses
Total expenses$754K
Program expenses75%
Admin / overhead14%
Fundraising11%
Salaries & benefits$559K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$414K
Cash$349K
Investments$0
Liabilities$42K
Net assets$372K
Liquid reserves5.5 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -35.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 5
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
DEBI GHATE FORMER DIRECTOR 1 $169K
CAMERON MACDONALD GENERAL COUNSEL 40 $119K
KENNETH GIRARDIN FORMER DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH 40 $108K
ZILVINAS SILENAS PRESIDENT & CEO 40 $77K
TIMOTHY P HOEFER FORMER DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT & CEO 20 $43K
board members · 6
  • ANITA MACDOUGALL — TREASURER
  • BOB CONFER — DIRECTOR
  • JULIE KILLIAN — DIRECTOR
  • LUKE JACOBS — SECRETARY
  • MELINDA OAKES — DIRECTOR
  • PETER C HEIN — CHAIRMAN
relationships · 8

Who they work with

  • 1199SEIU Partner — Referenced in analysis of a $100 million budget earmark included in state healthcare negotiations.
  • Census Bureau Government — Uses data from the Census Bureau for population trend analysis.
  • Cygnal Partner — Public opinion and predictive analytics firm that conducted polling on behalf of the Empire Center.
  • Cygnal Partner — Survey research firm that conducted polling on behalf of the Empire Center.
  • Empire Center for Public Policy, Inc. Government — Independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank based in Albany, New York, focused on state policy issues.
  • SeeThroughNY.net Network — Transparency website operated by the Empire Center for Public Policy to publish public finance and workforce data.
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Government — Source of federal data and reports used in analysis of New York's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit performance.
  • U.S. Energy Information Administration Government — Source of data used in the Empire Center’s Energy Data Bulletin.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Critical Policy Flaw Analysis
    methodology: policy-flaws-analysis
    By identifying structural flaws in proposed tax and spending policies, we prevent harmful economic outcomes because rigorous, non-partisan analysis exposes unintended consequences and weak design before legislation is enacted.
  • Data-Driven Transparency for Accountability
    methodology: data-driven_policy_analysis
    By publishing and analyzing public-sector fiscal and performance data, we produce greater government accountability and informed public debate because transparency enables citizens and policymakers to assess efficiency, identify waste, and challenge ineffective policies.
  • Deregulation to Lower Energy Costs
    methodology: deregulation-for-affordability
    By advocating for the deregulation of power plant construction, we produce cheaper and more abundant energy because reducing regulatory barriers increases supply-side competition and lowers entry costs for energy producers.
  • Free-Market Policy Advocacy
    methodology: free-market_policy_advocacy
    By promoting policy reforms grounded in free-market principles, personal responsibility, and government accountability, we produce more effective governance and improved quality of life in New York because these principles incentivize efficiency, reduce dependency, and align public policy with citizen priorities.
  • Public Opinion as Policy Leverage
    methodology: public_opinion-driven_advocacy
    By using public opinion research to highlight voter concerns—especially on energy affordability—we produce policy influence because elected officials are more likely to oppose cost-increasing regulations when they are shown to be publicly unpopular.