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CITIZENS BUDGET COMMISSION INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 130576141 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE W06Z · Public & Societal Benefit · Medium ($1M-$10M) · cbcny.org
revenue
$3.9M
expenses
$3.1M
net assets
$14.0M
employees
18
program ratio
71%
mission · from form 990

TO INFLUENCE CONSTRUCTIVE CHANGE IN THE FINANCES AND SERVICES OF NEW YORK CITY AND STATE GOVERNMENTS.

profile · synthesized from sources

Nonpartisan civic think tank focused on improving the finances and services of New York City and State governments. Produces research reports, hosts public forums, and provides testimony to influence policy on budgets, taxes, transportation, and public safety. Founded in 1932, it serves as a watchdog through data-driven analysis and public education.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $759K
    DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC, POLICY MAKERS AND THE POLICY COMMUNITY THROUGH THE PUBLICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF CBC RESEARCH REPORTS, HOSTING PUBLIC FORUMS TO PROMOTE DISCUSSION AND EDUCATE NEW YORKERS ON PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES, TESTIMONY SUBMITTED TO LEGISLATIVE BODIES, LETTERS TO OFFICIALS, AND ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY IN PROMINENT MEDIA OUTLETS. TOPICS INCLUDED: THE NYC AND NYS BUDGETS AND TAX POLICY; THE STATE'S CAP-AND-TRADE SYSTEM; FINANCING OF THE MTA CAPITAL PROGRAM; MTA FARE AND TOLL POLICY; EDUCATION SPENDING; CITY AND STATE RESERVE POLICIES; RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE NYC CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION; HOUSING SCARCITY AND UNDERPRODUCTION; AND THE RESULTS AND ANALYSIS OF A CITYWIDE RESIDENT SURVEY. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2, PART III, LINE 4B) CBC HELD 13 EVENTS IN 2024. THE EVENTS FEATURED SPEAKERS, INCLUDING: CONGRESSMEN RITCH TORRES AND DAN GOLDMAN; DIRECTOR OR STATE OPERATIONS KATHRYN GARCIA AND SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNOR KAREN PERSICHILLI KEOGH; NYC COMPTROLLER BRAD LANDER AND NYS COMPTROLLER TOM DINAPOLI; NYS DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES SUPERINTENDENT ADRIENNE HARRIS; NYC BUDGET DIRECTOR JACQUES JIHA; NYS BUDGET DIRECTOR BLAKE WASHINGTON; NYCHA CHAIR JAMIE RUBIN AND NYCHA CEO LISA BOVA-HIATT; NYSERDA PRESIDENT DOREEN HARRIS AND NYS DEC COMMISSIONER BASIL SEGGOS; AND MTA CHAIR AND CEO JANNO LIEBER AND MTA CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT PRESIDENT JAMIE TORRES-SPRINGER. CBC ALSO HONORED NEW YORK FEDERAL RESERVE PRESIDENT JOHN C. WILLIAMS AND FORMER NYC DEPUTY MAYOR DANIEL DOCTOROFF AT ITS ANNUAL GALA, HOSTED A DOCUMENTARY FILM SCREENING ON THE NEW YORK CITY FISCAL CRISIS, AND A HELD A PANEL DISCUSSION ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ON NEW YORK.
named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Public Forums and Events
Hosts public discussions featuring government officials, experts, and policymakers on key fiscal and policy issues facing New York City and State.
Research Reports
Produces in-depth policy analysis on topics including the city and state budgets, education spending, transportation finance, and climate policy.
Resident Survey
Biennial survey measuring New Yorker satisfaction with quality of life, city services, and public safety; used to inform policy recommendations and track trends over time.
activities · 5 groups

What they do

  • Policy Advocacy & Research 3 activities
    • Advocate for fiscal and policy reforms through testimony and public statements
      Submits formal testimony, issues public statements, and writes letters to government officials advocating for changes in budgeting, capital planning, pension policies, environmental regulations, and transportation programs. Includes regular engagement with legislative bodies and public agencies.
    • Author op-eds and public commentary on fiscal and economic issues
      Writes and publishes opinion pieces in media outlets such as Crain’s New York and Vital City to influence public debate on state and city budgets, tax policy, and economic competitiveness.
    • Produce research reports and data analysis on government finances, services, and policies
      Conducts in-depth research and publishes reports on New York City and State government budgets, taxation, education funding, capital planning, and economic competitiveness. Includes analysis of corporate tax rates, school aid distribution, pension enhancements, and fiscal sustainability.
  • Housing Policy Advocacy & Tenant Organizing 1 activity
    • Advocate for housing and land-use policy reforms
      Issues public statements and testimony analyzing and recommending reforms to housing production, voucher programs, and environmental review processes such as SEQR to increase supply and affordability.
  • Transportation Policy Advocacy & Infrastructure Reform 1 activity
    • Advocate for transportation policy and funding reforms
      Issues testimony, public statements, and reports focused on improving transportation systems, including MTA capital investment, congestion pricing, toll enforcement, Fair Fares NYC expansion, and transit labor practices.
  • Leadership & Policy Dialogue Forums 1 activity
    • Engage in public education through events, podcasts, and media commentary
      Hosts public forums, video conversations, and podcast episodes featuring government officials and experts to discuss budgeting, economic development, and public policy issues. Published content includes interviews with city and state leaders.
  • Uncategorized 2 activities
    • Conduct and publish findings from NYC Resident Surveys
      Administers statistically valid resident surveys in recurring cycles (e.g., 2017, 2023, 2025) to assess public opinion on quality of life, city services, and public safety, and publishes comprehensive reports and data summaries based on findings.
    • Develop and maintain interactive data tools and dashboards
      Creates and publishes interactive digital tools such as the Value Proposition Tracker and Resident Survey Navigator to visualize data on NYC’s economic competitiveness and resident satisfaction, enabling public exploration of survey results and fiscal trends.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$3.92M
Contributions & grants$3.00M77%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$913K23%
Other revenue$5K
expenses
Total expenses$3.10M
Program expenses71%
Admin / overhead15%
Fundraising14%
Salaries & benefits$2.09M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$15.63M
Cash$532K
Investments$13.44M
Liabilities$1.64M
Net assets$13.98M
Liquid reserves54.0 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +8.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 6
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
ANDREW S REIN PRESIDENT 40 $350K
ANA B CHAMPENY VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH 40 $249K
PATRICK ORECKI DIRECTOR OF STATE STUDIES 40 $167K
SEAN T CAMPION DIRECTOR OF HOUSING AND ECONOMIC STUDIES 40 $150K
MICHAEL P VAUGHN VICE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS & STRATEGY 40 $127K
KEVIN MEDINA DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS 1 $116K
board members · 16
  • ALAIR TOWNSEND — TRUSTEE
  • ANTHONY MANNARINO — TRUSTEE
  • CAROL ROSENTHAL — VICE CHAIR
  • DAVID A JAVDAN — TRUSTEE
  • EDWARD WALLACE — GENERAL COUNSEL
  • ELAINE BRENNAN — TRUSTEE
  • JAKE ELGHANAYAN — VICE CHAIR
  • KENT HITESHEW — TRUSTEE
  • MARISSA SHORENSTEIN — CHAIR
  • MERRYL H TISCH — SECRETARY
  • PAULA DAGEN — TRUSTEE
  • RICHARD ROBERTS — TRUSTEE
  • ROBERT HOGLUND — TREASURER
  • SALLY ROCKER — TRUSTEE
  • SHARI HYMAN — TRUSTEE
  • WILLIAM FLOYD — VICE CHAIR
relationships · 22

Who they work with

  • Alicia Glen Partner — Featured in a podcast episode discussing economic development.
  • Andrew Kimball Partner — Collaborated on a podcast episode and event discussing economic development.
  • Berlin Rosen Partner — Public relations firm handling press inquiries for the CBC 2023 Resident Survey.
  • Chancellor David Banks Government — Featured guest on podcast discussing NYC education budget.
  • Dan Garodnick Partner — Collaborated on a podcast episode and event discussing economic development.
  • Government of New York State Government — Engages with state government through letters and statements on pension and benefit policy.
  • MTA Government — Conducted research and published a report on prioritizing the MTA's critical capital needs.
  • MTA Partner — Engaged with the MTA Board through public testimony on funding for capital investment.
  • Metropolitan Transportation Authority Partner — Engaged through public forums and policy discussions on MTA capital financing, fare policy, and operations reform.
  • NYC Department of Education Government — Subject of research reports and budget analysis.
  • NYCHA Government — Analyzed and submitted testimony on NYCHA’s capital spending of city funds.
  • New York City Budget Office Partner — Engaged in public dialogue through a hosted conversation with the New York City Budget Director, Sherif Soliman.
  • New York City Council Government — Engaged through testimony and public policy discussions; Speaker of the Council participated in events.
  • New York City Council Partner — Submitted testimony on Comprehensive Long-Term Planning (Intro. 2186) and NYCHA’s capital spending to the City Council committees.
  • New York City Department of Buildings Government — Submitted formal comments on proposed rules for Local Law 97.
  • New York City Government Government — Subject of research and policy engagement on city budgets, reserve policies, and public services.
  • New York City Housing Authority Partner — Subject of policy analysis and public discussion on capital financing and operations reform.
  • New York State Department of Financial Services Government — Engaged through public forums and policy discussions; superintendent participated as speaker.
  • New York State Government Government — Subject of research and policy engagement on state budgets, tax policy, and governance.
  • PANYNJ Partner — Engaged in public dialogue through a hosted conversation with its Executive Director, Kathryn Garcia.
  • Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Partner — Engaged in public dialogue with the Port Authority's leadership through a video conversation on transportation policy.
  • Survey Research Firm Partner — Partnered with a research firm to compile the Full Data Report for the 2025 NYC Resident Survey.
strategies · 3

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.

  • Market and Incentive-Based Mechanisms for Efficiency and Compliance
    methodology: incentive_aligned_reform
    By promoting market-driven solutions and enforcement-based revenue protection, the organization advances reforms that align economic incentives with public goals, because systems designed around predictable incentives improve compliance, revenue reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
  • Nonpartisan Research and Public Engagement for Policy Change
    methodology: evidence_based_policy_change
    By producing and disseminating nonpartisan research and convening public forums, the organization generates informed public and policymaker discourse that drives constructive policy reform, because credible, accessible evidence increases the likelihood of adoption of fiscally responsible policies.
  • Structural Fiscal Reform Through Charter and Institutional Changes
    methodology: structural_fiscal_reform
    By advocating for changes to governing charters and institutional frameworks, the organization seeks to institutionalize fiscal discipline and efficiency, because structural reforms produce more durable and enforceable constraints on spending and governance than ad hoc policy adjustments.