Debt-Free Dreams

Episode Summary: In this episode, we dive into the New York State Excelsior Jobs Program and explore how college access businesses can take advantage of its generous tax credits and incentives. Designed to foster economic growth and job creation in strategic industries, the Excelsior Jobs Program offers a unique opportunity for businesses focused on education, workforce development, and community impact. We’ll break down the program’s benefits, eligibility requirements, and application process to help you determine how your organization can qualify and grow in New York State.Key Highlights:What is the Excelsior Jobs Program?A New York State initiative offering refundable tax credits to businesses that create jobs, make investments, and contribute to strategic industries.Ideal for businesses focused on economic development and community impact.Why It Matters for College Access Businesses:Tax credits can offset operating costs, enabling you to reinvest in your mission to support students.Eligibility extends to organizations engaged in software development, workforce development, or educational technology.Available Tax Credits:Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit: Up to 6.85% of wages per net new job (7.5% for green projects).Excelsior Investment Tax Credit: 2-5% of qualified investments, including green projects and childcare services.Excelsior Research & Development Tax Credit: Up to 50% of the federal R&D tax credit for NYS expenditures (up to 6-8%).Excelsior Real Property Tax Credit: Benefits for businesses locating in distressed areas.Excelsior Child Care Services Tax Credit: 6% of expenditures for child care services for employees.Strategic Industries Covered:Scientific research, software development, manufacturing, and life sciences.Businesses in green initiatives, renewable energy, and clean technologies.Green Projects & CHIPS Projects:Enhanced credits for businesses reducing greenhouse gas emissions or supporting clean energy technologies.Eligibility for College Access Businesses:Highlight job creation metrics (e.g., hiring college coaches, developing apps).Document community impact and partnerships with schools or organizations.Showcase investments in educational tools and software.How to Apply:Contact Empire State Development (ESD) for guidance.Submit a Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) with documentation of job creation, investments, and community initiatives.Work with a tax professional to maximize potential benefits.Quotes from the Experts:"The Excelsior Jobs Program encourages businesses to expand in and relocate to New York while maintaining strict accountability standards to guarantee that businesses deliver on job and investment commitments." – Empire State Development"Given your college access program and its focus on creating opportunities and hiring staff: Highlight any software development, educational technology, or workforce development aspects of your business." – Expert Analysis

Briefing Doc: NYC Comptroller's Office Reports on Foster Care Safety and MWBE InvestmentsThis briefing doc reviews two reports published by the New York City Comptroller’s Office:Audit Report on the Administration for Children’s Services’ Monitoring of the Safety of Children in Foster CareMWBE and Emerging Manager Pension Investments, Fiscal Year 2024Report 1: Foster Care SafetyMain Themes: This audit report examines the effectiveness of the Administration for Children's Services (ACS) in ensuring the safety of children placed in foster care.Key Findings:Generally Adequate Monitoring: The report concludes that ACS's mechanisms for monitoring children in foster care are generally adequate.Downward Trend in Maltreatment, but Persistent Issues: While instances of substantiated neglect and abuse have declined from 4% in 2020 to 3.1% in 2023, the audit identifies over 2,000 cases involving more than 1,600 children during this period.Location of Incidents: Over 76% of substantiated incidents occurred during family visitations, highlighting the complexities and challenges associated with maintaining child safety in these settings. Approximately 24% of incidents occurred within the foster care setting itself.Data Gaps: The report points out that ACS lacks comprehensive data on incidents occurring during court-ordered unsupervised visitations and trial discharges, hindering the agency's ability to identify trends and make informed recommendations to Family Court.Important Quotes:"ACS data shows that between Fiscal Years 2020 and 2023, there were more than 2,000 cases of substantiated neglect and/or abuse involving more than 1,600 children.""Tracking and evaluating this information could help ACS identify trends in the frequency of incidents. Evaluating these should inform future recommendations by ACS to Family Court."Recommendations: The report recommends that ACS improve data collection on specific incident types and strengthen its analysis to inform better decision-making and collaboration with the Family Court.Report 2: MWBE and Emerging Manager Pension InvestmentsMain Themes: This report highlights the New York City Retirement Systems' efforts to increase investments with Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) and Emerging Manager (EM) firms.Key Findings:Significant Increase in MWBE Investments: MWBE assets under management have surged by nearly 40% since Comptroller Lander took office, reaching $23.08 billion, representing 13.3% of actively-managed U.S. assets.Strong Performance: Both EM and MWBE managers have consistently outperformed benchmarks, demonstrating their value and contribution to the Systems' strong overall returns.Commitment to Expansion: The Systems plan to further expand their Emerging Manager programs, aiming to reach 20% allocation to MWBE managers and 10% to Emerging Managers by 2029.Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Due Diligence: The report emphasizes the integration of DEI considerations into the investment manager due diligence process, assessing policies, practices, and workforce diversity.

In this episode, we break down how New York City spends and earns money. Here’s what we’ll talk about:Where Money Comes From: Learn about taxes, parking fines, and other ways the city earns cash.Where Money Goes: Find out what the city spends on, like schools, roads, and helping people.Big Projects: See how NYC pays for big things like new buildings and parks.Cool Tools: Discover Checkbook NYC, a website that shows where every dollar goes.Who’s in Charge: Meet the people running NYC and how they plan the budget.It’s like a money map for NYC! Perfect for anyone curious about how the city works. Tune in!

Episode Notes: College App JourneyHere are some potential episode notes that build on the existing college calendar:Episode 1: "Senior Year Kicks Off!" (Focus on September)Start the episode with a relatable, energetic opening about the excitement and anxieties of senior year. Perhaps begin with a student's voice-over expressing their hopes and fears as they enter this pivotal year.Introduce the main characters: This could be a group of diverse seniors with different academic profiles and college aspirations. Think about including students aiming for different types of schools (CUNY vs. out-of-state, competitive vs. less selective).First Day Jitters: Show the seniors on their first day back, highlighting the personality test activity on September 7th. Use this to establish their personalities and maybe foreshadow potential conflicts or collaborations based on their results.The College List Challenge: Introduce the concept of building a college list on Sept 11th. This allows you to showcase different students' approaches - some might be organized, others overwhelmed. Emphasize the use of the "College Tracker" tool mentioned on Sept. 11th and show how it helps or hinders their process.Early Focus on CUNY: The September calendar emphasizes CUNY applications. Highlight the importance of CUNY for many NYC students and showcase the process of creating a CUNY college list, due September 15th.CUNY Application Deep Dive: Dedicate a segment to the CUNY application introduction on Sept 18th. This provides an opportunity for informational content, explaining key aspects of the application, deadlines, and requirements.End with a cliffhanger: Perhaps one student is struggling to narrow down their college list, or another is facing a difficult decision about whether to apply early to a dream school. Leave the audience wanting more!Episode 2: "The CUNY Hustle and College Awareness Week" (Focus: End of Sept/October)CUNY Application Progress: Show students continuing to work on their CUNY applications with "One on One Check Ins" throughout the end of September. Highlight the challenges they face: technical issues, writing personal statements, gathering transcripts.Transition to College Awareness Week: Build excitement for College Awareness Week, starting on October 9th, by showing students anticipating the events and teachers prepping their college gear.College Fair Frenzy: Capture the energy and chaos of a college fair on October 9th. This allows you to introduce representatives from various colleges, potentially planting seeds for future episodes.Visual Storytelling: Show students engaging in the "Wear Your College Colors" activity on October 16th and the "Letter from College" activity on October 17th. Use these visual cues to illustrate their hopes and dreams for the future.The Essay Beast Emerges: Transition to a more serious tone as students begin working on college essays on October 16th. This could be a source of stress and tension. Show different students' writing styles and struggles: writer's block, procrastination, seeking help from teachers or peers.Conclude with the looming first draft deadline of October 24th! Will they all make it?