City Futures Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
CITY FUTURES, INC. IS A CATALYST FOR SMART AND SUSTAINABLE POLICIES THAT REDUCE INEQUALITY, INCREASE ECONOMIC MOBILITY AND GROW THE ECONOMY IN NEW YORK CITY. AN INDEPENDENT, NONPARTISAN POLICY ORGANIZATION, CUF USES FACT-BASED RESEARCH TO ELEVATE IMPORTANT AND OFTEN OVERLOOKED ISSUES ONTO THE RADAR OF POLICYMAKERS AND ADVANCE PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS THAT STRENGTHEN NEW YORK AND HELP ALL NEW YORKERS PARTICIPATE IN THE CITY'S RISING PROSPERITY.
- Income
- $1.8 million
- Spending
- $1.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 86%
- Reserves
- 8.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 82%
- Employees
- 23
- Volunteers
- 6
- Highest pay
- $274,223, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 89 out of 100. Higher than 80% of charities in its peer group (housing, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 8.4 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 26% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 5% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 33% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1586% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 70% of charities in its peer group (housing, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2520 of 21 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $1.5 million spent. FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS, CUF HAS CONSISTENTLY SHAPED THE POLICY DEBATE AROUND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IN NEW YORK BY PUBLISHING REPORTS THAT ARE WIDELY COVERED IN THE MEDIA, HIGHLY READABLE AND ANCHORED IN RIGOROUS RESEARCH RATHER THAN PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS ABOUT OUTCOME. CUF'S EFFORTS TO CREATE A MORE PROSPEROUS, EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE NEW YORK SPAN MANY TOPICS AND POLICY AREAS, AND ARE UNIFIED BY THEIR COMMON AIMS: GROWING NEW YORK CITY'S ECONOMY AND BOOSTING THE NUMBER OF MIDDLE INCOME JOBS; HELPING MORE PEOPLE DEVELOP THE SKILLS AND CREDENTIALS NEEDED TO ACCESS CAREERS THAT PUT THEM ON THE PATH TO THE MIDDLE CLASS; AND MAKING NEW YORK CITY AND ITS MANY AND DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOODS A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE. CUF'S REPORTS DO NOT SIT ON A SHELF; THEY ARE ACTION-ORIENTED DOCUMENTS THAT ROUTINELY SPARK POLICY CHANGES AND SERVE AS AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE FOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, NONPROFIT PRACTITIONERS, BUSINESS LEADERS AND PHILANTHROPIC LEADERS AS THEY ADVOCATE FOR, AND IMPLEMENT POLICIES FOR, ADDRESSING NEW YORK'S BIGGEST OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES. OUR WORK HAS INFLUENCED THE CREATION OF NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES FOR LOW-INCOME ENTREPRENEURS, PAVED THE WAY FOR AN EXPANSION OF YOUTH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND SPARKED NEW POLICIES TO SUPPORT AGING IMMIGRANTS. RECENTLY, OUR WORK DOCUMENTED THE VITAL ROLE OF BRANCH LIBRARIES IN EMPOWERING DISADVANTAGED NEW YORKERS AND LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE LARGEST EVER INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR THE CITY'S PUBLIC LIBRARIES.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 2017.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.