Our Approach
Our approach to the work starts with looking for opportunities to make big, transformational changes, not just incremental reforms. We work to win concrete improvements in people’s daily lives, give people a sense of their own power, and strengthen the power of communities of color and low income communities. Our campaigns to win these improvements aren't just focused on short term wins - we build campaigns that shift the way people in our communities and the broader society analyze the world, changing the "dominant worldview" to be rooted in truth and justice, not individualism and hate.
We Are Rooted in the Work
Our power to make these changes comes from the grassroots: people coming together to push the edge of the possible. We build power by using many different tools in strategic combination: grassroots organizing, research and policy development, coalition building, public education on a wide range of policy issues, political education, and community outreach.
Policy Victories
PPEF has a long history of policy victories with a tremendous impact on the most vulnerable populations in New York State. Dating back to 1983, when our sister organization, Citizen Action of New York, stopped utility price hikes that would have a serious impact on Black, Brown, and low-income communities, our organization has catapulted as the primary organization with the strength to combat the exploitation and lack of access for services in our communities. Unlike many grassroots community organizations based in NYC, our work stretches across the geographic diversity of NY. Each year, PPEF’s grassroots outreach, public education, research reports, and coalition-building efforts in NYS and our regions play a significant role in major programmatic victories that promote economic and racial justice with equitable outcomes including:
- Education: We won a 3-year phase-in of a $4 billion increase to public schools in NYS: In April 2021, NYS finally vowed to fully fund the state’s equitable school funding formula, Foundation Aid. New York State is investing $1.4 billion in state funds for education for the 1st year down payment on the three-year phase-in to fully fund Foundation Aid.
- Public Financing of Elections: Built the public will that Won a Small Donor Public Matching-funds for all Statewide and State-legislative Races. It is on the books scheduled to start in the 2022-2024 election cycle. When implemented and used, this new campaign finance program will change the way politics works. It will transfer enormous power to people and away from the big-money interests at the state level.
- Housing Justice for All: In 2019, in partnership with the Upstate/Downstate Housing Alliance, we accomplished what seemed like the impossible. Historic protections were won in the form of the Housing Security and Tenant Protection Act of 2019. Since then, PPEF and Citizen Action have been at the forefront of the fight against the impacts of the housing crisis due to COVID. Our work to empower our members to share their stories and advocate for the needs of the most impacted constituencies in our state was an important part of the work which led to the passage of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), which is the strongest implementation of federal rental assistance funding in the nation.
Your support makes our many policy victories possible; view ways you can help us continue this important work.
Our History
PPEF was founded in 1986 to address critical social, economic, racial and environmental issues facing low and moderate income New York State residents. It was founded as a research and public education companion to support Citizen Action of New York.
PPEF is a multi-racial, multi-cultural statewide organization working to educate and engage the public on policy and issues that have a direct impact on their lives. Areas of work include health care, education, after-school programs, voter participation, economic development and consumer issues. PPEF utilizes
grassroots organizing, research and policy development, public education, and community outreach to further social justice across New York state.
PPEF has offices around the state, in Buffalo, Rochester, Binghamton, Utica, Albany, Kingston, New York City and Massapequa. PPEF staff organize and train volunteers in each region in skills development, racial justice, and political education. This geographical reach and representation across the state is unprecedented and positions PPEF as the connective tissue/backbone for social justice issues across the state: providing support, education, civic engagement, and leadership development. This vision and network of connections establishes a foundation for the movement in New York.