The Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy (SCAA) is a left-of-center think tank focused on government funding for poverty programs in New York. It advocates for legislation on government provided health insurance, mostly through Medicaid funding in New York. It also focuses on New York tax allocations for foster care, education, and various left-of-center social welfare programs.

The New York Children’s Action Network was founded as a child organization which also operates as an advocacy nonprofit focused on legislation for education programs.

History

Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy was founded in 1872 by Louisa Lee Schuyler as State Charities Aid Association to improve poor hospital conditions in New York City, establishing the nation’s first training school for nurses. It immediately began legislative advocacy for placing children in foster care. By the early 20^th century, SCAA focused on campaigns to mitigate influenza, diphtheria, and tuberculosis. Today, they focus on many more issues, including health care policy, low income tax policy, and social welfare programs. ¹

Part of its stated mission upon its formation was “to make the present pauper system more efficient and to bring about such reforms in it as may be in accordance with the most enlightened views of Christianity, Science, and Philosophy.” ²

The first successful bill the Schuyler Center advocated for was the Children’s Law of 1875, which removed children from poorhouses. It later advocated for the State Care Act of 1890, which allocated state funds for the mentally ill. ³

Community Mental Health Reinvestment Act

In 1993, SCAA advocated for the Community Mental Health Reinvestment Act. Among other matters, the bill was widely criticized for forcing outpatients to take medication or face involuntary hospitalization. The Mental Health Association of New York argued that such a compulsory program was too costly (the bill allocated $210 million). ⁴ Disability advocates criticized the bill by noting that it would target African-American and Hispanic people. The New York Civil Liberties Union took no stance on the bill at the time of its proposal. ⁵

Advocacy

President and CEO Kate Breslin advocated for an increase in the state minimum wage to the union-demanded level $15 per hour. Despite this, the group’s own legislative testimony in 2019 states that an hourly wage of $15 “does not cover basic costs.” ⁶ SCAA also advocated for increasing the state-level earned income tax credit to 40% of the federal credit, and for allocating spending between $300 million and $400 million in state funds for proposed programs. ^{7 8}

In November 2012, SCAA hosted an event with guest speaker Peter Edelman, a left-wing political aide for former U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.) and the Clinton administration. ⁹

SCCA led a campaign to lobby for increased funding from federal districts in New York to fund child care and education programs. Its proposal criticized New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) for failing to go far enough in using public funds for such programs. ^{10 11} Breslin also personally criticized Governor Cuomo’s proposal for negatively impacting “low-income children and families of color.” ¹²

H.R. 253

SCAA supported the passage of H.R. 253, a foster care bill passed in 2017. SCAA suggested $635 million in state funding be allocated, although $3 million was approved in the final version. Among other aspects, it was criticized for favoring foster home care by writing stringent requirements for placement outside of foster care, such as with family members. ¹³ SCAA also advocated for the Family First Transition Fund, signed into law on April 12, 2019. This bolstered the original H.R. 253 by further restricting state funding to child care outside of foster home systems. ^{14 15}

Foster Care Block Grants

SCAA called for reallocating $62 million to the state block grant for foster care services, with the intention of limiting state funding for foster care. ¹⁶

Earned Income Tax Credit

SCAA has advocated for the passage and regular increases in the earned income tax credit. In 1994, it advocated for a state-level earned income tax credit in New York, which passed. In 1999 it advocated for an increase to 25% of the federal credit and again to 30% in 2000. ¹⁷

WIC Infant Formula Rebate Program

In 1988 they advocated for the Infant Formula Rebate program for New York. ¹⁸ These programs have been criticized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for potentially increasing the cost of formula to non-recipient households. ¹⁹

Kinship support services

SCAA advocates for separating the Kinship Guardian Assistance Program from block grants in order to be addressed with separate funds, and therefore potentially ensure more funding overall. ²⁰ It also requested $2 million in state funds be allocated toward kinship programs to prioritize placement of children with family members. Such programs have been criticized by foster care groups for placing children with family members who are potentially unwilling, unable, or otherwise unequipped for administering proper care. ^{21 22 23}

Associations with Left-of-Center Groups

SCAA commissioned a report to defend state funding for English as a Second Language programs, along with various left-wing groups, including Community Service Society of New York, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, Fifth Avenue Committee, Make the Road New York, and New York Immigration Coalition.

SCAA is listed as a state ally in New York for the Child Care NOW campaign,  a project of the National Women’s Law Center. ²⁴

SCAA hosted an event on using New York Medicaid funding for education programs in the state and were commissioned by the United Hospital Fund to author a report on how to use Medicaid funding in New York. ^{25 26}

In early 2019, SCAA worked with Citizen Action of New York to call for $100 million in state funding for increased reimbursement rates for child day care companies. ²⁷

Notable institutional left-of-center funders that have supported the Schuyler Center include the Marguerite Casey Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Hagedorn Foundation, and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation. ²⁸

People

Kate Breslin

Schuyler Center president and CEO Kate Breslin is on the board of the Fiscal Policy Institute, a left-of-center labor union-supported advocacy group. ²⁹ Breslin led the left-of-center California Budget Project in 2001, (now the California Budget and Policy Center) which conducted research and messaging strategies for left-of-center advocacy groups in California. ³⁰

Homer Folks

Homer Folks was executive director between 1893 and 1946 and advised several governors for New York, including Franklin D. Roosevelt. He is credited with helping to form the Progressive Party platform for the 1912 presidential elections. Folks was appointed secretary of a public health commission by then-President Franklin Roosevelt. 10 years later, he was appointed to another commission tasked with decreasing the number of mental health institutions in New York. ³¹

1. “Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy.” New York State Library. Fall 2004. Accessed November 28, 2019. http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/msscfa/sc19816.htm
2. “Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy.” New York State Library. Fall 2004. Accessed November 28, 2019. http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/msscfa/sc19816.htm
3. “Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy.” New York State Library. Fall 2004. Accessed November 28, 2019. http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/msscfa/sc19816.htm
4. “NYT in 1995: ‘Mentally Ill Gaining New Rights As Their Own Lobby’” Mental Health Association in New York State. January 31, 2019. Accessed November 28, 2019.

   https://mhanys.org/mh-update-1-31-19-nyt-in-1995-mentally-ill-gaining-new-rights-as-their-own-lobby/

5. Satel, Sally. “Treating Insanity Reasonably.” City Journal. Winter 1995. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://www.city-journal.org/html/treating-insanity-reasonably-11917.html
6. “Testimony: Joint Legislative Budget Hearing.” Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy. January 24, 2019. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://nyassembly.gov/write/upload/publichearing/000955/001680.pdf
7. “Senator Parker Interviews Kate Breslin, President and CEO of the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy.” The New York State Senate. April 1, 2015. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/video/kevin-s-parker/senator-parker-interviews-kate-breslin-president-and-ceo-schuyler
8. Slattery, Denis. “Kids from New York working families need more income tax breaks, advocates and lawmakers say in push for reform.” New York Daily News. May 30, 2019. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-earned-income-tax-credit-low-income-families-20190530-x5v7kb4yhbbo5do773l4cx5zw4-story.html
9. “Schuyler Center Policy Forum.” New York Zero-to-Three Network. 2012. Accessed November 28, 2019. http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=49hquldab&oeidk=a07e6gq3vhgf4d18b73
10. “Briefing Guide: Breakdown of Access to Full Day Pre-K and Child Care by Legislative District.” Alliance for Quality Education. January 29, 2019. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://www.aqeny.org/2019/01/29/briefing-guide-breakdown-of-access-to-full-day-pre-k-and-child-care-by-legislative-district/
11. “Briefing Guide: The State of Early Learning in New York.” Center for Children’s Initiatives. January 29, 2019. Accessed November 28, 2019. http://www.aqeny.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2019-Budget-Briefing-Guide-FINAL-1-29.pdf
12. Breslin, Kate. “Reject ill-advised cap on funding for child welfare prevention.” Democrat & Chronicle. March 27, 2018. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/opinion/guest-column/2018/03/27/reject-ill-advised-cap-funding-child-welfare-prevention/461633002/
13. “The Family First Act: A Bad Bill that Won’t Go Away.” Child Welfare Monitor. February 7, 2018. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://childwelfaremonitor.org/2018/02/07/the-family-first-act-a-bad-bill-that-wont-go-away/
14. “Strategic Planning and Policy Development: Family First” Office of Children and Family Services. November 7, 2014. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://ocfs.ny.gov/main/sppd/family-first.php#t2-Family-First-Transition-Fund
15. “Testimony: Joint Legislative Budget Hearing.” Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy. January 24, 2019. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://nyassembly.gov/write/upload/publichearing/000955/001680.pdf
16. “Testimony: Joint Legislative Budget Hearing.” Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy. January 24, 2019. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://nyassembly.gov/write/upload/publichearing/000955/001680.pdf
17. “History.” Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy. 2019. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://www.scaany.org/about-us/history/
18. “History.” Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy. 2019. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://www.scaany.org/about-us/history/
19. Oliveira, Victor & Prell, Mark. “Sharing the Economic Burden: Who Pays for WIC’s Infant Formula.” United States Department of Agriculture. September 1, 2004. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2004/september/sharing-the-economic-burden-who-pays-for-wics-infant-formula/
20. “Testimony: Joint Legislative Budget Hearing.” Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy. January 24, 2019. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://nyassembly.gov/write/upload/publichearing/000955/001680.pdf
21. Fafsblog. “Kinship Foster Care Pros and Cons.” Embrella. June 7, 2013. Accessed November 28, 2019. http://foster-adoptive-kinship-family-services-nj.org/kinship-foster-care-pros-and-cons/
22. Riley, Naomi Schaefer. “Reconsidering Kinship Care.” National Affairs. Summer 2018. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/reconsidering-kinship-care
23. Bartholet, Elizabeth. “Creating a Child-Friendly Welfare System: Effective Early Intervention to Prevent Maltreatment and Protect Victimized Children.” Buffalo Law Review. December 1, 2012. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4615&context=buffalolawreview
24. “Child Care Now Campaign.” National Women’s Law Center. July 7, 2017. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://nwlc.org/child-care-now-campaign/8xti/
25. Epstein, Jonathan D. “Early childhood advocacy group hosts program on Medicaid.” The Buffalo News. November 18, 2018. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://buffalonews.com/2018/11/18/early-childhood-advocacy-group-hosts-program-on-medicaid/
26. Health, Bailit. “Value-Based Payment Models for Medicaid Child Health Services.” United Hospital Fund. July 13, 2016. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://uhfnyc.org/publications/publication/value-based-payment-models-for-medicaid-child-health-services/       
27. Mangla, Ravi, “Parents, Providers, and Labor Leaders Demand Fair Funding for Child Care.” Citizen Action of New York. February 4, 2019. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://citizenactionny.org/2019/02/parents-providers-and-labor-leaders-demand-fair-funding-for-child-care/30173
28. Data compiled by FoundationSearch.com subscription service, a project of Metasoft Systems, Inc., from forms filed with the IRS. Queries conducted December 6, 2019.
29. Fiscal Policy Institute, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2016, Part VII
30. “Meet Our Team.” SCAA. Accessed December 6, 2019. https://www.scaany.org/staff/.
31. “Homer Folks.” Your Dictionary. 2019. Accessed November 28, 2019. https://biography.yourdictionary.com/homer-folks