Invest In Our New York is a left-of-center New York State-focused coalition project of the Citizen Action Network, which was launched to support the 2021 Invest In Our New York Act, a package of six proposed bills that would have increased New York State taxes, and which continues to support similar and aligned policies. ^{1 2 3 4}

Background

Invest In Our New York, sometimes known as the Invest In Our New York Coalition, is a project of the Citizen Action Network, a left-of-center voter mobilization group that orchestrates activities in support of left-of-center causes, which is itself an affiliate of the national organization People’s Action. ^{1 2}

Originally, the organization was formed in 2021 by a variety of left-of-center New York State advocacy groups in support of the Invest in Our New York Act (IONY Act), a legislative package of six proposed bills including a progressive income tax, a capital gains tax, a “billionaire’s tax,” a “Wall Street tax,” and a corporate tax that if passed were expected to generate billions of dollars in revenue for the state. ^{3 4}

Initially, the organization created a “circle of champions” consisting of roughly 30 aligned New York State legislators, which met on a weekly basis to discuss policy strategies. However, coalition members who were involved in the organization’s leadership at the time, Sochie Nnaemeka and Nina Luo, respectively the director and deputy political director of the New York Working Families Party, claimed that state legislators did not have a formal role in shaping the organization’s strategy. ⁵

In April 2021, despite passing some policies broadly aligned with the organization’s campaign, the New York Legislature ultimately approved a budget omitting the organization’s key demands. ⁶

Policy

Since Invest In Our New York’s initial campaign for the Invest in Our New York Act, the organization has continued to support left-of-center New York State policies and proposals. For instance, the organization has supported polices that have provided increased funding for rental assistance programs, public schools, as well as small business grants and tax credits. ⁷

The organization’s 2025 policy campaign includes support for five bills proposed by New York state lawmakers, which would make New York State income taxes more progressive, raise corporate taxes on the state’s most profitable businesses, implement a capital gains tax on income from capital gains exceeding $500,000 per year, implement a sort of property tax on valuable items and financial assets that accumulate in value, and establish a tax on inheritances over $250,000. ⁸

Coalition Members

As of 2025, the organization has over 80 coalition members, including One Fair Wage, Rise and Resist, Tenants Political Action Committee, Worker Justice Center of New York, as well as several New York State branches of the Democratic Socialists of America and the Indivisible Project. ⁷

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee of Invest In Our New York includes its parent organization’s state affiliate, Citizen Action New York, as well as Make the Road New York, a New York-based community organizing group focused on immigrant communities; Alliance for Quality Education, a New York State teachers union-aligned advocacy group; Strong Economy for All Coalition, a labor-union-backed coalition of left-of-center New York State-focused interest groups; Housing Justice for All (also known as Upstate-Downstate Housing Alliance), a sponsored project of Voices of Community Activists and Leaders that advocates for left-of-center housing policies in New York State; Empire State Indivisible, the New York State branch of The Indivisible Project; New York Communities for Change, a New York City-based labor and community organizing group; and Community Voices Heard, a left-of-center advocacy organization that promotes increased funding for social welfare, housing, and transportation programs. ^{9 10 11 12 13 14 7}

1. “About.” Citizen Action New York. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://citizenactionny.org/about/
2. “Support the fight to Invest in Our New York!” Invest In Our New York. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://secure.everyaction.com/mJujAFq3p0O3Otl057na0w2
3. Davey, Emma. “What You Need to Know About the “Invest in Our New York Act.” GreenPointers. March 20, 2021 Accessed April 7, 2025. https://greenpointers.com/2021/03/30/invest-in-our-new-york-act/
4. Archived: Bussanich, Mark. “New Coalition Urges Cuomo to Raise Taxes on Wealthy.” Tap Into. January 5, 2021 (Archived January 6, 2021). Accessed April 7, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20210106200049/https://www.tapinto.net/towns/sutton-place-slash-lenox-hill/sections/government/articles/new-coalition-urges-cuomo-to-raise-taxes-on-wealthy
5. Nnaemeka, Sochia; Luo, Nina. “How We Won New Taxes on the Rich in New York.” The Forge. October 21, 2021. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://forgeorganizing.org/article/how-we-won-new-taxes-rich-new-york/
6. Mehta, Akash; Mellins, Sam; Harris, Lee. “What Made It Into the Budget — And What Was Left Out.” New York Focus. April 7, 2021. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://nysfocus.com/2021/04/07/budget-roundup
7. “About.” Invest In Our New York. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://www.investinourny.org/about
8. “2025 Legislative Agenda.” Invest In Our New York. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://www.investinourny.org/2025agenda
9. “About.” Community Voices Heard. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://www.cvhaction.org/who-we-are
10. “About.” Empire State Indivisible. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://www.empirestateindivisible.org/about
11. “Who We Are.” Housing Justice for All. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://housingjusticeforall.org/who-we-are/
12. “About.” Strong Economy for All Coalition. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://strongforall.org/about/
13. “About AQE.” Alliance for Quality Education. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://www.aqeny.org/about-us/
14. “Our Model.” Make the Road New York. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://maketheroadny.org/our-model/