Mayors Office for Economic Opportunity

The Mayor's Office for Economic Opportunity (NYC Opportunity) helps the City apply evidence and innovation to reduce poverty and increase equity. We work to improve the systems of government by advancing the use of research, data and design in program and policy development, service delivery, and budget decisions. Our work includes analyzing existing anti-poverty approaches, developing new strategies, facilitating the sharing of data across City agencies, and rigorously assessing the impact of key initiatives. NYC Opportunity supports policy development and budget decisions and works to center equity as a core governing principle across government. We also produce research and analysis of poverty and social conditions, including through our influential annual NYCgov Poverty Measure, which we developed to provide a more accurate picture of poverty in New York City than the federal rate. Our customers, the residents of New York City, often face challenges related to poverty, and structural inequalities such as racism that can limit their ability to advance and participate fully in the city's economic and civic life. That is why we believe that equal opportunity and the possibility of upward mobility must be genuine— that where you start out in life should not dictate where you end up.

NYC Opportunity is committed to three core principles: Equity, Evidence, and Innovation. We believe that the public sector should make decisions based on rigorous attention to data — drawn from research and evaluation, performance measurement, and the voices of those who experience public services as well as the challenges they are meant to address. Policies and programs exist that can effectively reduce poverty and broaden opportunity; government should invest in those that work, and end those that do not. We also believe that more solutions are required to address unmet needs and stubborn problems — and are optimistic that new approaches delivered through government can achieve large-scale impact. Innovation is fundamentally about getting better results, and it demands a commitment to assess outcomes rigorously, capture and respond to lessons, and accept the risk that some efforts will fail. Our digital work focuses on making it easier for New Yorkers to access services by connecting them to clear, actionable information about benefits, programs, services, and employment through digital tools like ACCESS NYC and Jobs NYC. We support open source and scalable technology in the services we develop, such as the NYC Benefits Platform. Our office also manages the Equity NYC site and the Workforce Data Portal to make the City's data more accessible, transparent, and actionable. The Service Design Studio, launched in October 2017, helps spread valuable methodologies often underused within government. We work across diverse policy areas including workforce development, financial empowerment, education, health, homelessness, and more.