What's happening
This bill creates a Community Literacy Fund to provide grants supporting adult education and literacy programs in New York State.
Why it matters
Targets Gaps in Adult Literacy. By funding organizations that provide adult literacy and education services, the bill addresses the needs of adults struggling with basic reading, writing, math, and English proficiency—skills essential for employment, civic participation, and supporting their families.
Prioritizes Community-Based and Volunteer-Driven Programs. Eligibility is limited to nonprofit organizations, especially those using volunteers or providing technical assistance to other adult literacy groups, which could foster grassroots, locally tailored approaches over top-down or for-profit models.
Imposes Reporting and Accountability. Grant recipients must report on a range of outcomes—including educational progress, civic engagement, digital skills, health and financial literacy, and involvement in children’s education—promoting transparency and focusing attention on measurable impacts.
Creates a Dedicated, Sustainable Funding Stream. By establishing a special state fund, the bill ensures a designated source of money for these programs, potentially increasing funding stability and enabling long-term planning for literacy initiatives.
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Who cares
Volunteer-based adult literacy nonprofits
They could receive grants for community literacy programs, subject to available funding, and would have to report impact data.
Adult literacy technical-assistance nonprofits
Organizations whose primary purpose is adult education and literacy could qualify for grants if they provide other literacy organizations with training, data reporting or operational assistance.
- Likely support
Adults seeking basic skills or English proficiency
The fund would support programs that help them build reading, writing, math, English language and problem-solving skills.
New York State Education Department
The education commissioner would set grant rules, select recipients, determine awards and submit annual reports evaluating funded programs.
Headline styles
Create Community Literacy Fund
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1061
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 8, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. LUNSFORD -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law and the state finance law, in relation to establishing the community literacy fund
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new article 102 to read as follows:
ARTICLE 102
COMMUNITY LITERACY PROGRAMS Section 5050. Definitions.
5051. Grants.
5052. Report.
§ 5050. Definitions. As used in this article, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
1. "Eligible agency" means:
(a) an organization having tax exempt status under section 501(c) of the United States Internal Revenue Code which provides adult education and literacy services to residents of the state of New York and which utilizes volunteers to directly provide such services; or
(b) an organization having tax exempt status under section 501(c) of the United States Internal Revenue Code whose primary purpose is providing adult education and literacy services which provides other adult literacy organizations with technical assistance, including training, data reporting, or operational assistance.
2. "Adult education and literacy services" means services which assist adults in acquiring the necessary basic skills needed to be productive workers, family members, and citizens, including but not limited to, reading, writing, math, English language proficiency, and problem-solving skills.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01370-01-5
§ 5051. Grants. 1. The commissioner shall be authorized to make grants to eligible agencies that conduct community literacy programs from funds held within the community literacy fund pursuant to section ninety-niness of the state finance law in accordance with the procedures set forth by this section. No for-profit agency or institution may act as the fiscal agent of any grant receivable under the provisions of this section.
2. Eligible agencies shall submit proposals to the commissioner to fund authorized expenditures in support of community literacy programs. Such proposals shall be in a form and shall be submitted on a schedule prescribed by the commissioner.
3. The commissioner shall adopt rules and regulations to establish eligibility criteria and procedures for the award of such grants and to otherwise implement the provisions of this section. The commissioner shall award grants using the eligibility criteria established in regulation and shall determine the amount of each grant award.
4. Subject to the availability of funds for such purpose, upon approval of a proposal by the commissioner, the commissioner shall distribute the grant allocation according to a schedule prescribed by the commissioner.
5. The commissioner shall adopt rules and regulations to create a reporting schedule for the agencies who receive grants pursuant to this section. Data to be reported by agencies who are eligible pursuant to paragraph (a) of subdivision one of section five thousand fifty of this article shall allow recipients to show the impact of their work on individuals, based upon their needs and goals, and may include educational gain, civic participation, digital literacy skills mastery, improved health literacy, improved financial literacy, and engagement in children's schooling. Agencies who are eligible pursuant to paragraph (a) of subdivision one of section five thousand fifty of this article shall report impact data.
§ 5052. Report. On or before January first, two thousand twenty-six and by January first of each year thereafter, the commissioner shall submit to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly a report describing and evaluating the community literacy programs funded pursuant to this article.
§ 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 99-ss to read as follows:
§ 99-ss. Community literacy fund. 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule, regulation or practice to the contrary, there is hereby established in the joint custody of the state comptroller and the commissioner of education a community literacy fund, which shall consist of all moneys appropriated to the fund by the department of education and all moneys collected from individuals for the implementation of community literacy programs as specified in article one hundred two of the education law.
2. Moneys within the community literacy fund shall be made available to the commissioner of education to provide grants to eligible agencies, as such term is defined pursuant to subdivision one of section five thousand fifty of the education law, in accordance with the regulations set forth in article one hundred two of the education law.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.