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Bill

S 9285

Relates to establishing a nonprofit news media jobs grant program

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jamaal Bailey and 3 co-sponsors

Creates a state-funded nonprofit news media jobs grant program to increase in-state employment and audience for NY-based nonprofit outlets, tied to net job growth.

REFERRED TO COMMERCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SMALL BUSINESS
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Bill Summary · S 9285

Summary of Bill S. 9285 (2025-2026) — New York nonprofit news media jobs grant program

Purpose and high-level intent

  • Establishes a state-supported grant program to promote newsroom employment at eligible nonprofit news media organizations in New York.
  • Mirrors the structure of the existing newspaper and broadcast media tax credit program but channels support through grants to nonprofit entities rather than tax credits for for-profit media.
  • Aims to increase in-state employment and audience reach for nonprofit news organizations while preserving editorial independence (grants subject to performance audits that verify employment and audience data without allowing content-based conditions).

Key provisions and changes

Definitions (Section 1)

  • Introduces “net employee increase” as the key metric: an increase of at least one full-time employee between a nonprofit’s average starting and average ending full-time employment.
  • Defines “eligible nonprofit news media organization” as:
    • A public television or radio corporation (Education Law §236) or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
    • In good standing with New York State officials.
    • Meets the broader “eligible business” and “eligible industry” criteria in the act and would qualify for the newspaper and broadcast media tax credit if not nonprofit.

Administrative framework (Section 2)

  • Grants and eligibility are governed by the same general rules as the existing tax credit program, with an emphasis on caps and emergency-rule adoption potential.
  • The Commissioner of Economic Development will issue:
    • Certificates of tax credit for eligible for-profit entities.
    • Grant certificates for eligible nonprofit organizations, specifying grant amounts.

New grant program structure (Sections 3–5)

§497. Nonprofit News Media Jobs Grant Program

  1. Establishes the "nonprofit news media jobs formula grant fund" in the state treasury.
  2. Funds grants to eligible nonprofit news media organizations (to be used analogously to tax credits for commercial media, but as grants for nonprofit staffing).
  3. Unexpended fund balances roll over; they do not revert to the general fund.

§498. Grant eligibility criteria

Eligible nonprofit organizations must:
1. Be an eligible nonprofit news media organization.
2. Operate predominantly in an eligible industry and be NY-based.
3. Demonstrate that at least 33% of their audience/subscribers/digital traffic is located in New York in the prior calendar year.
4. Have been operating for at least one year prior to the year of application.

§499. Nonprofit news media grants

  1. Grants awarded at $5,000 per net full-time employee increase (as defined earlier), with a cap of $20,000 per nonprofit organization per year.
  2. Alternatively, grants may be equal to 50% of annual wages for each eligible employee, limited to up to $50,000 in wages paid annually per employee; overall grant cap remains $300,000 per organization.
  3. Annual statewide cap: $15 million for grants (plus any carryover from prior years). Within a given year, 50% of grants must go to organizations with 100 or fewer employees; the other 50% can go to organizations of any size.

§500. Application and approval process

  1. Nonprofits must submit a complete application as prescribed by the Commissioner.
  2. Applications must include:
    • Evidence of eligibility as a nonprofit news media organization.
    • 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
    • Agreement to share certain employer information with the Department (Labor), with protections against disclosure under the NY Freedom of Information Law.
    • Access for the Department and its agents to books and records as needed for compliance monitoring.
    • Any additional information required by the Department.
  3. The Department reviews applications to ensure eligibility and that grant amounts do not exceed the annual cap before awarding a grant.
  4. Grants are subject to performance audits focused on employment, audience, and financial records. Editorial content decisions may not be conditioned, modified, or revoked as a result of the grant.
  5. A nonprofit or business cannot simultaneously receive both a grant and tax credits in the same annual award period.

Effective date

  • The act takes effect 180 days after becoming law. Emergency rulemaking authority is provided to implement necessary regulations on or before effective date.

Who is affected

  • Eligible nonprofit news organizations operating in New York and meeting audience-location and duration criteria.
  • In-state journalists and staff at these nonprofit outlets (net full-time employee increases are the trigger for funding).
  • NY state departments (Economic Development, Labor, and Tax Department) involved in administration, data sharing (with privacy protections), auditing, and compliance monitoring.
  • Potential beneficiaries include small and mid-sized nonprofit outlets with a substantial New York audience.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Annual grant funding is capped at $15 million plus carryover.
  • Distribution split mandates that half of grants target smaller organizations (≤100 employees).
  • The application window and regulatory framework are to be established by the Commissioner; eligibility criteria align with existing tax credit program standards.
  • Effective date is 180 days after enactment; rules can be adopted on an emergency basis if needed.

Summary assessment

S.9285 creates a dedicated, state-funded grant mechanism to foster newsroom employment at NY-based nonprofit news organizations, linking funding to measurable in-state audience impact and net job growth. It safeguards editorial independence by limiting state oversight to compliance and employment/audience metrics, not content. The program complements existing tax-credit structures and prioritizes smaller nonprofits in its funding allocation.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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