NEW YORK CITY REGIONAL CENTER-MANAGED ENTITY PROVIDES FUNDING FOR 11TH CHARTER SCHOOL IN NEW YORK CITY

Closed transaction will help fund a new middle school and an existing high school run by the Charter School for Law and Social Justice in the Bronx

NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York City Regional Center is pleased to announce the closing of $15 million in New Market Tax Credit financing for the Charter School for Law and Social Justice in the Bronx. This is the eleventh charter school in the city that has utilized funding from a New York City Regional Center-managed entity and the eighth in the Bronx. 

The financing will assist the renovation of a six-story, 39,417 square foot building that will house a new middle school and community day care center. The middle school will accommodate 330 students and feature classrooms, a cafeteria, and double-height ceilings on part of the fifth and sixth floors for a multi-purpose gymnasium. The day care center, covering 8,916 square feet of the middle school building, will be leased to Sunshine Learning Center and will serve approximately 160 children from infancy through kindergarten. The financing will also provide working capital reimbursements for an existing 47,300 square foot high school run by the Charter School for Law and Social Justice that serves 505 students. The infusion of capital furthers the charter school's mission to target the needs of underserved communities in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx. 

Founded in 2015, the Charter School for Law and Social Justice provides an inclusive educational program that prepares students academically and empowers them to engage in social issues. The charter school was inspired by initiatives at New York Law School led by Professor Richard Marsico. His work on the school-to-prison pipeline, along with the Street Law Program that educates teens about their constitutional rights, highlighted the need for a high school and middle school focused on law and social justice. The efforts of Professor Marsico, his students, New York Law School alumni, and the College of Mount Saint Vincent made this vision a reality. The Charter School for Law and Social Justice emphasizes community engagement as a core value. They partner with local groups to give students and their families real-world experiences and support. Key initiatives include mentoring programs with law students and attorneys, community service projects related to social justice, and extended support for English language learners and students with special needs through longer school days.

The $15 million transaction utilized a portion of a previous $45 million New Market Tax Credit award from the U.S. Department of Treasury to NYCR-CDE, a Community Development Entity managed by New York City Regional Center. To receive a New Market Tax Credit allocation award, NYCR-CDE was required to demonstrate a mission and track record of providing investment capital for low-income communities.

Since 2016, NYCR-CDE has received seven separate annual tax credit awards totaling $315 million. Examples of previous fundings include:

• Construction of the National Urban League's new headquarters in Harlem
• Redevelopment of the Major Owens Community Center in Brooklyn
• Redevelopment of the Armory Track & Field Center in Washington Heights
• Expansion of St. John's Episcopal Hospital Center in Far Rockaway
• Construction of nine charter schools
• $23 million for DREAM in the South Bronx
• $20 million for Achievement First Linden Middle School in Brooklyn
• $20 million for KIPP NYC in the Bronx
• $19 million for Bold Charter School in the Bronx
• $18 million for Neighborhood Charter School in the Bronx
• $18 million for Promise Academy II in East Harlem
• $15 million for Comp Sci High in the Bronx
• $15 million for DREAM in the South Bronx
• $11 million for Ascend Charter Schools in Brooklyn 

The New Market Tax Credit Program was created by Congress in 2000 in an effort to stimulate private investment and economic growth in low-income neighborhoods and rural communities that lack access to capital. Historically, low-income communities often have difficulty attracting investment. The program aims to break this cycle of disinvestment by attracting the private investment necessary to reinvigorate struggling local economies. Private capital is incentivized by providing federal income tax credits to investors in exchange for making equity investments in low-income neighborhoods.

About New York City Regional Center

New York City Regional Center ("NYCRC") was approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2008 to secure foreign investment for real estate and infrastructure projects under the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. Congress created the EB-5 program to stimulate economic development through foreign investment. The program's mandate is to use foreign investment to spur job creation while simultaneously affording eligible foreign investors the opportunity to become lawful permanent residents of the United States. NYCRC was the first EB-5 regional center approved in New York City. 

Over the past 17 years, NYCRC has put $1.58 billion of EB-5 capital and $315 million of New Market Tax Credit capital to work across a broad spectrum of infrastructure and real estate projects in New York City. Much of this capital has been invested in low-income areas in need of long-term economic growth. Examples include:

• $873 million to finance ground-up, redevelopment, and infrastructure projects in Brooklyn, including seven projects totaling $385 million in the Brooklyn Navy Yard
• $321 million to finance ground-up construction in the Bronx
• $232.5 million to finance the construction of a public high-speed wireless infrastructure network in New York City subway stations and along city streets
• $127.5 million to finance ground-up and redevelopment projects in Washington Heights (an Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone)

To date, 42 projects throughout New York City have utilized NYCRC EB-5 and New Market Tax Credit capital to assist in the construction of over 6.9 million square feet of new development and renovation as well as critical infrastructure initiatives. In addition to fueling economic development, NYCRC offerings have enabled over 6,000 individuals from 24 different countries to become permanent residents of the United States through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. 

About the New Markets Tax Credit Program

Established by Congress in 2000, the New Markets Tax Credit Program assists economically distressed communities attract private investment capital. This federal tax credit helps to fill project financing gaps by enabling investors to make larger investments than would otherwise be possible. Communities benefit from the jobs associated with investments in manufacturing, retail, and technology. Communities also benefit from greater access to housing and public facilities in health, education, and childcare. 

Through the New Market Tax Credit Program, the U.S. Department of Treasury allocates tax credit authority to Community Development Entities (CDEs) through a competitive application process. CDEs are financial intermediaries through which investment capital flows from an investor to a qualified business located in a low-income community. CDEs use their authority to offer tax credits to investors in exchange for equity in the CDE. The tax credit provided to the investor totals 39 percent of the cost of the investment and is claimed over a seven-year period. With these capital investments, CDEs can make loans and investments to businesses operating in distressed areas that have better rates, terms, and flexibility than the market. Historically, for every $1 invested by the federal government, the New Market Tax Credit Program awards generated $8 of private investment.

Since 2001, $81 billion in New Market Tax Credits have been invested in low-income communities resulting in the construction or rehabilitation of approximately 259 million square feet of commercial real estate. 

SOURCE New York City Regional Center