Our Purpose

Achieving Community Targets Rochester (ACT Rochester) is a data initiative of Rochester Area Community Foundation that uses community indicators, research expertise, and narrative to improve the culture of decision-making and establish a more equitable, inclusive, and vital 8-county region.

Our 8-county region includes Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates counties.

ACT Rochester focus areas align with the grantmaking goals of Rochester Area Community Foundation, outlined here.

Our Approach

ACT Rochester uses staff training and expertise to apply rigorous research design to our community by:

  • Helping you define the question/problem

  • Identifying data/information to address the defined question/problem

  • Connecting to others with similar questions or established solutions

We refer to this approach as The Four Cs

Curate Knowledge & Information

  • Engage national (i.e., Urban Institute) and local thinkers

  • Identify and filter research for best practices, salient articles/datasets

Catalyze Improvement in the Culture of Decision-Making

  • Identify key agents and key brokers to the decision-making process

  • Support Rochester Area Community Foundation programs in goal of catalytic changes

Communicate Data in Context

  • Present data with clear visualizations

  • Include complimentary narrative

  • Provide regular social media updates

Connect People and Research for Action

  • Inform collective impact

  • Leverage scholarly networks for technical assistance

  • Partner with Rochester Area Community Foundation to convene around key issues

Our History

2025 - New Director

Miranda Santillo joins ACT as its new Director.

2022 - Staff Updates & 10th Annual Event 

Ann Johnson retires as the Director of ACT Rochester.

Dr. Meg Norris becomes Executive Director.

ACT Rochester hosts its 10th annual Report Card Event.

2020 - Hard Facts Report Update

ACT releases Hard Facts Update: Race and Ethnicity in the Nine-County Greater Rochester Area.

Cover page of a report titled 'Hard Facts Update: Race and Ethnicity in the Nine-County Greater Rochester Area,' published in August 2020. The background features a collage of diverse headshots of people from the community, with the title in bold black and yellow text on a dark background, and logos for ACT Rochester and the Community Foundation at the bottom.

2017 - Local Focus on Racial Inequities

ACT releases Hard Facts, a landmark report highlighting the racial and ethnic inequities across the region.

Cover page of a report titled 'Hard Facts: Race and Ethnicity in the Nine-County Greater Rochester Area' with a collage of diverse faces in the background, featuring a black ribbon with 'Featured' written on it.

2016 - Third Poverty Report Published

ACT releases the third Poverty Report, Poverty and Self-Sufficiency in the Nine-County Greater Rochester Area (Sept 2016)

Green report cover titled 'Poverty and Self-Sufficiency' with images of a house, a person's hands, and a community scene, dated September 2018.

2015 - Second Poverty Report Published

ACT releases the second Poverty Report, Benchmarking Rochester’s Poverty (Jan 2015).

Cover of a report titled 'Benchmarking Rochester's Poverty,' featuring images of a house, a child's hands, and a neighborhood street scene, with logos of The Community Foundation and ACT Rochester.
Two reports on poverty and racial issues in Rochester, New York, with one titled 'The State of Black Rochester 2013' featuring black and white photographs and another titled 'Poverty and the Concentration of Poverty in the Greater Rochester Area' with images of houses and a child.

2013 - The State of Black Rochester & Poverty Report 

ACT contributes to The State of Black Rochester.

ACT releases the first Poverty Report, Poverty and the Concentration of Poverty in the Greater Rochester Area (Dec 2013).

2012 - RACF, County Report Cards, and Annual Event

RACF assumes full financial responsibility for ACT as United Way’s initial five-year commitment concludes.

ACT releases the first set of seven County Report Cards.

The Annual Report Card Event draws over 225 attendees.

A stack of community report cards for the Seven-County region in Rochester, with the top card showing various categories such as arts, children, community engagement, economic, environmental, educational, and health, each marked with symbols indicating their status.

2009 - ACT Rochester Launches!

ACT Rochester launches with support form Rochester Area Community Foundation (RACF) and United Way.

Logo of ACT Rochester, United Way, and a community organization.