ROCC

What ROCC does

ROCC (Restore Our Community Coalition, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy organization incorporated in 2010 and headquartered at 60 Hedley Place in Buffalo, NY. The organization was formed to remediate the social, economic, and environmental damage caused by the 1960s construction of the Kensington Expressway (Route 33), which destroyed the Olmsted-designed Humboldt Parkway and divided Buffalo's East Side neighborhoods. ROCC is not a technology company and does not offer products, software, or services; its core activity is grassroots organizing, coalition building, and policy advocacy aimed at securing public funding to cap the expressway and restore approximately 14.5 acres of green space spanning nearly one mile between East Ferry and Best Streets.

The organization operates through a community-led go-to-market model, mobilizing residents via the "I Remember" campaign, community marches, public meetings at the Buffalo Museum of Science, and direct engagement with NYSDOT and local, state, and federal officials. ROCC's coalition comprises over 20 East Side civic and faith-based organizations, including the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, the Black Chamber of Commerce, the Hamlin Park Tax Payers Association, and Citizens' Alliance. It has commissioned research from the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, which projects over $1 billion in 20-year regional economic impact, 950-1,000 construction jobs during a 5-10 year build, and a potential $2.8 million new annual tax base from the proposed Humboldt Parkway Promenade (project cost estimated at $500-570 million).

ROCC's revenue model is donations- and grants-based. Operating cash flow comes from individual donations, community fundraising events, the "I Remember" campaign, and pursuit of state/federal transportation grants (e.g., TIGER funding, infrastructure grants). NYSDOT has already allocated $2-6 million for feasibility studies. The organization has no disclosed revenue figures, no paid products or services, and no pricing model. Its principal stakeholders are East Side Buffalo residents (Hamlin Park, Humboldt Park), the Fillmore and Jefferson business districts, cultural institutions in the corridor, and government officials responsible for infrastructure funding decisions.

Name

ROCC

Legal name

Restore Our Community Coalition, Inc.

Website

https://roccbuffalo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ROCC is a Buffalo, NY-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit coalition advocating to restore Humboldt Parkway, destroyed by the 1960s Kensington Expressway, by mobilizing East Side residents, 20+ partner organizations, and government engagement to fund the project.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Advocacy Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Social Advocacy Organizations (81331), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAGAF

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAGAD

Forestry & Reforestation

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAFAJ

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

Keywords

• Community advocacy
• Nonprofit coalition
• Urban revitalization
• Infrastructure advocacy
• Parkway restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Buffalo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: ROCC raises funds through individual donations, community fundraising events, and the 'I Remember' campaign. Checks can be mailed to their office address.
2. Government and Foundation Grants: The organization seeks state and federal funding programs for transportation improvements and community revitalization projects, including TIGER funding and infrastructure grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ROCC (Restoring Our Community Coalition) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy organization that mobilizes residents, civic groups, and institutions to restore Humboldt Parkway in Buffalo, NY. Its work centers on grassroots organizing, the 'I Remember' community memory campaign, coalition building with over 20 civic and faith-based organizations, and policy advocacy to NYSDOT and local, state, and federal elected officials to secure funding for capping the Kensington Expressway and restoring the original Olmsted-designed parkway.

Product overview

ROCC (Restoring Our Community Coalition) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy organization, not a technology company. It does not offer software products or technology services. The organization's offerings consist of community advocacy, grassroots organizing, public awareness campaigns (such as the "I Remember" campaign), and policy advocacy aimed at restoring Humboldt Parkway in Buffalo, NY.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ROCC community advocacy programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 billion in economic impact projected over 20 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Olmsted Parks ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Long-term strategic partner in the Humboldt Parkway restoration effort. The Conservancy is dedicated to preserving and restoring Olmsted-designed parks and parkways in Buffalo, sharing ROCC's vision for restoring the original parkway design.
• Buffalo Museum of SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Anchor institution located adjacent to the project area. The museum supports the restoration vision and has hosted community meetings and displayed design mockups for the project.
• Black Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Representing African American businesses in Buffalo, the Chamber advocates for economic revitalization of the Fillmore and Jefferson business districts affected by the expressway construction.
• Citizens' AlliancesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Community organization supporting the restoration coalition's efforts to revive the Humboldt Parkway neighborhood.
• Hamlin Park Tax Payers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Primary community stakeholder organization representing residents of the Hamlin Park neighborhood. The association's president, Stephanie Barber Geter, serves as ROCC's chairperson.
• University at Buffalo School of Architecture and PlanningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted economic impact studies and design concepts for the Humboldt Parkway restoration. Principal investigators Robert Shibley, Paul Ray, and Professor Hiro Hata led the research and design efforts.
• GoBike BuffalosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal cycling and pedestrian advocacy organization that has covered ROCC's efforts and expressed support for the restoration project in their news reporting.
• New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency overseeing Route 33. ROCC works with NYSDOT on the environmental study and design alternatives for capping the Kensington Expressway. The agency has provided $2-6 million for feasibility studies.
• Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization promoting walkable, sustainable urban development. Held their 22nd Annual Congress in Buffalo, with sessions addressing Humboldt Parkway restoration and freeway removal strategies.
• Scajaquada Coalition Corridor (SCC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition working on Scajaquada Expressway issues, coordinating with ROCC on discussions between Humboldt and Scajaquada Parkways as both are part of the Olmsted Park System.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Smart Growth America: National coalition advocating for equitable, sustainable, and resilient land-use and infrastructure policy. Smart Growth America is comparable to ROCC in its mix of federal/state advocacy, research, and coalition building around urban revitalization and freeway-replacement projects.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National community development financial institution supporting neighborhood revitalization through capital, grants, and technical assistance. LISC is comparable to ROCC in targeting disinvested urban corridors and combining community organizing with project finance, though at far larger scale and geographic breadth.
• The Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that creates parks and protected land, including urban parkway and green-space restoration projects. TPL is comparable to ROCC in outcome (urban green space creation, community reconnection) but operates at national scale with substantially more capital and policy reach.
• Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU): National membership organization advancing walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods and freeway-removal policy. CNU curates the 'Freeways without Futures' list that named Routes 33/198 in 2019 and hosted its 22nd Congress in Buffalo, making it a directly comparable umbrella body to ROCC's mission at a national scale.
• Urban Land Institute (ULI): Global research and education organization focused on land use and real estate development. ULI is comparable to ROCC in convening public, private, and civic stakeholders around catalytic urban-infrastructure projects and producing the kind of feasibility and impact research ROCC has commissioned from UB.

Direct peers

• Scajaquada Coalition Corridor (SCC): A Buffalo-area community coalition addressing the parallel Scajaquada Expressway (Route 198) and its impact on Delaware Park. It is the closest functional peer to ROCC, working the same Olmsted-system restoration and freeway-capping playbook on an adjacent corridor in the same city.

Emerging players

• Strong Towns: A community advocacy and media organization that promotes incremental, bottom-up urban development. Strong Towns is comparable in its grassroots, member-supported advocacy model and its critique of mid-century highway-driven disinvestment, the exact dynamic ROCC is fighting in Buffalo's East Side.
• Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT): Chicago-based nonprofit that combines research, advocacy, and analytics for equitable urban development. CNT mirrors ROCC's model of pairing rigorous university-style research (in CNT's case, the Urban Tax Incidence model; in ROCC's case, UB's $1B economic impact study) with on-the-ground community advocacy.

Regional players

• 1000 Friends of Oregon: Oregon-based nonprofit that has led state-level growth management, urban-growth-boundary, and freeway-impact advocacy for decades. It is comparable to ROCC in its coalition-driven, state-DOT-facing advocacy model and its long-horizon fights against the legacy of mid-century highway construction, though it operates in a different state and policy context.
• Coalition for Smarter Growth: Washington D.C. region's leading organization advocating for walkable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities. It is comparable to ROCC in its bottom-up advocacy against highway-driven neighborhood disinvestment and its use of local economic-impact research to make the case for reconnected, mixed-use urbanism.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bflorocc
• Xx.com/ROCCBuffalo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/restore-our-community-coalition

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ROCC