Center for Governmental Research


The Center for Governmental Research, Inc. is a non-profit corporation delivering data support, management consulting and implementation assistance to governments, educational institutions, foundations and non-profit organizations. Headquartered in Rochester, New York, it was founded by George Eastman in 1915 as the Rochester Bureau of Municipal Research to provide research and guidance to its home city's government and community institutions. Over the decades, CGR has grown from a bureau focused on the needs of one city into an organization with broader reach.
Today, CGR serves communities throughout the northeastern United States. Its major practice areas are government management and education, public finance and economics, health and human services, and community data and information management. It is an industry expert in working with communities on issues of municipal efficiency, economic and fiscal impact, public service delivery and local government restructuring, including evaluating the impacts of potential municipal consolidation. It served as project manager for the 2013 municipal consolidation of Princeton, New Jersey, one of the largest municipal restructurings in New Jersey in almost a century. It also developed the voter-approved plan in Seneca Falls, New York, resulting in the largest village dissolution in New York history.
CGR's president and CEO is Erika Rosenberg
Its past president and chief executive officer was Dr. Joseph Stefko.

Expertise / Practice Areas

Government and Education

Management reviews; Operational analysis; Efficiency studies; Budget analysis; Budgetary planning; Restructuring, shared services and consolidation; Central business office design; GIS mapping; Community planning; Policy and program implementation support; Strategic planning; Service re-engineering; Police, fire and EMS studies; Emergency services planning; Program evaluation; Policy design and analysis; Public engagement and facilitation; Change management; Organizational capacity building

Public Finance and Economics

Fiscal distress strategy; Economic impact analysis; Fiscal impact modeling; Cost-benefit analysis; Regional economic studies; Land use impact analysis; Economic development studies. CGR also offers economic development agencies a proprietary product that delivers targeted economic impact analysis for proposed development projects.

Health and Human Services

Community health assessments ; Public nursing home operational reviews; Public health services analysis; Veterans services analysis; Criminal justice services analysis; Child and family services analysis; Community needs assessments; Service re-engineering; Program evaluation; Policy design and analysis; Strategic planning

Nonprofits and Communities

Community indicators tools; Vital indicators data management; Census data analysis; Civic project data support; Service gap analysis; Program evaluation; Strategic planning; Workforce development planning; Organizational capacity building. CGR also offers communities and foundations a proprietary product that delivers targeted tracking of a region's strengths and weaknesses as a vehicle for maximizing public investments.