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For decades, Americans have lived with the consequences of underinvestment and outdated systems in their communities. Families are navigating unaffordable housing, unreliable transportation, aging and inadequate water systems, and energy infrastructure stretched beyond capacity. Even as historic federal investments in climate resilience and infrastructure move through the pipeline, many Americans see no change on the ground. The reasons are familiar and structural. The country is operating on systems built for a world that no longer exists.

AmericaFWD is a new national movement powered by community voices and a coalition of the willing, committed to building the “new” way forward. Its premise is deceptively simple. Communities already know what works. They need partners who will listen, help them act, and challenge a governing system that treats clean water, safe mobility, and affordable homes as optional rather than essential.

At the center of this movement is Christopher Coes, a strategist shaped by the very gaps AmericaFWD seeks to close. His leadership helps anchor the movement’s grounding, a recognition that government is made up of people, many of whom are trying to do right inside systems that have not kept pace with modern needs. Coes is not the story. He is an example of a rising class of public sector leaders who remain steadfast in their commitment to ensuring the systems governing this country no longer fail the people they are meant to serve.

“Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege to work with people who don’t just talk about progress. They deliver it,” Coes explained. “From rural towns to major cities, I’ve seen local leaders navigate tough constraints, stretch every dollar, and move projects forward for the people they serve. That spirit is at the heart of AmericaFWD.”

AmericaFWD is powered equally by community voices and public-sector leaders who are tired of watching good ideas die inside structures that cannot support them. It is a movement rooted in listening to the communities most impacted by government shortcomings, in partnership with leaders who follow through and get things done.

“Christopher has been a partner who honors his word. That matters when you’re asking communities to trust that real change is possible,” noted Stephanie Gidigbi-Jenkins, co-director of Communities First Fund, a supporter of AmericaFWD.

In 2025, AmericaFWD’s Senior Fellows led a national learning process that brought together local leaders, current and former state and federal practitioners, community organizations, private-sector innovators, and national partners to better understand this moment. This learning process engaged more than 60 working groups and roundtable participants across transportation, housing, water, and community wealth-building—and more than 100 civic, philanthropic, community, industry, and public-sector partners.

AmericaFWD also helped support the Reconnecting Communities Summit, bringing local advocates, organizers, and public officials to Washington, DC, to share lessons, elevate community-led priorities, and shape next-generation strategies for reconnection, resilience, and affordability.

Across all four pillars, the lesson is clear: people know what they want and are demanding a new civic infrastructure that centers communities, builds trust, and delivers projects and benefits.