Case highlight 1 — Building Clean Fuels Ohio
Building an organization from the ground up
In 2002 Sam founded what would become Clean Fuels Ohio — starting with a $50,000 budget, less than one full-time staff member, and a stakeholder advisory committee developed while running the Central Ohio Clean Fuels Coalition at the Columbus Health Department. That advisory committee became the organization’s first governing board, giving CFO a strong foundation from day one.
Over nearly two decades, Clean Fuels Ohio grew into the largest coalition in the national Clean Cities and Communities network — 15 staff, more than $1 million in annual operating revenue, and a track record of programs and partnerships that produced measurable results for fleets, businesses, communities, and the environment across Ohio.
Building that organization required every dimension of what GoForth Partners now offers clients: mission clarity, strategic planning, governance development, program design and execution, stakeholder engagement, and sustained work to diversify and grow revenue. That included securing more than $50 million in grants and earned revenue over the organization’s history — among them an $11 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act award from U.S. DOE, through which we executed 43 separate projects across Ohio, and a $10 million award from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation for the Smart Columbus initiative, one of the largest private grants in the history of the CC&C network.
Model programs developed at Clean Fuels Ohio — including Ohio Green Fleets and Drive Electric Ohio — were replicated by coalitions across the country, contributing to the national network’s impact well beyond Ohio’s borders.
