Nonprofit Tied To Stacey Abrams Faces Scrutiny Over $2 Billion EPA Grant

A nonprofit organization with ties to twice failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D-Ga.) is under increasing scrutiny after receiving a $2 billion federal grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The funding comes from the $20 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, established through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which aims to support clean energy initiatives and reduce carbon emissions. However, questions have emerged regarding the nonprofit’s qualifications and financial history.

Questions Surround Power Forward Communities’ Eligibility

The nonprofit in question, Power Forward Communities, was founded just months before being awarded the substantial grant. According to financial records, the organization reported only $100 in revenue during its first three months of operation. Critics argue that such a limited financial background raises red flags about the group’s ability to manage and allocate billions in taxpayer dollars effectively. (RELATED: Defense Sec. Alleges He Was Target Of Bogus IRS Audit By Biden Administration)

Adding to the controversy, newly appointed EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin revealed that the previous administration transferred the entire $20 billion to an external financial institution before leaving office. The move, according to Zeldin, was intended to shield the funds from oversight, further intensifying concerns about transparency in the grant allocation process. The Washington Free Beacon first reported the details:

Power Forward Communities’ grant was one of just eight Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grants that the EPA doled out in April 2024 and that, altogether, totaled $20 billion. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced on Feb. 13 that his staff and Department of Government Efficiency officials discovered that the Biden administration parked that same $20 billion at an outside financial institution before leaving office, limiting the federal government’s oversight of the program.

The revelation that Power Forward Communities is among the beneficiaries of the funds Zeldin’s team located raises ethics questions about how the Biden administration selected recipients of such massive grants and whether it played favorites when doling those grants out. Abrams was a vocal proponent of the Biden administration’s green energy agenda and campaigned for former vice president Kamala Harris.

It also appears to validate concerns expressed for years by Republicans that Biden administration allies would prop up organizations that were specifically designed to receive federal funding under programs like the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was created to operate as a “green bank” by Democrats’ behemoth Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

“I made a commitment to members of Congress and to the American people to be a good steward of tax dollars and I’ve wasted no time in keeping my word,” Zeldin told the Washington Free Beacon. “When we learned about the Biden Administration’s scheme to quickly park $20 billion outside the agency, we suspected that some organizations were created out of thin air just to take advantage of this.”

Nonprofit’s Mission vs. Experience

Power Forward Communities describes itself as a coalition led by Rewiring America, an organization focused on helping homeowners and renters transition to clean energy solutions. Its initiatives include solar panel installations, electric vehicle charger deployment and home weatherization programs. Despite these ambitious goals, critics argue that the nonprofit’s inexperience makes it an unusual choice for such a massive grant.

“For an organization that has no experience in this, that was literally just established, and had $100 in the bank to receive a $2 billion grant—it doesn’t just fly in the face of common sense, it’s out-and-out fraud,” said Daniel Turner, executive director of the energy advocacy group Power the Future, in an interview with the Free Beacon.

Zeldin has since stated that retrieving the funds is a top priority for the EPA. The money remains largely untouched in an account at Citibank, along with funds allocated to other grant recipients, including the Climate United Fund and Justice Climate Fund. (RELATED: The Financial Frontline: Trump Speaks Out Against Big Bank’s Anti-Conservative Tactics)

A Pattern of Financial Controversy

This is not the first time a nonprofit linked to Abrams has come under scrutiny for financial irregularities. The New Georgia Project, a nonprofit she founded and which was later led by current U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, admitted in 2024 to violating Georgia state laws related to her 2018 gubernatorial campaign. The organization acknowledged funding campaign materials and canvassing efforts without properly registering as a political committee, a requirement for entities engaging in election-related activities.

The New Georgia Project and its affiliated New Georgia Project Action Fund agreed to pay a record $300,000 fine—the largest in the Georgia state ethics commission’s history—to settle a legal battle that began in 2019. Investigators found that the groups had failed to disclose $3.2 million in campaign-related expenditures. Ethics commission executive director David Emadi described the case as the most significant misuse of election-related funds the commission had ever uncovered.

More Unreported Political Spending

The financial controversies did not end there. In 2019, the same organizations were found guilty of failing to disclose nearly $820,000 spent campaigning for a public transportation referendum in Gwinnett County, which ultimately failed. Additionally, another group, Gente4Abrams, was fined $50,000 for failing to register and report over $240,000 spent supporting Abrams’ 2018 campaign.

Although Abrams and Warnock were not personally penalized, the legal violations raise potential concerns under federal tax law, which prohibits nonprofits from endorsing political candidates. A spokesperson for Warnock stated that he had no role in compliance decisions during his tenure with the organization.

Fair Fight Action’s Legal Spending Scrutinized

In 2022, Abrams’ voting rights organization, Fair Fight Action, also came under fire for paying $9.4 million in legal fees to a firm owned by her close friend and campaign chair, Allegra Lawrence-Hardy. The payments were connected to a failed lawsuit challenging Georgia’s election laws, further fueling criticism over the management of funds within Abrams-affiliated nonprofits.

Broader Implications

These mounting controversies have cast a shadow over Abrams’ advocacy efforts and financial trajectory. Critics point to her transformation from being in debt in 2018 to amassing a net worth exceeding $3 million, questioning whether her nonprofit ventures have played a role in her rapid financial growth.

As scrutiny over the EPA grant intensifies, the situation raises broader concerns about transparency, accountability and oversight in federal funding allocations, particularly when politically connected organizations are involved.

READ NEXT: Trump Preemptively Endorses Candidate For Florida Governor