Grant funding tied to failed Democrat Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams is under renewed scrutiny after tax filings showed a climate group tied to Abrams quietly received more than $5 million in federal money before the Trump administration canceled the program. The documents indicate Rewiring America, where Abrams served as senior counsel, received the bulk of the funding through a separate entity, Power Forward Communities.
The Environmental Protection Agency awarded Power Forward Communities a $2 billion grant in April 2024, with $5 million distributed early as an initial tranche. Tax filings show that of the $9.5 million the group received by the end of 2024, more than half went directly to Rewiring America while Abrams served as senior counsel and senior adviser. Power Forward Communities reported that the EPA grant was its only source of revenue, suggesting it functioned primarily as a pass-through.
At the time, Power Forward Communities director of partnerships Ian Magruder said Abrams “played a pivotal role” in securing the grant. That description contrasted sharply with later statements after EPA administrator Lee Zeldin canceled the funding. “Power Forward Communities has no relationship with Ms. Abrams, other than the fact that she’s one of the people who have advised one of our coalition members in the past,” CEO Timothy Mayopoulos told Politico.
Zeldin said the filings confirm political favoritism. “This revelation is the latest egregious example… of how, in rushing $20 billion out the door before President Trump took office, the Biden EPA doled out hard-earned tax dollars to unqualified recipients riddled with self-dealing and conflicts of interest,” he said.
The filings show other coalition members received far smaller sums, while Power Forward Communities spent millions on internal expenses and salaries, including $206,250 paid to Mayopoulos for part-time work. Zeldin said, “Every single penny given to this Stacey Abrams-connected NGO last year was either sent to another pass-through entity or used to pay the salaries of its well-connected top officials.”
