The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified $2 billion allocated to a climate nonprofit linked to former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, a vocal supporter of President Joe Biden. The funds were designated for Power Forward Communities, a nonprofit partnered with groups founded by Abrams, and were stored in an external financial institution, Citibank, before Biden left office.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin raised concerns about the grant, highlighting that Power Forward Communities had reported only $100 in revenue in 2023. The grant, which was part of a larger $20 billion pool set aside for climate initiatives under the Inflation Reduction Act, was awarded in August 2024, one month after Abrams publicly defended Biden’s reelection campaign.
Zeldin, who recently uncovered the $20 billion fund, noted that previous EPA officials appeared to have deliberately placed the money outside of the agency’s direct control, making it difficult for the incoming administration to reclaim. He emphasized that some of the recipient organizations seemed to have been hastily created for the purpose of receiving these funds.
Abrams’ involvement in organizations under scrutiny extends beyond Power Forward Communities. Last month, the New Georgia Project, a voter advocacy group she founded, was fined $300,000 by the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission. The penalty, the largest of its kind in the state, stemmed from allegations that the organization had illegally spent $3.2 million to support Abrams’ 2018 gubernatorial campaign and other Democratic candidates. The ethics commission determined that the group had failed to properly register as an independent committee and disclose millions in contributions and expenditures.
The commission’s executive secretary, David Emadi, stated that the investigation revealed evidence of unreported financial activities, describing the spending as “dark money” used to influence elections. While representatives for the New Georgia Project denied wrongdoing, they ultimately agreed to settle the case and pay the fine.
Abrams, who has distanced herself from the New Georgia Project since her first gubernatorial campaign, has yet to comment on the EPA’s discovery or the ethics fine imposed on her former organization. Meanwhile, Zeldin has pledged to explore legal avenues to recover the $2 billion in grant money and ensure federal funds are not improperly distributed to politically affiliated groups.
