A recent report raises concerns about a climate group with ties to Democratic activist Stacey Abrams and its receipt of millions in federal funding. The report, based on tax documents, suggests that Rewiring America, where Abrams served as senior counsel, received over $5 million in climate funding shortly before the Trump administration put a stop to the grant earlier this year.
The $5 million was part of a larger $2 billion grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Power Forward Communities, which oversees a coalition led by Rewiring America. When reports surfaced highlighting Abrams’ connection to Power Forward Communities, the EPA administrator Lee Zeldin moved to cancel the grant, citing concerns about potential misuse of funds. Abrams downplayed her involvement with the group and the grant.
However, the tax documents paint a different picture. They show that over half of the $9.5 million Power Forward Communities received from the EPA went to Rewiring America while Abrams was working there. This raises questions about whether Power Forward Communities was primarily a conduit for distributing taxpayer money to Rewiring America.
At the time the grant was awarded, Rewiring America’s director of partnerships noted Abrams’ “pivotal role” in securing the EPA funding. However, Power Forward Communities later downplayed its relationship with Abrams when it sued the EPA over the grant’s cancellation.
Zeldin argues that the tax forms demonstrate that the EPA’s decision to award billions to Power Forward Communities was politically motivated.
“This is another example of how, in rushing $20 billion out the door, the Biden EPA doled out hard-earned tax dollars to unqualified recipients riddled with self-dealing and conflicts of interest,” Zeldin said.
The amount of money given to Rewiring America greatly exceeds the amounts disbursed to other members of the coalition. Local Initiatives Support received $244,756, United Way Worldwide received $145,013, Enterprise Green Accelerator received $73,866, and Habitat for Humanity International received nothing.
In addition to payments to coalition members, Power Forward Communities reported spending $2.2 million of the EPA grant on unspecified expenses, $726,818 on salaries for executives and other staff, and $310,500 on recruiting. Mayopoulos received $206,250 for working 20 hours per week, according to the filings.
Mayopoulos also received an additional $181,121 from Rewiring America for consulting services, highlighting the close relationship between the two organizations.
“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,” Zeldin said.
“This is the same organization that earned only $100 in 2023 but was handed $2 BILLION in 2024 by the Biden EPA,” he continued. “I proudly terminated this grant and all others in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund in March, and since then Congress repealed the program entirely. At the Trump EPA, we will always be exceptional stewards of tax dollars, with a zero tolerance policy towards any waste or abuse.”
The news surfaces as Abrams has returned to the public eye. In October, she participated in a rally in Atlanta and, in November, she participated in a talk about defending democracy at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, where she characterized the Trump administration as an “authoritarian regime.”
