Internet users have claimed that Stacey Abrams, a two-time former Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, personally collected $2 billion in federal taxpayer funding. “Stacey Abrams caught trying to steal a gigantic $2 BILLION from taxpayers,” one right-wing influencer tweeted on X. “The huge scandal revolves around funds earmarked for a group linked to the biggest election denier ever.” One X account suggested Abrams might face jail time. “The Democrats wanted to make Stacey Abrams the next big thing,” the user tweeted. “Now she might be going to prison for a $2 billion laundering scam.”
Abrams is an adviser to a group that received funding authorized via the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 but she did not receive $2 billion personally.
The rumors began after the Trump administration’s new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, former New York GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin, announced on February 13 that the federal agency found “billions of taxpayer dollars” in climate grants held in a bank account formed by former President Joe Biden’s White House administration. That funding, authorized from the Inflation Reduction Act, awarded a total of $20 billion to eight nonprofit organizations for investments in a slew of clean energy initiatives, including $2 billion to Power Forward Communities, a group linked to Abrams.
Dinesh D’Souza, a right-wing activist and creator of 2,000 Mules—a documentary movie that made false and misleading claims about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election—attempted to connect the $2 billion in federal funding to bogus theories about the 2020 election, tweeting, “Who would pay Stacey Abrams $2 billion for climate change? No one,” he answered. “But was the money really for that?” he added. “Or was it a payoff for helping to rig the 2020 election?”
Power Forward Communities received a $2 billion grant in August 2024 from the EPA’s National Clean Investment Fund—allocated from the Inflation Reduction Act—to help “affordably decarbonize American homes,” according to a press release from the nonprofit. It was formed in October 2023 by five separate nonprofit groups—including Rewiring America, where Abrams serves as “senior advisor.” Records from usaspending.gov, the federal government’s official online resource for tracking funding data, confirm that Power Forward Communities received the $2 billion EPA grant.
“Thrilled to be part of Rewiring America and the Power Forward Communities coalition,” Abrams tweeted in October 2023, in response to a separate tweet announcing Power Forward Communities’ formation. “This is how we expand access to clean energy—by prioritizing housing, equity and resilience.” Abrams first joined Rewiring America as “senior counsel” in March 2023, according to a press release that has since been removed from its website. However, Rewiring America referred to Abrams’ position earlier this month as a “senior advisor.” Abrams’ personal website also states that she is a “senior advisor and consultant” for Rewiring America.
Power Forward Communities stated in a press release announcing the grant that “Rewiring America will orchestrate financing, financial assistance, and technical assistance to homeowners in specific markets, and will offer nationwide planning tools and resources, including cost savings and carbon emissions abatement projections to support household electrification at the single-family level.”
There have been legitimate issues raised regarding the Biden administration’s funding of Power Toward Communities. As the Washington Free Beacon reported last week, Power Forward Communities had reported a total of $100 for both its “total revenue” and “net assets” in its 2023 tax return. GuideStar, a website that tracks public information for nonprofit organizations, notes that the Internal Revenue Service granted tax-exempt status to Power Forward Communities only in 2024. But claims that Abrams personally received $2 billion in government funding are false.
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