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| - Did DOGE "uncover" a previously unknown $2 billion federal grant to Power Forward Communities, a nonprofit organization linked to Democratic activist Stacey Abrams? No, that's not true: The Environmental Protection Agency publicly announced the grant from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund on April 4, 2024. It was not covered up and Abrams' connection to the group is overstated, she was hired as the senior counsel of one of the five nonprofits that founded it but holds no leadership position.
The claim appeared in a post on X on February 19, 2025 (archived here), which opened:
STACEY ABRAMS SCAM UNCOVERED BY DOGE?! .@DOGE found $2 BILLION in taxpayer dollars designated for a fledgling nonprofit called 'Power Forward Communities,' which had close ties to Democrat Stacey Abrams. Power Forward Communities was only a few months old with just $100 in the... https://t.co/5zbLEOKrKD
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Libs of TikTok on Twitter
STACEY ABRAMS SCAM UNCOVERED BY DOGE?! .@DOGE found $2 BILLION in taxpayer dollars designated for a fledgling nonprofit called 'Power Forward Communities,' which had close ties to Democrat Stacey Abrams. Power Forward Communities was only a few months old with just $100 in the... https://t.co/5zbLEOKrKD
This fact check does not judge the merits of the grant, only the claim that it was somehow a secret grant uncovered by President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team. In fact, the grant was announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 4, 2024, in a news release titled "Biden-Harris Administration Announces $20 Billion in Grants to Mobilize Private Capital and Deliver Clean Energy and Climate Solutions to Communities Across America." The subtitle read:
EPA announces eight selections under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund's National Clean Investment Fund and Clean Communities Investment Accelerator through President Biden's Investing in America agenda
The announcement said the money would allow the eight selected organizations to "unleash tens of thousands of more projects" like the Power Forward Communities project, which was highlighted in the section below:
When her water heater died, Mildred Carter in DeSoto, Georgia could not immediately afford to replace it. With the support of Power Forward Communities coalition member Rewiring America, Mildred was enrolled in a whole-town demonstration program that would combine Georgia Power incentives of up to $5,000 with philanthropic support for energy efficiency upgrades in her home. Her brand-new heat pump water heater was installed on December 23, just in time for the holidays.
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Additional details about the National Clean Investment Fund can be found here.
The claim that the grant is "linked" to Abrams, a Democrat who once ran for governor of Georgia, appears to be based on Abrams' connection to the nonprofit Rewiring America. She is not listed as a cofounder, member of the leadership or board member on the website of Rewiring America -- which is a cofounding organization of Power Forward Communities. Abrams was hired as the nonprofit's senior counsel, according to a March 2023 announcement on the Rewiring America website.
"Rewiring America is the leading electrification nonprofit working to electrify our homes, businesses, and communities," according to its website. It is one of five nonprofit groups that cofounded Power Forward Communities, the grant recipient. The others include United Way Worldwide, Habitat for Humanity International, Enterprise Community Partners and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, according to its website.
Lead Stories contacted Rewiring America and Power Forward Communities concerning their connection to Abrams. We will update this article if we receive answers.
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Other Lead Stories fact checks of claims involving Stacey Abrams can be found here.
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