Protect Our Winters Action Fund (POW AF) is an environmental advocacy group and the 501 (c)(4) sister organization of private foundation Protect Our Winters (POW). ¹ Protect Our Winters (POW) is a Colorado-based left-leaning climate advocacy group.

The Protect Our Winters Action Fund (POW AF) was created in 2018. The 2018 POW annual report states POW AF was launched to help POW activists “to speak confidently about climate, support specific pieces of legislation, understand ballot measures and elect climate-friendly officials.” ² During the 2018, 2020 and 2022 federal election cycles, POW AF spent a cumulative total of $279,024 on independent political expenditures, 95.7 percent of the total either supporting the election of Democratic candidates or opposing the election of Republicans. ^{3 4 5}

Inflation Reduction Act Lobbying

POW was a full supporter of the Inflation Reduction Act. The group claimed the “POW Action Fund hosted 26 meetings with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle” to promote the IRA and that “as a result, POW staff and Alliance members were invited to the White House to celebrate the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.” In a section claiming the POW AF lobbying had “rocked the house” the group praised the IRA as a measure that would lead to “hundreds of billions of dollars” in additional spending on “clean energy and green technology.” In a video series promoting IRA spending, a POW scientist described clean energy as “solar panels, wind turbines, transmission infrastructure, energy storage and electric vehicle charging stations—all of it.” ^{6 7}

POW executive director Mario Molino also claimed that POW AF lobbying influenced the IRA vote of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV): “In the final heated hour of the bill’s negotiations, we worked closely with the leadership team at Snowshoe Mountain ski area, a top employer in West Virginia, to personally deliver a letter to West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin—who was teetering in his support of the bill—about how the transition to green energy will save our economy (and our snow); two days later, Manchin agreed to support the legislation.” ⁸

According to IRS records, POW AF spent a total of $260,731 in 2022, with $78,613 spent on “Lobby Days,” $11,965 on “Events” and $70,557 for independent contractors to assist with program services. ⁹

Election Activity

According to the 2021 POW annual report, the POW AF agenda is to “Elect Climate Champions” through voter engagement, education, and get-out-the-vote programs. ¹⁰

The 2020 POW annual report included a section titled “We’ve Got Congress on Speed Dial” and claimed that “in 2020 we focused on six presidential battleground states—Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire—where congressional districts have been won or lost in the margins.” ¹¹

The 2022 POW annual report claimed the group had “focused our outreach efforts on tapping and educating unlikely voters in five key states, where we reached 2.3 million mid-to low-propensity voters” with “734,058 unlikely voters” reached in Nevada alone. The report claimed credit for winning an election for a Democratic U.S. Senator: “We helped drive voter turnout amongst the Outdoor State that helped put climate champions, including Nevada’s Senator Cortez Mastro who won by just 7,928 votes, into office further proving that change is made in the margins.” ¹²

U.S. Sen. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) is also quoted in the 2022 annual report praising POW’s assistance in the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). “This bill would not have been possible without climate champions in office, who didn’t give up,” wrote POW founder Jeremey Jones of the IRA’s passage. “And that is why POW is so focused on turning out the vote.” ¹³

2022 Election Spending

During the 2022 election, POW AF spent $3,845 to support the reelection of U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and $11,896 promoting the unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign of Evan McMullin. McMullin was an independent challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) in a race where there was no Democratic challenger. ¹⁴

2020 Election Spending

During the 2020 federal election cycle POW AF spent $136,519 to promote the election of Democratic candidates and an additional $56,039 against the election of Republican candidates. This included $46,391 to oppose the reelection of former President Donald Trump (R), $19,460 to support the election of President Joe Biden (D), and $43,509 in an unsuccessful effort to promote the reelection for former U.S. Rep. Diane Mitsch Bush (D-CO). ¹⁵

2018 Election Spending

In 2018 POW AF spent $1,930 to promote the election of Democrats to Congress and $68,795 to oppose the election of Republicans. Nearly all of this total ($61,510) was spent in an unsuccessful effort to oppose the reelection of U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA). ¹⁶

1. “Home.” Protect Our Winters Action Fund, Accessed March 14, 2024. https://powactionfund.org/
2. Protect Our Winters 2018 Annual Report. Protect Our Winters. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://protectourwinters.org/about-pow/annual-reports/2018-annual-report/
3. “Protect Our Winters Action Fund Independent Expenditures.” OpenSecrets. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/protect-our-winters-action-fund/C90017898/independent-expenditures/2022
4. “Protect Our Winters Action Fund Independent Expenditures.” OpenSecrets. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/protect-our-winters-action-fund/C90017898/independent-expenditures/2020
5. “Protect Our Winters Action Fund Independent Expenditures.” OpenSecrets. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/protect-our-winters-action-fund/C90017898/independent-expenditures/2018
6. Protect Our Winters 2022 Annual Report. Protect Our Winters. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://protectourwinters.org/about-pow/annual-reports/2022-annual-report/
7. “ADVENTURES IN ENERGY TRANSITION: CHARTING A PATH TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.” Protect Our Winters. https://protectourwinters.org/adventures-in-energy-transition/
8. Protect Our Winters 2022 Annual Report. Protect Our Winters. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://protectourwinters.org/about-pow/annual-reports/2022-annual-report/
9. Protect Our Winters Action Fund. 2022 IRS Form 990. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/823030363/202333189349311388/full
10. Protect Our Winters 2021 Annual Report. Protect Our Winters. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://protectourwinters.org/about-pow/annual-reports/2021-annual-report/
11. Protect Our Winters 2020 Annual Report. Protect Our Winters. https://protectourwinters.org/about-pow/annual-reports/2020-annual-report/
12. Protect Our Winters 2022 Annual Report. Protect Our Winters. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://protectourwinters.org/about-pow/annual-reports/2022-annual-report/
13. Protect Our Winters 2022 Annual Report. Protect Our Winters. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://protectourwinters.org/about-pow/annual-reports/2022-annual-report/
14. “Protect Our Winters Action Fund Independent Expenditures.” OpenSecrets. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/protect-our-winters-action-fund/C90017898/independent-expenditures/2022
15. “Protect Our Winters Action Fund Independent Expenditures.” OpenSecrets. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/protect-our-winters-action-fund/C90017898/independent-expenditures/2020
16. “Protect Our Winters Action Fund Independent Expenditures.” OpenSecrets. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/protect-our-winters-action-fund/C90017898/independent-expenditures/2018