The Lowe’s Foundation has awarded nearly $8 million in new grants to 10 community and technical colleges, expanding its national network of skilled trades partners to 73 organizations across 30 states. The investment comes as the United States faces a widening shortage of skilled workers, with the Department of Education estimating that 2.1 million trades jobs could remain unfilled by 2030.
Lowe’s Foundation grants target high-demand skilled trades
The latest round of Gable Grants will help colleges expand training in high-demand fields including HVAC, electrical work, plumbing, carpentry, construction and construction management. The funding will support new training facilities, instructor recruitment, hands-on equipment, scholarships and employer partnerships that prepare students for careers in the skilled trades.
The Lowe’s Foundation selected colleges in Georgia, Utah, North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, West Virginia, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina for the grants. Additionally, several institutions will introduce bilingual instruction, mobile training laboratories and community outreach programmes to reach rural communities and Spanish-speaking learners.
Janice Dupré, Lowe’s executive vice president of human resources and president of the Lowe’s Foundation, said the organisation has spent the past three years building partnerships among educators, workforce organisations and local communities. She argued that collaboration, rather than funding alone, will help close the skilled trades gap and strengthen America’s workforce.
Several colleges will use the grants to broaden existing programmes while opening new training opportunities. Miami Dade College, for example, will establish a second Construction Trades Institute site at its Homestead Campus, while Houston City College will expand neighbourhood-based training supported by employer partnerships and student services.
Other institutions will focus on regional workforce needs through specialised programmes. Meanwhile, Dixie Technical College will strengthen training for Utah’s expanding infrastructure and data centre industries, with Northeast Iowa Community College planning to build a new electrical training laboratory.
Investment supports long-term workforce goals
The new awards increase the Lowe’s Foundation’s investment in skilled trades education to more than $60 million since 2023. The grants also form part of the foundation’s broader $250 million commitment to train and develop 250,000 skilled trades professionals by 2035.
The initiative combines financial support with networking opportunities, workforce partnerships and public awareness campaigns designed to encourage more people to pursue skilled trades careers. Consequently, the foundation hopes to strengthen the workforce pipeline as employers across the United States continue to report shortages of qualified electricians, plumbers, carpenters and HVAC technicians.
“Funding is just one part of the equation,” said Janice Dupré, President of Lowe’s Foundation. “Our greatest impact comes from bringing the entire ecosystem together.”
Across the US, several organizations are backing nonprofits focused on improving workforce depth. Early in the year, DefyVentures received $1 million from Smart Recruiters to reintegrate justice-impacted individuals into the workforce.