The Home Depot Foundation Helps Revitalize “Shop Class” with Nationwide Grants
As the skilled trades industry faces a massive retirement cliff over the next decade, The Home Depot Foundation is providing funding to help schools and skilled trades training organizations make the physical improvements they need to attract and retain the next generation of skilled tradespeople. The Foundation is now accepting applications for Path to Pro Education Grants from eligible programs in communities across the country. This initial $1 million investment fuels critical tool and resource upgrades for “shop classes,” empowering students to join the future construction workforce.
The expansion of the grant program to all 50 states builds upon last year’s pilot in Southern California, which funded training programs to support rebuilding efforts in the area following devastating wildfires.
“Twenty years ago, ‘shop class’ was all but phased out in favor of the traditional, four-year degree track,” said Erin Izen, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation. “Today, these programs are seeing a resurgence as students seek high-demand, debt-free paths to financial stability and career longevity. Our investment aims to help empower students to one day become their own bosses while also building a robust pipeline of skilled professionals for years to come.”
The Path to Pro Education Grants: Application and Eligibility Details
Part of Path to Pro, The Home Depot Foundation’s $50 million initiative to help fill the construction skilled labor gap, the Education Grants program is open to accredited K-12 schools, community and technical colleges, and nonprofit organizations with existing construction skilled trades programs.
Eligible organizations are invited to apply for grants of up to $10,000 to modernize training spaces or purchase tools and equipment to enhance their skilled construction trades training and certification offerings. Applications will be evaluated and selected for grants on a rolling basis.
Impacts of the Skilled Labor Gap
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. currently faces an estimated 300,000 open jobs across the construction industry, a labor gap that is expected to grow to more than 4.1 million over the next decade as 41% of the workforce nears retirement. This labor “bottleneck” is especially alarming for the housing industry, which already faces dual supply and affordability crises. A 2025 Home Builders Institute (HBI) and University of Denver study found it could cost the residential construction industry $10.8 billion due to lost productivity and longer build times. The shortage of houses is compounded by the fact that more than half of the nation’s existing homes are at least 40 years old, which will require skilled workers to help with maintenance and repairs.
New research from The Home Depot Foundation and Morning Consult found these shortages also hinder community resilience in the wake of natural disasters. 60% of professional contractors working on disaster-related projects report challenges with hiring skilled labor, and more than half of Americans rebuilding after a disaster say the process has taken longer than expected.
Supporting Construction Career Journeys through Path to Pro
The Home Depot Foundation’s Path to Pro program can help those interested in trades careers through every step of their journey, from sparking initial interest to changing careers and even building a lucrative business.
While many of the Foundation’s strategic partnerships focus on young learners and those embarking on their post-secondary training, these initiatives also extend to separating military members and veterans aspiring to be entrepreneurs. Since 2018, the program has introduced nearly 600,000 children, teens and adults to careers in the construction trades and certified more than 70,000 participants.
Along with the Foundation’s skilled training initiatives, The Hope Depot also offers a free online Skills Program and the Path to Pro Network, which now has a database of nearly 165,000 candidates seeking employment in the skilled trades.
For more information on how schools and organizations can apply for a grant, visit here.
About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation, a nonprofit supported by The Home Depot (NYSE: HD), works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, support communities impacted by natural disasters and train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $650 million in veteran causes and improved more than 70,000 veteran homes and facilities. The Foundation has pledged to invest $750 million in veteran causes by 2030 and $50 million in training the next generation of skilled tradespeople through the Path to Pro program by 2028. To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation visit HomeDepotFoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @HomeDepotFound and on Facebook and Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation.
About Path to Pro
In the U.S., there are an estimated 300,000 open construction jobs today, a number that is only growing. Through the Path to Pro Program, The Home Depot Foundation works with nonprofit partners to support free training opportunities and scholarships to introduce youth, underserved communities and separating U.S. military servicemembers to meaningful careers in plumbing, carpentry, electrical and HVAC. Additionally, The Home Depot connects skilled tradespeople to construction job openings and offers free, virtual classes on careers in the trades. For more information, visit PathtoPro.com.
