BlackRock Future Builders has awarded more than $13 million in grants to 15 organizations that will help more than 5,400 people across 26 states prepare for careers in skilled trades.
These awards are the first grants from BlackRock Future Builders’ $25 million national Request for Proposals and expand the initiative into more than a dozen high-demand trades. The program is part of BlackRock’s broader $100 million philanthropic initiative to train and support 50,000 American workers over the next five years.
The grants will support programs that prepare workers for careers in electrical work, construction, HVAC, welding, plumbing, pipefitting, heavy equipment operation, and other infrastructure-related occupations.
BlackRock said the selected organizations represent a range of approaches to strengthening skilled trades pathways, including programs serving women, veterans, formerly incarcerated individuals and tribal communities. Recipients include labor union training centers, union-affiliated organizations, colleges and universities, chambers of commerce, workforce intermediaries and community-based nonprofits.
The programs will expand apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship opportunities, introduce more young people to skilled-trades careers, and help participants gain hands-on training and industry-recognized credentials.
The national RFP attracted more than 1,000 applications after launching in June. BlackRock Future Builders worked with Jobs for the Future, a national nonprofit specializing in workforce development, to support the application review process.
The 15 recipients are Canton Electrical JATC in Ohio; Goodwill Arkansas; Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA; Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Florida; Heavy Metal Summer Experience; Helmets to Hardhats; Iron Workers International in Texas; Louisiana Parole Project; Mitchell Technical College Foundation in South Dakota and the surrounding region; National Veterans Transition Services’ REBOOT program in California; NC Business Committee for Education in partnership with Careers Electric in North Carolina; Nontraditional Employment for Women in New York; The Regional Development Corporation in New Mexico; a California partnership involving The Sacramento Area Electrical JATC, Alameda County Electrical JATC and San Joaquin Electrical Training Institute; and University at Buffalo Business & Entrepreneur Partnerships in New York.
The nationwide expansion follows the initial launch of BlackRock Future Builders in Texas earlier in 2026. The BlackRock Foundation previously committed $30 million over three years to help prepare more than 12,000 Texans for electrical careers.
BlackRock said the broader initiative is designed to connect workers with training, apprenticeships and employers while addressing demand for skilled workers needed to build and maintain infrastructure throughout the United States.
Through the new grants, BlackRock Future Builders is expanding beyond its initial focus in Texas and supporting workforce development organizations operating across multiple regions, populations and skilled trades.
KEY QUOTE:
“America has enormous demand for skilled trades workers who can build and maintain what our country depends on, and these can be great jobs for millions of Americans. With BlackRock Future Builders, we’re investing in organizations that know how to turn that opportunity into lasting careers: helping people get the training they need and connecting them with employers who need their skills. These grants will bring that work to more communities and more trades across the country.”
Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock
