Milwaukee Tool Backs Bring Back The Trades Tool Grant Program
Key Highlights
- The program offers monthly grants of up to $1,500 to eligible schools and nonprofits across the U.S.
- Milwaukee Tool supplies professional-grade tool kits to support hands-on trade training through 2026.
- The initiative aims to address the $325.6 billion skilled trades gap by upgrading outdated equipment and expanding training resources.
RYE, New Hampshire — A new skilled trades grant program is launching nationwide to support workforce development and improve training resources for trade education programs.
Bring Back the Trades (BBTT), a nonprofit organization, announced the launch of its Tool Grant Program, which will provide monthly awards of up to $1,500 to public schools and community nonprofits across the United States. The program is supported by Milwaukee Tool, which will supply professional-grade tool kits through 2026.
According to Bring Back the Trades, the initiative is designed to address the skilled trades gap, estimated at $325.6 billion, by helping schools upgrade outdated equipment and expand hands-on training capabilities. Eligible applicants can apply on a rolling basis beginning in April 2026, with one organization selected each month.
The grants will fund tool kits tailored to specific trade programs, including plumbing, electrical, automotive, and carpentry. Equipment will be shipped directly to recipients for use in classrooms and technical training programs.
Milwaukee Tool stated that the program is intended to align training environments with modern jobsite conditions by providing students access to the same tools used in the field. The company said the approach can help improve skill development, safety practices, and workforce readiness.
Participating schools and organizations are expected to integrate the tools into training programs while emphasizing safety, maintenance, and craftsmanship standards. Applicants may reapply every six months and can receive an award once every three years.
Milwaukee Tool reported that it invests more than $10 million annually in training and education initiatives and supported more than 600 apprentice graduations in 2025. The company also donated more than $4.5 million in equipment to trade schools that year as part of a broader commitment to invest $200 million in the trades by 2030.
According to Bring Back the Trades, the grant program is intended to expand access to training resources, strengthen workforce pipelines, and better prepare students for careers in the skilled trades.
For more information, visit BBTT.org.