On Aug. 28, The Home Depot Foundation announced an incremental investment of more than $6 million in skilled trades training and launched new partnerships to address the nearly 400,000 job openings across the construction industry.

With these grants, the foundation’s Path to Pro program launched an entrepreneurship program and will provide free, skilled trades training and scholarships for veterans, military families, high school students, and separating service members.

The Home Depot Foundation is partnering with Bunker Labs to introduce an entrepreneurship program designed to guide U.S. military veterans and military spouses through the process of establishing a successful business foundation. During the 8-week program, participants will gain industry-specific mentorship, learn about market segmentation, how to address specific customer profiles and design a business plan for launch.

The foundation is also expanding its Path to Pro scholarship program with grants to SkillPointe Foundation, its partner since 2021, and through a new partnership with Folds of Honor. Military scholarships through Folds of Honor extend financial support to qualifying veterans and military family members entering or enrolled in accredited skilled trade schools.

“We’re expanding our current training programs and creating new avenues to steadily fill the country’s skilled labor gap with in-demand talent,” said The Home Depot Foundation’s Executive Director Shannon Gerber. “Diversifying our approach with additional entrepreneurship and scholarship programs helps ensure we’re reaching more communities with free training opportunities and creating sustainable change for the industry.”

The Home Depot Foundation also extended its grant to long-time partner Home Builders Institute to broaden its Path to Pro high school and military programs.