Lowe's Foundation Gable Grants fund skilled trades training for adults at community and technical colleges and community-based nonprofits. K-12 schools, high schools and K-12 career and technical education programs can't apply. If you're looking for money for hands-on STEM, coding or robotics in a K-12 classroom, skip to the grants that do fund schools.
What Gable Grants fund
The Lowe's Foundation started Gable Grants in 2023 as a five-year, $50 million commitment to train skilled tradespeople. Grants support post-secondary programs for adults in trades such as carpentry and construction, electrical, HVAC, plumbing and appliance repair.
- Community and technical colleges apply in an open window each spring. In 2025, it ran March 1 to 31.
- Community-based and national nonprofits apply by invitation only. In 2025, those windows ran in August and September.
- Awards range from $100,000 to $1,000,000, based on need.
Can a K-12 school use a Gable Grant?
Not directly. The Lowe's Foundation's guidelines say high schools and K-12 career and technical education programs aren't eligible because the grants target adult programs. Your district can still partner with a local college or nonprofit that holds a Gable Grant, but the grant won't pay for K-12 classroom equipment or materials.
Grants that do fund K-12 STEM and coding
If your goal is hands-on, career-connected learning for K-12 students, these sources fund schools directly:
- Toshiba America Foundation: up to $1,000 for K-5 classrooms and up to $5,000 or more for grades 6-12 STEM projects.
- Perkins V career and technical education funds, managed by your state, which can support career exploration and technical skills in the middle and high school grades.
- State and federal funding for AI and computer science, organized by state.
Career-connected learning with Forward Education
The Coding for Good Kit gives students in grades 3-12 plug-and-play sensors, servos, a water pump and building blocks to engineer solutions to real-world problems. Every lesson includes a career profile, like the Forestry Technician in our wildfire detection lesson, so students see the jobs behind the skills they're building. Teachers get timing, standards, an assessment and Use, Modify and Create paths in every lesson, which makes it easy to write the project plan a grant asks for.
Frequently asked questions
Can K-12 schools apply for Lowe's Foundation Gable Grants?
No. Gable Grants go to community and technical colleges and nonprofits that train adults in the skilled trades. High schools and K-12 career and technical education programs aren't eligible.
How much do Gable Grants award?
Awards range from $100,000 to $1,000,000, based on need.
When can colleges apply?
Community and technical colleges apply in a spring window (March 1 to 31 in 2025). Nonprofits apply by invitation. Check the Lowe's Foundation website for the current cycle.
What can K-12 schools apply for instead?
Classroom grants such as the Toshiba America Foundation, plus state and federal programs for STEM, computer science and career and technical education. Our grant team can help you find what's open in your state.
Source: Lowe's Foundation, Gable Grants FAQs (2025) and Lowe's Foundation website, checked November 1, 2026.
