Helmets to Hardhats (H2H) announced over $999,000 in support through BlackRock Future Builders, a national philanthropic initiative funded by The BlackRock Foundation to train and support 50,000 American workers as they pursue careers in the skilled trades. BlackRock Future Builders is designed to help meet the country’s growing demand for skilled workers while expanding access to careers that can provide pathways to lasting financial security.
The grant will help Helmets to Hardhats connect more transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard members and Reservists with registered apprenticeships and employment in the construction trades. Funding will support three dedicated case managers serving 14 states across the Midwest and Ohio Valley, providing individualized career guidance and connecting participants with opportunities through a network of more than 500 affiliated training centers. The expansion will help meet the growing demand for construction workers driven by infrastructure investment while supporting participants as they translate their military experience into civilian careers.
H2H is one of 15 organizations to be selected from more than 1,000 applications for grants nationwide. BlackRock Future Builders partnered with Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national nonprofit with workforce development expertise, to support the application review process.
The broader BlackRock Future Builders initiative launched in March 2026 as a $100 million, five-year philanthropic effort. Through its first national RFP, the organization has expanded into new communities across the U.S. and is supporting other organizations in over a dozen skilled trades.
About H2H/CMRAVE: Helmets to Hardhats (H2H) is a national program that connects veterans, transitioning active-duty military service members, National Guard, and Reservists with skilled training and quality career opportunities in the construction industry. The program was created by the Center for Military Recruitment, Assessment, and Veterans Employment, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, joint labor-management driven entity. The program is designed to help military service members successfully transition back into civilian life by offering them the means to secure a quality career in the construction industry. Over the last twenty years, Helmets to Hardhats has built a solid network of relationships and communication lines that are unique and invaluable to our nation’s veterans, transitioning active-duty service members, National Guard, and Reservists. In this time, H2H has helped over 42,000 military service members find quality careers and training in the construction industry.
https://www.helmetstohardhats.org/
