In celebration of International Women’s Day, family-owned premium workwear brand Carhartt announced the Spring 2023 recipients of its bi-annual “For the Love of Labor” grant program that dedicated this latest round of grants to award critical funding to organizations that work toward placing women in skilled positions.

After receiving hundreds of applications earlier this year, Carhartt is honored to award its Spring 2023 round of grants totaling $225,000 to seven U.S. nonprofit organizations that support women in the trades: ANEW, Building Pathways, Chicago Women in Trades, Nontraditional Employment for Women, Oregon Tradeswomen, Tradeswomen, Inc., and Vermont Works for Women. This year’s Spring 2023 grants are part of the brand’s ongoing commitment to empowering the next generation of America’s diverse workforce.

“Women are an important part of Carhartt’s history – and our future,” said Linda Hubbard, president and COO at Carhartt. “This round of grants means so much more to us than just funding. Advancing women and other diverse audiences is a fundamental part of our goal to create a more inclusive, equitable workforce and this grant program is just one way Carhartt is evolving to support the next generation of workers. By backing these like-minded organizations, we’re providing fulfilling job opportunities and helping pave the way for women who want to work with their hands.”

First introduced in in August 2022, Carhartt’s For the Love of Labor grant program was founded to support community-based nonprofit organizations that educate, train and place workers into meaningful skilled trade jobs that are critically needed across the country. With this round of grants focusing on supporting organizations that train women, following is overview of the organizations awarded grants for Spring 2023:

• ANEW (Tukwila, Wash.) – The oldest, continuously running pre-apprenticeship program in the nation, ANEW is committed to improving the access and advancement of women in non-traditional career pathways such as construction and manufacturing. 

• Building Pathways (Boston, Mass.) – Founded by the Greater Boston Building Trades Unions, Building Pathways is dedicated to the recruitment, retention and advancement of under-represented groups in the union building trades, including women, people of color, and other under-served communities. 

• Chicago Women in Trades (Chicago, Ill.) – Ensuring all women who want to work with their hands and earn a good living have equal access to information, training, and employment opportunities in the industry, Chicago Women in Trades has been supporting, advocating, and training women in the Chicagoland area for the past 40 years.

• Nontraditional Employment for Women (New York, N.Y.) – Through innovative training programs, Nontraditional Employment for Women prepares women for nontraditional careers that provide structured career pathways to the middle class and economic independence, ultimately enabling women to achieve economic self-sufficiency.
• Oregon Tradeswomen (Portland, Ore.) – Helping transform women’s lives by building community and putting women on a path to economic independence, Oregon Tradeswomen offers empowerment, training, career education, advocacy and leadership development in the skilled trades. 
• Tradeswomen, Inc. (Oakland, Calif.) – Founded in 1979, Tradeswomen, Inc. was one of California’s first organizations for women in the trades, and continues to be one of the most active and effective organizations in the nation focused exclusively on the needs of women in the skilled trades.

• Vermont Works for Women (Winooski, Vt.) – Working to promote economic justice, Vermont Works for Women is a statewide nonprofit that has been advancing gender equity and supporting women and youth at every stage of their career journeys since 1987. 

While applications are accepted year-round, the next formal call for submissions will be announced later this summer, with grants being awarded in celebration of Labor Day 2023. Eligible organizations must be a U.S.-based 501©3 designated organization in recognized apprenticeship industry¹ that has established programs serving at least 100 individuals annually. 

To learn more about the For the Love of Labor grant program and how Carhartt is working to build a better world, please visit carhartt.com/isc-hub or reach out to ForTheLoveOfLabor@Carhartt.com for additional information.

¹U.S. Department of Labor