The top grant in GM's new round for nonprofits training veterans and military families for skilled trades.
General Motors has opened a grant round aimed at the classrooms behind the assembly line. The Stars, Stripes, and Skilled Trades initiative will fund up to 12 nonprofit programs with grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each, all to move transitioning service members, veterans, and military families into manufacturing and skilled trades careers. Applications close September 30, and the selected programs will be announced this fall.
GM says it will prioritize proposals from nonprofits working in communities connected to its facilities. For Detroit-area organizations, that puts the city close to the front of the line.
"Every trade starts with someone willing to teach it."
The company is building on work already underway. GM employs about 5,000 veterans, and its Shifting Gears program has trained more than 1,000 transitioning service members. It has committed $50 million to STEAM education for 2026 and lifted its workforce development grants to $15 million.
Those numbers matter because training programs are usually small, local, and stretched thin. A grant in this range can carry a program for a full year: instructors, tools, certifications, and the placement work that turns a graduate into a paycheck.
The Details
- Grant size$100,000 to $500,000
- Programs fundedUp to 12 nonprofits
- FocusVeterans, service members, and military families entering manufacturing and skilled trades
- PriorityNonprofits in communities connected to GM facilities
- DeadlineSeptember 30, 2026
- DecisionsAnnounced fall 2026
Confirm eligibility and how to submit through GM's official channels before applying.
This is the unglamorous groundwork ANF loves to see. Detroit's reputation was built by people who could make things. The pipeline that keeps that true runs through small organizations that teach, mentor, and place people, and they rarely get the spotlight. If you run one, apply. If you know someone who does, send this to them today.
The Motor City was built by hands. Somebody has to teach the next pair.
