Harbor Freight Tools for Schools for skilled trades education – May 20

Posted by Smidt Foundation on April 26, 2022

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools invites applications from skilled trades educators

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a program of the Smidt Foundation, established by Harbor Freight Tools’ owner and founder Eric Smidt, to advance excellent skilled trades education in United States public high schools.

Starting in 2017, the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence has recognized outstanding skilled trades teachers and programs in public high schools in the United States.

Educators who teach skilled trades classes that emphasize the expert use of tools and materials to build, repair, and maintain products and structures may apply. Most applicants will come from broad fields of trades education in public high schools that include agricultural mechanics, carpentry, construction, electrical, HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning), manufacturing, plumbing, transportation mechanics and repair, and welding. High school classes within these broad categories have a variety of names, focus areas, and sub-specialties. Past winners of the prize have taught green construction, marine systems technology, diesel mechanics, advanced manufacturing, and engineering. The common thread prize winners share is that their students work with their hands, using tools regularly throughout the study to build, repair, and maintain.

In 2022, the program will award $1.25 million in prizes overall. Five grand prize winners will receive $100,000, with $70,000 going to the public high school skilled trades program and $30,000 going to the eligible individual skilled trades teacher. In addition, 15 prize winners will each be awarded $50,000, with $35,000 going to the public high school skilled trades program and $15,000 going to the eligible individual skilled trades teacher. Applicants whose school, district, and/or state policy prohibits the receipt of the individual portion of prize earnings may still apply.

To be eligible, each applicant and prize recipient must be an active faculty member at a U.S. public high school in good standing who is not subject to any threatened, pending or active disciplinary proceedings or involuntary leave of absence with their school, district, or state education agencies or other authorities during the entire 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years.

Round one applications are due May 20, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. PT. Finalists will be announced on Monday, June 27, 2022, with round two applications due July 15, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. PT, and winners will be announced in October 2022.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools website.

Deadline: May 20, 2022 5:00 p.m. PT