Harbor Freight Tools for Schools

What Harbor Freight Tools for Schools does

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a U.S. nonprofit grantmaking foundation — a program of The Smidt Foundation, established in 2017 by Eric Smidt, the owner and founder of Harbor Freight Tools. The organization is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and its mission is to advance excellent skilled trades education in U.S. public high schools. Its flagship product is the annual Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, which awards $2 million in cash prizes to 25 outstanding public high school skilled trades teachers and their programs each year (increased from $1.5 million for the 10th anniversary in 2026); grand prize winners receive $100,000 and additional winners receive $75,000. Beyond the prize, the portfolio includes the Let's Build It annual four-day teacher convening, the Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative (with Big Picture Learning) connecting students to industry mentors and apprenticeships, the Harbor Freight Leadership Lab (with Bendable Labs) for sector leadership development, Pilot Projects and Better Together community-impact grants, and the Los Angeles County Skilled Trades Summers program serving 820+ students across 11 sites in 2026.

The organization's revenue model is philanthropic rather than commercial: it is funded primarily by The Smidt Foundation and supplemented by Harbor Freight Tools corporate support. It does not sell products or services to customers; it distributes cash prizes, grants, and programmatic support to skilled trades teachers, public high schools, and nonprofit partners through annual application cycles and strategic partnerships. Beneficiary segments include (1) skilled trades teachers in U.S. public high schools (the primary segment, served by the prize and Let's Build It), (2) U.S. public high school students (served through LA County programs and SkillsUSA scholarships), and (3) nonprofit grantee organizations advancing skilled trades education. Operating geographies are limited to the United States, with deep concentration in Los Angeles County. As of 2026, more than $12 million has been awarded to more than 200 teachers since the program's 2017 founding.

Name

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools

Legal name

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, LLC

Website

https://hftforschools.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a nonprofit grantmaking foundation of The Smidt Foundation that awards annual cash prizes to U.S. public high school skilled trades teachers and runs the LA County Skilled Trades Summers program, serving teachers, students, and education nonprofits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Philanthropy / Skilled Trades Education Grantmaking

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Apprenticeship Training (611513), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Grantmaking Agencies & Education Program Grants Administration (EDADAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs (BPACANAK), Instructional Equipment & Classroom Tools (Whiteboards, Lab Kits, Manipulatives) (EDAEAIAB)

Keywords

• Skilled trades education
• Teacher prize programs
• Education philanthropy
• Workforce development grants
• Nonprofit grantmaking

Headquarters

HQ city

Calabasas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic funding from The Smidt Foundation: Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a program of The Smidt Foundation, established by Harbor Freight Tools owner and founder Eric Smidt. The Smidt Foundation provides funding to advance excellent skilled trades education in U.S. public high schools.
2. Harbor Freight Tools corporate support: Harbor Freight Tools is also a major supporter of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, providing additional operational and programmatic support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a grantmaking foundation that awards cash prizes and grants to support excellent skilled trades education in U.S. public high schools. Its flagship offering is the annual Prize for Teaching Excellence, which distributes $2 million to 25 outstanding teachers and their programs, complemented by an annual teacher convening (Let's Build It), LA County student summer training programs, fellowships, leadership development, and community-impact grants.

Product overview

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a grantmaking and advocacy foundation focused on advancing excellent skilled trades education in U.S. public high schools. The organization's flagship product is the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence®, an annual award program distributing $2 million to 25 outstanding skilled trades teachers. Beyond the prize, the portfolio includes the Let's Build It® convening for prizewinning teachers, The Toolkit® monthly newsletter, the Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative® connecting students with mentors, and the Harbor Freight Leadership Lab® for sector leadership development. Regional programming includes Los Angeles County Skilled Trades Summers, while grant programs encompass Pilot Projects and Better Together community-impact grants. All programs are administered through The Smidt Foundation established by Harbor Freight Tools founder Eric Smidt.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence®: Annual award recognizing outstanding skilled trades teachers in U.S. public high schools with $2 million in cash prizes awarded to 25 teachers and their programs
• Let's Build It®
• The Toolkit®
• Harbor Freight Leadership Lab®
• Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative®

Products and services

• Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence Annual award program recognizing outstanding skilled trades teachers in U.S. public high schools. Awards $2 million annually to 25 teachers and their programs. Five grand prize winners receive $100,000 ($30,000 to teacher, $70,000 to program); 20 additional winners receive $75,000 ($25,000 to teacher, $50,000 to program). Applications open in March with winners announced in October.
• Let's Build It Four-day annual summer convening of prizewinning teachers designed to produce inventive ideas to advance high school skilled trades education, offering reflection, relationship-building, and leadership development.
• The Toolkit Newsletter Monthly e-newsletter providing updates on skilled trades education, research findings, prize announcements, and organizational news to subscribers.
• Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative Initiative connecting students with industry mentors and paid apprenticeships in the skilled trades, designed to boost the number and effectiveness of skilled trades education leaders. Operated through partnership with Big Picture Learning.
• Harbor Freight Leadership Lab Partnership with Bendable Labs bringing together leaders from public, private, union, and nonprofit sectors to identify strategies for elevating skilled trades education effectiveness.
• Los Angeles County Skilled Trades Summers Summer programs offering Los Angeles County high school students paid hands-on training and industry-based credentials in automotive tech, carpentry, construction, solar installation, and welding. In 2026, serves 820+ students across 11 programs.
• Pilot Projects Grants Grants enabling prizewinning teachers to test and develop new ideas for skilled trades education, creating minimum viable products that could grow and spread beyond a single classroom.
• Better Together Community-Impact Projects Community-impact grants inspiring skilled trades students to apply their knowledge and skills to address local community needs through student-led projects.
• SkillsUSA Support Program Travel scholarships for students attending the National Leadership & Skills Conference and cash prizes for skilled trades competition winners, supporting SkillsUSA which serves more than 330,000 students annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• Independent evaluation found dramatic impact on winning teachers and schools, including increased enrollment, donations and collaboration with local businesses
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• SkillsUSAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarbor Freight Tools for Schools funds travel scholarships for students attending the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference and provides cash prizes for skilled trades competition winners. SkillsUSA serves more than 330,000 students and alumni annually, with competitions at local, regional, and national levels.
• Big Picture LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBig Picture Learning created the Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative, which connects students with industry mentors and paid apprenticeships in the skilled trades. This initiative is designed to boost the number and effectiveness of skilled trades education leaders.
• Bendable LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Harbor Freight Leadership Lab is a partnership with Bendable Labs designed to boost the number and can-do effectiveness of leaders from the public, private, union and nonprofit sectors to deepen support for skilled trades education.
• CTE Foundation Sonoma CountysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarbor Freight Tools for Schools supports CTE Foundation Sonoma County in expanding programs throughout the region to align with economic and workforce development needs.
• PAYA (Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship works with Harbor Freight Leadership Lab to bring together leaders from across the skilled trades ecosystem to identify strategies to elevate the effectiveness of skilled trades education leaders.
• Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACTE provides stewardship of Round 1 judging for the Prize for Teaching Excellence. Tae Kang, Program Manager at Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, collaborates with ACTE on prize operations.
• Otis College of Art & Design/TGR Foundation (Tiger Woods Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew LA County program partner in 2026. TGR Foundation expands their program to year-round offerings in Westchester and surrounding communities as part of LA County Skilled Trades Summers.
• BRIDGE HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLA County program partner offering skilled trades training. In 2026, BRIDGE Housing will expand their program to year-round operations, serving Jordan Downs, Evermont, Watts & South L.A. communities.
• Pasadena City CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLA County program partner. In January 2026, Pasadena City College broke ground on the Construction Trades Lab as part of their Skills to Rebuild Initiative, expanding capacity to train students for fire-rebuild workforce needs.
• ACE YouthbuildcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLA County program partner located in Canoga Park, providing skilled trades training through the Los Angeles County Skilled Trades Summers program.
• Long Beach City CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLA County program partner offering skilled trades summer programs. Students can earn high school and college credit through these partnerships.
• Who Will Build Funders CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilanthropic collaborative supporting equitable and resilient recovery in the wake of the January 2025 Los Angeles fires. Estolano Advisors and LA Economic Development Corporation assessing workforce needs for the rebuild.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Skills Coalition: National advocacy organization advancing skills training and equitable workforce policy. Directly comparable as a peer organization focused on expanding skilled trades training access, employer engagement, and federal CTE/workforce policy.
• Bendable Labs: Operates the Harbor Freight Leadership Lab in partnership with Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. Comparable as a peer organization building leadership capacity across public, private, union, and nonprofit sectors to support CTE/skilled trades education.
• Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE): The leading national CTE advocacy and membership organization. ACTE provides stewardship of Round 1 judging for the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize, making it a close operational peer in promoting excellence and policy support for CTE/skilled trades in U.S. public schools.
• SkillsUSA: National nonprofit serving 330,000+ students annually in skilled trades and technical careers. Harbor Freight Tools for Schools directly funds SkillsUSA travel scholarships and competition prizes, and SkillsUSA is the most directly comparable peer in mission and target audience.
• TGR Foundation (Tiger Woods Foundation): Education nonprofit expanding into LA County skilled trades programming in 2026 as a new partner. Comparable as a youth-serving education foundation building workforce pathways in underserved LA communities.
• Big Picture Learning: Education nonprofit that operates the Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative connecting students with industry mentors and paid apprenticeships. Comparable as a CTE-focused nonprofit operating apprenticeship and work-based learning programs in U.S. public high schools.
• Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA): Initiative advancing high-quality youth apprenticeship pathways. Harbor Freight Tools for Schools works with PAYA via the Leadership Lab; comparable as a youth apprenticeship peer in the same skilled trades ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• ECMC Foundation: National education philanthropy focused on career and technical education, workforce development, and learner success. Comparable as a much larger-scale philanthropic peer advancing CTE and skilled trades pathways, with broader programmatic scope.
• The James Irvine Foundation: Major California-focused foundation with youth workforce and education funding priorities. Comparable as a regional incumbent foundation with overlapping interest in career-connected education and youth pathways in California.

Regional players

• CTE Foundation Sonoma County: Regional CTE foundation funded by Harbor Freight Tools for Schools to expand programs aligned with local workforce needs. Comparable as a regional grantmaking peer focused on expanding skilled trades access in a defined California geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HFTforSchools?lang=en
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqD6SXeu8g7IeCOTLGw7e8w
• Facebookfacebook.com/HFTforSchools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harbor-freight-tools-for-schools
• Instagraminstagram.com/hftforschools/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harbor Freight Tools for Schools