Frontline Gig Secures $250,000 Investment from Richard King Mellon Foundation to Build Pathways for Green Economy Careers and Accelerate Community Impact

Funding helps close the gap between investment and action by removing barriers for untapped talent in Pittsburgh and beyond

BALTIMORE, Sept. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Frontline Gig, the workforce technology company turning clean energy and community resilience projects into paid on-ramps to careers, today announced a $250,000 social-impact investment from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. This pre-seed financing will enable Frontline to expand its model for staffing funded projects and turning them into workforce pathways for local residents who are underemployed, new to the trades, or may not yet see themselves as candidates for green-economy careers.

Frontline has engaged more than 1,000 people across its platform through paid field experiences and other workforce pathways. In Pittsburgh, the company is putting this model to work through community resilience projects that help neighborhoods withstand climate impacts and maintain essential infrastructure. Working alongside training providers and workforce organizations, Frontline activates talent through trusted community leaders and gives participants paid opportunities to demonstrate their readiness through hands-on project work.

By integrating supervised trainees into appropriately scoped work, Frontline has demonstrated estimated project cost savings of up to 37% while giving participants the skills and verified experience needed to pursue longer-term opportunities. The company will build on that foundation as it prepares to expand to New York City and New Orleans in early 2027.

“Climate resilience can’t just be measured by what we fund or build. We need to also focus on our ability to develop the skills, capacity and economic opportunity that will create sustainable change,” said Dr. Kala Fleming, founder and CEO of Frontline Gig. “By bringing communities and project leaders together, we’re building the local workforce needed to turn funded plans into action and closing the gap between investment and implementation for important environmental initiatives. Support from the Richard King Mellon Foundation will help us advance this mission in Pittsburgh and beyond.”

The last-mile gap between funding and executing initiatives is becoming more urgent as demand for the skilled workers needed to build and maintain climate-ready infrastructure grows. For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the economy will add 75,900 electrician jobs and 48,200 heating, air conditioning and refrigeration jobs between 2025 and 2035. But employers are already struggling to find qualified people, and the U.S. Department of Energy reports that 89% of construction employers in the transmission, distribution and storage sector are experiencing difficulty hiring.

“Funding and technology alone cannot complete a project,” continued Dr. Fleming. “We still need people to assess buildings, install and maintain equipment, manage vegetation, document neighborhood conditions and engage residents. Closing this last-mile gap requires investing in workforce infrastructure alongside physical and technological infrastructure and Frontline has the model and technology to help make that happen.”

Frontline works with contractors, public agencies, utilities, housing authorities, and workforce and community organizations to recruit local talent for hands-on opportunities that address current staffing shortages while helping to prepare a future workforce. By adding short, paid field experiences to existing training and workforce programs, Frontline gives participants opportunities to apply what they learn while helping employers identify who is ready to take on increasingly advanced work. Some of Frontline’s partners to date have included Dream.Org, American Forests, Gitlab Foundation, the City of Pittsburgh’s Forestry Division and the Braddock, Pennsylvania Borough Council.

This financing will support the growth of the Frontline Talent Marketplace which provides job seekers with access to paid opportunities, training and green-economy pathways. It will also support development of CrewUp by Frontline, a tool to help trusted leaders and growing businesses activate people in their networks, organize small teams around real projects, and guide talent through the preparation, participation, and follow-up needed to keep progressing. Across Frontline’s platform, AI-supported guidance helps participants prepare for projects, reflect on their experiences and identify their next steps.

The Richard King Mellon Foundation’s investment in Frontline Gig is made through its Social-Impact Investment Program, through which the Foundation invests in for-profit startups with a social mission aligned with its philanthropic strategy. The Foundation has invested more than $32 million in impact-focused companies through the program.

To learn more about Frontline Gig, visit frontlinegig.com.

About Frontline Gig
Frontline Gig is the workforce technology company turning local energy and resilience projects into paid on-ramps for careers in the green economy. Frontline closes gaps in staffing for funded projects while helping people gain experience and advance into training, certifications, jobs and leadership opportunities. The company works with contractors, public agencies, utilities, housing authorities, and workforce and community organizations to build local capacity while moving critical projects forward. For more information, visit www.frontlinegig.com.

About the Richard King Mellon Foundation
Founded in 1947, the Richard King Mellon Foundation is the largest foundation in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and one of the 50 largest in the world. The Foundation's 2025 year-end net assets were $3.3 billion, and its Trustees in 2025 disbursed more than $167 million in grants and program-related investments. The Foundation focuses its funding on six primary program areas, delineated in its 2021-2030 Strategic Plan.

Media Contact
Marketbridge for Frontline Gig
RKMF@marketbridge.com