Where Opportunity Takes Root
The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. The children and grandchildren of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving K-12 education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta.
30 Years of Collaboration
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A Message from Executive Director Kyle PetersonHelen Walton had a favorite saying: "It's not what you gather in life, but what you scatter in life that tells the kind of life you have lived." That spirit of giving has guided the Walton Family Foundation in its philanthropy over the past three decades. Our vision is to live in a world where people can accomplish anything when they have opportunity and encouragement.
A Message from Executive Director Kyle Peterson -
Hope Grows from CollaborationThirty years ago, my grandparents started the Walton Family Foundation to encourage our family to come together to give back. A lot has changed over the past three decades – the foundation has grown and so has our family. Social and environmental problems intensify daily, and we live in a time of increasing uncertainty and decreasing trust. Our desire to create access to opportunity for people and communities is now more important than ever.
Who We Are
About the Walton Family Foundation
The foundation tackles tough social and environmental problems with urgency and a long-term approach. In this video, the children and grandchildren of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, share stories about the foundation’s origins and their commitment to the vision and values that guide its work.
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Family Voices: Where Opportunity Takes Root
Family Voices: Where Opportunity Takes Root -
Board of DirectorsThe Walton Family Foundation is led by the descendants of its
founders, Sam and Helen Walton.
Carrie Walton PennerBoard Chair
Alice WaltonBoard Member
Rob WaltonBoard Member
Lukas WaltonBoard Member
James WaltonBoard Member -
Our Values
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Alice Walton_Quote_Rooted
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Ben Walton_Family Quote_Active
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Family Quote_Carrie Walton Penner_Steady
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2017 Grants
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2017 Grants2017 Grants$535.5 million in grants awarded in 2017.
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K-12 Education ($192.7 million)
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Environment ($86 million)
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Home Region ($59.9 million)
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Special Projects ($196.9 million)
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Environment: $86 millionEnvironment: $86 million
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Oceans ($38.5 million)
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Colorado River ($21.5 million)
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Mississippi River ($12 million)
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Coastal Conservation ($12 million)
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Innovation & Research ($2 million)
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Home Region: $59.9 millionHome Region: $59.9 million
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Northwest Arkansas ($52.5 million))
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Delta Region ($6.8 million)
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Research and Evaluation ($0.6 million)
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K-12 Education: $192.7 millionK-12 Education: $192.7 million
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Investing in Cities ($100.9 million)
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High-Quality Schools ($73.8 million)
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Innovation ($11 million)
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Research & Evaluation ($7 million)
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Our Impact
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30 Years of ImpactNo one ever solved big problems by thinking small. Creating lasting change in society requires leaders driven by a spirit of innovation, a curiosity to explore what is possible and an urgent willingness to be bold where others are cautious. It’s how we seed success – it’s how opportunity takes root.2,235Number of School Startup Grants Awarded300fisheries certified as sustainable over the past 20 years164miles of Northwest Arkansas trails funded$6.2Btotal grantmaking since 19876,297number of grantees since 19873.5Macres of farmland under more sustainable agriculture practices in 2017$137Min economic benefits from bicycling in Northwest Arkansas in 201785,000acres of bottomland hardwood forests restored in lower Mississippi River basin since 20093.7MVisitors to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art since 201150%of New Orleans charter schools have significantly more positive reading gains than district peers
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MilestonesShow the timelineHide the timeline1987
Walton Family Foundation is established
1989Annual giving reaches
$1.4 million
Foundation awards its first public charter startup grant
1992Walton Arts Center opens in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Helen Walton and Billie Jo Starr - Opening Day at Walton Arts Center 1998Children’s Scholarship Fund is launched
Annual giving surpasses
$50 million
2002KIPP Delta opens its first school in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
Luke Van De Walle2003Annual giving exceeds
$100 million
2005$5.1 million
grant awarded to Marine Stewardship Council
unknown2006Annual giving reaches
$200 million
2007First mountain bike trails are built in Bentonville, Arkansas
2009First grant to a school district – Denver Public Schools – for high-quality schools
2010Foundation supports Washington, D.C. Public Schools IMPACT program
2011Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opens
2015Foundation staff grows to
75 people
Razorback Regional Greenway opens in Northwest Arkansas
2016Building Equity Initiative launches
Rawpixel/Getty Images/iStockphotoSchool Children Cheerful Variation Concept Walton Family Foundation governance changes to include a board chair and five board members
2017Foundation staff grows to
124 people
Emily McArthur Photography$2.1 million
invested in Atlanta Public Schools’ Turnaround Strategy
The Louisiana Coastal Master Plan is approved
Mexico, U.S. sign Minute 323, a new Colorado River water use agreement
Annual giving exceeds
$500 million
Environment
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Our Environment ProgramThe foundation’s environment work grew out of the Walton family’s strong connection to the outdoors. We focus on protecting oceans and rivers and the livelihoods they support, for the benefit of people and the environment.
Our Environment Program -
Sustaining a Healthy Environment and Healthy CommunitiesAt the Walton Family Foundation, we are working on finding solutions that sustain a healthy environment and healthy communities. We believe the key to systemic change comes through collaboration. In 2017, we witnessed what is possible when people, communities, businesses and governments work together.
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When Sandy Nguyen was growing up along the Gulf Coast in the 1990s, she remembers playing football on an open field in the fishing community of Buras, Louisiana. Today, that area is covered by water - evidence of the land loss crisis Sandy is working to stop.
In 2017, the United States and Mexico struck a nine-year deal, known as Minute 323, to increase water security for Colorado River users on both sides of the border. The signing of Minute 323 was a big win for the Colorado River, which faces an annual water deficit that threatens supply to almost 40 million people.
Home Region
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Our Home Region ProgramThe Walton family honors its history by building opportunity in its home region – because these are the communities where Sam and Helen Walton first found opportunity.
Our Home Region Program -
Rooted in a Legacy of GivingThe foundation’s roots in Northwest Arkansas and the Delta region of Arkansas and Mississippi run deep. We invest in bold ideas that improve quality of life and generate economic
opportunity for their residents.
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The Latinx Theatre Project is giving a new voice to the region’s growing immigrant community. The arts organization is reaching underserved audiences of color with entertaining, culturally relevant theater.
For the first time in its history, every member of Central High School’s graduating class was accepted to college. The accomplishment marked the realization of a goal not only for the students in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, but also for the Delta College Attainment Network.
K-12 Education
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Our K-12 Education ProgramThe Walton family believes the most important thing we can do to give young people the opportunity to succeed is to make sure they have a high-quality education that works for them. The foundation is committed to increasing access to great schools that can transform the lives of children, particularly those in low-income communities.
Our K-12 Education Program -
Helping Today’s Students Achieve a Better TomorrowGreat schools led by great teachers can transform children’s lives. The foundation’s K-12 Education program is guided by this fundamental belief. We embrace efforts to ensure all families can access high-quality school options, so that a great education — and the opportunities that enables — isn’t just for the lucky few.
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Jonathan Johnson knows what success looks like for his students at Rooted School in New Orleans. It’s not measured merely in higher test scores and graduation rates. It’s measured by a very specific outcome – each Rooted graduate is able to pursue and access every career and educational opportunity they want.
When Mariama Carson launched Global Preparatory Academy in 2016, it marked the culmination of years of hard work – and the realization of the Indianapolis educator’s dream to teach children in both English and Spanish.
