Executive Director Caryl M. Stern delivers the opening keynote at Learning & Leading Together: The Next Five Years

2020 marked the anniversary of two historically seismic and unprecedented disasters that forever changed the city of New Orleans - Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf oil spill.

Sanford Johnson, Mississippi Executive Director of Teach Plus, delivers a keynote address at Learning & Leading Together: The Next Five Years.

With an enduring commitment to continual improvement, we are given a fresh opportunity to learn from our grantees in the field and multiply our collective impact through bold and collaborative work.

We believe tomorrow’s solutions start with progress today. We find hope in progress to preserve rivers and oceans and the communities they support – sustaining nature because nature sustains us.

We know what’s possible when big ideas take flight, when opportunity and potential form a foundation of hope. The Walton Family Foundation celebrates the people and communities that are making our home region more vibrant, diverse and alive with possibility.

The Walton Family Foundation supports the parents, educators, leaders and innovators who are building better futures for their students and communities – so every child can reach their full potential.

At the Walton Family Foundation, we believe lasting change starts with the people and communities closest to the challenges. Big social and environmental change takes time. Sometimes generations. That’s why we’re in this for the long haul. We celebrate the achievements of the past five years, working side by side with innovators, leaders and communities.

By building hundreds of miles of mountain biking and multi-use trails, Northwest Arkansas has created a close-knit community of users committed to increasing access to recreation for all and preserving the beauty of the region's open spaces.

The K-12 public charter school in Northwest Arkansas integrates the arts into core academic courses like science, math and literature, helping students make deeper connections to the material.

Everyone deserves an opportunity to succeed. No matter where you live. What you look like. Or how modest your beginnings. The Walton Family Foundation believes in the power of opportunity to transform lives. Build strong communities. And protect a natural world that sustains us all.

When the coronavirus forced cancellation of group rehearsals, members of the NWA Jazz All-Stars Youth Ensemble, including saxophonist Ian Taylor, pivoted to find new and creative ways to keep the band playing.

Museum curator Allison Glenn found a balance between her professional and personal life when she moved to Bentonville, Arkansas. She discovered a tight-knit community where people look out for one another.

Executive Director Caryl M. Stern shares her Big Idea as part of Aspen Ideas Festival 2020.

Ensuring all entrepreneurs have the opportunity to succeed is vital to a thriving economy. Less than 20% of venture capital is directed to the Heartland. In addition to this geographic disparity, less than 10% of all capital is invested in female and other underrepresented entrepreneurs. The Walton Family Foundation is focused on supporting initiatives that foster a culture of entrepreneurship in Northwest Arkansas.

At Thaden School in Bentonville, Arkansas, students learn in interactive classrooms and can take their education on a trajectory that lets them follow their passions. The Walton Family Foundation is working to ensure all students in the region receive a great education at a school that fits their individual needs.