The Walton Family Foundation’s 2025 Strategy prioritizes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as one of three unifying goals that shape our approach to philanthropy.

What do we mean by that?

In the grants we make and the collective work we undertake, we will consistently act on our conviction that when people with different ideas and backgrounds are all at the table, this collective and inclusive effort yields more sustainable and innovative solutions.

Why is DEI so vital to the success of our strategy?

• Diversity, equity and inclusion is a catalyst for innovation, creativity and enhanced problem-solving at the Walton Family Foundation because it embraces and celebrates our differences – then puts them to work by using our unique insights and experiences to solve global challenges.
• To achieve lasting change, solutions must be driven by the voices and needs of people in the communities where we work. Our strategy prioritizes diversity, equity and inclusion because we know that too many people are excluded from decisions that directly impact their lives.
• Underrepresented communities and communities of color, for example, often face the first and worst impacts of problems like education inequity and environmental degradation. For philanthropy to be effective – and retain the trust of the people it serves – its work must be inclusive of those with the most at stake, and those who have been historically impacted.

What principles guide the foundation’s diversity, equity, and inclusion work?

• We will align, embed and amplify DEI internally and across all program areas.
• We will align our giving with DEI practices that ensure fair and equitable access to funding and use culturally responsive evaluation to measure success.
• We will embed strategic learning in our work and advance an organizational culture that shares knowledge internally & externally.
• We will amplify by using strategic communications as a tool to maximize the impact of our work and to elevate and connect the work of grantees.

How will we bring our DEI vision to life?

Starting internally with a commitment from leadership, we will engage associates in the principles of DEI, engage our grantees and build new partnerships, coalitions and communities that embrace DEI as key to their mission.

We will strive throughout our work to continually and intentionally:

• Engage and elevate organizations from a diverse range of backgrounds.
• Ensure our approach is clear, fair and consistent for every grantee.
• Encourage our partners to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion within their organizations.

Internally, the foundation will:

• Embrace a culture committed to continuous learning that recognizes and values differences.
• Create an environment of respect and connection to learn from the richness of identities, experiences, and perspectives.
• Ensure fair access for all to opportunities for growth and advancement.
• Continue to commit to continuous learning

What steps have we taken to advance DEI practices?

• Convened a DEI Practitioners in Philanthropy working group.
• Added DEI language to foundation job posting descriptions.
• Created guidelines for inclusive communications practices.
• Hold monthly lunch and learns that aims to provide continued learning around DEI-related topics for all staff.
• Adopted inclusive vendor guidelines and launched inclusive vendor guides.
• Launched a grantee diversity survey in 2021.
• Held quarterly DEI-focused grantee roundtables.
• Prioritized learnings and sharings through Culturally Responsive Evaluation (SLED), Effective Grantmaking Advisory Group and Community-Driven Change and DEI Advisory Group.
• Increased accessibility for our internal and external events and programs, including optional closed captioning and transcript views and ASL interpretation.
• Created a summer internship program in partnership with the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, a Historically Black University.
• Created five internal DEI working groups that worked across WEI/WFF to identify areas of opportunity and development.
• Joined a DEI Leaders in NW Arkansas group to share and learn good DEI practices.
• Conducted an inclusive communications audit.
• Increased our participation in DEI surveys in the sector.