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Rooted in a legacy of giving

Preserving and improving quality of life

In Northwest Arkansas, we’ve discovered that by creating a great place for locals, we’ve made a destination for visitors. For three years running, U.S. News & World Report has ranked this region as one of the best places to live in the country, and it’s clear there’s a movement taking place in this corner of the world.

Walton Family Foundation investments are helping cement the area’s reputation as a national leader in arts and culture, entrepreneurship, education and access to green spaces.

Preserving a Sense of Place

Access to green space, vibrant downtowns, extensive networks of trails and paths and the highest level of design are part of what makes Northwest Arkansas so special.

The foundation works to preserve the unique character of our community and its natural and built environment through programs that:

Increase natural-surface trails and usage of natural amenities
Increase preserved and maintained public green space
Increase regional coordination of downtown revitalization and well-planned growth policies
Increase regional coordination of infrastructure and transportation networks
Increase the knowledge base of local leaders in urban planning approaches that preserve quality of life
Improve and protect water quality

A Leader in Arts and Cultural Amenities

Arts and culture are critical to a thriving community, and we aim to establish the region as a worldwide leader. We invest in efforts that strengthen arts and cultural programming to provide all residents access to nationally recognized visual and performing arts amenities. We work to:

Ensure continued operations of regional anchor arts and culture organizations
Increase attendance and exposure to supported amenities
Support a greater breadth of performing and visual arts opportunities
Increase national recognition of the region’s arts and cultural offerings

A Culture of Art and Artists

Finding opportunities for artistic freedom, expression and appreciation is at the heart of what makes Northwest Arkansas distinctly unique. Meet the artists, musicians, chefs and others making an impact on the local culture. Learn More

Coordinated Regional Economic Development

We encourage communities to collaborate on economic development to ensure long-term vitality of the region. We envision a region that fosters entrepreneurship, supports a diverse economy and that continues to grow and attract talent. To boost vitality, we invest in:

Increased regional coordination on economic development policy and projects
Developing a culture of entrepreneurship

World-Class Pre-K-12 Options

We support efforts to create world-class Pre-K-12 schools that not only rank at the top in the state, but that are also global leaders.

We invest in:

Providing funding assistance for best-in-class district, public charter and independent schools
Closing the achievement gap between students of differing race and socioeconomic status
Increasing advance placement academic program choice and innovation

Key Grantees