
K-12 Education
Expanding access to a high-quality education for a lifetime of opportunity
Investing in Cities: A focused approach for the greatest impact
The Walton Family Foundation is investing in cities where we can have the greatest impact on the most students, because there are opportunities for educational improvement citywide.
These include: Atlanta, Boston, Camden, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Memphis, New Orleans, New York, Oakland, San Antonio and Washington, D.C.
We are also supporting state-level policy work in Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.
We believe that overwhelming parent demand for the creation and growth of high-quality, autonomous schools will spur improvements across all schools in a given city.
City-Level Investments Include Grants Focused On:
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Supply: Creating and growing high-quality schools of all types that that transform the lives of children, especially those from low-income communities
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Talent: Recruiting, training and supporting educators who work tirelessly to put the needs of children first;
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Enabling Choice: Developing resources that make it easier for parents access to high-quality options, whether in charter, traditional public or in private schools;
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Policy: Advocating for policies that support the growth of great schools and allow more resources to support excellence in teaching and learning;
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Community Support: Organizing, communicating and engaging directly with people who live and work in cities to understand their needs and build authentic community partnerships.

Our Approach
We have a three-sector approach: supporting charter schools that promise to provide high-quality options, partnering with traditional school districts to create autonomous schools, and supporting private schools serving low-income students that have access to public dollars and are prepared to be transparent and held accountable for student performance.
There is an increasing demand to cultivate a new generation of education leaders and entrepreneurs with the interest, knowledge and skills to develop different types of schools to meet every child’s unique needs. We are listening to parents and community leaders in the cities in which we work, and supporting organizations that ensure their voices influence decisions made about their schools.
The foundation believes that aligned community organizations—such as those focused on parent information, universal enrollment and transportation—are critical to making a difference for children. In a city with a growing number of options and school choices, parents need accessible and dependable supports that make it easier to secure the best school for their child.
There is an increasing demand to cultivate a new generation of education leaders and entrepreneurs with the interest, knowledge and skills to develop different types of schools to meet every child’s unique needs. We are listening to parents and community leaders in the cities in which we work, and supporting organizations that ensure their voices influence decisions made about their schools.
The foundation believes that aligned community organizations—such as those focused on parent information, universal enrollment and transportation—are critical to making a difference for children. In a city with a growing number of options and school choices, parents need accessible and dependable supports that make it easier to secure the best school for their child.
Key Grantees Include:
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National Alliance for Public Charter SchoolsNational Alliance for Public Charter Schools
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Alliance for School ChoiceAlliance for School Choice
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GreatSchoolsGreatSchools
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Memphis LiftMemphis Lift
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Urban League of Greater New OrleansUrban League of Greater New Orleans
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California Charter School AssociationCalifornia Charter School Association
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Colorado SucceedsColorado Succeeds
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New school startups in cities through our Public Charter Startup Grant ProgramNew school startups in cities through our Public Charter Startup Grant Program