Walton Family Foundation Inc
Walton Family Foundation Inc is a family-led private foundation based in Bentonville, Arkansas. Established in 1987 by Sam and Helen Walton, it works to create access to opportunity through support for K-12 education, rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and its home region of an individual recipient and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta.
Walton Family Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Walton Family Foundation Inc gave $562.3M across 1,020 grants in 2024 (avg $551K), top state Arkansas. 18% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $562,330,265
- -12.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 1,020
- -9.2% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $551,304
- -3.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $200,000
- Total assets
- $6,143,971,109
- +7.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (124 of 699, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Arkansas (24% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Walton Family Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests, except from public charter school developers who meet the criteria for its an individual recipient Startup Grant Program. For other grants, organizations must first send a brief letter of inquiry describing the organization, proposed project, fit with a funding area and initiative, and estimated request. Staff review the inquiry and may invite a formal proposal and budget; applicants should not submit a formal proposal before receiving an invitation. An invitation does not guarantee funding.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 1860, Bentonville, AR 72712
Phone: (479) 464-1570
Website: https://waltonfamilyfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Walton Family Foundation Inc
Who Walton Family Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Town Branch Foundation ($35.6M). Together the top 10 received $177.9M.
Organizations only. It also paid 7 grants to individuals ($3,120,948), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
5,878 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 1,517 grants of 5,878 (26%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation identifies an individual recipient and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta as its home region. In 2024, the largest shares of itemized grant dollars by recipient state were Arkansas (24%), the District of Columbia (17%), California (12%), New York (12%), and Massachusetts (5%). The foundation also describes its work as protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 1,020 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Walton Family Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 124 of 699 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $622K; repeat grants $844K. How we count
Medians: $122K first-time, $250K repeat.
- 72% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−15%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 157% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $545.2M (2022) to $713.6M (2020). In 2024 it made 1,020 grants totaling $562.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Town Branch Foundation Bentonville, AR | To support the improvement and advancement of K-12 education. | $35,550,004 |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc New York, NY | To provide support for the Learning Engineer Virtual Institute, a new model for Education R&D designed to create technology-enabled solutions that can double the rate of low-income, middle school students' math learning. | $15,000,000 |
| 50CAN Inc Washington, DC | To Launch the State Implementation Fund, a project that will help governors and state education chiefs in 5 to 8 states implement education policy solutions required to address learning loss and improve student outcomes at scale within 2 to 3 years. | $13,300,000 |
| Charter Fund Inc Denver, CO | to support the creation and expansion of high-quality charter schools and charter management organizations nationally | $13,000,000 |
| Federation of American Scientists Washington, DC | To Expand and evaluate the Community Funding Accelerator. | $13,000,000 |
| New Venture Fund Washington, DC | To support a financing and technical assistance program that will allow high-quality nonprofit curriculum developers in literacy and science to enhance and scale their existing product lines. | $12,504,469 |
| Opera in the Ozarks Inc Eureka Springs, AR | To support the construction of a new opera theater building and faculty housing units and supporting infrastructure on the campus of Opera in the Ozarks. | $11,257,418 |
| NewSchools Venture Fund Oakland, CA | To serve as an intermediary for K-12 education leadership development organizations. | $10,000,000 |
| Arkansas Department of Parks Heritage and Tourism Little Rock, AR | to support the completion of The Delta Heritage Trail. | $9,844,587 |
| National Philanthropic Trust Jenkintown, PA | To support special charitable projects. | $9,702,517 |
Ready to take the next step with Walton Family Foundation Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $6,143,971,109 | $1,146,415,772 | $716,580,611 | $562,330,265 | 1,020 | $650,720,929 | $561,446,619 | $413,549,252 |
| 2023 | $5,714,135,948 | $872,237,914 | $801,215,799 | $641,316,726 | 1,123 | $732,997,281 | $295,795,809 | $349,226,165 |
| 2022 | $5,687,544,544 | $796,378,256 | $692,126,736 | $545,204,915 | 1,137 | $656,769,066 | $224,082,214 | $379,238,944 |
| 2021 | $5,583,293,024 | $1,484,598,263 | $789,890,392 | $665,077,388 | 1,194 | $616,726,187 | $926,053,950 | $363,706,007 |
| 2020 | $4,888,585,153 | $1,564,947,585 | $840,211,573 | $713,575,490 | 1,404 | — | $1,004,718,765 | $274,816,906 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Walton Family Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $413.5M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is to tackle tough social and environmental problems with urgency and a long-term approach to create access to opportunity for people and communities. Its three areas of work are strengthening the connection between K-12 education and lifelong opportunity, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and advancing quality of life in an individual recipient and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta.
Examples of 2024 grantees illustrate some of the organizations it supports. 50CAN describes its work as improving public education through state-based advocacy campaigns, fellowships, and support for education innovators. Charter Fund says it identifies public charter schools, funds their expansion, and helps increase their impact. Federation of American Scientists describes its work as bringing science, technology, innovation, and experience into government and public discourse. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported awarding $548.8 million in grants in 2024. Its 2024 itemized grant data lists 1,020 grants totaling $562,330,265; amounts ranged from $1,000 to $35,550,004, with a median of $200,000.
Among the largest itemized 2024 grants were $35,550,004 to Town Branch Foundation for K-12 education; $15 million to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors for an education research and development initiative; $13.3 million to 50CAN for a state education policy implementation project; and $13 million each to Charter Fund for charter-school creation and expansion and to Federation of American Scientists for the Community Funding Accelerator. Other large grants included $12,504,469 to New Venture Fund for a financing and technical-assistance program for literacy and science curriculum developers, and $9,844,587 to the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism to support completion of the Delta Heritage Trail.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
A Board of Directors composed of Walton family members governs the foundation, and each program is led by a committee of family members.
Walton Family Foundation Inc is led by Stephanie Cornell, Executive Director on every filing since 2023; 2 of 7 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Stephanie Cornell
Executive Director
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$445K (2023) → $783K (2024)
Alice Anne Proietti
Director
Director & Chairperson → Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carrie W. Penner
Director
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lukas T Walton
Director
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Thomas L Walton
Director
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christie Yang
Secretary & General Counsel
Secretary → Secretary & General Counsel, 2023
On filings since 2022
37 hrs/week
$364K (2022) → $446K (2024)
Brad Sikorski
Treasurer
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Caryl Stern (2022–2023) — Executive Director
- Former: Alice L Walton (2020) — Director
- Former: James M Walton (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $783K, to Stephanie Cornell (Executive Director). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Walton Family Foundation Inc
How much does Walton Family Foundation Inc give each year?
Walton Family Foundation Inc gave $562.3M across 1,020 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $641.3M across 1,123 grants.
What is Walton Family Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Walton Family Foundation Inc's median grant in 2024 was $200,000, and its average grant was $551,304, across 1,020 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Walton Family Foundation Inc that year got $622K on average.
Where does Walton Family Foundation Inc give grants?
Walton Family Foundation Inc's top state is Arkansas, with 24% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (17%) and California (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (136 grants), Bentonville, AR (86 grants), New York, NY (72 grants) and Little Rock, AR (44 grants).
Does Walton Family Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 13% of Walton Family Foundation Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (134 of 1,020) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "to support the Foresting the Future Program." (21 grants) and "To support accelerating emerging charter networks." (3 grants).
Who are Walton Family Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Walton Family Foundation Inc's largest 2024 grantees include Town Branch Foundation ($35,550,004), Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc ($21,527,247 across 6 grants) and New Venture Fund ($19,585,285 across 8 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 7 grants to individuals ($3,120,948), which are not listed by name. Together they received 14% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Walton Family Foundation Inc?
Walton Family Foundation Inc reported $6.1B in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $650.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $413.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Walton Family Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation’s mission is to tackle tough social and environmental problems with urgency and a long-term approach to create access to opportunity for people and communities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Walton Family Foundation Inc?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests, except from public charter school developers who meet the criteria for its an individual recipient Startup Grant Program. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Walton Family Foundation Inc's EIN?
Walton Family Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3441466. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Walton Family Foundation Inc accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Walton Family Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/walton-family-foundation-inc-morg_35b5b82d566447d388674b7e506607b7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133441466_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Walton Family Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/walton-family-foundation-inc-morg_35b5b82d566447d388674b7e506607b7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-08. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Walton Family Foundation Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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