Walmart announced the first grants from its Center on Racial Equity today, including $2 million to support LISC’s Project 10X strategy in Chicago, addressing racial gaps in health, wealth and opportunity. “Working together, we can fuel strategies that break down systemic barriers and help build a broadly shared prosperity throughout the country,” said LISC’s Maurice A. Jones.
The Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity Awards Over $14 Million in First Round of Grants
BENTONVILLE, Ark., Feb. 1, 2021 – Walmart and the Walmart Foundation pledged to contribute $100 million over five years through a Center for Racial Equity to help address racial disparities in the U.S. in June 2020. Today, Walmart announced that Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are distributing the first $14.3 million of that commitment in grants to 16 different nonprofit organizations.
“Walmart has made a commitment to advancing racial equity, finding areas where we, as a company, can best contribute our resources and expertise to change society’s systems that perpetuate racism and discrimination,” said Kirstie Sims, senior director of the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity. “We are excited to announce our initial investment to these deserving nonprofits that help advance racial equity through their organizations every day.”
The mission of the center is to complement and extend the societal impact of Walmart business initiatives to advance racial equity in the nation’s financial, health, criminal justice and education systems. The first grant distributions will be awarded to the following organizations, which focus on one or more of these areas:
Cross Cutting
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) ($2 million from Walmart) – LISC is a non-profit with strong community partnerships that connect hard-to-tap public and private resources with underinvested places and people. Since 1980, LISC’s Chicago office has focused on equitable development, ensuring every Chicago neighborhood and its residents have the opportunity to benefit from economic transformation by building community wealth. This investment will support LISC’s Chicago Project 10X work, a strategy to greatly advance racial equity across health, wealth and opportunity.
Read the full list of organizations here.
“When we address racial gaps in health, wealth and opportunity, we strengthen our communities and make our economy work better for everyone," said Maurice A. Jones, president and CEO of LISC. “That’s why innovative collaborations between business and philanthropy are so important, especially with partners like Walmart. Working together, we can fuel strategies that break down systemic barriers and help build a broadly shared prosperity throughout the country.”
Since making its pledge for racial equity in June 2020, Walmart has launched additional programs and announcements to foster progress both internally and externally. In September, Walmart released its first-ever Culture, Diversity and Inclusion mid-year report, shifting from annual to twice per year. Walmart also announced it would be partnering with North Carolina A&T State University, America’s largest and top-ranked HBCU, to launch the Equity in Education Initiative. The new program is aimed at increasing the number of African American college graduates securing careers in fields critical to the nation’s workforce.
In November, the retailer delivered on its commitment to invest in Chicago by opening two new Walmart Health centers that provide affordable and accessible healthcare for members of the Chicago community. The two new Walmart Health centers are part of Walmart’s commitment to rebuild and reopen four supercenters with an expanded service offering, including Walmart Academies for associate training and ongoing learning. In December, Walmart joined the One Ten Coalition, which is a group of American companies committed to upskill, hire and promote one million Black Americans over the next 10 years into family-sustaining jobs with opportunities for advancement.
For more information about the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity, please visit Center for Racial Equity. To learn more about Walmart’s progress towards diversity, equity and inclusion, visit https://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/diversity-equity-and-inclusion.
About Philanthropy at Walmart Walmart.org represents the philanthropic efforts of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. By leaning in where our business has unique strengths, we work to tackle key social issues and collaborate with others to spark long-lasting systemic change. To learn more, visit www.walmart.org or find us on Twitter @walmartorg.
About the Walmart.org
Center for Racial Equity The Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity was founded through a $100 million commitment over five years to address the drivers of systemic racism in society and accelerate change. The center’s initiatives will fund research, advocacy, innovation of practices and tools, stakeholder convening and non-profit capacity building with a focus on four systems: financial, healthcare, education and criminal justice. The mission of the center is to complement and extend the societal impact of Walmart business initiatives to advance racial equity within these four systems, and our work extends the overarching philanthropic work of Walmart.org. To learn more, visit Center for Racial Equity.