Wend Collective
/OVERVIEW: The Wend Collective, co-led by James Walton, is not a traditional grantmaker. This organization makes strategic investments that pursue “pathways toward a better world.” So far, its work has prioritized climate change, recreation, youth development and social media policy.
IP TAKE: The Wend Collective is not a traditional grantmaker; it does not have a website or run grantmaking initiatives in specific areas of interest, preferring to conduct its work through targeted impact investing. This foundation is still in the early stages of its development, but it’s not clear what the future will hold. As with several other foundations run by Walton heirs, it secretive about its activities: it has no website to publish its past grants, no non-profit status to force it to report its grantmaking, and it even requests that its grantees keep the source of their funding anonymous. This is a far from accessible funder, as it has no publicly available website, contact information, or application process.
PROFILE: Based in Denver Colorado, the Wend Collective is a social impact fund that provides fundraising services, operating support, and project grants to organizations of interest to the Walton family. Co-led by James Walton, a member of the family behind the Walmart fortune and member of the board of trustees of the Walton Family Foundation, the collective appears to be in the earliest stages of development. The Wend Collective does not name specific grantmaking initiatives, and while it appears to employ a formal staff, there is no evidence of recent grantmaking. The collective appears to make large strategic investments in a range or projects that concern climate change, youth development, and social media policy.
Grants for Climate Change, Clean Energy, Racial Justice, Civic and Democracy
Rather than grantmaking, the collective appears to make strategic investments in promising projects. According to the real estate industry news outlet The Real Deal, in 2021 Wend purchased three camp facilities in Huguenot, New York for a price that was $2 million over market value from a YMCA-affiliated organization. According to the article, Wend suggested that it intended to “continue the camps’ longtime mission of serving disadvantaged youth.” An article in the Washington Post reported a donation to the newly launched Council for Responsible Social Media, which brings together “former U.S. lawmakers and federal officials, advocates, scholars, industry leaders and whistleblowers” to discuss the effect of social media on children’s mental health and national security. And according to MomentumMag, the Wend Collective collaborated with the nonprofit PeopleForBikes to install 300 miles of bike path networks in the cities of Austin, Denver, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Providence.
Important Grant Details:
Grants generally range from $25,000 to $250,000. Grantseekers may review the foundation’s tax filings for more information on its grantmaking habits.
The Wend Collective conducts grantmaking across the United States, but prioritizes the state of Colorado.
Wend does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding.
Grantees may reach out to the foundation at 479-464-1570 for inquiries about grant opportunities.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
CONTACT:
Wend Collective
Attn: James Walton
PO Box 1860
Bentonville, AR 72712-1860
United States
