Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation
/OVERVIEW: This funder supports healthcare and education in Arkansas. To a lesser extent, it supports nonprofits in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri as well. It accepts unsolicited grant applications during two time periods each year.
FUNDING AREAS: Healthcare and education
IP TAKE: This foundation is a family-run affair, but its matriarch passed away not long ago. Arkansas nonprofits should keep an eye on Walker to see if any changes take place with the current staff, board, or funding strategy.
PROFILE: Based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation is an independent funder that supports nonprofits in Arkansas. The foundation was established in 2003 and funded in 2004 after assets were transferred from the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation Trust. Like many locally focused family foundations, the heirs seek to honor the legacy of the founders with ongoing grantmaking. Pat Walker passed away in September 2016.
Raised during the Great Depression, Willard and Pat Walker earned a fortune as early investors in Wal-Mart. The couple’s priority was support for healthcare and education, which remain the foundation's funding priorities. The Walkers gave a large sum to the Walker Student Center and Bill George Arena and established an endowed scholarship for the Biblical Studies division. The endowment was established as part of a $10 million challenge and increased as part of the $20 million challenge.
One of the foundation’s funding priorities is increased access to healthcare and education in the state. It also supports preparing students to become youth ministers, family counselors, advocacy workers, chaplains, pastors, and international relief workers. The foundation and Walker family have also consistently supported the University of Arkansas and Razorback athletics. Other past grantees include: Northwest Arkansas Community College, John Brown University, Brandon Burlsworth Foundation, Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas, Ozark Guidance Center, Circle of Life Hospice, The Jones Center for Families, the Fayetteville Public Library, the Springdale Public Library, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Arkansas Children’s Hospital received $25 million in 2023.
Grant seekers can access current grant guidelines on the funder’s website. Grantmaking is typically restricted to Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas. The foundation’s board is mostly composed of family members. It typically reviews requests from January 15 to March 1 for spring/summer funding, and August 15 to October 1 for fall/winter funding.
At the end of a recent year, the foundation had over $35 million in assets and had given out over $3.4 million in charitable contributions. Many grants range between $1,000 and $10,000. Many groups in Fayetteville, Little Rock, Springdale, and Bentonville have benefited from Walker grants.
PEOPLE:
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