Walmart donates $14.3 million to advance racial equity

Walmart and Walmart Foundation announced grants to 16 different nonprofit organizations that are tackling racial inequities in a variety of different ways.

The grants, which total $14.3 million, are part of a five-year $100 million commitment Walmart and the Walmart Foundation made last summer in the wake of the George Floyd killing to address racial disparities in the United States through a Center for Racial Equity.

The organizations receiving the first round of grants range a group that provides internet access and technology to children who are attending school remotely to one that is helping to educate communities of color about the COVID-19 vaccines.

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, the chain released its first-ever Culture, Diversity and Inclusion mid-year report, shifting from annual to twice per year. The retailer also announced it would be partnering with North Carolina A&T State University to launch a new program aimed at increasing the number of African American college graduates securing careers in fields critical to the nation’s workforce.

“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.  

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 

Among the 14 groups receiving the first round of grants are the Student Freedom Initiative, Harlem Children’s Zone, Association of Black Foundation Executives, Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center) and U.S. Vaccine Adoption Grants. Click here for a complete list.