National Giving Program Guidelines

The Walmart Foundation’s National Giving Program awards grants of $250,000 and above to nonprofit organizations implementing programs at multiple sites across the country. The Foundation may award grants through the National Giving Program which support the replication of a particularly innovative local or regional initiative at other sites around the country. National nonprofit organizations interested in applying for funding must first submit a letter of inquiry (LOI) that briefly outlines the program, the unmet need it addresses, the intended outcomes, the constituencies served, and the organization’s capacity to carry out the work. Please submit an LOI according to our LOI process.

Organizations that operate within their local community or on a state-wide basis may apply for funding through our State Giving Program by submitting an application online. Eligibility requirements and applications for the Walmart Foundation State Giving Program are available at: www.walmartfoundation.org/stategiving

Funding Priorities and Eligibility Requirements

The Walmart Foundation supports programs and initiatives in four main areas of focus:

Education – Addresses the educational needs of underserved young people ages 12 - 25. Examples include programs that re-engage students who have dropped out of high school, improve retention rates of first-generation college students, support teachers and promote adolescent literacy.

Workforce Development / Economic Opportunity – Provides job readiness and skills training as well as support services for workers with low to moderate skills. Examples include job placement and retention efforts, adult education, occupational training, training for English language learners (ELL), and wraparound services including career counseling, life skills, etc. A secondary interest is asset development programs that help close the gap between earnings and basic expenses. Examples include increasing access to earned income tax credit benefits, child care subsidies, and other state/federal benefits.

Health and Wellness – Improves access to health care, reduces health care disparities and promotes nutrition. Examples include cooking and meal planning classes for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) recipients, healthy snacks for kids in summer programs, and support for doctors planning community health programs for underserved children.

Environmental Sustainability – Seeks to promote production systems that sustain people and the environment by reducing waste, promoting energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources. Examples include waste reduction programs, retrofitting of social service infrastructure, and sustainable agriculture initiatives.

Current Focus on Hunger Relief

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation made a $2 billion commitment through 2015 to hunger relief efforts in the U.S. in order to support the record 1 in 6 Americans who do not know where their next meal is coming from. As hunger relief is now an integral part of the Foundation’s work, the Foundation seeks to fund initiatives that integrate hunger relief into the main focus areas listed above.

The Walmart Foundation also has a particular interest in supporting the following populations: veterans and military families, traditionally underserved groups, the disability community and people impacted by natural disasters.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizations eligible to seek funding from the Walmart Foundation’s National Giving program:

must be designated with current tax-exemption status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code,
must be recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a “public charity” within the meaning of either Section 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, and
must operate on a national scope through the existence of chapters or affiliates in a large number of states around the country; or possess a regional/local focus, but seek funding to replicate program activities nationally. In the case of proposals seeking funding for replication, organizations must demonstrate the capacity to support national expansion and be ready to begin the replication process.

Note: state and regionally focused organizations as well as affiliates of national organizations with local (versus national) programs are eligible to apply for funding through the Walmart Foundation's State Giving Program.

Program and Budget Requirements

The proposed program must align with one or more of the Foundation’s main areas of focus and/or the Foundation’s other areas of interest.
The national giving program awards grants at or above $250,000.
Overhead (i.e., non program-related expenses) may not exceed 10 percent of the total program budget.
The Foundation is not currently making multi-year commitments. Organizations may, however, propose initiatives with timeframes that extend up to two years. No-cost extensions may be requested for up to an additional 12 months, if necessary.

Funding Exclusions

Funding requests for any type of initiative included in the list below are ineligible to receive funding through the National Giving Program.

Scholarship programs
Political advocacy groups
Athletic teams or events
Gala and event sponsorships
Research projects
Endowments
Infrastructure (Bricks and Mortar)
Capital Campaigns
Association/Chamber memberships
General operating expenses
Faith-based organizations when the proposed grant will only benefit the organization or its members.
Organizations that have received a grant of any amount from the Walmart Foundation National Giving Program within the current fiscal year. (Note: the Walmart Foundation’s fiscal year begins on February 1st.)

Letter of Inquiry Process

The Walmart Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals or promotional materials from prospective grantees. The Foundation does, however, accept letters of inquiry (LOIs) regarding the National Grant Program provided that the prospective grantee fits within the guidelines of the National Giving Program.

The LOI provides a brief synopsis of a prospective grantee program’s purpose. It will provide Foundation staff with a general understanding of the problem or issue the applicant organization seeks to address, the need for the proposed solution and your organization’s capacity to carry out the work.

The Walmart Foundation is interested in funding initiatives that are central to a prospective grantee organization’s core mission. This will increase the potential for the initiative’s continuation thereby enabling the program to have a significant and lasting effect on the target audience.

Following review of eligible LOIs, the Walmart Foundation will determine if a full proposal will be invited. If your organization is selected to submit a full proposal, guidelines and additional information will be provided at that time. Full proposals are reviewed and final funding decisions are made on an ongoing basis.

As part of the LOI process, you will be asked to provide the following information:

501(c)(3) Tax ID number of prospective grantee organization
Name, email address and phone number of the person who will serve as the primary contact for your organization regarding questions related to your LOI.
The Foundation supports initiatives that correspond with one or more of its areas of interest; in which focus area(s) is this program aligned? Name all that apply.
Unmet Need/Problem Statement - briefly define the problem or issue your program is designed to address. Why is it important? How does the problem/issue affect the target population?
Program Purpose & Benefits to Target Audience – briefly identify the program’s goals, its major components and the anticipated benefits for the target population.
Briefly identify your program's major outcomes, as documented evidence of the program's success.
Organizational Capacity – briefly describe the prospective grantee organization’s mission and strengths; also identify key staff who will oversee the program and describe their qualifications to administer the grant.
Budget – briefly describe the program’s estimated total budget.

Due to the large volume of inquiries we receive, we are unable to provide an exact timeframe during which we will complete LOI review. We do our best to review and process materials received in a timely manner, ideally six to eight weeks. If an LOI warrants additional consideration, organizations will be invited to submit a full proposal for funding consideration. Full proposals are reviewed and final funding decisions are made on an ongoing basis.

Unfortunately, the Foundation is also unable to respond to inquiries as to why an organization was not selected to receive funding.

Begin the LOI process.