Walmart and its foundation bestow $22 million on quality of life entities

In connection with the LPGA event being held this week in Rogers, Walmart announced $17 million of financial support to five grant recipients including Walton Arts Center and NorthWest Arkansas Community College.

The Walmart Foundation also made a $5 million commitment to support Mercy Health Foundation in the region. Walmart said the grants which support quality of life are the retailer’s way of giving back to the community where it operates.

“Our success is intertwined with the success of the region and these investments, along with the recent announcement to build a new Home Office, reflect a continued commitment to improve the lives of all residents in Northwest Arkansas,” said Dan Bartlett, executive vice president of corporate affairs at Walmart.

He said the grants further strengthen the vibrancy of the region and its ability to provide all resident access to world-class arts and cultural amenities that bring additional economic opportunity to the surrounding area.

Following are grant recipients.
• Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
A renewed commitment to the museum will support the growth of visitors while maintaining free admission. It will also provide support to the Momentary, an innovative new contemporary art facility under development in downtown Bentonville.

• LPGA
Renew Walmart’s title sponsorship of the Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship presented by P&G for two years through 2020. This renewal guarantees one of the region’s most premier events returns to Northwest Arkansas.

• Mercy Health Foundation
Funding supports the expansion of Mercy Health’s main Northwest Arkansas facility and the strategic addition of six new primary and specialty clinics in Benton and Washington counties. This project will help position the region to meet long-term healthcare needs in the critical areas of growth and access.

• Northwest Arkansas Community College
Funding supports the construction of a new facility in Washington County. The new Center will allow NWACC to continue to provide accessible, affordable and quality education in the region, specifically increasing NWACC’s ability to educate and train more healthcare professionals needed to meet the healthcare demands within the region.

• TheatreSquared
A first-time capital investment will support the organization’s capital campaign to build a permanent home for the region’s only year-round professional theatre, located in Fayetteville. The 50,000 square-foot facility will include two intimate theatres, rehearsal space, a three-level commons and café, outdoor gathering spaces, production workshops, offices, and artists’ apartments.

• Walton Arts Center
A renewed commitment to WAC will support the expansion of the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion (AMP) in Rogers, which is owned and operated by WAC. The commitment will extend Walmart’s title sponsorship of the venue to a total of 30 years, and will further strengthen the organization’s ability to bring great performing artists and entertainers from around the world to Northwest Arkansas.

Walmart said to build on the tradition of supporting the Northwest Arkansas community and deepen impact, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation investments are focused on growing long-term capacity and capabilities of the region to provide hunger relief and promote healthy eating, and enhance the quality of life for all residents, with a specific focus on regional planning and increasing access to arts and recreational programs.