Single Parent Scholarship Fund of NWA announces $7 million campaign

The nonprofit Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas launched Thursday (June 12) a $7.4 million campaign to build a new headquarters in Springdale that will expand services and increase capacity for support of single-parent families in Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties.

The Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation will provide the lead gift of $1.5 million for the Building for Success campaign, and the new building will be named in honor of the foundation. The Pat Walker Center for Success will be located at 806 Founders Park Drive, north of U.S. Highway 412, in the Har-Ber Meadows community of Springdale.

Also, the Mabee Foundation will provide a $1 million challenge grant. To receive the grant, the Bentonville-based organization must raise an additional $1.8 million by April 2026. Stacy Seger, senior director of philanthropic strategy at Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas, said the campaign has raised $4.86 million or two-thirds of its goal.

The money raised in the campaign will be used to build and operate the new office, as well as expand existing programs. The building will house program services, scholarship operations, and family-centered support initiatives, such as free counseling for recipients and their children. There will also be dedicated study spaces with internet and technology access, as well as a large multiuse education space for recipient and community events. Outside will be an 8,000-square-foot therapeutic garden.

“The Building for Success campaign represents our commitment to developing and upskilling not just single parents but lifting up their children as well,” said Board Chairman Anthony Sumlin. “This facility will help us not only reach more of the single parents in our area, (but) it will (also) help us provide much-needed wrap-around support services. From counseling and pantry support to providing school supplies and empowerment training, these initiatives reduce the burden and help address key issues that single parents face while in school. We are deeply grateful for the community’s support, which not only fuels our mission but also amplifies our impact across Northwest Arkansas.”

Krystle Goodwin, public relations director, said the new 13,000-square-foot building will be triple the size of the organization’s existing office in Bentonville.

“We are moving to Springdale to be more centrally located for the four-county area that we serve,” Goodwin said.

Construction will begin once the organization has raised all the necessary money. The aim is to complete fundraising by the end of the year, to begin construction next year and open its new headquarters in 2027.

“As NWA continues its rapid growth, SPSFNWA is dedicated to meeting the increasing needs of our recipients and their families,” said Shelle Summers, past board chair for the organization and senior vice president of member services at Rogers Lowell Chamber. “To better serve them and the broader community, we need a larger facility. A new, larger building will enhance our offerings and provide a more welcoming and efficient environment.”

Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas bought the 1.42-acre site for the new office for $485,000 in August 2022. Batesville-based First Community Bank provided a two-year loan of $388,000.

Natalie Bartholomew, community president of First Community Bank in Northwest Arkansas, said she was transitioning to the bank when it started working with the organization on the financing. She told the bank’s executive team, “Hey, this is going to be a great opportunity for us. I know I don’t work for you yet, but let’s make this happen. And they came back with an astoundingly low rate to offer, and it all worked out. And so Single Parent Scholarship Fund was our very first customer for First Community Bank in Northwest Arkansas.

“It was an easy fit for us because of our commitment to community,” Bartholomew said. “It was a good fit because we all believe in the same thing that ultimately it came back to that mission… We truly believe in what this organization is doing to change the lives of single parents throughout Northwest Arkansas.”

PRESIDENT, CEO SEARCH
Goodwin said the board has been interviewing candidates for the next president and CEO of the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas. She said a decision could come in the “next week or so.”

Tyler Clark, the former president and CEO, resigned Jan. 31 after more than seven years with the organization.

The nonprofit celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024. The organization has 13 staff, including the president and CEO position.