Jones Center receives $550,000 from Walmart Foundation
Walmart Foundation has provided the Jones Center with a $550,000 grant to support access to the center over the next two years and space rental discounts to area nonprofits, the Jones Center announced Wednesday (Jan. 8). Since 2005, Walmart Foundation has contributed nearly $5 million to the Jones Center.
“Walmart Foundation is pleased to support the Jones Center in creating a stronger region for everyone,” says Angela Oxford, senior manager of community resiliency for the Northwest Arkansas region at Walmart Foundation. “The foundation has supported the Jones Center for two decades, and this grant is a continuation of our commitment to access to all the center offers.”
Keeping with founder Bernice Jones’ vision that “all are welcome,” the Springdale-based nonprofit the Jones Center removes cost as a barrier to participation through Access for Everyone membership and youth activity scholarships for more than 1,350 adults and children. Demand for scholarships is growing, and in 2024, the Jones Center saw a 40% increase in requests over last year. The Walmart Foundation grant will help with the rising number of scholarship requests and allow 25% of program registrations for adult and youth programs to be free or discounted.
“The community is rapidly growing, and the Jones Center is serving more people every year,” said Emily Ironside, chief strategy officer for the Jones Center. She noted annual visits exceed 550,000, and the total number of members reached 7,500 in 2024, a record high.
“We are grateful for Walmart Foundation’s investment,” said Celia Swanson, chair of the Harvey and Bernice Jones Trust Board of Directors, the governing board for the Jones Center. “Our programs encourage healthy living and social connections. There aren’t many public spaces that do this, so the Jones Center’s role is an important one.”
The Jones Center opened in 1995 and offers more than 150 public programs annually in sports and recreation, arts and culture and science and technology. The downtown Springdale campus includes the region’s only ice arena, an indoor pool complex, RUNWAY Bike Park, fitness center, fitness studios, gymnasium, indoor and outdoor performance venues, and classroom and event spaces.
The Jones Center also operates office space for more than 100 nonprofits at its Center for Nonprofits in Rogers and JTL Shop building in Springdale, providing $2.4 million in discounted lease and short-term space rental rates. The Walmart Foundation grant helps to support short-term space rental discounts the Jones Center offers.
As a grant recipient of the Walton Family Foundation’s Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program, the Jones Center continues planning a 55-acre campus development in downtown Springdale to create a regional indoor and outdoor destination for sports and recreation, arts and culture, and science and technology experiences.