Walmart Addresses Global Challenges Through Business and Philanthropy
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation use philanthropy to complement Walmart’s business initiatives as well as the efforts of others in civil society, business, and government to drive systemic improvements in economic opportunity, supply chain sustainability, and community resilience.
The problems being addressed are both large scale and complex, but Walmart believes that by working with their grantees and collaborators from the private sector, they can lead the way in driving significant, lasting change.
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation focus on three priority areas that are particularly relevant to Walmart customers, associates and other stakeholders:
- Opportunity – using philanthropy to accelerate mobility in retail and related sectors, enhance economic empowerment of women in global supply chains, support small business development and help U.S. veterans reintegrate into civilian life.
- Sustainability – helping to alleviate hunger, enhance nutrition, and enhance the sustainability of food systems and product supply chains.
- Community – working to strengthen resilience in the face of natural disasters, and to increase inclusion in local communities, through local donations and engaging our associates and customers in local causes.
In FY2016, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation donated more than $1.4 billion in cash and in-kind, and Walmart associates contributed more than 1.25 million hours of their time outside of work to volunteer causes.
About Philanthropy at Walmart
By using our strengths to help others, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation create opportunities for people to live better every day. We have stores in 28 countries, employing more than 2.3 million associates and doing business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people. We are helping people live better by accelerating upward job mobility and economic development for the retail workforce; addressing hunger and making healthier, more sustainably-grown food a reality; and building strong communities where we operate and inspiring our associates to give back. Whether it is helping to lead the fight against hunger in the United States with $2 billion in cash and in-kind donations or supporting Women’s Economic Empowerment through a series of grants totaling $10 million to the Women in Factories training program in Bangladesh, China, India and Central America, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are not only working to tackle key social issues, we are also collaborating with others to inspire solutions for long-lasting systemic change. To learn more about Walmart’s giving, visit www.foundation.walmart.com.
