announced plans Tuesday morning to donate more than $22 million to improve Northwest Arkansas organizations that advocate for and promote the arts, recreation and health.
The gifts include about $17 million to keep artistic and recreational venues growing in the region, and more than $5 million in health care-related improvements, a company spokesman said.
Recipients of the $17 million include Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, the Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers and TheatreSquared in Fayetteville. “Our success is intertwined with the success of the region.”
Through these grants, Walmart is renewing its sponsorship of the Arkansas Music Pavilion, owned by the Walton Arts Center, for 30 years; supporting a new art space in Bentonville called the Momentary; and investing in TheatreSquared’s plans to build a 30,000-square-foot complex with two theaters, apartments, offices and a cafe.
In addition to the arts grants, the retailer’s philanthropic arm, the Walmart Foundation, announced more than $5 million in grants for recipients Mercy Health Foundation and Northwest Arkansas Community College.
Bartlett, along with Kathleen McLaughlin, president of the Walmart Foundation, announced the grants Tuesday at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, where sponsorship tents are in place for a women’s professional golf tournament scheduled for this weekend.
Last year, the company made more than $1.4 billion in donations, including $1 billion worth of food. All organizations submitted grant applications through the Walmart Giving program, with the exception of the golf tournament.
Part of the $22 million was used to renew Walmart’s title sponsorship of the Northwest Arkansas Championship, a Ladies Professional Golf Association tournament, for another two years. With help from donors like Walmart, the theater has met over 60 percent of its goal, Ford said.
“We have another $11 million to work toward,” he said.
Ford envisioned the new TheatreSquared complex in Fayetteville to be like what Crystal Bridges is to Bentonville.
The Walmart Foundation has been working with TheatreSquared in recent years on a program that allows low-income families, those who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and adults under 30 to attend productions for free or for only $5 or $10.
Rod Bigelow, executive director and chief diversity and inclusion officer of Crystal Bridges, said the organization will receive $5 million in grant funds, with $3 million covering admission fees and $2 million for a new project called the Momentary, located in a former Kraft plant.
The multiuse art space, overseen by the Crystal Bridges team, will be used to attract artists in theater, dance, music and the visual arts.
Bigelow said early planning began in late 2016. He didn’t say how much the organization received.
Clark Ellison, regional vice president of Mercy Health, said Walmart’s contributions will help the organization build a 7-story wing at its hospital in Rogers and place six new health clinics in Washington and Benton counties.
These projects will create about 1,100 jobs for the region, Ellison said.
Mercy has reached $15 million in funding so far, more than half of its $25 million fundraising goal, with help from Walmart.
Northwest Arkansas Community College plans to use Walmart’s grant for a new building in Washington County, increasing its ability to educate students entering health-related fields.
Business on 06/20/2018
