Walmart Foundation
Bentonville, Arkansas
The Walmart Foundation has recently announced grants totaling $1.75 million to create more higher education and career opportunities for young black males. Grant recipients include the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the National Urban League (NUL).
The foundation awarded the United Negro College Fund $500,000 to help16 historically black colleges and universities achieve long-term financial stability so they can continue providing African-American students with access to higher education.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) received $250,000 and the National Urban League received $1 million to fund programs to help individuals receive the support they need to secure and build meaningful careers through training and placement assistance, and help businesses create more job opportunities.
“With today’s economic climate there is a growing need to empower individuals in communities nationwide with access to opportunities that will help them live better,” said Tony Waller, senior director of corporate affairs of Walmart, in a statement about the grants. “Part of this work will come from helping businesses understand and unlock the powerful results that a more diverse workforce has to offer. By helping one individual at a time build a successful career, we are growing a more competitive work environment.”
The Walmart Foundation prioritizes programs that create career opportunities for individuals to gain self-sufficiency. During February, the foundation also awarded The American Association of Community Colleges a grant of $4.2 million. The grant will be used to support seventeen local community colleges implement the Job Ready, Willing and Able initiative this spring.
This initiative will develop partnerships between local employers and community colleges to provide unemployed students with training and access to middle-skill jobs. The program will also provide wrap around services to students.
Judith Fenlon is the money and business editor at the Chronicle of Social Change