The Walton Family Foundation made grants of "more than" $432 million in 2012, the foundation has announced. (The foundation has filed an extension for reporting its 2012 990 tax form, so an exact grant total and assets in Arkansas's largest foundation and the 41st largest in the nation are as yet unknown. The foundation reported assets of $1.7 billion in 2011.)
The dollar value is less than that given in 2011, thanks to a $100 million decline in giving to the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation. However, the family foundation increased giving in its three major focus areas — freshwater and marine conservation, "quality of life" in Arkansas and special initiatives.
The foundation's largest grant, $12.7 million, went to the Conservation International Foundation and its second largest, $7.8 million, went to the Environmental Defense Fund. All together, Walton giving in the conservation area rose by $20 million over 2011 to $91.7 million.
Walton "home region" giving in Arkansas totaled $30.3 million, including $9.3 million for education and $15.5 million in Northwest Arkansas; there were other grants to Arkansas organizations as well. The largest grant in Arkansas was one for $4.98 million to the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission. Other $1 million-plus grants of interest: $7.7 million to Camp War Eagle, $2 million to Arkansas for Education Reform (charter schools and vouchers), $1.1 million for Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and ScienceInc., $1.2 million to Responsive Education Solutions, $1.2 million to Southern Arkansas University, $1.6 million to the Bentonville Bella Vista Trailblazers Association, $2.1 million to the Endeavor Foundation of Springdale, $1 million to the Jones Trust, $2 million to Southern Bancorp Community Partners and $1.8 million to Teach for America-Arkansas.