Posted on November 11, 2008

Wal-Mart Foundation Awards $3.6 Million for Veterans' Higher Education

In celebration of Veteran’s Day, the Wal-Mart Foundation in Bentonville, Arkansas, has awarded a total of $3.6 million in grants to twelve organizations to support programs that offer educational assistance for veterans.

The largest grant was awarded to the American Council on Education, which will receive $2.5 million to support successful veteran educational assistance programs in twenty institutions of higher education, including public and private colleges and universities where thousands of veterans are expected to take advantage of the GI Bill. The foundation also awarded $100,000 each to ten colleges and universities throughout the country to expand or establish programs designed to provide veterans access to higher education and help them complete their degrees.

In addition, Student Veterans of America, a grassroots coalition of student veterans groups founded in January 2008, will receive $100,000 to build its capacity and support student veteran advocates on U.S. campuses.

"The men and women who serve our country are our nation’s heroes," said foundation president Margaret McKenna. "Wal-Mart is proud to support programs that help our veterans get the resources they need to succeed in their education and their transition back to civilian life."