Walmart Foundation Awards $20 Million to Support Summer Learning Programs

The Walmart Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $20 million to six nonprofit organizations working to create opportunities for children to enjoy a smarter, healthier, and more productive summer.

Grants will support efforts to expand nutrition, learning, and employment programs for 180,000 students in 350 communities across the country between now and the start of school. Grant recipients include the National Summer Learning Association, Innovations in Civic Participation, and Building Educated Leaders for Life, which were awarded grants totaling more than $8 million to help provide nearly 16,000 students with structured summer learning programs designed to increase their learning, reading, and classroom participation when school resumes in the fall; the Y and the National Recreation and Park Association, which received $6.5 million in funding to provide more than ten million meals to 160,000 children in low-income and underserved communities; and Brandeis University, which was awarded $5 million to lead a national summer jobs initiative in which nearly 3,000 inner-city youth receive access to job opportunities and academic enrichment.

"Summer is a critical time for the continued health and development of our nation's youth," said Walmart Foundation president Sylvia Mathews Burwell. "We know that providing access to meals, learning programs, and job opportunities during the summer months will enable kids to return to school healthy, prepared, and ready to succeed. By working closely with our nonprofit partners, we can help kids have better summers and, ultimately, better lives."

“Walmart and Six of Its Nonprofit Partners Serve Up a Smarter, Healthier Summer for 180,000 Kids in 350 Communities Nationwide.” Walmart Press Release 6/13/12.

Primary Subject: Education
Secondary Subject(s): Children and Youth, Health, Elementary and Secondary Education
Location(s): National

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