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Recipients of Walton Family Foundation grants, in descending order

FUNDER PROFILE

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Walton Family Foundation

Bill Berkowitz
Media Transparency
October 11, 2005

Philanthropy the Wal-Mart way

Will the Walton Family Foundation become a $20 billion tax-exempt opponent of public education?

Today most people think they know the story of Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, owned by the Walton family of Bentonville, Arkansas. Together the Waltons own 39 percent of the corporation that brings discounted merchandise to the public through Wal-Mart and its other stores. The company has more than 5,000 stores (3,400 in the U.S.), is the world's largest private employer, and is the world's largest company based on revenue with more than $280 billion in annual sales.

Wal-Mart's discounted prices, however, come with a heavy price tag. Workers are under-paid and overworked in sweatshops overseas, while their non-union counterparts in the U.S. often cannot afford healthcare for their families. Wal-Mart has been the target of a flood of suits; it is currently the defendant in the largest sex-discrimination class-action lawsuit ever, a suit representing more than 1.5 million women.

When Wal-Mart comes to town, many small businesses invariably close, permanently changing the "civil fabric" of local communities. Worse, the company's bottom line is dependent upon soaking up of hundreds of millions of dollar in taxpayer subsidies extracted from cash-strapped state and county budgets. A May 2004 study by the Washington, DC-based Good Jobs First titled "Shopping for Subsidies: How Wal-Mart Uses Taxpayer Money to Finance Its Never Ending Growth," found that the company has siphoned more than $1 billion in economic development subsidies from state and local governments across the country.

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OTHER LINKS

WFF at SourceWatch

Amy Joyce
Washington Post
October 31, 2005

Wal-Mart gets sweetheart deal from US Feds

Family trying to remake US public education guilty of violating child labor laws

"The Bush Labor Department chose to do an unprecedented favor for Wal-Mart, despite the fact it is well known for violating labor laws, including child labor laws," Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the lawmaker who requested an investigation, said in a statement. He also said such an arrangement could allow the nation's largest employer to cover up evidence of a violation and would discourage employees who might fear retribution from filing a complaint.

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NCRP
October 3, 2005

Waltons’ and Wal-Mart’s Charitable Giving Acts as Facade for Conservative Political Agenda & Personal Financial Gain

NCRP report profiles Walton family and Wal-Mart corporate philanthropy that furthers personal and corporate bottom lines

A new NCRP report reveals more than just charitable intentions in Wal-Mart’s seemingly generous, but systematically self-interested philanthropy. The Waltons and Wal-Mart: Self-Interested Philanthropy chronicles the philanthropic and political activities of the Walton family through their family foundation and through their Wal-Mart corporate empire, painting a picture of a family and corporation with increasing financial and political prowess.

Read the full report >