Economic Opportunity in Retail
We seek to make the entire retail industry a place of inclusive mobility, so that people can build a better life for themselves and their families.
Walmart.org invests strategically in strengthening the capacity of the retail sector as a springboard to economic opportunity. We collaborate with leading nonprofits, employers, government agencies, educational institutions and other key funders to identify and implement innovations aimed at increasing mobility for workers.
We launched the Retail Opportunity Initiative in 2015 – an initial five-year, $100 million philanthropic effort geared towards accelerating careers in retail and related sectors. While the initiative has concluded, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation continue to invest in programs that create economic opportunity in retail and related sectors.
Through systemic investment, we believe these sectors have an opportunity to become a workforce incubator, where upskilling and upward mobility are the norm.
Our philanthropy is focused on three areas: supporting research and insights on best practices to build mobility in retail and adjacent sectors; investing in building effective and innovative approaches to training and advancement; and engaging and collaborating with other employers to help improve the entire ecosystem.
Our Focus Areas
Our philanthropy is focused on three areas:
Funding supports research and insights aimed at accelerating the path to success for those who work in retail and related sectors.
Grantee Spotlight
A 2019 Walmart grant is supporting Ideas42, a study to uncover the behavioral aspects of why entry-level workers enroll in and complete training programs. The study seeks to identify behavioral bottlenecks that give practitioners/education entrepreneurs insight into how they can increase enrollment and completion in their respective learning programs.
To see other grantees in this portfolio, click here.
When frontline workers have access to effective training and ways to signal relevant skills to employers, an entry-level job can be the first step toward a successful career. To help make that a reality, we look to fund programs with innovative approaches to training and credentialing.
Grantee Spotlight
New Profit’s Postsecondary Innovations for Equity Fund (PIE)
Funding from Walmart in 2019 supported 20 entrepreneurial organizations thinking differently about skills development, with innovative approaches to increasing economic mobility in the U.S. These organizations help bridge the divide between working and learning – giving entry-level workers access to skills training so they can advance in their careers.
To see other grantees in this portfolio, click here.
In order for upskilling and advancement of frontline workers to become the industry norm, some things must change. We look to fund organizations that are working to enable employers, training providers, workforce boards and government agencies to design jobs, programs and practices that support career advancement for frontline workers.
Grantee Spotlight
In the workforce space, we aim to support programs that boost cross-sector collaboration in communities. Walmart’s investment in the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, for example, helped the program to launch three regional collaboratives aimed at advancing frontline workers in retail. Central Iowa Works, Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County and the Baltimore Workforce Funder’s Collaborative are each conducting local labor market analysis of the retail sector, organizing industry partnerships and working with employers to implement new strategies. Successful practices from the three pilot cities will be shared across the National Fund’s network.
To see other grantees in this portfolio, click here.
Cross-Sector Collaboration Spotlight
Walmart was one of the founding partners of the Rework America Business Network, whose efforts are focused on sharing best practices to increase opportunity. The network consists of eleven major U.S. employers and the Rework America Task Force.
Applications are by invitation only for 501(c)(3) organizations (or equivalent organizations outside the U.S.) whose work directly relates to the above focus areas.
Unsolicited proposals will not be accepted.
Reference and Research
Check out some great resources and collaborations on how to create economic opportunity.
