Not to be confused with the Wend II Inc.

Wend Collective was a philanthropic “investment vehicle” founded and co-led by James C. Walton. Self-described as “experimental,” Wend was organized as an investment firm that engaged in “targeted impact investing.” It was not incorporated as a nonprofit organization with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and had no website, working directly with its recipients and partners who were in turn asked to keep their funding source anonymous. The organization ended operations in 2024. ^{1 2 3}

Wend Collective was committed to what it called “social change,” with focuses on funding efforts towards arts and culture, education, democracy, “economic justice” through land reclamation and “renewable farming,” indigenous rights, and policy advocacy to combat “structural racial inequity.” ¹

The organization has been superseded by Wend II Inc., which, as of 2025, is led by James M. Walton, James C. Walton’s son. ^{4 5}

Background

Wend Collective was founded in 2016 by James C. Walton, the youngest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton. ^{1 6}

Self-described as “experimental,” Wend Collective was organized as an investment firm that engaged in “targeted impact investing.” It was not registered as a nonprofit organization with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and had no website, working directly with its recipients and partners who were in turn asked to keep their funding source anonymous. ^{1 2 3}

The Wend Collective ended operations in 2024. ^{1 2 3 1}

The organization would be superseded by Wend II Inc., which as of 2025, is led by its president James M. Walton, James C. Walton’s son. ^{4 5}

Grantmaking

Described as a “black box” by Inside Philanthropy, the Wend Collective’s “experimental” method of “targeted impact investing” saw it work directly with recipients and partners that, in turn, requested to keep their funding sources anonymous. The organization also did not register with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a tax-exempt organization nor a website, while the group’s then-director of campaigns and sustainability Ben Davis called the Wend Collective “self-effacing,” or “as modest as the world [would] allow us to be.” He was paraphrased as saying the group was nevertheless “unafraid of supporting progressive causes.” ²

According to the Wend Collective’s LinkedIn page, the group was committed to what it called “social change,” with funding focuses on arts and culture, education, democracy, “economic justice” through land reclamation and “renewable farming,” indigenous rights, and policy advocacy to combat “structural racial inequity.” ¹

As of 2024, the Independent Philanthropy reported that Wend Collective was making “large strategic investments” in initiatives related to “climate change, democracy, racial equity, youth development, and social media policy.” It specified that Wend Collective evidently invested in “democracy” through Civic (Re)Solve, a left-of-center activist organization, as well as Democracy Frontlines Fund, which was described as “a new collaborative effort to support Black-led movement organizations.” ²

According to a 2022 story by the Washington Post, the Wend Collective donated to the Council for Responsible Social Media, an advocacy group focused on studying the effects of social media on “children’s mental health and national security.” ^{7 2}

Wend’s grants typically ranged from $25,000 to $250,000 with some crossing into more than $1 million. ²

Leadership

During operations, the Wend Collective was founded, co-led and funded by James C. Walton, the youngest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton. ^{2 6}

Its chief strategist was Brian Sense, a nonprofit professional. In that role, Sense oversaw the financial and grantmaking aspects of the organization, managing its budget of over $100 million and identifying causes that aligned with its mission with focuses on education, “indigenous language,” art, “international forced migrations,” and “social justice.” Sense was also involved with the sunsetting of Wend and the transition of employees. ^{3 8}

Ben Davis was Wend Collective’s director of campaigns and sustainability and resource steward for democracy and climate justice from November 2017 to May 2024. Davis has previously participated in a left-of-center lecture series called “Racial Equity Truthtellers.” ^{9 2}

1. “Wend Collective.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 12, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/company/wend-collective.
2. “Wend Collective.” Inside Philanthropy. Accessed July 12, 2025. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant/grants-w/wend-collective. Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20240927021435/https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant/grants-w/wend-collective.
3. “Brian Sense.” BrianSense. Accessed July 12, 2025. https://www.briansense.com/. Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20250712173705/https://www.briansense.com/.
4. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Wend Collective. 2023. Part VII – Information About Officers, Directors, Trustees, Foundation Managers, Highly Paid Employees, and Contractors.
5. Kavate, Michael. “These Walmart Heirs’ Foundations Were Growing Fast. Not So Much Anymore.” Inside Philanthropy, January 8, 2025. Accessed July 12, 2025. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/these-walmart-heirs-foundations-were-growing-fast-not-so-much-anymore. Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20250117164505/https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/these-walmart-heirs-foundations-were-growing-fast-not-so-much-anymore.
6. “Jim Walton.” Baron Magazine. October 1, 2018. https://baron-magazine.com/2018/09/11/jim-walton/.
7. Lima-Strong, Cristiano. “‘Responsible social media’ council looks to bridge divides on tech.” The Washington Post, October 12, 2022. Accessed July 12, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/10/12/responsible-social-media-council-looks-bridge-divides-tech/. Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20250123033229/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/10/12/responsible-social-media-council-looks-bridge-divides-tech/.
8. “Brian Sense.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 12, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bpsense/.
9. “Ben Davis.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 12, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-davis-92090337/.