The Builders Initiative Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation founded by Lukas Walton, grandson of and one of the heirs to the fortune of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart. The Chicago-based foundation primarily makes grants related to climate issues and community development in Chicago. ¹

Builders Initiative is the philanthropic arm of a larger Builders network, with Builders Vision as the flagship organization and Builders Asset Management as its investment arm. ²

Background

Builders Initiative was founded by Lukas Walton, a grandson of and one of the heirs to the fortune of Walmart founder Sam Walton. Builders Initiative has two related organizations, Builders Vision and Builders Asset Management. ^{1 2}

Builders Initiative is the philanthropic and grantmaking arm of Builders Vision and holds over $1.5 billion in assets. Alongside environmental concerns, Builders Initiative has expressed support for the critical race theory-influenced concept of “equity,” stating that “inclusiveness and equity are key to vibrant, thriving communities.” To that end, Builders Initiative formerly operated a climate equity program in the Midwest, which it later discontinued in favor of a global energy development initiative. ^{3 1}

In 2021, Lukas Walton and his wife founded Builders Vision with an initial endowment of $1.2 billion. As a venture capital firm, the group takes a special interest in environmental issues such as agriculture and the preservation of oceans. Builders Vision claims to have committed $1.8 billion to fund its partners in developing cleaner energy technologies. ^{4 1}

Builders Asset Management is responsible for investing capital and using the returns to drive Builders Vision’s mission. ⁵

Activities

Builders Initiative maintains a donor-advised fund through the Chicago Community Trust. The donor-advised fund is used to keep certain grants anonymous, or occasionally for making larger than usual awards, such as a five-year $150 million grant to the Catalyst program at Breakthrough Energy, a group focused on climate technology grantmaking founded by Bill Gates, according to Inside Philanthropy. ¹

Builders Initiative breaks its grantmaking into the four categories: community, food and agriculture, oceans, and energy. ⁶

Grantmaking

In 2023, Builders Initiative reported $519,855,780 in revenue, $110,762,871 in expenses, and $1,526,850,803 in assets. ⁷

In 2023, Builders Initiative gave $400,000 to the Academy for Global Citizenship Charter School for the purpose of promoting plant-based diets. Builders Initiative gave $250,000 to Allied Media Projects, $1 million to the Best Friends Animal Society, $367,045 to the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, $237,300 to Black Women in Ecology Evolution and Marine Science, $2.1 million to the Chicago Community Foundation, $1.5 million to the CREO Family Office Syndicate, $250,000 to EcoWorks, $350,000 to the Environmental Law and Policy Center of the Midwest, $250,000 to Equity Arts, $150,000 to Equity Legal Services, $3.7 million to Forefront, $150,000 to Grist, $500,000 to the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, and $1 million to the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization. ⁸

In 2023, Builders Initiative also awarded $194,982 to the RAND Corporation, $5.5 million to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, $150,000 to the Tides Center, $9.5 million to the Walton Family Foundation, and $1.25 million to the Windward Fund and $300,000 to the New Venture Fund, both of which are managed by Arabella Advisors. ⁸

People

Lukas Walton is the founder of Builders Initiative. Walton is a grandson of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart. As of April 2025, he had an estimated net worth of $38 billion, according to Forbes. ⁹

As of 2025, Bruce McNamer was the president of Builders Initiative. McNamer was formerly the president and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation and the head of global philanthropy for the JPMorgan Chase Foundation. Previously, McNamer was the president and CEO of TechnoServe, a nonprofit. At that time, he was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and sat on the boards of PATH and NatureVest. ¹⁰

1. Kavate, Michael. “Three Years since It Went Public, What Should We Make of Lukas Walton’s Philanthropic Project?” Inside Philanthropy, September 30, 2024. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/three-years-since-it-went-public-what-should-we-make-of-lukas-waltons-philanthropic-project.
2. “Impact Platform.” Builders Vision. Accessed April 19, 2025. https://www.buildersvision.com/
3. “Community.” Builders Initiative. Accessed April 19, 2025. https://www.buildersinitiative.org/what-we-do/impact-areas/community.
4. “Energy.” Builders Vision. Accessed April 19, 2025. https://www.buildersvision.com/our-work/energy.
5. “Investing Today to Build a More Humane and Healthy Planet Tomorrow.” Builders Asset Management. Accessed April 17, 2025. https://www.buildersassetmanagement.com/.
6.  “Philanthropy & Impact Investing.” Builders Initiative. Accessed April 19, 2025. https://www.buildersinitiative.org/
7. “Builders Initiative,” Return of Private Foundation Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990PF) 2023. Page 1 Part 1 Line 12 and Line 26, Page 2 Part 3 Line 6.
8. “Builders Initiative,” Return of Private Foundation Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990PF) 2023. Page 11 Part XIV.
9. “Lukas Walton.” Forbes. Accessed April 19, 2025. https://www.forbes.com/profile/lukas-walton/?sh=4613ec3e1d5d
10. “Bruce McNamer, President.” Builders Initiative. Accessed April 17, 2025. https://www.buildersinitiative.org/who-we-are/bruce-mcnamer.