Alice Walton is a billionaire philanthropist and heiress to the Walmart family fortune. She is the direct descendant of Walmart founder Sam Walton and is estimated to be worth $60 billion as of 2024.

Walton claims to be “dedicated to promoting diversity and equitable access” in all of her philanthropic endeavors. Beyond art, education, and healthcare, Walton also says she donates to causes that are “advancing economic opportunity for all.” ¹

Background

Alice Walton is an heir to the Walmart family fortune. She is the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton. Her brothers are Rob and Jim Walton, who took a more active role in running the company. Alice Walton has largely focused her career on the curation of art. ²

Walton did work for Walmart for a time in the children’s clothing branch of the company after graduating from Trinity University in 1971. ^{3 4}

As of 2024, Walton was reportedly 74 years old, living in Fort Worth, Texas, and twice divorced. ^{5 6} She is reportedly worth $60 billion. ⁷

Philanthropy

Alice Walton claims to be “dedicated to promoting diversity and equitable access” in all her philanthropic endeavors. Beyond art, education, and healthcare, Walton also says she donates to causes that are “advancing economic opportunity for all.” ⁸

In 2011, Walton opened the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in her hometown Bentonville, Arkansas. It contains works of art from Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell, and Mark Rothko. ⁹ Alice gifted the institution her private art collection to help start its own catalog. The Walton family donated a 120-acre plot of land to serve as the building’s site. ¹⁰

In 2017, Walton created the Alice L. Walton Foundation, which focuses on grants in art, education, and health. ¹¹ That year, Alice also founded Art Bridges Foundation to help rural Americans and those in small to mid-sized communities access art. ¹²

In 2017, Walton additionally helped found the School of Art at the University of Arkansas through a $120 million endowment. ¹³

In 2021, Walton founded a holistic health institute in Bentonville, which was named the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in 2022. ¹⁴

In 2023, Walton was named one of the 50 most powerful women in philanthropy by Inside Philanthropy, a left-leaning media outlet dedicated to covering the world of nonprofits and foundations. She was described as an “indisputable power player in U.S. philanthropy” and “perhaps the most important private funder of the arts.” It cites her financing of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas as well as Art Bridges, a nonprofit that seeks to expand access to American art. ¹⁵

The article also mentions her relatives Annie Proietti and Carrie Walton Penner, describing them as third-generation members of the Walton family who sit on the Walton Family Foundation’s four-person board. ¹⁶

Alice is a member of the Walton Family Foundation, which primarily disburses grants toward K-12 educational programs and the conservation of rivers and oceans. The foundation also invests in commercial ventures in Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta region. ¹⁷

1. “About Alice L. Walton.” Alice L. Walton Foundation. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://alicelwaltonfoundation.org/about/.
2. “Alice Walton.” Forbes. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/profile/alice-walton/?sh=4b9b7234eb21.
3. “Alice Walton.” Forbes. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/profile/alice-walton/?sh=4b9b7234eb21.
4. “Alice Walton.” Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://crystalbridges.org/about/leadership/alice-walton/.
5. “Alice Walton.” Forbes. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/profile/alice-walton/?sh=4b9b7234eb21.
6. O’Connor, Clare. “Inside The World of Walmart Billionaire Alice Walton, America’s Richest Art Collector.” Forbes, September 16, 2013. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2013/09/16/inside-the-world-of-walmart-billionaire-alice-walton-americas-richest-art-collector/?sh=309ca9f4d5bc.
7. “The 50 Most Powerful Women in U.S. Philanthropy.” Inside Philanthropy, December 5, 2023. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2023/12/5/the-50-most-powerful-women-in-us-philanthropy.
8. “About Alice L. Walton.” Alice L. Walton Foundation. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://alicelwaltonfoundation.org/about/.
9. “Alice Walton.” Forbes. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/profile/alice-walton/?sh=4b9b7234eb21.
10. “Alice Walton.” Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://crystalbridges.org/about/leadership/alice-walton/.
11. “The 50 Most Powerful Women in U.S. Philanthropy.” Inside Philanthropy, December 5, 2023. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2023/12/5/the-50-most-powerful-women-in-us-philanthropy.
12. “Alice Walton.” Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://crystalbridges.org/about/leadership/alice-walton/.
13. “Alice Walton.” Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://crystalbridges.org/about/leadership/alice-walton/.
14. “Alice Walton.” Forbes. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/profile/alice-walton/?sh=4b9b7234eb21.
15. “The 50 Most Powerful Women in U.S. Philanthropy.” Inside Philanthropy, December 5, 2023. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2023/12/5/the-50-most-powerful-women-in-us-philanthropy.
16. “The 50 Most Powerful Women in U.S. Philanthropy.” Inside Philanthropy, December 5, 2023. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2023/12/5/the-50-most-powerful-women-in-us-philanthropy.
17. “Alice Walton.” Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://crystalbridges.org/about/leadership/alice-walton/.