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Person

Lucy Ana Walton

Nationality:

Chilean
Occupation:

Child psychologist, businesswoman, and philanthropist

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Lucy Ana Walton is a psychologist, businesswoman, and philanthropist based in Denver, Colorado. She is the wife of Ben Walton, a grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton.

She is the co-founder of ZomaLab, the private office of her and her husband. The office consists of Zoma Capital, which invests in energy and water related projects. The charitable arm of the office is the Zoma Foundation, which makes grants supporting early childhood development and maternal health in Colorado and Chile. 1

Walton oversees the Zoma Foundation’s Chilean arm, Fundacion Viento Sur (South Wind Foundation). The operation funds various projects in Chile. 2

Background

Lucy Ana Aviles was born in Chile. She earned a psychology degree from Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile. 3

In 2002, she met American architect and Walmart heir Ben Walton at the Valle Nevado winter resort. In 2007, they were married at Vina Santa Rita, Chile. Many members of Ben Walton’s family reportedly arrived in Chile by private jet. She then moved to Denver, Colorado. 4

On February 27, 2010, an earthquake devastated Chile. At the time, Lucy Ana was serving on the board of the Walton Family Foundation. She helped coordinate relief to the affected parts of Chile through the foundation. 5

Zoma Foundation

In 2016, Lucy Ana and her husband founded the Zoma Foundation to fund charitable work in Colorado and Chile. The foundation would fund projects related to early development and maternal health, which were a primary concern of Lucy Ana, who is a child psychologist by profession. 6

The foundation has a Chilean arm called Fundacion Viento Sur, which translates to South Wind Foundation. Lucy Ana oversees the operation. The operation received $11 million in 2020 and overall has received more than 45% of all grant dollars awarded between Zoma Foundation’s founding and 2020. 7

Lucy Ana and her husband also backed Breakthrough Energy Ventures, which is an investment-philanthropy vehicle backed by Bill Gates to invest in clean energy technologies. 8

Fundacion Viento Sur

In January 2017, a series of forest fires were devastating Chile. Lucy Ana arranged for the arrival of a Boeing 747-400 supertanker aircraft to fight the forest fires. The aircraft was the world’s largest firefighting airplane. Lucy Ana put up $2 million through Fundacion Viento Sur to bring the aircraft to Chile. 9

Lucy Ana and her husband are supporters of environmentalist causes. Her Chilean grantmaking has awarded annual six-figure grants towards water safety and sustainability projects. 10

References

  1. “About ZOMALAB.” ZOMALAB. Accessed July 4, 2022. https://zomalab.com/about-zomalab/#our_team.
  2. “About ZOMALAB.” ZOMALAB. Accessed July 4, 2022. https://zomalab.com/about-zomalab/#our_team.
  3. “Lucy Ana Avilés, The Chilean Psychologist Who Became A Philanthropist And Managed The Arrival Of The Supertanker.”  Emol. Jan. 24, 2017. https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2017/01/24/841522/Lucy-Ana-Aviles-y-Benjamin-Sharpe-Walton-El-romance-que-beneficia-al-mundo.html.
  4. “Lucy Ana Avilés, The Chilean Psychologist Who Became A Philanthropist And Managed The Arrival Of The Supertanker.”  Emol. Jan. 24, 2017. https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2017/01/24/841522/Lucy-Ana-Aviles-y-Benjamin-Sharpe-Walton-El-romance-que-beneficia-al-mundo.html.
  5.  “Lucy Ana Avilés, The Chilean Psychologist Who Became A Philanthropist And Managed The Arrival Of The Supertanker.”  Emol. Jan. 24, 2017. https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2017/01/24/841522/Lucy-Ana-Aviles-y-Benjamin-Sharpe-Walton-El-romance-que-beneficia-al-mundo.html.
  6. Kavate, Michael. “Here’s What We Know About A Walton Heir’s Zoma Foundation, A Big Backer Of Maternal Health.” Inside Philanthropy. Jun. 23, 2022 https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2022/6/23/heres-what-we-know-about-a-walton-heirs-zoma-foundation-a-big-supporter-of-early-childhood.
  7. Kavate, Michael. “Here’s What We Know About A Walton Heir’s Zoma Foundation, A Big Backer Of Maternal Health.” Inside Philanthropy. Jun. 23, 2022 https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2022/6/23/heres-what-we-know-about-a-walton-heirs-zoma-foundation-a-big-supporter-of-early-childhood.
  8. Kavate, Michael. “Here’s What We Know About A Walton Heir’s Zoma Foundation, A Big Backer Of Maternal Health.” Inside Philanthropy. Jun. 23, 2022 https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2022/6/23/heres-what-we-know-about-a-walton-heirs-zoma-foundation-a-big-supporter-of-early-childhood.
  9. “Lucy Ana Avilés, The Chilean Psychologist Who Became A Philanthropist And Managed The Arrival Of The Supertanker.”  Emol. Jan. 24, 2017. https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2017/01/24/841522/Lucy-Ana-Aviles-y-Benjamin-Sharpe-Walton-El-romance-que-beneficia-al-mundo.html.
  10. Kavate, Michael. “Here’s What We Know About A Walton Heir’s Zoma Foundation, A Big Backer Of Maternal Health.” Inside Philanthropy. Jun. 23, 2022 https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2022/6/23/heres-what-we-know-about-a-walton-heirs-zoma-foundation-a-big-supporter-of-early-childhood.
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