Walmart Grants: Spark Good Local Grants and the Walmart Foundation

Walmart gives grants to nonprofits in two very different ways. Its stores, Sam's Clubs and distribution centers award Spark Good Local Grants of $250 to $5,000 through an open application (Walmart, Spark Good Local Grants, read November 2026). The Walmart Foundation's own grants are far larger, with a median of $430,000 in tax year 2024, and its website says those are by invitation only (Walmart, walmart.org FAQs, read November 2026).

Quick Answer: How do you get a grant from Walmart?

Most small nonprofits get Walmart money through Spark Good Local Grants: $250 to $5,000 from a nearby store, Sam's Club or distribution center. Create a Spark Good account, get verified by Deed, then apply to a facility that serves your area during an open cycle. The Walmart Foundation's large grants are by invitation only.

Does Walmart give grants to local nonprofits?

Yes, and almost all of the money a small local group can reach comes from the stores, not the Walmart Foundation. Walmart says its U.S. stores and clubs award local grants of $250 to $5,000 every year, and that in its fiscal year 2022 they provided $44 million in local grants (Walmart, What does Walmart do for local communities?, read November 2026).

The two routes work differently enough that it helps to see them side by side.

Sources: Walmart's Spark Good Local Grants page and the walmart.org FAQ, read November 2026; GrantCue's analysis of the Walmart Foundation's IRS Form 990-PF return, tax year 2024.

If your organization is a food pantry, a school, a library, an after-school program or a small human services group, start with Spark Good. The Foundation's grant list reads like a list of national and regional organizations, and its website closes the door to unsolicited requests.

How do Spark Good local grants work?

Spark Good Local Grants are small cash grants that a single Walmart facility awards to organizations in its own service area, through an open application. Here is what the program page says now (Walmart, Spark Good Local Grants, read November 2026):

• Amount: $250 to $5,000.
• Who decides: the Walmart store, Sam's Club or distribution center you apply to. Your organization must serve the same area as that facility.
• Eligible: 501(c)(3) public charities; federal, state and local government entities; public and nonprofit private K to 12 schools, charter schools, community colleges, colleges and universities with an NCES number or 501(c)(3) status; and faith-based organizations whose project benefits the broader community, such as a food pantry, clothing closet or soup kitchen. Deed verifies every one of them.
• Not eligible: 501(c)(4), 501(c)(6) and 501(c)(19) organizations, 509(a)(3) supporting organizations of Types I, II and III, homeowners' associations, civic leagues, volunteer fire companies, and government entities not found in the IRS Business Master File.
• Cycles in fiscal year 2027: Cycle 1 ran February 1 to April 15, Cycle 2 ran May 1 to July 15, and Cycle 3 runs August 1 to December 31.
• Limits: no more than 25 pending or approved applications at any one time. Once a facility funds you, you cannot apply to that same facility again in the same fiscal year.
• Decisions: sent before the next cycle opens.
• Payment: electronic. You must provide banking information within 21 days of being told you are recommended for funding, and agree to Walmart's logo and recognition guidelines.

The 25-application ceiling means an organization near several stores, clubs or distribution centers can ask each of them in the same cycle. The one-grant-per-facility rule means a second request to a facility that has already funded you waits for the next fiscal year.

Churches and other houses of worship can take part only through a project that serves the wider community. Walmart's FAQ says it does not fund faith-based organizations when the grant would benefit only the organization or its members. GrantCue keeps a separate list of open grants for faith-based organizations.

How do you apply for a Walmart community grant?

You apply online from a Spark Good account after Deed has verified your organization, then choose the facility that serves your area. The steps, from Walmart's sign-up page and FAQ (Walmart, Join Spark Good, read November 2026):

1. Create a Spark Good account on Walmart.com, from the Walmart nonprofits page (read November 2026). Walmart recommends an organization email address rather than a personal one.
2. Add your organization and get verified by Deed. The FAQ says verification needs at least your organization's primary email, its IRS determination letter, a current Form 990 or equivalent, and its bank account information. If you were verified by Walmart's earlier provider, you still need a Deed account.
3. Check that your organization is eligible for Local Grants, using the list above. A pending 501(c)(3) does not qualify: the FAQ says only organizations listed in the IRS 50-State Master File can receive funding.
4. Choose the facility. Pick a store, Sam's Club or distribution center whose area you serve. You can apply to more than one.
5. Apply during an open cycle and describe a specific local project.
6. If you are recommended, send your banking details within 21 days and follow the recognition guidelines.

A store-level grant is decided locally, so write for a reader who knows your town. Name the project, the number of people it serves, what the money buys and when it will be spent. A request for "$2,500 to buy a commercial freezer so the pantry can accept donated meat from three grocery stores" is easier to approve than a general request for operating support. GrantCue's guide to using small local grants to build a track record covers how a few $1,000 to $5,000 awards make later, larger requests easier.

If you plan to apply to several facilities across the cycles, keep the dates in one place. A free GrantCue account tracks deadlines and tasks for each grant you save.

What does the Walmart Foundation fund?

The Walmart Foundation's 2024 return lists 144 grants totaling $113.9 million, paid to 144 recipients, with a median grant of $430,000. That is GrantCue's analysis of its IRS Form 990-PF (IRS, read November 2026), the annual return private foundations file. Only the 2024 return is on file, so these figures describe one year, not a trend. The Walmart Foundation's GrantCue profile shows its giving by year and its largest grants, and a free account opens the full grant list, which you can filter by purpose, state and year.

Walmart Foundation grants by size, tax year 2024

Source: GrantCue's analysis of IRS Form 990-PF returns, tax year 2024.

Forty-three grants of $1 million or more account for about three quarters of the money. Not one grant on the 2024 return was under $5,000, which is the whole range of a Spark Good Local Grant.

Where Walmart Foundation grants went, tax year 2024

Source: GrantCue's analysis of IRS Form 990-PF returns, tax year 2024. The location is the recipient's address on the return, not where the money was spent.

Read the state column with care. Virginia leads because several national groups have offices in Arlington: Conservation International ($8.5 million), The Nature Conservancy ($5.7 million) and TechnoServe ($4.8 million) together make up most of the state's total. Arkansas has the most grants, 44, and 43 grants on the return carry the purpose line "Northwest Arkansas", the Foundation's home region.

The purpose lines on the 2024 return show the Foundation's priorities:

• Northwest Arkansas: 43 grants
• Disaster relief and preparedness: 29 grants
• People in supply chains: 17 grants
• Nature: 16 grants
• Healthier food for all: 16 grants
• Caring and connected communities: 6 grants
• Criminal justice reform: 6 grants
• Economic opportunity in retail: 4 grants
• Waste: 3 grants

Typical grants look like $435,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Benton County in Bentonville, $500,000 each to Manna Food Bank in Mills River, North Carolina, and United Way of Greater Houston for disaster relief, and $475,000 to Operation BBQ Relief, also for disaster relief. GrantCue's guide to reading a 990-PF grant list explains how to judge whether a funder like this one gives to organizations your size.

Can you apply to the Walmart Foundation directly?

In most cases, no. The Foundation's 2024 return lists how to apply, but walmart.org now says: "Applications are by invitation only for 501(c)(3) organizations (or equivalent organizations outside the U.S.) whose work directly relates to our focus areas. Unsolicited proposals will not be accepted." (Walmart, walmart.org FAQs, read November 2026). The Foundation's community page lists Healthier Food for All, Disaster Preparedness and Relief, and Northwest Arkansas Giving, and repeats that grants are by invitation (Walmart, Community, read November 2026).

The exception is Northwest Arkansas Giving, which covers Benton and Washington counties in Arkansas. It posts its current requests for proposals, with deadlines, on walmart.org each year, and the FAQ says a review can take up to 30 days. If your organization works in those two counties, check that page and the Arkansas foundation list on GrantCue.

Everyone else has these options:

• Use Spark Good for local, project-sized money.
• If your organization belongs to a national network that appears on the Foundation's grant list (food bank networks, United Ways, Meals on Wheels America, Goodwill Industries International), ask the national office whether it passes Walmart funding to local members.
• Spend your research time on foundations that do take requests. GrantCue's guides to foundations that do not accept unsolicited proposals and how invitation-only and RFP-only foundations choose grantees explain what still works.

The FAQ also lists what the Walmart Foundation does not fund: grants to individuals, association or chamber memberships, athletic team or event sponsorships, faith-based grants that benefit only the organization or its members, and political causes or campaigns. Private foundations and Type III supporting organizations are not eligible. The FAQ also notes that the Walton Family Foundation is a separate organization from the Walmart Foundation.

How does Walmart compare with other retail company foundations?

The Walmart Foundation is the largest of these retail company foundations by dollars, but it makes almost no small grants. A company foundation is only one part of corporate giving, and the useful number for a small nonprofit is the median grant, not the total.

Retail company foundations, latest tax year on file

Source: GrantCue's analysis of IRS Form 990-PF returns, tax year 2024 for every row. Medians cover all years on file: 2023 and 2024 for Publix and Walgreens, 2024 for the others. The Best Buy Foundation's return reports one total and puts its grant list in an attachment GrantCue cannot read, so it has no count or median here. Meijer also files a second, smaller return.

The table shows three different shapes. Publix pays thousands of grants with a median of $2,500, close to the size of a Spark Good award. The Kroger Co. Foundation's median of $10,000 sits in between, and about a fifth of its 2024 grants went to food banks and other hunger groups. Target, Walgreens and Walmart give fewer, larger grants, and Walgreens and Meijer say on their returns that they give only to organizations they choose.

What other ways does Walmart support nonprofits?

Beyond Local Grants, a Spark Good account opens several ways to raise money and goods through Walmart customers and associates (Walmart, Spark Good, read November 2026):

• Round Up: customers can round up when they shop on Walmart.com or in the Walmart app and give the change to your organization. The FAQ says Round Up donations are paid out quarterly.
• Registry: a list of needed products that customers can buy and ship to a location you choose.
• Storefront fundraising: a request to fundraise outside a store entrance. The FAQ asks for at least 21 days' notice and caps it at 14 days per facility per year, no more than 3 days in a row, 8 hours a day and 15 people.
• Volunteer grants: the Walmart nonprofits page says organizations can receive grants when associates submit their volunteer hours.
• Associate giving: associates can give to eligible organizations through the Spark Good Associate Platform, with donation matching campaigns. The ACNT Together Fund, also on that page, is how associates help fellow associates, not a grant for outside organizations.

For donated products or gift cards, the FAQ is direct: Walmart's programs give only financial grants, and requests for in-kind donations go to your local Walmart or Sam's Club.

These channels add up for organizations with a local following. A pantry that has a registry, a Round Up listing and a storefront day, and asks two nearby stores for Local Grants, has five ways to raise money from Walmart without ever writing to the Foundation. GrantCue's guides to Kroger grants and Target grants cover two more store programs, the guide to grants for food banks covers the funders that pay pantries, and the guide to corporate grants for nonprofits compares company foundations by typical grant and by whether they take applications. For a wider search beyond Walmart, GrantCue's guide on how to find grants for nonprofits walks through foundations, government grants and local funders.

FAQ

How much is a Walmart community grant?

A Spark Good Local Grant from a Walmart store, Sam's Club or distribution center is $250 to $5,000, according to Walmart's program page, read November 2026. The Walmart Foundation's grants are much larger: its 2024 Form 990-PF return lists 144 grants with a median of $430,000, and none under $5,000. Small and mid-sized local organizations usually apply for the store-level grants, because the Foundation's website says its own grants are by invitation only.

When can you apply for a Walmart Spark Good grant?

Walmart lists three Local Grant cycles for its fiscal year 2027: February 1 to April 15, May 1 to July 15, and August 1 to December 31. Decisions are sent before the next cycle opens. You can hold up to 25 pending or approved applications at once, but once a facility funds you, you cannot apply to that same facility again in the same fiscal year. Check the Local Grants page before each cycle, since dates can change.

Can a church get a Walmart grant?

A church can apply for a Spark Good Local Grant only for a project that benefits the broader community, such as a food pantry, clothing closet or soup kitchen, and only after Deed verifies it. Walmart's FAQ says it does not fund faith-based organizations when a grant would benefit only the organization or its members. A request for a congregation's building, worship or member programs will not qualify, while a request for the church's community food pantry can.

What is Deed, and why does Walmart require it?

Deed is the third-party company Walmart uses to verify organizations for Spark Good. It checks that an organization is in good standing with the IRS and that the people on its Spark Good account are authorized users. Walmart's FAQ says verification needs at least the organization's primary email, its IRS determination letter, a current Form 990 or equivalent, and its bank account information. Organizations verified by Walmart's earlier provider still need a Deed account.

Can a fire department get a Walmart grant?

It depends on how the department is organized. Walmart's Local Grants page lists volunteer fire companies among the organizations that are not eligible. It does list federal, state and local government entities as eligible once Deed verifies them, so a fire department that is part of a city, county or fire district government would apply as a government entity. Government entities that are not found in the IRS Business Master File are not eligible.

Can I ask Walmart for gift cards or donated products instead of a grant?

Not through Walmart's grant programs. The walmart.org FAQ says only financial grants are available through its programs, and requests for in-kind donations, meaning products and gift cards, should be made at your local Walmart or Sam's Club. A Spark Good Registry is another way to get goods: customers buy items on your wish list and have them shipped to your organization.

Is the Walmart ACNT grant for nonprofits?

No. Walmart's Spark Good page describes the ACNT Together Fund as a way for associates to lend a hand to fellow associates, so it serves Walmart employees, not outside organizations. The Walmart Foundation's 2024 return shows a $2 million grant to the similarly named Wal-Mart Associates in Critical Need Fund. Nonprofits looking for Walmart money should use Spark Good Local Grants instead.

Does the Walmart Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?

No. The walmart.org FAQ says applications are by invitation only for 501(c)(3) organizations whose work directly relates to its focus areas, and that unsolicited proposals will not be accepted. That is true even though the Foundation's 2024 return lists how to apply. The exception is Northwest Arkansas Giving, which posts requests for proposals for Benton and Washington counties each year. Everyone else should use Spark Good Local Grants.

What should you do next?

If you serve a community with a Walmart store, Sam's Club or distribution center nearby, set up your Spark Good account and Deed verification now, so you are ready to apply to one or more facilities before Cycle 3 closes on December 31. Then look past Walmart: browse open grants on GrantCue, check which foundations give in your state on the free state lists (for example the Arkansas list), and create a free GrantCue account to save the grants that fit, track their deadlines and get alerts when new ones open.