The IDEALS Institute at the University of Arkansas has received a nearly $2.2 million grant from the Walmart Foundation and Walton Family Foundation to provide 100 regional nonprofits with resources to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive.
IDEALS is an acronym for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, Leadership Development and Strategic Supports. The institute, launched in 2019 and based in the UA’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), will use the grant to provide DEI capacity building, organizational assessment, professional development, consultation and community-building opportunities to five groups of nonprofits over two years. IDEALS will also recruit and select the participants.
The grant is the second phase of TRUE Northwest Arkansas, a community-based initiative launched in 2018 to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Benton and Washington counties. IDEALS will rename the program “TRU Powered by IDEALS.” TRU is an acronym for Train, Recharge and Uplift, which are the three focus areas for the initiative.
In addition, the grant is part of a three-year, $5 million commitment by Walmart.org and the Walton Family Foundation’s 2025 Strategy for the Home Region Program.
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