BENTONVILLE, Ark., Aug. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Today, the Walmart Foundation alongside six women’s foundations – The Washington Area Women’s Foundation, The New York Women’s Foundation, Women’s Fund of Mississippi, Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis and Women’s Funding Network – announces the launch of the Partnership for Women’s Prosperity. The new national partnership intends to help economically vulnerable women gain financial and economic security through education, job training and employment opportunities. The Walmart Foundation has provided $3.35 million in grants to the Partnership for Women’s Prosperity to initiate efforts and assist nearly 5,000 women and girls in 16 communities across the United States.

Women today face a greater risk of poverty than males, according to the National Poverty Center, and access to educational and job training programs helps reduce this risk. The partnership will support these types of programs that help improve the lives of low-income, women-headed families, as well as women and girls from underserved and impoverished communities.

“We are thankful to the Walmart Foundation for recognizing the impact that women’s funds are having on communities and the innovative and effective ways in which they’re providing resources that enable economically vulnerable women to overcome barriers and reach their full potential,” said Nicola Goren, President and CEO of the Washington Area Women’s Foundation. “By working together as a collective force, we have the potential to transform the role of economically disadvantaged women across the United States.”

The Walmart Foundation worked closely with the Partnership for Women’s Prosperity to establish goals and fund programs that best serve women in their local communities. Specifically, the grants will provide programs that help women:

• Advance Careers: Offer greater job training and career services to help women find and secure stable jobs and ensure access to affordable child care options.
• Increase Financial Literacy: Equip women with the right tools to help them build their net worth by reducing debt and accumulating savings.
• Access Education: Expand access to educational opportunities including GED, English as a Second Language, and post-secondary courses to increase knowledge that will help secure jobs
• Build Leadership Skills: Empower young women and girls with the ability to raise grades, increase graduation rates and improve access to higher education and stable jobs.

“These dedicated partners are working on the ground community by community to help women expand their knowledge and build essential skills that will improve their lives,” said Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President of the Walmart Foundation. “We know that outside of work, women spend their time, money and energy caring for their families and communities, so investing in women today will help build a greater future for our nation.”

This announcement is part of Walmart’s Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative launched in September 2011 that aims to help 200,000 U.S. women from low-income households gain job skills, access to higher education and achieve economic security. For more information, visit www.walmartstores.com/women.

About Philanthropy at Walmart

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support initiatives that are helping people live better around the globe. In May 2010, Walmart and its Foundation made a historic pledge of $2 billion through 2015 to fight hunger in the U.S. The Walmart Foundation also supports education, workforce development, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness initiatives. To learn more, visit www.walmartfoundation.org.

SOURCE Walmart Foundation