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Walton Foundation Launches $250 Million Charter School Initiative

Arkansas Department of Education Building in Little Rock near the state Capitol building.
Jacob Kauffman
/
KUAR

A foundation run by the heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton has announced a $250 million initiative to support charter schools in 17 cities across the U.S.

The Walton Family Foundation on Tuesday announced its Building Equity Initiative aimed at helping charter schools establish and expand facilities. The foundation says it will initially focus on urban areas but will expand to help public charter schools serve at least 250,000 more students by 2027.

The initiative will help charter schools get financing for facilities by providing low-interest loans through not-for-profit lenders.

Cities that will benefit from the funding are: Atlanta; Boston; Camden, New Jersey; Denver; Houston; Indianapolis; Kansas City, Missouri; Little Rock; Los Angeles; Memphis, Tennessee; New Orleans; New York; Oakland, California; Oklahoma City; San Antonio; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Washington, D.C.

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