Guide to the Walmart Local Community Grants

If you are looking at introducing or expanding 3D printing and design for your school, then Makers Empire can try to help you achieve funding for such a program through the Walmart Local Community Grants.

Grants of up to $5,000 per school are available to public elementary, middle and high schools to purchase materials, supplies and other resources to enhance learning in the classroom. 

The grant program will remain open for the rest of 2022.

Makers Empire provides schools with all the tools for a successful 3D printing and design program. This includes 3D printers, easy to use 3D design software, lesson plans aligned to standards, professional development and teacher management tools.

“This has been a wonderful new way to teach and motivate my students… They are beginning to see real-life implications to what they learning to do in class and how they could develop prototypes of objects that they could develop and then produce to sell…The overall enthusiasm towards school and learning has increased tremendously. Students who are typically reluctant learners have come to life,”
– Robin McGinnis, Teacher
North Elementary School, USA

About the Walmart Local Community Grants

In 1962, Sam Walton opened the doors of the first Walmart. He recognized the value of bringing affordable products to people in small towns. Walmart has been helping people save money – and live better – ever since. 

In 1982, the Walmart Foundation was created to help support the communities Walmart serves. Together, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation generally provide more than $1 billion in cash and in-kind annual giving. 

We focus on areas where we can do the most good – combining the unique strengths of the business alongside our philanthropy. Our ability to draw on Walmart business strengths, providing more than just funding, enables our philanthropy to deliver greater societal impact

We seek to create value in the communities around the world where we operate, strengthening them through local grants supporting programs that help them thrive.

Walmart’s more than 2 million associates are residents, neighbors, friends and family in thousands of communities around the globe. Walmart works to strengthen these communities through both our retail business and community giving.

 

We support and invest in communities through local giving, encouraging volunteerism, and through programs to strengthen community cohesion.

Guidelines

  • Local Community grants range from a minimum of $250 to a maximum of $5,000.
  • Eligible nonprofit organizations must operate on the local level (or be an affiliate/chapter of a larger organization that operates locally) and directly benefit the service area of the facility from which they are requesting funding.
  • The 2021 grant cycle begins Feb. 1, 2021 and the application deadline is Dec. 31, 2021.
  • Applications may be submitted at any time during this funding cycle. Please note that applications will only remain active in our system for 90 days, and at the end of this period they will be automatically rejected.
  • Organizations may only submit a total number of 25 applications and/or receive up to 25 grants within the 2021 grant cycle.
  • All organizations applying for a Local Community grant must be CyberGrants FrontDoor verified prior to applying.

Eligibility Checklist

Organizations applying must meet one of following criteria:

  • An organization holding a current tax-exempt status as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3), or (19) of the Internal Revenue Code, listed on the IRS Master File and conducting activities within the United States (excluding nationally sponsored organizations, such as American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, Children’s Miracle Network and United Way) and CyberGrants FrontDoor verified.
  • A recognized government entity: state, county or city agency, including law enforcement or fire departments, that are requesting funds exclusively for public purposes and CyberGrants FrontDoor verified.
  • A K-12 public or nonprofit private school, charter school, community/junior college, state/private college or university; or a church or other faith-based organization with a proposed project that benefits the community at large, such as food pantries, soup kitchens and clothing closets and CyberGrants FrontDoor verified.
  • Non-charities, including organizations recognized as 501(c)(4)s, like homeowner’s associations, civic leagues, or volunteer fire companies, are excluded

Selection Process

  • Management at the facility to which you are applying will review the application and make initial funding recommendations on all submitted requests.
  • The facility manager and the grant administrator reserve the right to adjust the amount awarded to each organization without prior notice.
  • Organizations will be notified of any decision via e-mail. All funding decisions are final.
  • If an organization is approved, grant checks will be mailed directly to the recipient’s address listed in the Cybergrant’s FrontDoor profile for the organization. Please allow four to six weeks for delivery.
  • In the event of being awarded a grant, organizations should contact the local facility from which funds were awarded in order to schedule a formal recognition event.

All grant applications are made subject to review of the organization’s reputation and activities and its agreement to comply with applicable terms and conditions. 

Submission of an application does not guarantee funding. 

Funding exclusions include: organizations that deny service, membership or other involvement on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, veteran, or disability status.

 

Grant Fit with Makers Empire

We have highlighted the ways Makers Empire fulfils the grant requirements above.

Additionally, Makers Empire is designed to work both in the classroom and with remote learning – teachers can set student curriculum-aligned design challenges via the Teacher Dashboard and have them appear remotely in their students’ devices as a notification.

The possibilities for engaging, authentic learning with Makers Empire are endless.

Check out examples of remote learning activities you could do with your students including:

What could my school receive with the Classroom Grant?

The Walmart Local Community Grants program allows schools to get up to $5,000 in funding towards classroom programs.

With this grant, schools could fund: 

  • Two Flashforge Adventurer 4 3D printers
  • 3D printing filament
  • Professional development
  • Online training
  • Maker Empire 3D design software
  • 150+ curriculum-aligned lesson plans
  • Ongoing support

for all students and teachers in a school for 24 months.

 

What does my school need to commit to?

To apply for the Walmart Local Community Grants Program to get 3D printing with Makers Empire, a school needs to simply request a quote, and submit an application

No financial commitment from the schools is required. The Walmart Local Community Grants do not require any matching funding, and all the tools for a school to successfully implement 3D printing into the classroom are covered by the grant.

The grant application form is straightforward, Depending on your previous grant writing experience, you can complete the application in a day or two.

Application Process: Suggested Steps

For schools who choose Makers Empire for their grant submission, we recommend the following approach.

Please read over all the steps before starting your application.

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Step 1: consider Makers Empire

To learn more about Makers Empire, and see if this is the right solution for your school, please watch these short videos. Most 3D design programs for students focus solely on the Teaching part of the teaching cycle Differently, Makers Empire can be used for all three stages:

 

  1. Plan – complete the two hours of professional development, browse 150+ curriculum aligned lesson plans, watch 3D printing video guides, undertake the getting started guide to set up your classes and get ready to teach your first class
  2. Teach – you can set students work both in the classroom or remotely if they are learning at home via the Teacher Dashboard (missions or tasks will appear in students’ devices as a notification). 
  3. Assess – built-in assessment tools and rubrics make assessing students’ work simple.

Step 2: start your application

Start your application at the grant website. 

If you decide to apply for a Walmart Local Community Grant to purchase a Makers Empire solution, you must request a quote as quotations are required as part of the application.

Step 1 of 2
Makers Empire is designed for grade K-8 students.

Step 3: request a quotation

Tell us a little more about your school so we can generate your personalized quotation for you to submit with your Walmart grant application. We promise never to share your information – see our Privacy Policy.

“We first began designing using Tinkercad, a terrific CAD program and widely accepted by schools. Some of my older students were able to grasp the mechanics of designing things but that’s all it was, designing things. It had no connection to what we were learning and studying in school. It was isolated and, to be honest probably more trouble than it was worth. I hadn’t found a way to connect this great tool to the needs of my students… I had been searching the blogs looking for resources to teach the curriculum when I discovered the Makers Empire software… Clicking on their website and watching a few tutorials I immediately could tell I had found something special. There was something simplistic to Makers Empire’s approach of complex design. The website offered video tutorials, downloadable resources, and an iPad friendly interface… It took me a while, but what I finally realized was that 3D printing and design is not what I am teaching, but rather how I am teaching… Sure, there are technical skills that both the teacher and students need in order to make a design and have it print out correctly but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Makers Empire software allows kids to express themselves and to show what they have learned in other realms of the curriculum.”

Christopher Burdman, STEM Teacher
Tynan Elementary School, Boston

Step 4: Submit your application

We suggest having your application fully prepared in a seperate document so that you can submit it easily online.

Then submit your application online as per step 1 above if you created a grant application account. Make sure to include your school’s quotation for your Makers Empire solution. 

If you need help with your application please email us at info[at]makersempire.com with subject: “WALMART GRANT SUPPORT.”

Good luck!