BENTONVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 12, 2024) – The Walton Family Foundation is opening a new application cycle for its Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program. From Sept. 12 through Oct. 10, 2024, design professionals are encouraged to submit their work for review at waltonfamilyfoundation.org/design. This application cycle is open to architecture, landscape architecture and urban planning disciplines.

The Design Excellence Selection Committee searches for designers to create a pool of architects, landscape architects and urban designers to pair with projects selected by the Walton Family Foundation. The program funds ambitious projects that inspire a sense of belonging, foster connections, create welcoming public spaces and support meaningful and shared experiences.

“The Design Excellence Program aims to create inclusive, innovative spaces that enhance community connections and foster a sense of belonging,” said Meredith Bergstrom, senior program officer at the Walton Family Foundation. “Northwest Arkansas offers a unique opportunity for designers to shape public spaces that reflect the region’s culture, support shared experiences and promote sustainability. This program is about partnering with professionals who can make a lasting impact on the region's future through thoughtful, creative design."

Established in 2015, the Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program promotes the highest level of design in developing future public buildings and spaces in Benton and Washington counties. Four key principles guide the selection of its design professionals, projects and program success. They include a commitment to strengthening public life, elevating standards of sustainability and resilience, celebrating local cultures and places, and building regional capacity.

The program accommodates design firms of all sizes. This includes local and nationally recognized multidisciplinary firms, smaller specialty firms and new designers. A selection committee of industry experts and foundation representatives chooses which professionals will be added to the program. If accepted, designers can participate for up to five years or until they are selected for a project.

Notable program projects include TheatreSquared, Railyard Park and Thaden School, all of which have won prestigious awards, including the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) NY Design Merit Award and Regional and Urban Design Award, American Architecture Award, AIA NY Institutional Honor Award and more.

Last year, the foundation announced the two newest projects to be awarded: the Missing Middle Housing in Downtown Bentonville and the expansion of the Bentonville City Hall Campus. The first planning-focused project was announced this year: A Campus Master Plan for the NorthWest Arkansas Community College.

A full review of current projects and detailed information about the application process are available at waltonfamilyfoundation.org/design.

About the Walton Family Foundation

The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses, work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving Education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.