Philanthropists Olivia and Tom Walton announced a $100 million pledge on Thursday aimed at reducing maternal death rates across the United States. The funding will support the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America initiative, which is focused on cutting the national maternal mortality rate by 50% over a five-year period.
According to a statement from the organization, the investment will fund state-level matching grants, strategic partnerships, and infrastructure needed to expand proven maternal health interventions.
"America should be the safest place in the world to have a baby," Olivia Walton, the initiative’s founder, stated in the announcement. "We have the evidence and we have the solutions. Now we need the urgency and investment to make them available to every mom, across the country."
Olivia Walton, who is also the founder and CEO of Ingeborg Investments, is married to Tom Walton, grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton. Their pledge marks a potentially historic private-sector investment in addressing maternal health issues, Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America Executive Director Robin Reck said.
Reck referred to the Waltons’ commitment as "perhaps the single largest private investment ever made" to reduce maternal deaths, highlighting that the initiative’s goal is not just incremental improvement but a substantial reduction in the maternal mortality rate.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income nations, with 17.9 deaths per 100,000 live births recorded in 2024. Nearly 86% of these deaths are considered preventable, according to the CDC.
Arkansas faces some of the most severe maternal and infant health challenges in the country, including high mortality rates and limited access to care. A recent report by March of Dimes found that half of the state’s counties qualify as maternity care deserts, where access to obstetric care is severely limited or nonexistent.
Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America is fostering a bipartisan effort to address the issue, with a focus on improving access to care in underserved areas through telehealth services and growing the maternal health workforce. The organization’s approach is designed to ensure that all mothers nationwide, including those in rural and low-resource communities, receive effective and timely care.
U.S. Senator John Boozman of Arkansas has participated in maternal health discussions hosted by the organization, underscoring the importance of bipartisan solutions to tackle these challenges.
The Waltons' financial commitment provides critical momentum for the initiative as it works to deliver measurable results within the next five years.