Lukas Walton, who has worked at several conservation- and impact-driven companies and organizations, is also the founder and CEO of Builders Vision, a Chicago-based non-profit with “an impact platform dedicated to helping organizations and people build a more humane and healthy planet.” According to the company, Builders Vision’s philanthropic and investment focus areas include sustainable food and agriculture, healthy oceans, renewable energy and thriving communities.
Why They Made the Worthy 100: In the fall of 2022, Lukas Walton, a grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton, announced that Builders’ Initiative, the philanthropic arm of his company, Builders Vision, “has transitioned 90 percent of its $1 billion endowment into mission-related investments” in the organization’s effort to shift markets and minds for good. “Our team believes,” Lukas Walton says about the Chicago-based non-profit, “that driving impact requires that we show profits and purpose are not mutually exclusive.”      Â
It was news that made headlines across media outlets, since by comparison, most foundations have no more than 20 percent of their endowments in ESG or impact initiatives.
In a LinkedIn post, Walton not only praised his own company’s goals and work, but also mentioned several like-minded philanthropic organizations: “Today marks a big moment for our Builders Vision community. I am so proud of our Builders Initiative leaders who successfully transitioned 90 percent of our foundation endowment to mission-related investments! It’s a humbling moment…. As I look forward to the next steps, I’m grateful to those whom we follow on this journey. Institutions like the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, McKnight Foundation, and Nathan Cummings Foundation set a precedent for the rigor and vision needed to align our values with our capital. We hope others will continue to join us.”
