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The Walton Family Foundation works in three major areas: strengthening the connections between K-12 education and lifelong opportunity, protecting rivers, oceans and the communities they support and advancing our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. One of the intiatives the Foundation runs is the The Design Excellence Program. Created in 2015 to promote the highest level of design in the development of future public buildings and spaces in Benton and Washington counties. It selects design professionals and projects based on four key principles: a commitment to strengthening public life; elevating standards of sustainability and resilience; celebrating local cultures and place; and building regional capacity.
The population in Northwest Arkansas has more than doubled over the last 25 years. creating opportunities and challenges in planning and design. The Design Excellence Program seeks to create public spaces that feel welcoming for everyone and support meaningful experiences. By identifying top design professionals, the program will fund projects that foster connections and inspire a sense of belonging. In June 2019, the Walton Family Foundation selected 18 new design firms to join its Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program. Ecological Design Group was among those included!
Since its launch, the Design Excellence Program has supported 11 projects across the region’s five largest downtowns. To date, its design professionals have completed Memorial Park in Siloam Springs, the Rogers Historical Museum and the Helen Walton Children’s Enrichment Center in Bentonville, with TheatreSquared in Fayetteville and a portion of Thaden School’s campus in Bentonville set to open this summer. A list that will only continue to grow and we couldn't be more excited to be a part of the firms considered in helping expand their mission and vision.
