Washington, D.C. — Today, America250, the official nonpartisan entity charged by Congress with planning the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, unveiled a new founding sponsorship from Walmart. America250 and Walmart will launch two national initiatives leading up to the national commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary July 4, 2026. First, a national service effort, focused on volunteering, public service — including military service — and charitable giving, rolling out in the fall of 2024 through 2026 and beyond. Second, America250 will kick off an historic national oral history project to capture America at this important milestone for future generations to learn and build upon, set to begin in the summer of 2025.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Walmart to engage Americans from sea to shining sea for our nation’s 250th,” said America250 Chair, Rosie Rios. “Our commemoration needs to go where Main Street lives. Ninety percent of the population lives within 10 miles of a Walmart store or Sam’s Club, this partnership will allow us the opportunity to reach Americans where they are so we can truly connect with one another. We’re grateful to Walmart for their generous grant and we are excited to work together to inspire and unite Americans through storytelling, volunteerism, charitable giving, and public service.”
“Walmart has a strong history of investing in America. Since the company’s founding, we have strengthened communities by providing access to affordable, quality goods, creating meaningful career opportunities for millions of people, sourcing U.S.-made products, and complementing these efforts with philanthropy,” said Dan Bartlett, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Walmart. “Our longstanding investments in communities across the country makes this collaboration with America250 a natural fit. We look forward to bringing people together for a historic celebration of our nation.”
The collaboration with Walmart will leverage their commitment to supporting communities and empowering their customers and associates to give back through the company’s Spark Good community giving programs. Walmart’s support builds on America250’s work to engage Americans to give and volunteer, anchored around several national days of service over the next two years ahead of the Semiquincentennial. In addition, a portion of the funding provided by Walmart will go directly toward supporting local grassroots efforts and 250th anniversary celebrations coordinated in partnership with America250 and State and Territory Semiquincentennial Commissions.
This announcement builds on the momentum created by America250 over the past year. In July 2023, America250 launched America’s Invitation, a national public engagement effort inviting all Americans to share their stories, both reflections on the past and their hopes and dreams for the future of this country.
This past December, America250 partnered with local leaders and organizations to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, the first of many locally-driven, grassroots events that America250 will support in partnership with states and territories across the country. In March of this year, America250 announced America’s Field Trip — a nationwide scholastic contest with awardees receiving behind-the-scenes experiences at iconic American historical and cultural sites.
About America250
America250 is a nonpartisan initiative working to engage every American in commemorating and celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is spearheaded by the congressionally appointed U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission and its nonprofit supporting organization, America250.org, Inc, together known as America250. This multi-year effort kicked off with America’s Invitation on July 4,
America’s Field Trip Awardees!
Thousands of students from across the country submitted inspiring entries, responding to the prompt “What does America mean to you?” for the first-ever America’s Field Trip contest. A panel of current and former educators selected 150 students as awardees, hailing from 44 states and territories.