Walmart Donation Request: A Complete Guide for Nonprofits (2026)

Walmart accepts donation requests from nonprofits in two ways. For gift cards and products, you ask in person at your local Walmart or Sam's Club — there is no online form for in-kind requests. For cash grants of $250–$5,000, you apply online through Walmart's Spark Good program at walmart.com/nonprofits. This guide covers both routes: what Walmart actually gives, how to apply, and what your odds look like based on the applications nonprofits have tracked on TheShareWay.

What are your odds?

Across 1,065 tracked applications on TheShareWay, about 15% of Walmart donation requests were approved.

Figures as of September 2026, from applications tracked on TheShareWay.

What Walmart donates

Most Walmart donations are gift cards, with products sold in-store — food, supplies, raffle items — making up the rest. Walmart donations tracked on TheShareWay typically range from about $90 to $1,000, with a median value of $250. Larger support usually comes through the Spark Good grant program rather than the store counter.

Route 1: In-kind donations from your local store

Walmart's giving FAQ is explicit: requests for in-kind donations — products and gift cards — should be made at your local Walmart or Sam's Club facility. In practice, that means:

1. Go to the store you're asking from. Choose the location closest to the people you serve; store leaders give locally.
2. Ask for the community relations contact or a store manager. They're the decision-makers for in-kind gifts.
3. Bring a short written request. A one-page letter with your organization's name, tax status, what you're asking for, and who it helps makes the ask easy to say yes to. Our donation request letter template covers exactly this.
4. Follow up in person or by phone. Nonprofits reviewing Walmart on TheShareWay consistently report that the request went nowhere until they checked back with the store manager — and then moved quickly.

Sam's Club runs on the same playbook — in-person requests, decided locally — and approves at a somewhat higher rate (21% on TheShareWay). If there's a club near you, it's worth a separate ask: see our Sam's Club profile.

Route 2: Spark Good local grants ($250–$5,000)

Walmart's biggest door for nonprofits is Spark Good local community grants: cash awards of $250 to $5,000, decided by individual Walmart stores, Sam's Clubs, and distribution centers for organizations serving their area.

How it works:

• Set up a Spark Good account at walmart.com/nonprofits and complete verification through Deed, Walmart's third-party verification partner. You apply from that account.
• Eligibility covers 501(c)(3) public charities, government entities (including law enforcement and fire departments), K-12 schools and colleges, and faith-based organizations with projects that serve the broader community, like food pantries or clothing closets.
• Apply during an open window. Walmart's FY27 cycles are February 1 – April 15, May 1 – July 15, and August 1 – November 30. The third cycle is open now and closes November 30, 2026.
• Decisions come by email from the facility's managers and are final. Once a facility funds you, you can't apply there again until the next fiscal year, and an organization can have at most 25 applications pending or approved at a time.

Which route fits your ask

If you need raffle prizes, gift cards, or supplies for an event, go to the store — it's faster and the ask is small enough for a manager to approve on the spot. If you're funding a program — meals, clean-ups, shelter supplies over a season — apply for a Spark Good grant. The two routes don't conflict: plenty of organizations ask their local store for a gift card while a grant application is pending.

After you apply

Walmart responds to donation requests in a median of 11 days, based on applications tracked on TheShareWay. If a couple of weeks pass quietly, follow up with the store you asked — reviewers on TheShareWay report requests that sat until they checked in with a manager, including donations that were approved but not actually handed over until the nonprofit came back to collect. When the donation lands, a thank-you letter keeps the relationship warm for next year — local giving is relationship-driven, and stores remember organizations that close the loop.

Beyond your local store

Walmart's national arm, Walmart.org, runs additional programs worth knowing about. Food-focused organizations can submit a concept note for the Healthier Food for All program, which accepts proposals on a rolling basis from 501(c)(3)s. A verified Spark Good account also unlocks round up (customers donate their spare change to you at walmart.com checkout), registry (supporters buy items your organization needs), and space requests for fundraising outside stores. You can see every Walmart grant program we track on Walmart's funder page.

How TheShareWay helps with your Walmart request

Walmart is one of the most-requested donors on TheShareWay. Track your application on Walmart's company page to see live approval odds and response times, and browse more companies that donate in-kind to build your full ask list. If you're working through the big retailers, our Costco and Target guides follow the same format, and our overview of companies that donate to nonprofits casts a wider net.