Robert Bruce Burns

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The largest single donation in US history is going to a small town in central Arkansas.

The Walton Family Foundation has announced that it will give $50 million over the next five years to improve the lives of residents of the Northwest Arkansas area, which includes parts of Mississippi and Tennessee, the AP reports.

The money will go to the Home Region Program, which is led by Robert Burns.

"From the moment I joined the foundation as director of our Home Region program, I have seen that the vision of building a diverse, thriving region isn't just aspirational," Burns tells Arkansas Matters.

"It's happening city by city, neighborhood by neighborhood."

The money will go to projects in education, youth engagement, economic asset building, and coalition building.

It's part of a $2 billion pledge to invest more than $2 billion in philanthropic support over the next five years.

Tom Walton, chairman of the Walton Family Foundation, says Burns "brings a mix of deep experience, fresh thinking, and a commitment to collaboration."



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