Walmart heirs Olivia and Tom Walton are committing $100 million to America’s maternal death crisis—and betting states and donors will pour in more

The U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among wealthy nations, research shows, so heirs of the multibillion Walmart fortune are working to drastically lower it.

On Thursday, Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America (HMHBA) announced an initial $100 million, five-year commitment from Olivia and Tom Walton to accelerate efforts to cut maternal deaths in half across the U.S.

However, the investment will fund state-matching grants, partnerships, and infrastructure, so HMHBA will use the multimillion-dollar gift as a springboard to drive more public and private capital.

Olivia Walton founded HMHBA in May to cut maternal mortality rates in half over the next five years.

She launched the campaign through the Walton family’s Heartland Forward, a “think and do” tank dedicated to issues in the U.S.

Heartland region.

Walton made the mission personal.

“It was more dangerous for me to give birth to my children than it was for my mother to give birth to me in the 1980s,” she said in a statement.

“That is inexcusable—and it is fixable.” She argues the solutions to maternal mortality already exist; it’s just a matter of getting resources to more mothers.

This includes getting them into care earlier, extending postpartum support beyond a six-week checkup, and building care around what families actually need.

“Nearly 90 percent of maternal deaths are preventable,” Walton continued.

“We know what works, and states across the country are already proving it.” Maternal mortality in the U.S.

Even after a decline in 2023, the U.S. maternal mortality rate sat at nearly 19 deaths per 100,000 live births, which is higher than most other high-income countries.

That year, 669 women died of maternal causes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.