Meet world’s richest woman: Alice Walton got $33 billion richer without running Walmart, is building a $250 million tuition-free medical school

Billionaire Alice Walton, the world's richest woman, got $33 billion richer in one year while building a tuition-free medical school, according to Fortune news report. The Walmart heiress’ net worth jumped by $33 billion in between March 2025 and March 2026, data from Forbes and Fortune show. The youngest child of Walmart founder Sam Walton, Alice, now 76, is not a Walmart executive or board member. Her public work in recent years has instead centred on art, philanthropy and a growing interest in medicine.

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Alice Walton's contribution to medicine & philanthropy

Unlike her brothers, Rob and Jim Walton, Alice Walton has not been involved in running the retail giant in recent years. Rather, she has shown deep interest in medicine and philanthropy. She founded Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville in 2021 in Ark., her hometown and Walmart’s headquarters and also donated $250 million to fund the medical school, which offers a four-year, degree-granting medical program.


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The school opened in 2025 and welcomed its first class of 48 students. In a noble gesture, the four-year medical program welcomed its inaugural class of 48 students in 2025. The school also waved off tuition for its first five graduating classes, although students are still responsible for fees and living expenses.

“The real problem with health care is that there’s no incentive in the payment system for doctors to spend time helping you learn what good nutrition is, how important exercise is,” she told PBS NewsHour earlier this year. “And, frankly, doctors aren’t taught those things because they’re not paid for those things.”

Committment to healthcare

The lice L. Walton School of Medicine school is part of her push to expand health care in Bentonville and other areas. Her foundation has committed $350 million to a planned health campus in Bentonville. Mercy and Cleveland Clinic are developing the project. The campus is expected to include a 250-bed hospital and a cancer center. A specialty care center focused on cardiac services is expected to open in 2029.

“I see innovation, technology, and research coming together to improve lives and address the critical issue of providing access for rural communities throughout the state and the region,” she said at the groundbreaking, according to Axios. Walton has also invested heavily in the arts. She helped establish Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, which opened in 2011 and houses a collection of American art.

Alice Walton's educational qualifications

After completing her graduation from Trinity University in 1971, Alice Walton briefly worked for Walmart. Initially, she played the role of buyer of children's clothing but did not stick with the retailer for long. She transitioned into finance, worked as a stockbroker at E.F. Hutton before taking on investment responsibilities at Arvest, the family-owned bank.

In 1988, she established her own investment bank, Llama Co but the business eventually closed after the 1998 bond market crash, as per Bloomberg. Alice co-manages Walton Enterprises, which is one of the two family holding companies that controls an estimated 39%-44% of the retailer. She’s estimated to own about 20 million shares of Walmart directly in her name, which would be worth about $2.2 billion by today’s numbers.

She still has a substantial connection to the family's business interests. Walton co-manages Walton Enterprises, one of the family holding companies associated with control of Walmart.

But Walton, 76, owns most of her Walmart stake indirectly through family entities. Walmart’s 2026 proxy statement shows that Walton Enterprises directly holds about 3 billion shares. It also votes another 513 million shares held by the Walton Family Holdings Trust. Her fortune mainly comes from her inherited Walmart stake. So, when Walmart’s stock rises, her net worth rises too. Walton also owns millions of Walmart shares directly.