# Alice Walton: world's richest woman and how she spends $135 billion

> The Walmart heiress has built museums, founded a medical school and committed billions to philanthropy while keeping her personal life private.
- Title: Alice Walton: world's richest woman and how she spends $135…
- Summary: The Walmart heiress has built museums, founded a medical school and committed billions to philanthropy while keeping her personal life private. Alice Walton…
- Keywords: alice walton, walmart, wealth, philanthropy, art collecting, crystal bridges museum, alice l. walton school of medicine, bentonville arkansas, business, technology, Alice, Walton
- Source: Business Insider — https://businessinsider.com/meet-alice-walton-walmart-heiress-worlds-richest-woman-2026-11
- Author: Mary Hanbury
- Published: 2026-11-02T17:33:31.605+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: alice walton, walmart, wealth, philanthropy, art collecting, crystal bridges museum, alice l. walton school of medicine, bentonville arkansas, business, technology
## World's richest woman
Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, is the world's richest woman. As of November two thousand twenty six, Forbes estimates her net worth at about one hundred thirty five billion dollars.
## Wealth from Walmart stock
Her fortune comes largely from her inherited stake in Walmart. Her wealth grew thirty three billion dollars in the preceding twelve months as Walmart's stock rose thirty percent, Forbes estimated in March.
## Overtook L'Oréal heiress
Walton overtook L'Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers as the world's richest woman on Forbes' two thousand twenty five list, retaining the title this year.
## Chose arts over business
Unlike her brothers Rob and Jim, Alice Walton has not played a major role in running Walmart and has instead become a patron of the arts.
## Early art passion
Walton fell in love with the arts at a young age. When she was around ten years old, she bought her first work of art: a reproduction of a Picasso painting for about two dollars.
## Founded investment bank
After graduating from Trinity University in San Antonio in nineteen seventy one, Walton worked for Walmart as a buyer of children's clothes.
## Crystal Bridges Museum
In two thousand eleven, Walton opened the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, with her private art collection.

> Collecting has been such a joy, and such an important part of my life in terms of seeing art, and loving it.
## Record art purchase
In two thousand fourteen, Walton paid forty four point four million dollars for Georgia O'Keeffe's Jimson Weed/White Flower No.one.
## Billions to philanthropy
Walton has contributed more than six billion dollars to five family charitable foundations, which had distributed an estimated two billion of her funds through two thousand twenty four.
## Medical school founded
In two thousand twenty one, the Alice L.Walton School of Medicine was founded.The school welcomed forty eight students in two thousand twenty five and welcomed its second class of forty eight this year.
## Healthcare campus under construction
The Alice L.Walton Foundation and Mercy are building a healthcare campus in Bentonville.Its first building, a seven hundred nine thousand square foot specialty care center, is expected to open in two thousand twenty nine.
## STEM university planned
Along with other Walton family members, Walton is helping to fund a STEM focused university in Bentonville.It's scheduled to have its first class of students in two thousand twenty nine.
## Key takeaway

Alice Walton, the world's richest woman with a net worth of one hundred thirty five billion dollars, has spent her Walmart fortune on art museums, medical education and philanthropy.