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Arnold Ventures
| Arnold Ventures | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Houston, Texas |
| Type: | Limited liability company |
| Top official: | Kelli Rhee, President and Chief Executive Officer |
| Founder(s): | Laura and John Arnold |
| Year founded: | 2008 |
| Website: | Official website |
Arnold Ventures (AV) is a limited liability company based in Texas. The organization describes itself as "dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through evidence-based policy solutions that maximize opportunity and minimize injustice."[1]
Background
Laura and John Arnold founded the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2008.[1] John Arnold is an investor and Laura Arnold is an attorney and former oil executive.[2]
In 2019, the organization restructured into Arnold Ventures, a limited liability company. The new company included the Laura and John Arnold Foundation as well as the Action Now Initiative, a 501(c)(4) advocacy group, and the Arnolds' donor-advised fund.[3]
As of September 2025, the company's mission statement was:[1]
| “ |
We strive to maximize opportunity and minimize injustice by investing in systemic solutions that will outlast our funding.[4] |
” |
Leadership
As of September 2025, the following individuals held leadership positions at Arnold Ventures:[5]
- Laura Arnold, co-founder and co-chairwoman
- John Arnold, co-founder and co-chairman
- Kellie Rhee, president and chief executive officer
- Roxanne Alvarez, chief operating officer, general counsel, and corporate secretary
- Charlie Anderson, executive vice president for infrastructure
- Elizabeth Banks, chief financial officer and treasurer
- George Callas, executive vice president of public finance
- Chris Chen, executive vice president of mission-aligned investments
- Jennifer Doleac, executive vice president of criminal justice
- Mark E. Miller, executive vice president of health care
- Justine Milner, executive vice president of evidence and evaluation
- Jennifer Nelsen, executive vice president of partnerships & people
- Kirby Smith, executive vice president of strategy and programs
As of September 2025, the following individuals sat on the board of directors of Arnold Ventures:[6]
- Laura Arnold, co-founder and co-chairwoman
- John Arnold, co-founder and co-chairman
- Kelli Rhee, president and chief executive officer
Work and activities
Legislative and policy work
As of September 2025, Arnold Ventures conducted policy work in six issue areas:[7]
Criminal Justice
Americans deserve a safe society that builds thriving communities while upholding people’s constitutional and civil rights.
The Criminal Justice team at Arnold Ventures supports research and policy to reduce crime and put those who interact with the criminal justice system on a better path. Our support for research helps identify effective strategies, while our policies and advocacy help achieve impact at scale.
Based on the highest quality evidence available, we partner with leaders in and outside government to prevent and deter crime, provide accountability in an effective and fair manner, increase opportunities to reduce recidivism and break the incarceration cycle, and facilitate more rigorous research on what works.
Evidence & Evaluation
We aim to build the body of rigorous research about what works and advance the use of evidence in policymaking.
Too often, policy decisions and program investments are made without knowing if they will truly drive better outcomes for kids, families, and communities in America. While we have made remarkable progress in developing evidence in social policy, we need to better understand what policies and programs work best across diverse communities, and more effectively translate our findings into practical, impactful policymaking.
Our team is driven by two goals: to use what we already know from research to make better policy decisions and to build more knowledge to inform future decisions. We are dedicated to using rigorous, causal research, including quasi-experimental methods and randomized controlled trials, to identify and evaluate promising programs and policies. We also know that creating evidence is not enough. Our team is deeply committed to working to bridge the gap between research and action, accelerate the uptake and scaling of proven programs, and integrate evidence into policymaking at all levels of government.
Health
We aim to improve health care delivery, lower costs, and reduce disparities in access.
Health care in the United States is more expensive than in any other country in the world, yet the nation’s overall health doesn’t reflect that level of investment. Our system results in uncoordinated and often unaffordable care for patients; inequities exist among communities; and special interests and market manipulations have inflated costs.
Health care: Our work aims to lower health care spending while ensuring access to high-quality care. We seek to lower prices consumers face, reduce low-value and potentially harmful care, and improve care for complex patients.
Public health: We work to remove barriers that impede people’s right to care by supporting the training of providers, research on public programs, and state-based efforts to broaden treatment and preventative services. We are currently focused on addressing the opioid epidemic, expanding reproductive care, and improving nutrition.
Higher Education & Career Pathways
Education must deliver value for all students – whether through traditional college degrees or other career pathways.
By the 2030s, nearly three-quarters of jobs will require some sort of credential beyond a traditional high school diploma. While a reputable bachelor’s degree continues to be the surest path to the middle class on average, for too many students, a college credential will not provide long-term economic opportunity. Far too many students graduate with credentials for which there is little economic demand, while others pay too much compared to what they get. Still others are seeking a broader set of pathways to economic mobility.
Arnold Ventures advances policies that promote quality, value, and accountability for student outcomes across both traditional higher education and other career pathways from high school to the workforce. That means elevating high-performing institutions and programs, directing taxpayer money toward evidence-based solutions, protecting students from ineffective and predatory programs, and focusing the education and workforce systems on results (e.g., stronger earnings) over inputs (e.g., enrollment).
We work to strengthen institutional practices that improve graduation rates, reduce debt, and lead to better employment and earnings outcomes. We also seek to expand proven career programs – including sectoral training connected to good jobs and high-quality career and technical education – while ensuring policy rewards quality and outcomes, not just quantity of options and participation.
Infrastructure
AV focuses on infrastructure solutions that ensure everyone has access to opportunity – leading to a globally competitive economy that benefits everyone.
As communities face severe housing shortages and increasing housing costs, rapidly changing energy needs, and aging roads and transit, Arnold Ventures (AV) aims to bolster the country’s ability to build the necessary infrastructure faster, better, and at lower cost. This includes supporting policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels to craft and implement solutions; identifying and removing barriers that unnecessarily slow down building timelines and add costs; and working to enhance the capacity of government to effectively support delivering on the promise of major infrastructure investments.
Public Finance
We seek to advance tax and budget policies that promote both fiscal stability for government and economic opportunity, mobility, and security.
Structural dysfunction in Congress, special interests, and increasing political polarization have created significant hurdles to adopting tax and budget systems that achieve these goals.
That’s why we support and share high quality research that helps policymakers craft smart, sustainable, and equitable legislative solutions grounded in evidence and data. This means identifying issue areas ripe for reform, generating the best analysis and insights, and ensuring the work reaches those who can make an impact.
Grants
The following table details grants of over $1,000,000 that the Arnold Foundation has given from 2012 to 2016. Included is the recipient, the amount of the grant awarded, and the foundation's initiative for which the grant was given:[8]
| The Laura and John Arnold Foundation Grant Activity, 2012–2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Criminal Justice Initiative | ||
| Grant recipient | Years of grant | Grant dollars allocated |
| American Academy of Forensic Sciences | 2015 - 2020 | $1,534,000 |
| International Association of Chiefs of Police, Inc. | 2015 - 2018 | $3,330,064 |
| Justice System Partners | 2014 - 2016 | $1,062,430 |
| National Center for State Courts | 2015 - 2018 | $1,519,822 |
| The Marshall Project, Inc. | 2014 - 2016 | $1,000,000 |
| The University of Chicago | 2014 - 2015 | $1,000,000 |
| 2014 - 2018 | $4,499,222 | |
| University of Maryland | 2014 - 2018 | $1,412,215 |
| University of Washington | 2015 - 2020 | $3,921,740 |
| Education Initiative | ||
| Grant recipient | Years of grant | Grant dollars allocated |
| Aldine Education Foundation | 2012 - 2015 | $1,110,676 |
| Black Alliance for Educational Options, Inc. | 2012 - 2015 | $3,000,000 |
| Charter School Growth Fund | 2012 - 2019 | up to $16,250,000 |
| 2015 - 2016 | $2,000,000 | |
| 2015 - 2018 | $6,000,000 | |
| Cleveland Municipal School District | 2014 - 2016 | $1,500,000 |
| Cleveland Municipal School District Transformation Alliance | 2014 - 2016 | $1,375,000 |
| Computers for Youth Foundation, Inc. | 2013 - 2016 | $6,000,000 |
| Education Reform Now, Inc. | 2013 - 2014 | $2,050,000 |
| Education Trust, Inc. | 2012 - 2014 | $2,000,000 |
| 2015 - 2017 | $2,000,000 | |
| Foundation for Excellence in Education, Inc. | 2013 - 2015 | $1,000,000 |
| Greater Houston Community Foundation | 2013 | $1,700,000 |
| GreatSchools | 2012 - 2015 | $4,000,000 |
| KIPP Foundation | 2011 - 2015 | $1,000,000 |
| 2015 - 2020 | $10,000,000 | |
| National Alliance for Public Charter Schools | 2013 - 2015 | $1,000,000 |
| New Schools for New Orleans, Inc. | 2012 - 2018 | up to $8,750,000 |
| 2014 - 2018 | $4,500,000 | |
| Parent Revolution, Inc. | 2012 - 2013 | $1,500,000 |
| 2013 - 2015 | $3,000,000 | |
| Policy Innovators in Education Network, Inc. | 2012 - 2014 | $1,000,000 |
| Relay Graduate School of Education | 2012 - 2016 | $2,500,000 |
| Silicon Schools Fund, Inc. | 2013 - 2015 | $2,000,000 |
| 2014 - 2017 | $2,000,000 | |
| Stand for Children Leadership Center | 2011 - 2012 | $1,650,000 |
| 2011 - 2013 | $1,000,000 | |
| 2011 - 2014 | $2,250,000 | |
| 2014 - 2017 | $1,000,000 | |
| Students for Education Reform, Inc. | 2012 - 2014 | $1,533,196 |
| StudentsFirst Institute | 2011 - 2013 | $7,000,000 |
| Teach For America, Inc. – Greater New Orleans | 2012 - 2014 | $4,500,000 |
| 2014 - 2016 | $2,310,635 | |
| Teach For America, Inc. – Houston | 2011 - 2012 | $2,000,000 |
| The New Teacher Project, Inc. | 2011 - 2013 | $4,500,000 |
| 2015 - 2018 | $2,644,907 | |
| The University of Texas at Dallas | 2014 - 2017 | $2,541,193 |
| Tulane University | 2014 - 2017 | $3,000,000 |
| University of Washington Foundation | 2013 - 2015 | $2,000,000 |
| 2015 - 2017 | $2,500,000 | |
| William Marsh Rice University | 2011 - 2014 | $1,319,936 |
| 2013 - 2015 | $1,822,438 | |
| Evidence-Based Policy and Innovation Initiative | ||
| Grant recipient | Years of grant | Grant dollars allocated |
| Abode Services | 2015 - 2022 | $1,086,569 |
| Behavioral Ideas Lab, Inc. | 2014 - 2015 | $1,078,811 |
| Brown University | 2015 - 2018 | $2,994,997 |
| 2015 - 2020 | $1,539,835 | |
| Feeding America | 2015 - 2018 | $4,415,056 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2013 - 2017 | $9,847,418 |
| 2015 - 2020 | $7,455,193 | |
| MDRC | 2013 - 2019 | $15,000,000 |
| 2015 - 2016 | $1,500,000 | |
| 2015 - 2017 | up to $1,807,507 | |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | 2015 - 2018 | $7,449,048 |
| Social Finance NY State Workforce Re-Entry 2013 LLC** | 2013 - 2019 | $4,000,000 |
| Social Finance, Inc. | 2014 - 2017 | $4,000,000 |
| The Regents of the University of California, Irvine | 2015 - 2019 | $1,326,852 |
| University of Utah | 2015 - 2017 | $1,000,000 |
| University of Washington | 2015 - 2019 | $2,641,118 |
| Urban Institute | 2015 - 2018 | $8,433,895 |
| Youth Services, Inc. | 2014 - 2020 | up to $3,344,350 |
| Research Integrity Initiative | ||
| Grant recipient | Years of grant | Grant dollars allocated |
| Bioethics International, Inc. | 2015 - 2019 | $3,555,977 |
| Center for Open Science, Inc. | 2013 - 2017 | $5,250,000 |
| 2013 - 2017 | $1,926,750 | |
| 2015 - 2018 | $1,225,000 | |
| Foundation for the National Institute of Health, Inc. | 2015 - 2016 | up to $2,430,000 |
| Nutrition Science Initiative | 2012 - 2014 | $3,577,875 |
| 2013 - 2018 | up to $39,230,952 | |
| 2015 - 2017 | $1,224,374 | |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | 2015 - 2020 | $1,842,950 |
| Regents of the University of Minnesota | 2014 - 2017 | $1,314,839 |
| Sage Bionetworks | 2015 - 2017 | up to $1,850,668 |
| Statistical Assessment Service | 2014 - 2017 | $1,426,200 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | 2013 - 2019 | up to $6,130,243 |
| 2015 - 2018 | $3,769,496 | |
| The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford | 2014 - 2018 | $1,263,807 |
| The Match Foundation, Inc. | 2015 - 2018 | $2,958,308 |
| Sustainable Public Finance Initiative | ||
| Grant recipient | Years of grant | Grant dollars allocated |
| Brookings Institution | 2014 - 2016 | $1,004,491 |
| 2014 - 2016 | $1,145,551 | |
| George Mason University Foundation, Inc. | 2015 - 2017 | $1,851,300 |
| Pew Charitable Trusts | 2012 - 2015 | $4,850,000 |
| 2013 - 2016 | $2,400,000 | |
| 2015 - 2019 | $4,850,000 | |
| Reason Foundation | 2013 - 2017 | $2,013,000 |
| The Research Foundation of State University of New York | 2014 - 2016 | up to $1,000,000 |
| Urban Institute | 2014 - 2016 | $1,236,482 |
| Venture Development Initiative | ||
| Grant recipient | Years of grant | Grant dollars allocated |
| Bipartisan Policy Center, Inc. | 2014 - 2015 | $1,244,200 |
| Cal Poly Corporation | 2014 - 2016 | $1,217,538 |
| Center for Healthcare Transparency | 2014 - 2016 | $5,676,046 |
| Center for Public Integrity | 2014 - 2017 | $2,887,644 |
| Davidson College | 2014 - 2016 | $1,863,512 |
| edX, Inc. | 2014 - 2015 | $5,000,000 |
| 2015 - 2017 | up to $12,000,000 | |
| Evidence for Healthcare Improvement | 2015 - 2017 | $5,232,002 |
| Health Care Cost Institute, Inc. | 2014 - 2016 | $1,547,900 |
| Internet Archive | 2015 - 2017 | $1,930,487 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2015 - 2021 | up to $1,559,023 |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | 2014 - 2017 | $10,653,816 |
| Pro Publica, Inc. | 2013 - 2015 | $2,000,000 |
| 2015 - 2017 | $2,000,000 | |
| Third Way Institute | 2014 - 2015 | $1,000,000 |
| Trustees of Dartmouth College | 2015 - 2017 | $5,498,918 |
| William Marsh Rice University | 2013 - 2015 | $2,700,000 |
| 2013 - 2016 | $6,000,000 | |
| 2014 - 2016 | $9,350,000 | |
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.
Finances
The following is a breakdown of the Laura and John Arnold Foundation's revenues and expenses from 2008 to 2023. The information comes from ProPublica.
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | $103.0 million | $10.0 million |
| 2009 | $361.0 million | $15.5 million |
| 2010 | $70.6 million | $61.7 million |
| 2011 | $135.7 million | $49.4 million |
| 2012 | $418.7 million | $47.3 million |
| 2013 | $426.8 million | $104.6 million |
| 2014 | $213.2 million | $110.3 million |
| 2015 | $169.7 million | $123.3 million |
| 2016 | $413.2 million | $402.8 million |
| 2017 | $593.4 million | $377.4 million |
| 2018 | $537.0 million | $477.0 million |
| 2019 | $403.0 million | $220.5 million |
| 2020 | $716.3 million | $218.6 million |
| 2021 | $549.3 million | $200.1 million |
| 2022 | $766.6 million | $201.9 million |
| 2023 | $687.3 million | $180.8 million |
See also
External links
- Arnold Ventures
- Arnold Ventures on Facebook
- Arnold Ventures on X
- Arnold Ventures on Instagram
- Arnold Ventures on LinkedIn
- Arnold Ventures on YouTube
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Arnold Ventures, "About Us," accessed September 19, 2025
- ↑ Arnold Ventures, "Laura and John Arnold," accessed September 19, 2025
- ↑ Philanthropy News Digest, "Laura and John Arnold Foundation to Restructure as LLC," January 29, 2019
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Arnold Ventures, "Our Team - Leadership," accessed September 19, 2025
- ↑ Arnold Ventures, "Our Team - Board of Directors," accessed September 19, 2025
- ↑ Arnold Ventures, "Our Work," accessed September 19, 2025
- ↑ Laura and John Arnold Foundation, "Grants," accessed February 14, 2016
