OVERVIEW: Arnold Ventures, the private family foundation of John and Laura Arnold, takes a venture philanthropy approach to giving in a wide range of fields, including criminal justice, public health, women’s health, education, higher education and public finance policy.
IP TAKE: This data-driven venture philanthropy funder is highly proactive in its grantmaking and generally does not accept unsolicited proposals, but it does periodically release Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for select initiatives.
This is a comprehensive funder, particularly in criminal justice and public finance. While this funder doesn’t accept unsolicited applications; however, Arnold Ventures “periodically issues calls for projects” within its areas of giving. Stay informed of infrequent calls or developments in the foundation’s areas of focus by subscribing to its newsletter. Don’t hesitate to contact this funder if you have questions.
If your work doesn’t strive for transparency and doesn’t depend on evidence-based, your foundation is unlikely to be considered for funding.
PROFILE: Arnold Ventures was established as the Laura and John Arnold Foundation in 2010 when the couple signed the Giving Pledge. The foundation’s name was changed in 2019 when it transitioned from a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to a limited liability company (LLC). Arnold Ventures now oversees the grantmaking operations for the former Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the Action Now Initiative, and the Arnolds’ donor-advised fund. The foundation’s mission is to “invest in evidence-based solutions that maximize opportunity and minimize injustice” Currently, its four key issue areas are Criminal Justice, Education, Health and Public Finance.
Grants for Criminal Justice Reform
Arnold Ventures’ Criminal Justice program addresses the justice system that “puts people of color at risk, disproportionately harms low-income people, limits the potential of juveniles caught in the system, and doesn’t give everyone the opportunities they need to get back on track.” The foundation targets problems at every stage of the justice process.
Policing grants support projects that “advance police effectiveness and increase positive encounters between police and the community.” The foundation works with partners to “help implement promising reforms, then rigorously study their impact on crime rates, local budgets, officer safety, and public confidence, particularly within communities most affected.”
Grants for Pretrial Justice help “implement comprehensive reforms to pretrial justice practices” such as “risk assessment to provide judges with objective data,” “ensuring protections for due process of law,” and “advocating for evidence-based practices in prosecutors’ and public defenders’ offices.”
Grants for Public Defense invest in initiatives that aim to improve “access, quality, and independence of counsel.”
Community Supervision grants support research into reasons for probation and parole violations and how we can reduce them,” as well as “advocacy that uncovers and remedies economic and racial disparities.”
Grants for Prisons aim to “develop cultures of respect and dignity, safely reduce the prison population, and better prepare people for success in their communities,” and improve “health care, education, and employment prospects” for the formerly incarcerated.
Reintegration grants support “strategies to reorient the justice system in ways that minimize barriers to successful reintegration” such as “housing, voting, and job restrictions, and excessive fines and fees.”
Past grantees include the ACLU, Coalition for Public Safety, and the Innocence Project.
Grants for Public Health, Women and Girls
Arnold Ventures’ Health grants support efforts to “improve health care delivery, lower costs, and reduce disparities in access.”
Grants for the Opioid Epidemic aim to treat the crisis as “public health issue, not a criminal justice problem” in order to “save lives and reduce the economic, social, and criminal justice costs of the opioid epidemic.”
Grants for Contraceptive Choice and Access promote “equity, autonomy, and justice in the reproductive health care system” by “expanding access to contraception,” “closing gaps in reproductive health care coverage,” and “informing women about their contraception options.” They fund services such as “technical assistance to state governments,” “same-day access to birth control,” and “research about how to improve access.”
Grants for Drug Pricing aim to ensure that “a drug’s price should be linked to its clinical value to patients,” and “incentives in the supply chain should encourage use of the most effective and least costly drugs.” The foundation also supports the “exploration of alternative ways to fund innovation” and sometimes funds manufacturers of life-saving drugs to prevent shortages.
Grants for Commercial Sector Prices work to “protect patients and payers from surprise bills,” “develop approaches to reduce the prices charged by providers with strong market power,” and “investigate and expose anti-competitive practices in the market.”
Grants for Low Value Care work to “reduce wasteful spending, eliminate harm to patients, and increase efficiency in the health care system.”
Grants for Medicare Sustainability support “policy changes that would bring the program’s spending and revenue in line while ensuring the program continues to meet beneficiaries’ needs.”
Past grantees include Alliance for Health Policy, Center for Healthcare Transparency, and Drug Policy Alliance.
Grants for Education
Arnold Ventures’ Education issue area aims to “identify and scale the most effective practices for all learners, regardless of race or economic circumstances.”
Grants for K-12 Education go to “bring together local school leaders and university researchers to tailor promising innovations in curriculum.” The foundation works to identify successful and innovative education programs across the country and “tailor them to struggling communities, so they can reap the same benefits.”
Grants for Higher Education supports “policies that promote value and quality in higher education.” It funds research into “student success programs” that address “basic financial, social, and academic needs” and promotes regulations that “ensure institutions deliver value, equip students with the tools to succeed, and don’t make false promises about outcomes.”
Past education grantees include The City Fund, Charter Fund, and StudentsFirst Institute.
Grants for Civic and Democracy
Arnold Ventures’ work in democracy and civic engagement primarily revolves around Public Finance. It works to ensure that public funds are “allocated through a fair and equitable process to programs that strengthen communities.”
The foundation’s Tax Policy work advocates that such policies should be based on “evidence, not special interests, and support the needs and priorities of communities.” It funds organizations that “study tax policies, evaluate their effects, and seek to identify sound strategies to improve economic mobility and address inequality.”
Retirement Policy grants support “research on public and private retirement plans to gain insight into how to improve those systems” and “efforts to improve the retirement security of workers,” including “public programs that automatically enroll employees into IRAs and commitments by policymakers to increase funding for pension plans.”
Arnold has also recently launched its Policy Lab to “pair public officials with data analysts and social scientists to learn more about taxpayer needs and demand for state services.” Past grantees include the Bipartisan Policy Center, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Special Projects
Arnold Ventures’ Evidence-Based Policy team also funds randomized control trials (RCT) of programs “across the spectrum of social policy” for which prior evidence shows potential for sizable effects on education, earnings, crime, and other important outcomes. The foundation releases Requests for Proposals (RFP) for these programs and publishes the results of the trials.
Important Grant Details:
Arnold Ventures’ grants generally range from $50,000 to $1 million. Arnold’s grantmaking is driven by evidence-based policy, research, and advocacy. It invests heavily in research efforts, conducts randomized controlled trials in social policy, and supports ongoing advocacy to bring its results to the attention of lawmakers. Grantseekers may search its Grants Database for more information on its grantmaking habits.
Arnold Ventures does not accept unsolicited applications except when it releases requests for proposals. Deadlines may vary.
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