John Arnold is founder and co-chair of Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy that supports research to understand the root causes of America’s most persistent and pressing problems, as well as evidence-based solutions to address them. By focusing on systemic change, Arnold Ventures is working to improve the lives of American families, strengthen their communities, and promote their economic opportunity.
John and his wife, Laura, first launched a charitable foundation in 2008. Their philanthropic focus has since expanded to cover areas such as education, criminal justice, health, infrastructure, and public finance, advocating for bipartisan policy reforms that will lead to lasting, scalable change. As signatories of the Giving Pledge, the Arnolds have committed to giving away most of their wealth during their lives.
With an extensive, 15+-year history, Arnold Ventures has been one of the foremost results-oriented philanthropies in the United States. The philanthropy consists of more than 100 experts and leaders on a mission to understand and solve the root causes of America’s most persistent and pressing problems. In addition to his work at Arnold Ventures, John is co-founder and chairman of Grid United, a developer of interregional, high-voltage transmission projects with a mission to make America’s power grid more reliable, resilient, and efficient. He serves on the boards of Meta, Vanderbilt University, Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy, and The City Fund. He also chaired the City of Houston’s 2026 bid for the FIFA World Cup. John grew up in Dallas, Texas, and received his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University. He and Laura have three children and live in Houston.