Laura and John Arnold Foundation
The Laura and John Arnold Foundation, which operates as Arnold Ventures, is a Houston-based private foundation established by Laura and John Arnold in 2008. It supports evidence-based policy solutions intended to improve lives, maximize opportunity, and minimize injustice.
Laura and John Arnold Foundation at a glance
In short: Laura and John Arnold Foundation gave $193.3M across 789 grants in 2024 (avg $245K), top state District of Columbia. 32% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $193,332,143
- +18.6% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 789
- +22.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $245,034
- -3.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $122,776
- Total assets
- $4,766,058,262
- +10.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (118 of 365, 2024)
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (19% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Laura and John Arnold Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. It sources most proposals through direct outreach and periodically issues formal RFPs; applicants should follow the requirements and submission process for the relevant RFP.
- Review Cycle
- November 13, 2026, for the K–12 school-policy causal-research RFP listed on the foundation’s website.
- Deadline
- November 13, 2026, for the K–12 school-policy causal-research RFP listed on the foundation’s website.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1717 West Loop South 1800, Houston, TX 77027-3048
Phone: (713) 554-1349
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
6 open opportunities from Laura and John Arnold Foundation
Arnold Ventures: Strengthening Evidence - Support for RCTs to Evaluate Social Programs and Policies RFP
Laura and John Arnold Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Arnold Ventures: Building Evidence - Support for QEDs to Evaluate Social Programs and Policies
Laura and John Arnold Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Causal Research on the Impacts of Cell Phone Policies in K-12 Schools Grant
Laura and John Arnold Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Laura and John Arnold Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was The City Fund ($12.5M). Together the top 10 received $58.4M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($303,803), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
3,118 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 877 grants of 3,118 (28%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated work concerns U.S. policy and programs. In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state went to the District of Columbia (19%), California (13%), Massachusetts (13%), New York (11%), and Oregon (7%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 789 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Laura and John Arnold Foundation open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 118 of 365 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $195K; repeat grants $689K. How we count
Medians: $110K first-time, $270K repeat.
- 56% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+13%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 98% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $162.9M (2023) to $212.6M (2020). In 2024 it made 789 grants totaling $193.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The City Fund Beaverton, OR | To provide general operating support to support grantee's efforts to partner with local leaders to create innovative public school systems, with the overall goal of improving the quality of public education in cities across the united states. | $12,500,000 |
| MDRC New York, NY | To support grantee to develop and advance multiple strategies to significantly increase its organizational impact in areas including: (I) strengthening connections between its research and policymakers; (II) building a more rigorous approach to technical assistance; (III) advancing its leadership on the use of new evaluation methodologies and data; and (IV) leveraging data efficiently for evaluation, decision-making, and program improvement. | $5,000,000 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | To support j-pal North America, including by funding landmark randomized evaluations, expanding the capacity and diversity of researchers who work on randomized evaluations, translating findings into actionable insights that inform policy at scale, and institutionalizing the use of evidence as a driving force behind U.S. policymaking. | $3,500,000 |
| Accelerate - the National Collaborative for Accelerated Learning Nashville, TN | To Support Grantee's States Leading Recovery Grant Program. | $3,322,000 |
| Center for Effective Public Policy Kensington, MD | To provide training and technical assistance for the public safety assessment and pretrial reform. | $3,014,108 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | To support the abdul latif jameel poverty action lab North America in its work to generate randomized controlled trials that measure the impact of social programs and policies. | $3,000,000 |
| Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD | To continue to develop and publicly disseminate policy options to regulate and control drug spending. | $2,000,000 |
| Vera Institute of Justice Inc Brooklyn, NY | To support the restoring promise initiative that partners with state departments of corrections to design and facilitate rigorous evaluation of reimagined housing units for incarcerated young adults in a way that centers human dignity, safety, and race equity. | $2,000,000 |
| Georgetown University Washington, DC | To support grantee's center on health insurance reforms in providing policymakers and key stakeholders with educational resources and non-partisan technical assistance to support effective cost containment strategies. | $1,974,997 |
| Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | To expand pwbm's ability to provide accurate, accessible, and transparent budget and economic analysis of public policy by providing more access to the model and data while deepening the model's capabilities. | $1,862,391 |
Ready to take the next step with Laura and John Arnold Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,766,058,262 | $486,369,598 | $211,620,745 | $193,332,143 | 789 | $213,131,001 | $322,697,015 | $216,412,952 |
| 2023 | $4,309,915,225 | $687,258,876 | $180,760,181 | $162,949,201 | 644 | $194,217,508 | $237,041,900 | $188,752,224 |
| 2022 | $3,533,120,981 | $766,581,426 | $201,894,608 | $185,803,395 | 591 | $199,203,277 | $151,164,229 | $150,927,560 |
| 2021 | $3,205,217,735 | $549,252,677 | $200,108,627 | $171,172,319 | 530 | $172,514,794 | $231,349,353 | $145,481,615 |
| 2020 | $2,692,538,333 | $716,274,205 | $218,602,741 | $212,601,573 | 564 | — | $45,092,563 | $95,919,037 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Laura and John Arnold Foundation reported a distributable amount of $216.4M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to improve the lives of all Americans through evidence-based policy solutions. It supports research into the root causes of problems, the development of evidence about what works, and advocacy for policy reforms at all levels of government.
Its grants illustrate support for research, policy analysis, technical assistance, and implementation. For example, the Center for Effective Public Policy received support for training and technical assistance on public safety assessment and pretrial reform. The grantee describes its own work as improving justice systems and community well-being through research-informed practices. Accelerate received support for its States Leading Recovery Grant Program; the grantee describes its mission as bringing evidence-based practices to scale in public education. The foundation also supported MIT’s J-PAL North America, whose grant purpose included randomized evaluations and translating findings into policy insights.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 789 grants totaling $193,332,143. Grant amounts ranged from $685 to $12,500,000, with a median of $122,776.
Among the largest reported grants were $12,500,000 to The City Fund for general operating support for work with local leaders on public school systems; $5,000,000 to MDRC to advance its research and policy impact; $3,500,000 to MIT for J-PAL North America; $3,322,000 to Accelerate; and $3,014,108 to the Center for Effective Public Policy. Other notable grants included $2,000,000 each to Johns Hopkins University for policy options on drug spending and to the Vera Institute of Justice for its Restoring Promise initiative, which evaluates reimagined housing units for incarcerated young adults.
The foundation also reports program-related investments, including loans and guarantees for affordable housing projects and a loan supporting production of affordable insulin products. These are described as investments rather than grants.
The foundation sources most proposals through direct outreach and periodically issues requests for proposals. Its website lists a K–12 school-policy causal-research RFP with a November 13, 2026 deadline, as well as a causal-research RFP on community safety and the criminal justice system. The July 2026 Strengthening Evidence RFP, which sought randomized controlled trials, had a September 11, 2026 deadline and is a past cycle. For Evidence & Evaluation RFPs, applicants submit a letter of interest; the review process typically takes around six months from LOI to grant execution. Reviews consider policy relevance, research rigor, implementation feasibility, and budget. The Evidence & Evaluation FAQs state that funded studies must focus on U.S. programs, policies, and interventions, and that applicants are expected to preregister studies with a publicly posted pre-analysis plan.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists John D. Arnold and Laura E. Arnold as directors and co-chairs, Kelli Rhee as director, president and CEO, Roxanne Almaraz as secretary, and Elizabeth Banks as treasurer.
Laura and John Arnold Foundation is led by Kelli Rhee, Director, President & CEO on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Kelli Rhee
Director, President & CEO
On filings since 2020
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John D. Arnold
Director & Co-Chair
On filings since 2020
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Laura E. Arnold
Director & Co-Chair
On filings since 2020
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Banks
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Roxanne Almaraz
Secretary
On filings since 2020
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Laura and John Arnold Foundation
How much does Laura and John Arnold Foundation give each year?
Laura and John Arnold Foundation gave $193.3M across 789 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $162.9M across 644 grants.
What is Laura and John Arnold Foundation's typical grant size?
Laura and John Arnold Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $122,776, and its average grant was $245,034, across 789 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Laura and John Arnold Foundation that year got $195K on average.
Where does Laura and John Arnold Foundation give grants?
Laura and John Arnold Foundation's top state is District of Columbia, with 19% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (13%) and Massachusetts (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (169 grants), New York, NY (53 grants), Chicago, IL (40 grants) and Cambridge, MA (34 grants).
Does Laura and John Arnold Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 6% of Laura and John Arnold Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (44 of 789) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Employee Awards Donation." (6 grants).
Who are Laura and John Arnold Foundation's largest grantees?
Laura and John Arnold Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include The City Fund ($12,500,000), Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($10,048,425 across 6 grants) and MDRC ($6,325,788 across 7 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($303,803), which are not listed by name. Together they received 15% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Laura and John Arnold Foundation?
Laura and John Arnold Foundation reported $4.8B in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $213.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $216.4M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Laura and John Arnold Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to improve the lives of all Americans through evidence-based policy solutions. It supports research into the root causes of problems, the development of evidence about what works, and advocacy for policy reforms at all levels of government. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Laura and John Arnold Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Laura and John Arnold Foundation's EIN?
Laura and John Arnold Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-3241764. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Laura and John Arnold Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Laura and John Arnold Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/laura-and-john-arnold-foundation-morg_e18bdeeec6ab494b8094620961345d1e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_263241764_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Laura and John Arnold Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/laura-and-john-arnold-foundation-morg_e18bdeeec6ab494b8094620961345d1e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Laura and John Arnold Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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