Laura and John Arnold Foundation

Laura and John Arnold Foundation
Founder
Type private foundation
Key people
Website www.arnoldfoundation.org[1]

The Laura and John Arnold Foundation (also known as LJAF and as the Arnold Foundation) is a private foundation run by John D. Arnold, an American hedge fund manager, and his wife Laura Arnold.[2][3] Laura and John Arnold are among the signatories to the Giving Pledge, a pledge by some high-net-worth individuals to donate a large fraction of their income to philanthropic causes during their lifetimes.[4]

Strategy and areas of focus

LJAF's website states that "our core objective is to produce substantial, widespread and lasting reforms that will maximize opportunities and minimize injustice in our society."[5]

For 2016, LJAF has 8 calls for interest: mental health research, open science, science & technology research and development, prescription drugs, diversion and alternative to arrest programs, tax policy, research quality and transparency which represented 5 initiatives: criminal justice, education, evidence-based policy & innovation, research integrity, sustainable public finance and new venture initiatives.[6] In 2014, LJAF had four areas of focus: criminal justice, K-12 education, public accountability, and research integrity.[7] In the period 2011–2013, LJAF made $222,390,887 in grants, distributed as follows: $5,492,869 for criminal justice, $102,069,458 for education, $48,979,934 for public accountability, and $55,007,826 for research integrity.[8]

Criminal justice

In the period 2011-2013, LJAF allocated $5,492,869 in grants for its criminal justice initiative.[8]

As of August 2014, LJAF's focus in criminal justice is in two areas:[7]

Anne Milgram, the vice president for criminal justice at LJAF, worked earlier as the Attorney General for the state of New Jersey. In a TED talk, she explained how smart statistics are the key to fighting crime.[9]

An overview of criminal justice reform in the United States by GiveWell listed the Arnold Foundation as one of the top foundations in the United States working in the area, along with the Open Society Foundation, the Pew Public Safety Performance Project, the Ford Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, the Public Welfare Foundation, and the Smith Richardson Foundation.[10]

K-12 education

LJAF supports the portfolio model school management structure, a governance system that separates the authorization and oversight of public schools from their day-to-day operations. This is in contrast with the district-based educational system, where syllabi and textbooks are chosen at the level of the school district.[7] The Arnolds have committed $40 million to this educational model.[7] According to their list of grants, they have spent $102,069,458 on grants related to education.[8]

In May 2012, Reuters reported that the Laura and John Arnold Foundation had committed $20 million over a five-year period to an initiative called StudentsFirst led by Michelle Rhee, who used to head the Washington D.C. public school system.[11] StudentsFirst reported its spending shortly thereafter.[12]

Laura and John Arnold are listed as one of the biggest benefactors to the Wikimedia Foundation.[13]

Public accountability

LJAF says it is committed to supporting "evidence-based decision making by governments, promoting transparency and data-sharing, exploring innovative financing mechanisms for social problem solving, and maximizing overall government performance and efficiencies."[7] In the period 2011-2013, the foundation awarded grants worth $48,979,934 to this effort.[8]

In particular, LJAF has looked closely at the issue of public employee benefit reform, specifically pension reform.[7] LJAF's attempts at pension reform have been met with hostility, and critics have argued that they have bought out groups such as the Pew Charitable Trust, the Public Broadcasting Service, and the Brookings Institution.[14][15][16][17] In March 2014, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that Pensions and Investments had asked the Pew Charitable Trust to stop taking money from the LJAF because of the LJAF's support for pension reform.[18]

In July 2014, the Arnold Foundation donated $2.8 million to the Center for Public Integrity to launch a new project focused on state campaign finance. According to the International Business Times, "as CPI was negotiating the Arnold grant, Arnold’s name was absent from a CPI report on pension politics." Arnold has spent at least $10 million on a campaign to roll back pension benefits for public workers.[19][20]

Research integrity

LJAF says that its research integrity initiative aims "to improve the reliability and validity of scientific evidence across fields that inform governmental policy, philanthropic endeavors, and individual decision making."[7] In the period 2011-2013, LJAF awarded $55,007,826 in grants for research integrity initiatives.[8] LJAF has published guidelines, based on the Open Science Framework, that anybody seeking research funding from them must follow.[21]

Reception

Media coverage

LJAF has been covered by the Chronicle of Philanthropy[18][22] and GiveSmart (a website of the BridgeSpan Group).[3][23] LJAF's funding of StudentsFirst was covered by Reuters.[11][12] LJAF has also received hostile media coverage in connection with its funding of initiatives favoring pension reform.[14][15][16][17][18]

References

  1. ↑ "Laura and John Arnold Foundation home page".
  2. ↑ "About the Foundation". Laura and John Arnold Foundation. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Laura and John Arnold". GiveSmart. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  4. ↑ Arnold, John D.; Arnold, Laura. "Giving Pledge letter" (PDF). Giving Pledge. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  5. ↑ "About the Foundation". Laura and John Arnold Foundation. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  6. ↑ Letters of Interest
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Areas of focus". Laura and John Arnold Foundation. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Grants". Laura and John Arnold Foundation. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  9. ↑ Milgram, Anne. "Why smart statistics are the key to fighting crime". TED. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Criminal Justice Reform". GiveWell. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  11. 1 2 Simon, Stephanie (May 15, 2012). "Michelle Rhee, Education Activists Targeting U.S. Schools, Backed By Big Bucks". Huffington Post (originally from Reuters). Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  12. 1 2 Simon, Stephanie (June 25, 2012). "StudentsFirst Spending: National Education Reform Group's Partial Tax Records Released". Huffington Post (originally from Reuters). Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  13. ↑ Wikipedia 15 Contributors Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  14. 1 2 Cohn, Gary (September 24, 2013). "Promise Breakers: How Pew Trusts Is Helping to Gut Public Employee Pensions". Huffington Post (originally from Frying Pan News). Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  15. 1 2 Sirota, David (February 13, 2014). "How PBS is becoming the Plutocratic Broadcasting Service". PandoDaily. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  16. 1 2 Sirota, David (February 12, 2014). "The Wolf of Sesame Street: Revealing the secret corruption inside PBS's news division". PandoDaily. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  17. 1 2 Hiltzik, Michael (February 28, 2014). "First PBS, now Brookings: Has another institution sold its soul?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  18. 1 2 3 "Pension Funds Press Pew to Cut Arnold Foundation Ties". Chronicle of Philanthropy. March 4, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  19. ↑ Sirota, David (August 6, 2014). "Enron Mogul John Arnold Funds State Politics... And Now Journalism About Money in State Politics". International Business Times. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  20. ↑ Reid, Tim (2014-06-25). "Texas hedge fund billionaire seeks California pension reform". Reuters. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  21. ↑ "Guidelines for Investments in Research" (PDF). Laura and John Arnold Foundation. July 29, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  22. ↑ Preston, Caroline (October 16, 2011). "A Thirtysomething Billionaire Couple Take on Tough Issues Via Giving". Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  23. ↑ "The Bold Philanthropy of Laura and John Arnold Embraces Risks and Bets Big". February 7, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
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