John and Laura Arnold, former hedge fund billionaires, have become one of the world's kindest philanthropists, contributing over $2 billion, or 42% of their $2.9 billion net worth.
The couple has made the donation via the Giving Pledge, a campaign started by Warren Buffett, Melinda French Gates, and Bill Gates that encourages wealthy people to donate at least half of their net worth to charity.
John Arnold has a charity score of five out of five on Forbes' scale, which is only given to people who have donated more than 20 percent of their income, according to Fortune. Bella DeVaan, report co-author of a Giving Pledge, hailed the Arnolds latest move, saying that “They’ve boldly decided to give and study how philanthropy can actually move money out the door instead of sequestering wealth.”
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Arnold Ventures
John Arnold, a prominent Wall Street energy trader and philanthropist, started out as a natural gas trader at Enron before deciding to manage the hedge fund Centaurus Partners. He retired in 2012 at the age of 38 and made a complete transition to philanthropy.
The duo has made data-driven philanthropy a top priority since founding Arnold Ventures in 2008. Their foundation focuses on important policy issues like criminal justice, education, health care, and infrastructure reform.
{{/usCountry}}The duo has made data-driven philanthropy a top priority since founding Arnold Ventures in 2008. Their foundation focuses on important policy issues like criminal justice, education, health care, and infrastructure reform.
{{/usCountry}}The Arnolds have stated that they do not intend to create a legacy foundation after their demise, in contrast to conventional charity foundations. Rather, they want to disperse their fortune in real time, guaranteeing observable outcomes throughout their lives.
Arnolds and Giving Pledge
Despite signing the Giving Pledge, only a few of billionaires have fulfilled their commitments. According to a 2025 analysis by the Institute for Policy Studies, since the program's inception in 2010, the Arnolds are the only donors who are technically in compliance.
Only eight of the 22 signatories who had died had kept their promises. DeVaan told Fortune in an interview, “They're among the most important players in the Giving Pledge class when it comes to pushing real charity reform,” according to the report.