Latest news with #ArnoldVentures
Washington Post
12-08-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
The NCAA is a billion-dollar behemoth. Why is it tax-exempt?
Scott Hodge is a tax and fiscal policy fellow at Arnold Ventures and president emeritus of the Tax Foundation. In a few weeks, the American obsession that is college football kicks off — and the NCAA will cash in. Despite its nonprofit status, the National Collegiate Athletic Association is big business. Its most recent financial statement for 2024 shows that it earned more than $1.3 billion in income from the sale of television rights, advertising, tickets, merchandise and membership dues. All these revenue streams are tax-free for the NCAA.
Time Business News
11-08-2025
- Business
- Time Business News
Driving Change Through Evidence-Based Philanthropy
Arnold Ventures is a philanthropic organization dedicated to tackling some of the most pressing challenges in American society. Founded by Laura and John Arnold, the organization operates with a unique approach, prioritizing evidence-based policy solutions to drive meaningful and lasting change. Unlike traditional charitable foundations, Arnold Ventures functions as a limited liability company (LLC), granting it the flexibility to fund research, support advocacy, and engage in political efforts. By focusing on criminal justice reform, health care, education, and public finance, it aims to improve systems that impact millions of lives. Through a data-driven and results-oriented methodology, Arnold Ventures seeks to foster sustainable improvements that address systemic issues at their core. A Commitment to Data-Driven Solutions One of the defining characteristics of Arnold Ventures is its reliance on research and empirical evidence to guide its philanthropic investments. Rather than funding projects based on intuition or popular opinion, the organization supports initiatives backed by rigorous studies and measurable outcomes. This approach ensures that resources are allocated efficiently, maximizing the impact of every dollar spent. By emphasizing transparency and accountability, Arnold Ventures encourages policymakers and organizations to adopt practices that have been proven to work. This commitment to data-driven decision-making sets it apart from many other philanthropic entities and enhances the credibility of its work. Criminal Justice Reform and Public Safety A significant area of focus for Arnold Ventures is criminal justice reform, with an emphasis on creating a fairer, more effective legal system. The organization advocates for policies that reduce mass incarceration while maintaining public safety. It supports initiatives aimed at eliminating cash bail, reforming sentencing laws, and improving rehabilitation programs. By funding research on policing strategies, prosecutorial practices, and reentry programs, Arnold Ventures helps develop policies that balance justice with public safety. Its work in this field has contributed to meaningful legislative changes, helping to reshape the criminal justice landscape in the United States. Advancing Health Care Affordability and Access Health care is another priority for Arnold Ventures, particularly in the areas of cost reduction and accessibility. The organization works to control rising drug prices, improve the efficiency of health care spending, and expand access to quality medical services. Through partnerships with policymakers, researchers, and advocacy groups, it pushes for reforms that make the system more equitable and sustainable. Arnold Ventures has been instrumental in funding studies that assess the effectiveness of health policies, ensuring that reforms are grounded in data rather than political rhetoric. Its efforts contribute to a more transparent and patient-focused health care system. Transforming Education for Long-Term Impact Education reform is another pillar of Arnold Ventures' work, with an emphasis on improving outcomes for students at all levels. The organization funds research into education policies that enhance student achievement, increase access to higher education, and ensure accountability in school systems. It also supports financial aid programs that help low-income students afford college, promoting greater economic mobility. By investing in policies that strengthen both K-12 and higher education, Arnold Ventures seeks to build a more skilled and adaptable workforce. Its approach underscores the belief that a well-educated population is crucial for a thriving society. Strengthening Public Finance and Government Accountability Beyond social policy, Arnold Ventures is deeply involved in improving public finance and government accountability. It supports initiatives aimed at reducing wasteful government spending, ensuring pension sustainability, and increasing fiscal transparency. By funding research on budgeting practices and financial management, the organization helps policymakers make informed decisions that benefit taxpayers. This work extends to areas such as campaign finance reform and ethical governance, reinforcing democratic principles. Through these efforts, Arnold Ventures strives to create a more responsible and efficient government that serves the public interest. Expanding Advocacy and Community Engagement Arnold Ventures also recognizes the importance of grassroots advocacy and community engagement in driving meaningful change. The organization collaborates with local stakeholders, nonprofit organizations, and advocacy groups to ensure that its policy initiatives are effectively implemented at various levels. By supporting community-driven efforts, Arnold Ventures empowers individuals and organizations to take an active role in shaping policies that directly impact their lives. This bottom-up approach complements its data-driven strategy, ensuring that reforms are not only theoretically sound but also practically viable and supported by those they affect most. Final Thoughts Arnold Ventures exemplifies a modern approach to philanthropy, leveraging data and research to drive systemic change in critical policy areas. By focusing on criminal justice, health care, education, and public finance, the organization addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing the United States today. Its commitment to evidence-based solutions ensures that resources are directed toward initiatives with the highest potential for impact. Through collaboration with researchers, policymakers, and advocacy groups, Arnold Ventures plays a vital role in shaping more effective and equitable public policies. As it continues its mission, the organization remains a powerful force for positive change in society. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Mint
05-08-2025
- Business
- Mint
Some billionaires pledged to give away much of their wealth. Why they haven't.
Since signing the Giving Pledge in 2010, Houston billionaires John and Laura Arnold have given away nearly $5 billion to charitable causes. According to the Charity Reform Initiative of the Institute for Policy Studies, a nonprofit that advocates for changes to the tax code to encourage more direct giving, the Arnolds are the only original signers to have fulfilled the pledge. That is, the Arnolds have given away more than half of their wealth during their lifetime—a core pledge principle. A spokeswoman for Arnold Ventures, the couple's philanthropic vehicle, didn't return a request for comment. The Giving Pledge was created by Bill Gates and his former wife, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett in 2010 to encourage those with extreme wealth to part with at least half of it during their lives or via their estates after they die. The Giving Pledge was founded with 40 members in 2010, expanding to nearly 60 that year. As of May, there were 255 signatories, including 191 from the U.S., according to the Giving Pledge. In a new report, titled 'The Giving Pledge at 15," the Charity Reform Initiative of the Institute for Policy Studies makes a case for why the pledge is 'unfulfilled, unfulfillable, and not our ticket to a fairer, better future." Critics of the report, however, say its analysis distorts the giving of those who have signed the pledge. Charity Reform Initiative's key criticism is that the wealthy rely on private foundations and donor-advised funds, or DAFs, vehicles that provide philanthropists with tax breaks before any dollars reach charitable organizations. Philanthropists also use limited liability corporations, which have fewer tax advantages but give donors more flexibility in where to deploy dollars. The group advocates for reform of the Giving Pledge alongside 'meaningful policy change" that would move money out of foundations and DAFs more quickly and would increase transparency and accountability. To track pledger giving, the report's researchers looked at Internal Revenue Service filings from foundations, sources such as a data base compiled by Altrata's Wealth-X, Forbes rankings, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, and public media reports. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Giving Pledge—which doesn't have a formal oversight body—said the pledge 'has helped create new norms of generosity and grown into a connected and active global learning community." The Charity Reform Initiative report 'raises important questions that aim to encourage greater giving," but the spokesperson said its 'reliance on incomplete data, and its exclusion of significant forms of charitable giving—such as gifts made to foundations and other intermediaries—paints a misleading picture of the impact and intent of Giving Pledge signatories and the spirit and intent of the Giving Pledge." The changes Charity Reform Initiative seeks include renaming the pledge in honor of the late Chuck Feeney—an original signer, who co-founded Duty Free Shoppers Group. Through Atlantic Philanthropies, Feeney's private foundation, the philanthropist gave away his entire fortune of $8 billion over 22 years before he died in 2023. A 'Feeney Giving Pledge," would 'call for Pledgers to pay their fair share of taxes, give money away while alive, and empower organizations led by non-billionaires to solve the urgent problems of our day," the report said. The initiative praises the example of Gates' recent promise to give away most of his wealth and to close his foundation—a total estimated at $200 billion—within 20 years. Also receiving praise is MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of founder Jeff Bezos who has given away more than $19 billion of an original $38 billion settlement she received through her divorce. At the same time, the report calls out billionaires such as venture capitalist Marc Andreessen (who hasn't signed the pledge) for blurring the boundary between his business goals and philanthropy, and Elon Musk (who signed it in 2012) for gifts that primarily offer him tax advantages and anonymity. Andreessen couldn't be reached for comment; Musk didn't respond to a request for comment. The anonymity of Musk's giving occurs because he channels foundation grants through DAFs, which, unlike private foundations, aren't required to disclose grant recipients. Scott is a big user of DAFs too, according to the report, although she keeps a running, detailed list of her donations at Yield Giving, an LLC she set up to manage her philanthropy. The crux of Charity Reform Initiative's argument is that philanthropy in the U.S. is structured to provide the wealthy with generous tax benefits that don't filter through to the individuals and causes in most need of their generosity. According to the group's estimates, about 80% of an estimated $206 billion gifted by the original group of pledgers went first to private foundations. Another $5 billion, the group estimates, probably went to DAFs. But critics of the new report say many wealthy philanthropists use their foundations to make substantive charitable gifts. Though the default has been for wealthy individuals to set up foundations to exist in perpetuity, Bank of America has been facilitating more conversations among those who want to spend down their fortunes when they are alive, according to Dianne Chipps Bailey, national philanthropic strategy executive at Bank of America. Also, a 2024 report from the Donor-Advised Fund Research Collaborative concluded 54% of DAFs granted at least half of their assets to nonprofits within three years. Foundations are required by law to distribute 5% of assets a year to charities, which can include gifts to DAFs. One reason a lot of wealth doesn't reach nonprofits in need isn't about tax structures—it's about donors who lack confidence in their ability to effectively give, Bailey says. A 2023 biennial study from the bank and Indiana University's Lilly Family School of Philanthropy found less than 5% of affluent Americans rate themselves as expert in charitable giving, Bailey says. 'This perception around a lack of confidence is a major barrier." By contrast, the small percentage who do have a philanthropy budget, and monitor the impact of their giving, are more likely to perceive their gifts are having the intended impact and they give more, she says. One way donors are overcoming their lack of confidence is by joining with other philanthropists in giving circles or donor collaboratives such as Women Moving Millions, a group of about 400 that commit to donating $1 million over 10 years to benefit women and girls. Another issue for the Charity Reform Initiative? Of the original U.S. signers of the pledge, 32 who are still billionaires are 283% wealthier since they signed (or 166% wealthier if adjusted for inflation), the report said. The authors argue that most billionaires are unlikely to sign a 'Feeney Giving Pledge," and they make a case for policy change that would ensure that dollars move more quickly out of tax-privileged vehicles to the nonprofits that need funding. They also argue that wealthy individuals should be taxed at 'a fair rate to prevent these fortunes from accumulating in the first place." The Bridgespan Group, which works with wealthy donors and foundations, published research this past November on approaches to philanthropy taken by Giving Pledgers. It found that about half of the 25 'most generous givers" in the U.S. have already donated more than 20% of their wealth, and that the most generous are choosing to use a mix of vehicles to get funding to nonprofits.
Bloomberg
14-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Billionaire John Arnold on the Debt Impact of Trump's Tax Bill
John Arnold, billionaire co-founder of Arnold Ventures, talks about the debt and deficit challenges in President Donald Trump's tax and spending bill. (Source: Bloomberg)
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The $4 Trillion 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Breaks the Bank and Violates Congress' Own Budget Rules
Here we go again. This week, the Senate unveiled, honed, and passed its version of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," and it's a fiscal monstrosity. What was already an oversized mess in the House has been supersized into a $4 trillion ode to unseriousness. This isn't tax reform. It's a bipartisan piñata stuffed with pork, gimmicks, and—of course—debt. We're told to cheer because the bill makes permanent a few pro-growth policies, including 100 percent bonus depreciation and research and development expensing. However, a few pearls in a vast ocean of bad policies are nothing to celebrate. It's like marveling at newly painted rooms in a burning house. We've been told to cheer because the bill removes or trims $147 billion of the House version's worst handouts. But as an Arnold Ventures analysis points out, the Senate also added $186 billion to the pot. That's a net increase of $39 billion in pork. This is what Washington calls compromise: The House proposes $1, the Senate proposes $2, and somehow, we end up spending $3. Congress is managing both to break the bank and violate its own budget rules. With $3.2 trillion in direct costs and $700 billion in interest payments, the budget proposal would bring total new borrowing to $3.9 trillion, according to a past analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. Former President Joe Biden took four years to add $4.7 trillion to the deficit. Don't overlook the cynicism baked into this bill. It hikes the cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction (long known as a boon to the wealthy) to $40,000 (with a "phase-out" in 2029 that no one believes will happen). There are hundreds of billions in "temporary" provisions that everyone knows will be extended. There's a deficit impact so large that even the rosiest dynamic scores can't make the numbers add up. This bill also blatantly violates the House's own instructions for budget reconciliation, which recommend $2 trillion in spending offsets. The House version fell somewhat short, pairing $3.8 trillion in tax relief with $1.6 trillion in cuts. The Senate version? Nearly $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and only $1.4 trillion in spending reductions—a $600 billion breach of a deal legislators supposedly agreed to. Republicans once talked seriously about aligning taxes and spending. They cared about economic distortion, simplicity, and broadening the tax base. Now, too many just want the sugar rush of tax cuts without fiscal discipline. Meanwhile, Democrats want to vastly expand the state and pretend that billionaires alone can foot the bill. Both sides are wrong. The math doesn't work, and the morality of the reckless spending is worse. Those who want to frame this bill as pro-growth are dreaming. They're relying on unrealistic economic assumptions about a short-run bump to justify the consequences of long-term debt increases—and banking on cost-disguising budget gimmicks that nobody takes seriously. The reality is quite different. My colleague Jack Salmon calculates that if you take all the pro-growth provisions, you get about 1 percent extra growth—but it's literally canceled out by the degrowth produced by the extension of the SALT cap. Alas, debt-fueled largesse can usually be sold with the magic phrase of "tax cuts." To be clear, tax cuts are generally great as long as Congress reduces spending. The tax code is meant to raise the revenue necessary to fund the government that Americans claim to want. If we decide that under no circumstances should Congress cut spending, then we don't deserve tax cuts. It breaks my heart to say this, because my wish is for a significantly smaller government, with less debt and lower taxes. People who have followed my work know that I would terminate all subsidies to private companies. I would return education and many other functions to the states and end most subsidies to them as well. I would radically means-test entitlement benefits and much more. Well-designed spending cuts are a proven way to reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio. They are the responsible path to lower taxes. But I won't condone a system that spends massively on our generation and sends the bill to future generations, expecting them to deal with the debt crisis and inflation that will result. If Americans want big government, we have to pay for it with higher taxes now and deal with the punishment of slower growth. Legislation is a means by which politicians signal their priorities. For now, it's clear that most of them are comfortable with harming future generations with higher taxes and inflation in order to indulge current constituents through trillion-dollar deficits, corporate giveaways, budget rule violations, and dishonest accounting. But Americans cannot afford many more "beautiful" deals that are so hideously ugly beneath the veneer. COPYRIGHT 2025 The post The $4 Trillion 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Breaks the Bank and Violates Congress' Own Budget Rules appeared first on Errore nel recupero dei dati Effettua l'accesso per consultare il tuo portafoglio Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati
