arnold ventures (formerly known as the laura and john arnold foundation) brings "philanthropy and political giving together in a new limited-liability corporation" run by john d. arnold, a former enron trader and american hedge fund manager, and his wife laura arnold. the organization was founded in 2008, the same year that the arnolds signed 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.