Reliable ground-breaking institutional investment research to increase your understanding

University foundation reduced carbon exposure in its portfolio by 50%, increased holdings in green energy, and aligned portfolio return goals with sustainable investing strategies.

A public university foundation has an endowment of over $100 million in assets. The endowment is intended to support the university in perpetuity through contributions to student scholarships, academic programs, and faculty projects. The Foundation staff and investment committee desired two major changes to the investment program. 1. Work with an OCIO provider to enhance investment solution and free up staff resources. 2. Shift investment portfolio towards responsible investing goals without sacrificing financial returns.

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Community foundation is better serving the needs of their community after optimizing donor funding, gift processing, and gaining administrative task support.

The donor-funded foundation had over 300 separate funds, which translated into a variety of differing spending timelines, investment-style preferences and liquidity needs among donors. The organization wanted to provide donors with the opportunity to direct how their funds were invested. In addition, the foundation wanted to alleviate the administrative burden placed on its staff members overseeing the funds, freeing up more time for them to focus on activities core to the organization’s mission. See how we helped the organization better serve the needs of their community.

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Non-profit with multiple sub-accounts seeks customized administrative solution

A membership based non-profit association that provides voluntary professional services to a 400,000 strong member base. The association has over 35 investment sub-accounts, each with its own account setup, asset allocation, reporting and monitoring requirements. The association was keen to work with an investment provider who could help them better manage their investment program across the multiple sub-accounts as well as reduce their administrative burden so their staff could focus on mission driven activities.

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Multi-asset solution: Private foundation seeking market portfolio management

A private foundation provides grants focused on meeting the needs of an aging population. The Foundation also plays an important role in building the capacity of other grant makers with similar missions. The Foundation relied on an endowment of roughly $110 million, which funded more than 800 grants in over two decades of operation. The Foundation has no additional fundraising capacity.

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Foundation aligned investment program with mission and reduced costs through ESG beta completion portfolio

A donor-funded foundation managing over $4 billion teamed up with Russell Investments to help better meet its investment objectives through a three-pronged solution. This approach helped the foundation address the multiple challenges it was facing.

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University foundation improved portfolio returns and managed risk with factor-based dynamic completion strategy and futures overlay

A university foundation managing an endowment of over $1 billion in assets. The foundation supports the broader university by receiving and managing financial gifts given to foster academic excellence. The foundation is focused on growing the purchasing power of its endowment, reinvesting charitable assets, and delivering a portfolio return of CPI + 5% to help provide scholarships and financial aid, create faculty chairs and professorships, and fund new research opportunities and educational programs for the university.

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University endowment reduces complexity, improves oversight while implementing sophisticated alternative investing solution

A private health sciences university comprised of multiple colleges, schools and a nationally ranked hospital. With more than 7,000 employees and 1,100 medical staff, these constituent organizations work together to provide patient care as well as education to future healthcare professionals. The Investment Office is led by the chief investment officer (CIO) and a small staff overseeing five different pools of capital totaling roughly $3 billion. A portion of the assets are held in the longterm pool, which functions as an endowment supporting the financial needs of the overall organization.

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Community foundation embraces key features of OCIO: Increased diversification and dynamic portfolio management

A donor-funded community foundation located in the United States. The Foundation provides resources to non-profits through grant making, scholarships and impact funding for social issues in its local community such as homelessness, hunger and education. During the global financial crisis when its community needed more support than ever, the Foundation's pool of assets shrank by 30%. The net result was a renewed focus on improved management of its investment program as a critical component to sustaining the Foundation and the community.

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Best practices

• The 2021 re-evaluation list for non-profits and healthcare


• Best practices in non-profit portfolio design


• Elements of a clearly defined investment policy statement for non-profits


• Best practices for preparing your IRS Form 990


• Non-profit spending policy options


• How non-profits can improve upon the endowment model—and make it work for them


• Investment committee meetings: How do yours measure up?

Investing insights

• Mid-year check-in for key investment issues for non-profit fiduciaries to consider in 2021


• Secondary to none? Potential benefits of the private equity secondaries market


• The shortsightedness of investing in silos


• Drivers of investment management success for non-profit organizations


• 3 reasons why we believe private markets are an attractive alternative


• 6 key reasons to consider listed infrastructure in a multi-asset portfolio


• Private market strategies, part 1: More than meets the eye?