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Religious-Affiliated Higher Ed: Endowment Performance & Investment Practices
Earlier this year, Commonfund, in partnership with the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), released the 2025 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments (NCSE). The...
Market Insights: Record Highs and the Rise of Small and Mid-Caps
The S&P 500 closed at an all-time high, above 7,400, in early May 2026, up almost 8.5 percent year-to-date as of May 13th. But for the first time in several years, the headline index may not be the... Learn More
Endowment Spending: The Increasing Role in College Budgets
Studies over the years show operating budgets are claiming a greater share of annual endowment spending. Is the most recent jump an anomaly or the new normal?
Evolution of Educational Budgets Warrant Changes to the Higher Education Price Index
Commonfund’s Higher Education Price Index (HEPI), the premier inflation index for the education sector, is used by thousands of practitioners to ensure their budgeting processes account for real...
A Closer Look at Institutionally-Related Foundations’ Endowments
Earlier this year, Commonfund, in partnership with the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), released the 2025 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments (NCSE). The...
The Risks and Opportunities of the Influx of Retail Capital into Private Markets
For decades, private markets have delivered a meaningful premium over public equities, compensating investors for illiquidity and the patience required for long-term investing.
Vendor Risk: Lessons from the Anthropic Mythos Breach
On the morning Anthropic launched Mythos, one of the most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) coding models released to date, reporting suggests a private Discord group was already inside. They...
Putting Private Credit Headlines in Perspective
Recent articles in the financial press such as the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg have focused on noted challenges surfacing in private credit investments. Some examples of the headlines: An...
Under Allocating to Private Strategies Could Shortchange Your Mission
Three Considerations for Evaluating Your Exposure The ultimate goal for endowment portfolios is to achieve intergenerational equity, meaning the portfolio should provide a similar level of support to...
Higher Education Price Index Forecast May 2026
According to Commonfund Institute's latest update, HEPI forecasts a 3.6 percent inflation rate for U.S. colleges and universities in fiscal year 2026. The latest forecast, based on data through May...
The PE Secondary Market: What Investors Need to Know
At a recent Commonfund Forum session, Ethan Levine, Head of Secondaries at CF Private Equity, sat down with David Markson, Senior Managing Director at Evercore's Private Capital Advisory Group, and...
Where's the Alpha When Everything Looks Stretched?
Commonfund Forum 2026, held in Hollywood, FL and themed "Navigate Now," brought together leading investment managers and institutional allocators to tackle the most pressing challenges facing...
A Closer Look at Independent Schools with Smaller Endowments
Commonfund, in partnership with NBOA, recently released the 2025 Commonfund Study of Independent Schools (CSIS, or, the “Study”). The Study examines investment performance, governance and management...
Real Estate & Infrastructure: Finding Opportunity After the Repricing