Leaders in Outsourced CIO Services for Nonprofits

You need to work with a partner who not only understands your investment portfolio, but also your institution as a whole. As a pioneer of outsourced CIO services for nonprofits—and one of the only nonprofit asset managers serving institutional investors in the U.S.—we’re leaders in a range of customized investment solutions and resources designed to fit your organization’s needs. As your partner, Commonfund OCIO will seek to preserve and grow your long-term purchasing power and, maintain intergenerational equity to support the mission of your institution.

Meet Our Team
outsourced-cio

Organizations We Benefit

We’ve worked with nonprofit investors for over 50 years and served as a discretionary OCIO for over 20 years. We’re proud to work with institutions that include:

Public and Operating charities | Private Foundations | Community Foundations | Cultural Organizations | Religious Organizations | Social Services Organizations | Healthcare Organizations | Private Colleges and Universities | Public Colleges and Universities and their Supporting Foundations | Community Colleges | Independent Schools

Explore the Nonprofits We Serve

0
Investors

$0
Billion in Assets Under Management

0
number of investment professionals

0
Average Years of Industry Experience for Senior Team Members

0
Global Offices

As of September 30, 2023

How Do We Manage Your Investments?

Our total institutional approach to investment management involves addressing wide-ranging factors that extend well beyond portfolio management. We manage customized investment programs for endowments, foundations, and other nonprofits. We apply the endowment model of investing to institutional portfolios, providing investment flexibility by using independent sub-advisers for discretionary and non-discretionary outsourcing engagements. The portfolios are diversified across asset classes (including equities, fixed income, hedge funds, real assets, and private investments) and may include both active and passive strategies.

Video published February 2021.

Learn About Our Risk Management Approach

Why Choose Commonfund’s OCIO Services?

Working with an outsourced CIO partner provides ongoing professional investment assistance—this means a more comprehensive approach to your institution’s finances than you’d likely be able to manage alone. Effectively managing a large, complex, global portfolio is a full-time job, so giving this responsibility to us means your committee members have more free time to spend on strategic priorities for your organization. We’re dedicated to helping you navigate the complexities of investing.


 

  • Over 20 years of outsourced CIO experience working with nonprofits
  • Flexibility and scale to independently source access-constrained investment managers
  • Ability to implement customized portfolio solutions (ie.  responsible investing options)
  • Asset management services supported by significant resources and expertise
  • Consistently ranked among the top outsourcing managers for nonprofits by Pensions & Investments

 

2023-PI-OCIO-Rankings

Read more about Survey Rankings and Awards.

 

Download our Outsourced CIO Capabilities Brochure

Outsourced CIO Capabilities

Whether you want complete external management and advisory of your portfolio or want to retain control over certain aspects of your investments, we provide a customizable approach to meet your needs.

Investment Management and Advisory

Investment Solutions

Operating Assets

As your OCIO we will advise on your total portfolio and implement a strategic policy that aligns with your institution’s mission. We will collaborate with you on the goals for your portfolio, take accountability for investment performance, and communicate with you, your committee and board to provide updates to the portfolio and ongoing education. You will have a dedicated OCIO team to support all of your needs. You are further supported by an 80+ person investment team and all of the firm’s resources, including investor services, operations, risk management, and more. Additionally, to keep you informed, you will have 24/7 access to your investments through our client reporting portal.

If you’re interested in aligning your portfolio with your organization’s mission, we have capabilities in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and impact investing, as well as a proprietary framework that will help form your approach to responsible investing.

If you’re looking for an investment solution that will simplify the management of your investments while retaining discretionary control for broad asset allocation and rebalancing decisions, we offer a portfolio management solution that delivers diversification and oversight through multi-asset and multi-manager investment funds. You can construct a portfolio of individual funds which provides access to institutional managers, public and private markets, and alternative strategies such as private equity. These funds have the benefit of a cohesive portfolio construction process overseen and monitored by our investment teams in concert with our risk management, legal, operations and compliance teams.

Your dedicated relationship manager serves as a resource to your staff, investment committee, and board, providing insight into your investments and allowing access to all of our resources. In addition to your relationship manager, you’ll be supported by our dedicated Investor Services team which provides investors with transactional assistance, as well as general inquiries, which are handled quickly and efficiently. To keep you informed, we provide timely and frequent updates on the markets, and your investments as well as governance through the Commonfund Institute, our educational arm, and investors have 24/7 access to their investments through our client reporting portal.

 

It is important for nonprofits to effectively manage their liquid portfolios and invest according to best practices. Commonfund can help appropriately diversify your operating assets portfolio based on your risk tolerance and budget needs. Investment solutions range from fixed-income only to portfolios that include allocations to equities and alternatives. We’ll help you determine where to invest in order to achieve the appropriate risk/reward profile for your institution.

A Collaborative Approach to Investing

Your OCIO should be an extension of your organization. That’s why we work with your committee as advisors for the portfolios we manage. We collaborate with your internal teams to manage your total portfolio, providing flexibility to assist with specific strategies or focus on particularly complex allocations. Instead of trying to keep track of every aspect of your portfolio alone, let us assist with all of the critical pieces.

Investment policy review | Asset allocation | Portfolio construction | Monitoring and risk management | Rebalancing and capital calls | Consolidated reporting

Learn More About The Principles Behind Our Approach
investing-blocks

Monitor and Manage Your Accounts 24/7

Visit the Portal

Our client reporting portal provides 24/7 remote access to your accounts with immediate insight into your portfolio performance, fund information, cashflow management, audit support, private placement memorandums, and subscription documents.

Visit the Portal

Outsourced CIO Resources

Outsourced Cio

Increasing Use of OCIO Relationships Requires New Governance Considerations

Learn More
Outsourced Cio

Commonfund on the Road: Insights from our Seattle Roundtable

Learn More
Outsourced Cio

Video Guide to Investment Outsourcing

Learn More

Interested in Commonfund OCIO?

Is your institution thinking of outsourcing?

Commonfund has been working with nonprofit investors to provide total portfolio solutions for over five decades and as a discretionary OCIO for over 20 years. We have learned that building a partnership is critical to the success of an organization, and distinctly different than a traditional consulting relationship.

Fill in the form to connect with one of our investment professionals and learn more.