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Private Capital | Articles

What’s the Difference? Time-Weighted Return vs. Internal Rate of Return

Investors often ask about the difference between time-weighted return (“TWR”) and internal rate of return (“IRR”). In general, TWR is used by the investment industry to measure the performance of...
Perspectives | Press Releases

2019 Council on Foundations-Commonfund Study of Foundations Released

National Study Reports Strong Investment Results in 2019 Increased Foundations’ Intermediate-Term Returns   Data from the Council on Foundations-Commonfund Study Show Spending in Support of Mission...
Investment Strategy | Videos

Commonfund Manager Spotlight | Brightwood Capital Advisors

Commonfund's Caroline Greer interviews Sengal Selassie, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Brightwood Capital Advisors in this Commonfund Manager Spotlight.  

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Responsible Investing | Articles

Commonfund Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy

Commonfund continues to be committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts throughout the organization.  The Commonfund Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Office has created a Diversity,... Learn More
Private Capital | Insights Blog

2021 Private Markets Investor Sentiment Survey

Institutional investors continue to increase allocations to private strategies. Commonfund Capital’s fourth annual private markets investor sentiment survey shows trends continue despite the pandemic...
Market Commentary | Insights Blog

Chart of the Month | Beware of High Yield Bonds

Income-hungry investors continued to push yields on speculative grade bonds to new lows despite the challenging business conditions this year. The yield on the Bloomberg Barclays Corporate High Yield...
Perspectives | Press Releases

2020 HEPI Report Released

Inflation for U.S. Higher Education Institutions rises 1.9% in fiscal 2020, lowest since 2016. WILTON, CT, December 28, 2020 — Data from the annual Commonfund Higher Education Price Index® (HEPI)...
Market Commentary | Insights Blog

Chart of the Month | Are Value Stocks Finally Going to Make a Run?

The month of November saw a sharp rotation into value equities at the expense of technology and communication services companies, causing investors to wonder whether the long-run dominance of growth...
Governance And Policy | Videos

Implications of Increased Spending for Foundations

In this Commonfund Xchange, Commonfund Institute Executive Director, George Suttles, moderated a discussion with two leading practitioners: Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation Chief Finance and...
Governance And Policy | Press Releases

George Suttles Named Executive Director of the Commonfund Institute — Commonfund Associate Director Allison Kaspriske Joins Institute as Director

WILTON, CT, November 16, 2020 — Commonfund, a prominent investment manager for endowments, foundations and philanthropic organizations, today announced the promotion of George Suttles to Executive...
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog

A Financial Framework for the COVID Crisis

Despite the fall semester looking much better than the worst-case scenarios contemplated in early summer, higher education in America continues to grapple with the enormous challenges that the...
Market Commentary | Insights Blog

Chart of the Month | Recession Impacts on Employment and Wages

It may come as a surprise to many that average disposable personal incomes have increased by 6.6 percent from February prior to the pandemic through August. This is down from a high of 9.8 percent in...
Perspectives | Insights Blog

Study of Foundations Key Highlights 2019 [Infographic]

For the year ended December 31, 2019, participating private foundations reported an average return of 17.4 percent while participating community foundations reported an average return of 18.2 percent...
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog

The Key Endowment Questions for Challenging Times

During this time of unprecedented challenges, the financial health of colleges and universities is a critical concern. Boards, investment committees, institutional leaders, and their advisors must...
Investment Strategy | Insights Blog

How to Measure Private Equity Investments

Private capital investors use a particular set of quantitative and qualitative measures to assess performance. While the standard benchmarks used for marketable securities are sometimes applied to...
Outsourced CIO | Insights Blog

Top Ten Tips for Better RFPs

A tightly run RFP process can help ensure your organization will find an ideal investment partner to help you fulfill your organization’s mission. As the second installment of our blog series on the...