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Perspectives | Press Releases
Foundation Endowments Post Double-Digit Returns | 2025 CCSF Study
Foundations’ Endowed Portfolios Produced Double Digit Investment Returns in 2025; Alts Returns Rebound Council on Foundations-Commonfund Study finds Community Foundations Report Rising Gifts and OCIO...
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Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
How do Endowments Work? Common Misconceptions
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Investment Strategy | Articles
Mind the Gap: The Strategic Risk of Skipping a Vintage in Private Equity
Private equity (inclusive of buyouts, growth equity, and venture capital) remains a compelling long-term asset class, but recent periods of muted distributions and below-average returns have created...
Perspectives | Press Releases
FY25 NACUBO-Commonfund Study Released
U.S. Higher Education Endowments Report Stable Returns, Increase Spending to $33.4 Billion in FY25 The NACUBO-Commonfund Study of 657 colleges and universities reports a 10-year average return of...
Investment Strategy | Videos
Understanding the Private Equity Secondaries Market
This Commonfund Institute Online video explores the evolving landscape of the private equity secondaries market, focusing on both Limited Partner (LP)- and General Partner (GP)-led transactions.
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Governance and Policy | Podcasts
Responsible Investing in the Age of AI
Join hosts George Suttles, Executive Director, and Amanda Novello, Associate Director, in this episode of Espresso Chats, a series by the Commonfund Institute serving up strong, short shots of... Learn More
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
5 Takeaways from the 2026 NACUBO Annual Meeting
If you've already read Inside Higher Ed's recap of the NACUBO Annual Meeting (held in Anaheim from July 18-21), "A Call to Meet the Moment at NACUBO,” you know federal policy uncertainty dominated...
Market Commentary | Podcasts
Mission-Aligned Investing for Endowments & Foundations
Episode 11 In this episode of Commonfund Point of View, Julia Mord, Chief Investment Officer, is joined by Brian Cohen, Managing Director, and Caroline Greer, Managing Director, to unpack what it...
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
Philanthropy and Fundraising: Trends & Leadership Insights
At the 2026 Investment Stewardship Academy, held at Yale University this past June, three leaders in the philanthropic sector — Dr. Amir Pasic, Eugene R. Tempel Dean at Indiana University's Lilly...
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
Endowment Purpose and UPMIFA: What Nonprofit Boards Must Ask
Purpose | Principle I | Principles of Investment Stewardship The Question Every Endowment Fiduciary Should Be Asking For many nonprofit organizations, the endowment is the difference between...
Market Commentary | Insights Blog
Building a Resilient Portfolio: Navigating Demographic Shifts and AI-Driven Productivity
The June jobs report was one of contradictions. Payrolls grew by a lackluster 57,000 versus consensus expectations of 115,000. However, unemployment dropped slightly to 4.2% compared to May’s 4.3%...
Private Equity | Private Equity Insights
AI is Steepening the Power Law in Venture Capital
AI is steepening the power law, concentrating venture returns even further and widening the gap between outlier companies and everyone else.
Perspectives | Insights Blog
Summer Reading List 2026: 11 Books to Read This Season
Commonfund Institute is excited to share our Summer 2026 recommended reading list, thoughtfully curated with recommendations from our Commonfund colleagues. This edition spans financial history,...
Private Equity | Private Equity Insights
Climate Adaptation and Resilience: Keys to Sustainable Investing
When investors think of climate-focused investment and sustainable investing generally, they often envision thematics such as renewable power, electrified transport, and industrial decarbonization,...
Market Commentary | Insights Blog
Fiscal Year-End and Mid-Year 2026 Market and Investment Review
Throughout Fiscal Year 2026, investors were forced to reconcile their enthusiasm for innovation in the technology sector with the constant overhang of geopolitical risks. Investments and advancements...
Investment Strategy | Insights Blog
What is an OCIO?
An OCIO — short for Outsourced Chief Investment Officer — is a model in which an institution delegates its investment management function to a specialized third-party provider. Rather than managing...
Governance And Policy | Podcasts
The Shiny Tinfoil: Investing in AI with Eyes Wide Open
Join hosts George Suttles, Executive Director, and Amanda Novello, Associate Director, in this episode of Espresso Chats, a series by the Commonfund Institute serving up strong, short shots of...
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
The Case for the Seventh P: Progression in Nonprofit Investment Stewardship
At Commonfund Institute, we’ve long adhered to the six guiding principles of nonprofit investment stewardship, often referred to as the "6 Ps": Purpose, Policy, Process, Portfolio, People, and...
Why 30-Year Treasury Yields Are at 2007 Highs — And What It Means for Your Portfolio