Navigating Governance and Leadership in Higher Education
Join hosts George Suttles, Executive Director, and Amanda Novello, Sr. Policy and Research Analyst, in the inaugural episode of "Espresso Chats," a series by the Commonfund Institute serving up...
Considerations for Foundations to Meet the Moment
In response to the current political, social, and economic challenges, numerous foundations are increasing their support and adapting their strategies to address pressing issues. There have been...
Benchmarks for Boards
This paper outlines the practices and policies of high-performing boards, offering valuable insights for trustees and nonprofits seeking to excel in their fiduciary role.
Investing in the Creative Economy - Commonfund Coffee Talk
Investing in the Creative Economy In this Commonfund Coffee Talk, the Institute’s executive director, George Suttles, is joined by Upstart Co-Lab founding partner, Laura Callanan, to discuss impact...
Why do Nonprofit Investors Seek an OCIO?
According to data from Commonfund's Benchmarks Studies, Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) usage is on the rise among private and community foundations and higher education over the past 10...
Governance Lessons from Commonfund Benchmark Studies
Commonfund has been partnering to produce industry insights and thought leadership across the nonprofit institutional investor space for decades. Central to these efforts have been benchmark studies...
Impact and Value-Aligned Investing - Commonfund Coffee Talk
Impact and value-aligned investing The final session in our Commonfund Coffee Talk 2023 series, foundation leaders discuss impact and values-aligned investing, a focus for many foundations and the...
Beyond DEI Toward Reparative Care - Commonfund Coffee Talk
Beyond DEI Toward Reparative Care The second session in our Commonfund Coffee Talk 2023 series, foundation leaders discuss how institutions can use their power, move beyond baseline DEI, and toward...
Key Factors in Asset Allocation Decisions for Endowments
There are several broad subjects that an effective investment policy statement (IPS) should include in its contents and address clearly and specifically as they relate to an endowed institution. This...
Meeting Mission through Investments - Commonfund Coffee Talk
Meeting Mission through Investments The first session in our Commonfund Coffee Talk 2023 series, foundation leaders discuss mission-oriented investment strategies, governance, implementation, and...
Increasing Use of OCIO Relationships Requires New Governance Considerations
More and more endowments and foundations are entering outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) relationships as long-term mission-aligned investing becomes mired in the complexity of rapidly...
Affirmative Action: Implications for Endowments, Foundations, and the Broader Industry
Affirmative action, a practice used since the 1960s to edge toward equity and address historical and ongoing injustice through higher education attainment, was struck down last month by the Supreme...
Three Fundamental Duties of Nonprofit Boards
It is essential that trustees of endowed portfolios hold themselves accountable to a set of standards in order to maintain sound governance practices. Fiduciary duty is an important part of the...
Celebrate! 25 Years of NBOA: The Endowment Landscape
A deep dive into independent school endowment's trends FY2005-FY2022, including analysis of asset allocation, performance, spending and contributions, plus a perspective on future developments....
Including Risk Management in Your Investment Policy Statement – Where to Begin
Investment policy statements usually contain a section that purports to define the institution’s risk tolerance. But they frequently only gesture in the direction of risk, without actually examining...
Shaping Your Board - Key Considerations for Success
The structure of a board can help, or hamper, its effectiveness, and consideration of these matters is important to improving a board’s performance. Factors such as size, board chair, diversity and...
Drafting Your Investment Policy Statement: 10 Critical Issues
Endowed institutions differ in their missions, capabilities and resources, and investment policy statements naturally mirror these differences. In that sense, there is no single ‘right’ investment...
Rising to the Occasion | A Discussion with Three HBCU Presidents
Earlier this month we hosted our 25th Commonfund Forum in Boca Raton, Florida. In celebration and acknowledgment of Black History Month, we hosted a breakfast discussion with a distinguished group of...
Community Foundations - Challenges & Opportunities - Commonfund Coffee Talk
Community Foundations - Challenges & Opportunities
Impact and Values-Aligned Investing - Commonfund Coffee Talk
IMpact and Values-aligned investing The second session in our Commonfund Coffee Talk series focuses on the opportunities that foundations have in the impact and values-aligned investing spaces....
The State of Private and Community Foundations - Commonfund Coffee Talk
The State of Private and Community Foundations Our 2022 Commonfund Coffee Talk series kicked off with a focus on the challenges facing private and community foundations, what they are doing to...
Excellent Boards Are Made, Not Born
Boards that are exemplary for their adherence to best governance practices have certain identifiable traits. But this is no accident—they have taken steps to elevate their practices and maintain them...
2021 Commonfund-FGA Benchmarking Study of Governance in Higher Education
This Commonfund-FGA Benchmarking Study of Governance in Higher Education assesses organizational governance structure and provides peer benchmarking analysis.
Endowment Management: The Business of Independent Schools
Commonfund is proud to contribute a chapter to NBOA’s new book “The Business of Independent Schools – A Leader’s Guide” – a new edition of “By the Numbers and Beyond.” This publication provides...
Strategic Planning May Be Saving the Day for Cultural Institutions
Given the disruption to “normalcy” brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial justice issues that erupted in the U.S. in 2020 and continue today, some may say it has been a time of reckoning...
Aligning Endowments & Investments with Foundation Values
Reflections from the Council on Foundations' webinar The 2020 Council on Foundations-Commonfund Study of Investment of Endowments for Private and Community Foundations (CCSF) is the field’s most...
Diversifying Foundation Boards
The call for private and community foundation boards to embrace and demonstrate diversity at the senior leadership and board level has never been more urgent. Yet, with a growing base of research...
How to Invest in Diverse Managers
A U.S. capitalist system where approximately one percent of all capital is managed by women and people of color, who make up 70 percent of the population, perpetuates and increases inequality and...
What Strategic Decisions are Investment Committees Focused On?
Independent schools have been faced with fundamental shifts in their business model and have adapted to stay true to their educational missions. This year has been particularly difficult for many...
Allocating to Illiquid Investments
Stewards of endowments have long been advised that allocating to illiquid investments is critical to achieving long-term returns. Rather than trust conventional wisdom, Commonfund conducted research...
Stellex Capital Management
In celebration of Black History Month, Commonfund Institute Executive Director, George Suttles, and Commonfund Director, Nicole Melwood, interview Ray Whiteman, Managing Partner and co-Founder of...
Foundation Spending Strategy – Meeting the Moment in 2020 and Beyond
This year has been incredibly difficult. One of the most contentious and turbulent presidential elections and transitions in American History. COVID-19 and the consequential social and economic...
Foundation Spending Strategy Considerations
Commonfund has put together a list of considerations for your foundation's spending strategy.
Marvin Owens, Senior Director, NAACP Economic Department
Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent...
Rochelle Witharana, Chief Financial Officer, California Wellness Foundation
With nearly $1 billion in assets, The California Wellness Foundation (Cal Wellness), is one of California’s largest public health philanthropic institutions.
Stewardship During This Crisis: Five Things for Boards to Consider
As the world continues to grapple with the social, economic, and public health implications of the current COVID-19 crisis, nonprofit organizations and their boards are working tirelessly to...
Intergenerational Equity and Sustainable Investing
Intergenerational equity was defined by economist James Tobin in 1974. He wrote, “The trustees of endowed institutions are the guardians of the future against the claims of the present. Their task in...
Dimple Abichandani, Executive Director of the General Service Foundation
Dimple Abichandani is Executive Director of the General Service Foundation (“GSF”), a private grantmaking family foundation that dedicates all its resources to bringing about a more just and...
Nonprofit Board Diversity = Effective Stewardship
Many institutions recognize the need for diversity and inclusion on their boards and investment committees. Diverse and inclusive boards can make more effective decisions, design and deliver...
Higher Ed: Philanthropy is an Adjunct, Public Policy Deserves Tenure
In the last few months, high profile nonprofit institutions have come under intense scrutiny for ethical dilemmas pertaining to the stewardship of resources meant to support mission. This is Part...
The Case for Using the Higher Education Price Index® (HEPI) to Define Inflation for Colleges
When calculating return targets for an endowment portfolio, a conventional piece of the equation is often the Consumer Price Index (CPI). CPI plus 5% is the common short-hand formula for institutions...
Nonprofit Hospitals - Big Business in Nonprofit Clothing?
In the last few months, high profile nonprofit institutions have come under intense scrutiny for ethical dilemmas pertaining to the stewardship of resources meant to support mission. This is Part Two...
Museums and Cultural Institutions: To Accept or Not to Accept, That Is the Question
In the last few months, high profile nonprofit institutions have come under intense scrutiny for ethical dilemmas pertaining to the stewardship of resources meant to support mission. In a three-part...
Donor Advised Funds: Changing the Philanthropic Landscape for Higher Education
Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) are the fastest growing giving vehicle in philanthropy. The Council on Foundations defines DAFs as: “A type of charitable giving fund that is established by a donor with an...
Applying the Endowment Model to Diversity and Inclusion
Commonfund recently launched a Diversity Office, a formal, cross departmental effort focused on diversity and inclusion. The mission of the Commonfund Diversity Office is to intentionally promote and...
City of the Big Shoulders: Key Takeaways from our Chicago CIO/CFO Roundtable