Back to All Resources
Topic: Commonfund Forum
CIO Roundtable: Meeting Complexity and Uncertainty with Clarity
A foundation, a university and an insurance company operate in different worlds and have different priorities—but make investment decisions in the same environment Institutions depend on their...
Insights from Institutionally-Related Foundations
Last month at Commonfund Forum 2025, we convened senior leaders of institutionally-related foundations (IRFs) to discuss trends among their institutions and peers uncovered in the FY2024...
Chief Investment Officers Share Their Thoughts at Forum 2025
Commonfund hosted its annual Commonfund Forum 2025, March 9-11th, in Orlando, Florida. The agenda included a range of sessions on relevant topics for institutional investors. This Forum Spotlight...
Data Centers, AI and the Evolving Energy Landscape
You can't just flip the switch. As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape industries and redefine technological capability, it is also poised to become one of the most significant drivers...
Fiduciaries Guide to Mission-Aligned Investing
At Commonfund Forum 2025, Caroline Greer, Managing Director, Commonfund OCIO and George Suttles, Executive Director, Commonfund Institute sat down with panelists, Margot Brandenburg, Senior Program...
Portfolio Construction in the Era of the Mag 7
How do you build your U.S. equities allocation when a handful of stocks account for more than half of the S&P 500’s return? The aptly named Magnificent 7 stocks (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta...
Four Challenges Impacting Nonprofits Today
Commonfund OCIO President and CEO, Tim Yates, sat down with panelists, Janine Anthony Bowen, Trustee of Georgia State University Foundation and Partner at BakerHostetler, Dr. Alison Morrison-Shetlar,...
The Seismic Shifts Impacting Nonprofits Today
Commonfund recently hosted its 27th annual Commonfund Forum, March 9th-11th, in Orlando, Florida. This Forum Spotlight explores the financial and operational implications of these major shifts,...
Institutional Investors Split on U.S. Economic Outlook, Commonfund’s Annual Market Sentiment Survey Finds
Sixty eight percent of institutional investors surveyed (representing over $800 billion in total assets) expect the S&P 500 Index to have lower or negative returns in 2025, compared to the 10-year...
Key Takeaways from Forum 2025
Commonfund Forum 2025, held in Orlando, brought together registrants from some 370 institutions with more than $800 billion in endowed assets representing 42 states and five foreign countries in a...
Forum 2025 Key Statistics [Infographic]
Commonfund recently hosted its 27th annual Commonfund Forum, March 9th-11th, in Orlando, Florida. The event brought together institutional investors to engage in a three-day conference to explore...
Seeking Alpha in A World of Private Equity Beta
Deep sector expertise is a differentiator in the pursuit of alpha-like private equity returns.
Adding Alpha through Emerging Investment Managers
Commonfund Forum 2024 convened a panel of emerging investment managers to spotlight their unique investment approaches. Moderated by Caroline Greer, managing director at Commonfund OCIO, the...
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...
The Role of the Endowment in Transforming Trinity College
Commonfund hosted its annual Commonfund Forum, March 10-12th, in Orlando, Florida. The agenda included a range of sessions on relevant topics for institutional investors. In this Forum Spotlight,...
CIO Roundtable
Commonfund hosted its annual Commonfund Forum, March 10-12th, in Orlando, Florida. The agenda included a range of sessions on relevant topics for institutional investors. This Forum Spotlight...
Not Your Grandparent’s Farm: Emerging Opportunities in an Often-Overlooked Sector
The Rationale for Investing in Agriculture: Growth, Diversification, Sustainability, Inflation Hedge Commonfund Forum 2024 convened a panel to examine emerging trends and opportunities for private...
Will AI Save the World or Ruin It?
Commonfund hosted its annual Commonfund Forum, March 10-12th, in Orlando, Florida. The agenda included a range of sessions on relevant topics for institutional investors. This Forum Spotlight...
The Economic Equation: Solving for the Unknowns
2 + 2 = ? In the world of economics—a lot of variables may mess with the answer. Two sessions early in the agenda at Commonfund Forum 2024 brought into focus the range of scenarios in play for...
Commonfund Survey Finds Investors Remain Optimistic in 2024
Institutional Investors Remain Optimistic in 2024 Despite Macroeconomic Headwinds, Commonfund’s Annual Market Sentiment Survey Finds Seventy seven percent of institutional investors surveyed...
Commonfund Forum 2024: 5 Key Takeaways
Commonfund Forum 2024 brought together 500+ attendees representing institutions with $890 billion in endowed assets in a 2.5-day conference. The event, themed “With Intention”, featured a...
Forum 2024 Key Statistics [Infographic]
Commonfund recently hosted its 26th annual Commonfund Forum, March 10th-12th, in Orlando, Florida. The event brought together institutional investors to engage in a three-day conference to explore...
How to Implement ESG at Your Institution
The following has been adapted from a presentation delivered at Commonfund Forum 2023. The presenters were Rachel Stavola Clivaz, Associate Director, and Anthony Peretore, Managing Director,...
In Private Equity Buyouts Operational Expertise Is the Key to Unlocking Value
A successful private equity buyout is often credited to shrewd financial diligence—overlooking sector-specific operating expertise where hidden value is uncovered. Mega-buyouts may capture the...
Commonfund Forum 2023 Welcome Address
Commonfund hosted its 25th annual Commonfund Forum in Boca Raton, Florida. Mark Anson, Commonfund's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, opened the conference with a welcome...
Hedge Funds: Is Now Their Time to Shine?
Diversification may be underappreciated when both equity and fixed income allocations have been broadly positive. With both these allocations facing significant and potentially long-lasting...
CIO Roundtable - A Discussion on Investment Stewardship
At the 25th annual Commonfund Forum, in Boca Raton, Florida, we hosted a distinguished panel of CIOs who shared their perspectives on portfolio management. They discussed their best investment ideas,...
Secular Changes and Challenges Facing Nonprofits Today
Commonfund recently hosted its 25th annual Commonfund Forum, February 13-15th, in Boca Raton, Florida. The agenda included a range of sessions on relevant topics for institutional investors. This...
Commonfund Survey Finds Investors are Optimistic in 2023
Institutional investors representing $849 billion in total assets attended this year’s Commonfund Forum. Survey respondents cite ongoing interest rate hikes and geopolitical tensions as top economic...
Forum 2023 Key Statistics [Infographic]
Commonfund recently hosted its 25th annual Commonfund Forum, February 13-15th, in Boca Raton, Florida. The event brought together institutional investors to engage in a three-day conference to...
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...
Commonfund Forum 2023: 5 Key Takeaways
Commonfund recently hosted its 25th annual Commonfund Forum in Boca Raton, Florida. The event, themed “Still We Rise”, brought together 500+ attendees representing institutions with almost $850...
Private Equity: Responding Tactically, Changing Strategically
The current year has seen an enormous amount of change packed into a few months: breakout inflation, rising interest rates, war in Ukraine, COVID mutations and stubborn supply chain problems. We know...
Diversity and Diversification: The People Edge in Portfolios
Can diverse people managing investment portfolios deliver an edge in performance? A growing body of research shows that diverse managers—defined by gender, race, ethnicity or other...
Accessing Sustainable Opportunities Through Private Equity Strategies
Institutional investors around the world have appropriately turned their attention to the sustainability of their investment portfolios. Investors have pivoted from discussion to action as generally...
Real Estate Today … and the Trends Likely To Shape Tomorrow
As it burst onto the world scene in 2020, COVID-19 impacted asset classes and investment strategies across the board. While real estate was no exception, the industry managed a generally strong...
Diversifying Your Fixed Income Portfolio With a Private Credit Allocation
Inflation, rising interest rates, inversion in the yield curve and the war in Ukraine combined to make 1Q22 a challenge for many asset classes and strategies. While there was the isolated shelter...
The Great Reset: The Emerging Age of Re-imagination, Reconnection and Renewal – and Generation RE
A great reset is now upon us. Less obvious is the reality that the world was quietly being reset prior to the pandemic. The rules of business were being rewritten by an extraordinary cadre of...
CIO Roundtable
Fiduciaries are entrusted with fulfilling their organization’s mission largely through effective stewardship of financial assets. In the 50+ years since Commonfund was founded, perpetual investing...
10 Key Takeaways from Commonfund Forum 2022
Commonfund recently hosted its 24th annual Commonfund Forum in Orlando, Florida. The event brought together 200+ institutional investors from the U.S., the Virgin Islands, and Canada in a 2.5 day...
Hitting the Hot Buttons: Investing for the Next 2 to 4 Years
Commonfund Forum 2022 featured an expert panel representing diverse perspectives to probe beyond the headline-grabbing news that has been driving financial markets in recent months. The accompanying...
Imagining What's Next for the Global Economy
If someone had told you in January of 2020 that the world would be plunged into a global pandemic the likes of which had not been seen since 1918, you probably would have guessed that the impacts on...
Forum 2022 Key Statistics [Infographic]
Commonfund recently hosted its 24th annual Commonfund Forum, March 16-18th, in Orlando, Florida. The event brought together institutional investors to engage in a three-day conference to explore...
ESG and Sustainable Investing
ESG and environmentally sustainable investment are increasingly capturing the attention of the institutional investment community. To assess the state of ESG and sustainable investing and how they...
Venture Investing: Insights into China’s Dynamic Healthcare Industry
Seeking growth and diversification, institutional investors have long included emerging markets exposure in their portfolios. The agenda for Commonfund Forum 2021 included a session dedicated to...
Investing in ESG and Sustainability
ESG and environmentally sustainable investments are increasingly capturing the attention of the institutional investment community. Historically, we saw more conversation and less broad investment...
How Your Organization Can Nurture Innovation While Balancing Risk
The theme for Commonfund Forum 2021 was “Transformation.” The objective of the agenda was to deliver timely, useful content on core subjects related to nonprofit endowment and financial management...
Fareed Zakaria Dissects the Challenges Shaping the Post-Pandemic World
The theme for Commonfund Forum 2021 was “Transformation.” The objective of the agenda was to deliver timely, useful content on core subjects related to nonprofit endowment and financial management...
Forum 2021 | Welcome Address
Mark Anson, PhD, CFA, CAIA, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, Commonfund, welcomes you to Commonfund Forum 2021. This video is a Commonfund Forum 2021 Spotlight. Click here to...
A Fireside Chat with Darren Walker | From Generosity to Justice
Forum 2021 keynote speaker and Ford Foundation President, Darren Walker, shares his bold vision for the future of philanthropy. Since his arrival in 2013, Mr. Walker has transformed the venerable...
Infinite Challenges, Endless Opportunities, Finite Resources
Board members, trustees and others that have oversight of endowed portfolios have well-documented fiduciary duties that govern how they carry out those responsibilities. In times of relative calm,...
Tools for Creating Effective Strategic Policy
Commonfund has worked with nonprofit investors for 50 years. Over that time, we have developed a set of proprietary tools and data to assist boards and investment committees in their quest to create...
Promoting Gender Equity in Leadership Roles
Dr. Kellie A. McElhaney is on faculty as a Distinguished Teaching Fellow and the Founding Director of the Center for Equity, Gender and Inclusion (EGAL) at the Haas School of Business at the...
From Generosity to Justice | Observations from the President of Ford Foundation
The theme for Commonfund Forum 2021 was “Transformation.” The objective of the agenda was to deliver timely, useful content on core subjects related to nonprofit endowment and financial management...
An Insider's Guide to the Chinese Economy
Commonfund CEO and CIO, Mark Anson, hosted Leland Miller, CEO of China Beige Book. Mr. Miller shared his proprietary research and insights in this exclusive session for Commonfund Forum registrants....
Commonfund Forum Goes Global
During the week of October 14th, 2019 Commonfund Institute hosted our first Forum outside of the United States in Tokyo, Japan. We were honored to be joined by many leading Japanese institutional...
Commonfund Forum: A Carbon Neutral Event in 2019
In just two years Commonfund will celebrate its 50th anniversary as a non-profit investment manager for educational endowments, foundations and other tax-exempt investors. Throughout those almost...
CIO Roundtable: The Past, Present and Future of Endowment Investing
Fiduciaries of nonprofit organizations are entrusted with fulfilling the missions of their organizations in large part through effective stewardship of financial assets. In the 50 years since the...
Risk Management and Operations: 5 Takeaways from Commonfund Forum 2019
The majority of investors’ attention is often focused on the performance of the funds or managers in their portfolio. And rightfully so. The numbers that appear on statements month after month will...
Dynamic Workforce = Dynamic Portfolios
The Surprising Outcomes When Diverse Groups and Homogeneous Groups Tackle the Same Problem In late 2018, Commonfund established a Diversity Office with the objective of benefiting from the strengths...
A sit-down with Richard Fisher
As a follow-on to the Commonfund Forum 2019 panel discussion, The Global Economy and the Return of Risk, Richard Fisher, former President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, further...
The Global Economy and the Return of Risk
How to think about tariffs, deficits, valuations, leverage, growth and other issues What signals should institutions be mindful of as they make portfolio decisions in the current environment? A panel...
Playing to Win
In this Forum 2019 general session, Commonfund experts share research into much of the conventional wisdom around institutional portfolio management, with some surprising results into which...
Welcome Address and Overview | Forum 2019
Mark Anson, Commonfund Chief Executive Officer and CIO opens Forum 2019 with welcome remarks and a review of the global economy. Download the slides in this presentation.
Diversity and Emerging Managers
The benefits of diversity are widely recognized in the work place and among educational institutions and other nonprofits. Yet, the concept of investment management firms that are minority owned and...
Should Investors Be Concerned with ESG Investing
The subject of ESG, or investing in accord with environmental, social and governance principles, arose in several sessions at Commonfund Forum 2018. One session, in particular, was devoted to the...
Private Capital: Key to Unlocking Growth in Emerging Markets
After a turbulent period, emerging markets have delivered double-digit returns in recent years. Private investments in emerging markets offer a way to diversify beyond the public markets and, in...
Evolving Asset Allocation and Policy Portfolios
In this Forum 2018 general session, Commonfund experts share research findings and techniques we employ to help investors understand not just the characteristics of their portfolio in isolation but...
The Absent Superpower
In this Commonfund Forum 2017 Spotlight, geopolitical strategist and author Peter Zeihan examines how the hard rules of geography are eroding the American commitment to free trade; how much of the...
CIO Roundtable: Is the Endowment Model a Crowded Trade?
Stuck in the past or ever-evolving? The endowment model gets a hard look eight years into the current market cycle. With core tenets of the endowment model seemingly under stress for the last several...
No More Gatekeepers
In this Commonfund Forum Spotlight, founder of DonorsChoose.org Charles Best shares how as a 24-year-old teacher at a Bronx high school, he created a model of giving hailed as "the future of...
Monkeynomics
In this Commonfund Forum 2017 Spotlight, Dr. Laurie Santos demonstrates that primates have much to teach us about our own economic decision-making. Both monkeys and humans know a bargain when they...
What’s Next for Cash Investors?
In the static low-rate environment of recent years, it seemed as though there was no “what’s next” for cash. Today, that has changed, as there are major forces reshaping the regulatory and interest...
The Big Picture: Integrating Investments, Finance and Development
Most things function a lot better when all the moving parts work together—nonprofit institutions included. The synergies afforded by collaboration across organizational boundaries may be the most...
Emerging Markets: Balancing Risk and Reward
Investors poured $2 trillion into emerging economies between 2009 and 2014. Then prices for a basket of commodities fell—dragging crude oil down to levels not seen in a decade and dashing investors’...
The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined
Sal Khan is the founder of the Khan Academy, a nonprofit with the mission of providing free, high-quality education to “anyone, anywhere” in the world. A former hedge fund analyst with degrees from...
Evolving Challenges in Nonprofit Governance
Commonfund recently convened an expert panel moderated by Myra Drucker (standing, left), Chair of the Board, TrustedPeer Inc. and former chair of the Commonfund Board of Trustees. The roundtable...
Tour de World: Global Equity Investing Now