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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...
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... Learn More
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...
Fiscal Policy Impacts on the Economy: Maybe too early to tell….
We are now more than 100 days into the Trump administration and six weeks past the “Liberation Day” tariff announcements. In that time the S&P 500 has reached it’s all time high, sold off more than...
A Closer Look at Minority-Serving Higher Education Institutions
Following the release of the 2024 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments (NCSE), Commonfund conducted a focused analysis of data reported by the 97 participating Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs)....
Grove City College: Conservative, Christian, Committed to Excellence and Affordability
Grove City College is an institution of higher learning where values and value are inseparable.
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...
The Power of We: How Collective Learning and Data Sharing Make Us Stronger
In the midst of today’s volatile economic and policy landscape, collective learning has become not just beneficial but essential for institutional investors. The nonprofit sector as a whole is facing...
Study of Independent Schools Marks its 20-Year Milestone
In 2005, what was then called the National Business Officers Association (now NBOA: Business Leadership for Independent Schools) had reached the seventh anniversary of its founding. Having its...
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...
Policy Uncertainty Impacts All Assets (Not Just Equities!)
Since the February peak in the S&P 500, reams of newsprint have been dedicated to the volatility in the equity markets and to a lesser extent the U.S. Treasury markets – but what about the U.S....
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...
Key Takeaways from the 2025 CASE Conference for College & University Foundations
Commonfund Institute provides analysis and thought leadership across the nonprofit institutional investing space. But investments don’t happen in a vacuum – they are part of the institutional...
Mission-Aligned Investing for Endowments & Foundations