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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...
Featured
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
Philanthropy and Fundraising: Trends & Leadership Insights
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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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Featured
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... Learn More
Mission-aligned Investing | Insights Blog
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...
Outsourced Cio | Insights Blog
Increased Use of OCIO for Independent Schools
Data from the 2024 Commonfund Benchmarks Study of Independent Schools (CSIS) show that schools across the size spectrum reported an increase in use of an outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO)...
educational-endowments
Investment Strategy | Insights Blog
In Pursuit of Intergenerational Equity: Inflation is the Big Headwind
For all the differing goals and objectives laid out by colleges and universities for their endowments, one that is universally shared is intergenerational equity, or the concept that endowed...
Investment Strategy | Articles
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...
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
A Closer Look at Religious Independent Schools
Earlier this year, Commonfund Institute released the 20th annual Commonfund Benchmarks Study of Independent Schools (“CSIS” or the “Study”), reporting on key investment governance trends and insights...
Perspectives | Insights Blog
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,...
educational-endowments
Market Commentary | Podcasts
Is a Recession Coming? Tariffs, Debt & U.S. Market Risks
Episode 6 Is a recession coming? Commonfund's Chief Investment Strategist Kris Kwait joins host Anita Hariton to break down the latest macro dashboard, including an upgrade to monetary policy and a...
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
A Closer Look at Community Colleges
Earlier this year, Commonfund, in partnership with the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), released the 2024 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments (NCSE). The...
Investment Strategy | Insights Blog
Investment Committees: Preparing for the Unforeseen
In the world of investing, crises are inevitable. Yet, many investment committees find themselves unprepared when these crises strike because they haven’t taken the necessary time to scenario plan....
Perspectives | Videos
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,...
educational-endowments
Perspectives | Press Releases
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...
independent_school
Perspectives | Insights Blog
Independent Schools Increasingly Depend on Endowments for Operations
Amidst concerns about student enrollment, fundraising, inflation, market volatility, and more, independent schools are relying more on their endowments to cover any gaps. Data from the 2024...
Mission-Aligned Investing for Endowments & Foundations