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2025 HEPI Report Released
Inflation for U.S. Higher Education Institutions Rises 3.6% in Fiscal 2025, Up from Fiscal 2024 Rate Norwalk, Conn., December 11, 2025 – Data from the annual Higher Education Price Index® (HEPI) show...
Why the Way You Count Matters and Why Comparing One-Year Returns Does Not
As we near the end of the performance reporting season for larger higher ed institutions this year, I am once again struck by the focus the media and others place on a single fiscal year return. Learn More
Unlocking Sustainable Investment: Insights from Ethan Levine
At SuperReturn Energy, Ethan Levine, Managing Director, CF Private Equity, discussed the continued focus on sustainability and ESG, touching on net zero, decarbonization and climate pledges.
COP28 Reflections: Can Intention Be Met With Action?
The 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (“COP28”) recently concluded in Dubai on December 13th, 2023. Unique to this year’s conference was the...
Year-End Update and 2024 Investment Outlook
The long and winding road This was a year to catch our breath. After the S&P 500 Index fell 18.1 percent in 2022, and the Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index fell 13.0 percent, we all needed a break....
Four Things we Learned from Foundation Leaders
Following the release of the Council on Foundations–Commonfund Study of Investment of Endowments for Private and Community Foundations (the “Study”), Commonfund Institute hosted a three-part Coffee...
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...
Bad News is “Good” for Markets to Close 2023
As we inch closer to 2024, domestic markets have been largely driven by shifts in sentiment surrounding the macroeconomic environment, leading many to question the relationship between “bad news” and...
A Winter Wonderland of Books to Warm Your Soul and Inspire Creativity!
Commonfund Institute is excited to share our staff-curated reading list this winter, filled with stories that warm the heart and spark imagination. We extend our warmest wishes for a season filled...
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...
The Impact of the Rising Cost of Debt on Private Equity
As the cost of debt on private equity ("PE") has risen and its availability has fallen, deal-making within PE has slowed. PE firms that have historically been overly reliant on leverage in financing...
Private Markets Year-End Letter and 2024 Outlook