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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

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...

Investment Strategy | Videos

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...

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Governance And Policy | Insights Blog

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...
Governance And Policy | Videos

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...
Market Commentary | Insights Blog

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...
Perspectives | Insights Blog

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...
Governance And Policy | Videos

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...
Investment Strategy | Insights Blog

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...
Governance And Policy | Videos

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...
Market Commentary | Private Equity Insights

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...
Investment Strategy | Insights Blog

City of the Big Shoulders: Key Takeaways from our Chicago CIO/CFO Roundtable

For more than 50 years, Commonfund has been working with boards and investment committees to design and implement investment structures that support and maintain intergenerational equity - the...
Market Commentary | Podcasts

Commonfund OCIO Point of View

Episode 1 In this episode we cover our macro-economic outlook, delve into public and private equities, the impact of higher inflation and interest rates on fixed income and credit strategies, as well...
Market Commentary | Private Equity Insights

Venture Capital Valuation "Marks": What’s in Your Wallet?

In order to underwrite new commitments in an uncertain market environment, it is critical to normalize valuation methodologies and deeply analyze underlying portfolio companies.
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog

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...