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Responsible Investing | Articles
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...
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Perspectives | Insights Blog
The Power of We: How Collective Learning and Data Sharing Make Us Stronger

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Perspectives | Insights Blog
Study of Independent Schools Marks its 20-Year Milestone
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Investment Strategy | Articles
Viewpoint | Top Concerns for Community Foundations: Donor-Advised Fund Regulations
Potential regulations on donor-advised funds (DAFs) and their effect on the philanthropic sector was the most-cited concern among community foundations in this year’s Council on...
Perspectives | Press Releases
FY23 NACUBO-Commonfund Study Released
U.S. Higher Education Endowments Report 7.7% Return for FY23 While Spending More in Support of Their Missions 50th anniversary NACUBO-Commonfund Study shows participating colleges and universities...
Governance And Policy | Videos
2025 Policy Outlook: What Endowments and Foundations Should Know
Looking back at 2024, uncertainty was the name of the game: inflation, interest rates, market volatility, emerging technology, recession potential, and geopolitical risks all played a role. As we...
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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... Learn More
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
Asset Allocation: Controlling for the Variables
Our 2021 Council on Foundations-Commonfund Study of Foundations marked our 10th year in collaboration with Council on Foundations and the Commonfund Institute to measure, analyze and document the...

Private Equity | Private Equity Insights
LP-Led Secondaries: The Core of the Secondaries Market
If one ever questioned whether LP-led secondaries were core to the secondaries market, one would only need to consider two factors: (1) the number of funds raised in a given year and (2) investors...

Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
Research Shows 10-Year Returns for Foundations Reach Highest Point
Our 2021 Council on Foundations-Commonfund Study of Foundations marked our 10th year in collaboration with Council on Foundations and the Commonfund Institute to measure, analyze and document the...

Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
Better Benchmarking: What Makes Your Institution Unique Matters
There is no doubt that benchmarking is a good practice for institutions to follow – we publish studies each year for various nonprofit sectors for that reason. While we think that benchmarking is...

Manager Spotlight | Spotlight
Richard Turnley, III Chats about Channing Capital Management, LLC
Commonfund Director, Betsy Wilson, interviews Richard Turnley, III, Director of Channing Capital Management, LLC in this Commonfund Manager Spotlight.

Perspectives | Insights Blog
Study of Foundations Key Highlights [Infographic]
For the year ended December 31, 2021, participating private foundations reported an average return of 16.3 percent while participating community foundations reported an average return of 14.8 percent...

Risk Management | Insights Blog
Four Hot Topics of Operational Support
Middle and back office operational support is often considered the glue that keeps organizations on track. While perhaps not the most glamorous of topics, the oversight of accounting, tax reporting,...

Investment Strategy | Private Equity Insights
Why Does Blockchain Matter?
We believe there is a generational platform shift underway in technology and its magnitude of impact could be as transformational as was the birth of the internet — and it is transparent,...

Perspectives | Press Releases
2021 Council on Foundations-Commonfund Study of Foundations Released
Security of Foundations’ Missions Strengthened by Good Investment Returns in 2021, National Study Reports

Manager Spotlight | Spotlight
David Kim Talks About His Path to Becoming Founder of Ghost Tree Capital
Commonfund Managing Director, John Delano, interviews David Kim, Founder and CIO of Ghost Tree Capital in this Commonfund Manager Spotlight.

Private Equity | Private Equity Insights
Investing into Energy Security
On February 24, 2022, Russia fired the first shots of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, setting off a cascade of global changes that systemically altered the world order. The horrific humanitarian...
The Trouble with Europe