Research Center
Select a Topic:
Featured
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
A Closer Look at Health Conversion Foundations: 2025 CCSF Results
Commonfund, in partnership with the Council on Foundations, recently released the 2025 Council on Foundations–Commonfund Study of Investment of Endowments for Private and Community Foundations (CCSF,...
Featured
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
Endowment Management: Building a Portfolio for Generations
Featured
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
Beyond the Benchmark: A Decade of Endowment Spending Rate Trends
POPULAR ARTICLES
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.
Stay connected with the Insights Blog
Featured
Governance and Policy | Insights Blog
Your Crisis Playbook Needs Guardrails, Too
Why your governance needs stress-testing before the market does it for you Learn More
Private Equity | Private Equity Insights
Is Now the Right Time to Invest in Venture Capital?
History has shown corrections can be a catalyst for opportunity The news cycle and leading economic factors have caused institutional investors to ponder their portfolio allocations in the short run...
educational-endowments
Perspectives | Insights Blog
The Investment Stewardship Academy Returns to Yale This June
The Investment Stewardship Academy, Commonfund Institute’s three-day intensive academic program is set to resume in-person June 20-23 for the first time since 2019.
educational-endowments
Investment Strategy | Articles
Celebrate! 25 Years of NBOA: The Endowment Landscape
A deep dive into independent school endowment's trends FY2005-FY2022, including analysis of asset allocation, performance, spending and contributions, plus a perspective on future developments....
educational-endowments
Investment Strategy | Insights Blog
Including Risk Management in Your Investment Policy Statement – Where to Begin
Investment policy statements usually contain a section that purports to define the institution’s risk tolerance. But they frequently only gesture in the direction of risk, without actually examining...
Private Equity | Private Equity Insights
In Private Equity Buyouts Operational Expertise Is the Key to Unlocking Value
A successful private equity buyout is often credited to shrewd financial diligence—overlooking sector-specific operating expertise where hidden value is uncovered. Mega-buyouts may capture the...
educational-endowments
Investment Strategy | Insights Blog
Yesterday's Sector Laggards are Today's Leaders
Much to the surprise of market participants, global stocks have risen at an impressive pace year to date despite significant macroeconomic headwinds and regional bank troubles. In what can be deemed...
educational-endowments
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
Shaping Your Board - Key Considerations for Success
The structure of a board can help, or hamper, its effectiveness, and consideration of these matters is important to improving a board’s performance. Factors such as size, board chair, diversity and...
educational-endowments
Investor Spotlight | Spotlight
The Forman Acton Foundation
A Community's Inheritance is a Scholar's Love of Learning Forman Acton valued education, no doubt about that: bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Princeton, a PhD in mathematics from Carnegie...
educational-endowments
Perspectives | Articles
Taking a Regional Perspective
The Commonfund Benchmarks Study® of Independent Schools (CSIS) report provides and analysis of the investment and governance policies and practices of U.S. independent day and boarding schools. For...
educational-endowments
Investment Strategy | Articles
Hedge Funds: Is Now Their Time to Shine?
Diversification may be underappreciated when both equity and fixed income allocations have been broadly positive. With both these allocations facing significant and potentially long-lasting...
community_college
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
Drafting Your Investment Policy Statement: 10 Critical Issues
Endowed institutions differ in their missions, capabilities and resources, and investment policy statements naturally mirror these differences. In that sense, there is no single ‘right’ investment...
Unemployment Appears Poised to Increase