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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

FY24 NACUBO-Commonfund Study Released

U.S. Higher Education Endowments Report 6.8% 10-Year Average Annual Return, Increase Spending to a Collective $30.0 Billion Annual NACUBO-Commonfund Study shows participating institutions spent...

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

Key Governance Factors for Higher Education Prove to Be Quantifiable

A board self-assessment is one of the most commonly used tools to evaluate how effectively a board performs. The purpose of a board self-assessment is to help board members analyze their present and...
Diversity | Insights Blog

Evolving Our Definition of Diverse Managers

Investing in diverse managers has evolved considerably over the last five years, catapulted by client demand, broad social concern over events such as the murders of George Floyd, as well as a...
Private Equity | Private Equity Insights

Founding Partner of MiddleGround Capital Answers Three Questions

Commonfund Capital Managing Director, Mark Hoeing, interviews Lauren Mulholland, Founding Partner of MiddleGround Capital in this Commonfund Manager Spotlight.
Investment Strategy | Private Equity Insights

Is There Method in the Madness of Today’s Crypto Market Chaos?

In recent months crypto markets have experienced extreme volatility and drawdowns, and it is self-evident that the next “crypto winter,” or prolonged bearish period, is upon us. However, these price...
Diversity | Spotlight

Melissa Madzel, Managing Partner of Axis Talent Partners and Board Member of Stonewall Community Foundation

In celebration of Pride Month, Commonfund Institute Executive Director, George Suttles, interviews Melissa Madzel, Managing Partner of Axis Talent Partners and Board Member of Stonewall Community...
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog

Aligning Spending Policy with Your Institution’s Long-Term Goals

Commonfund has designed a set of questions to help guide a committee—and staff—toward selecting the most appropriate spending policy. We have used these questions as a guideline for conversations...
Investment Strategy | Insights Blog

Endowment Management: The Business of Independent Schools

Commonfund is proud to contribute a chapter to NBOA’s new book “The Business of Independent Schools – A Leader’s Guide” – a new edition of “By the Numbers and Beyond.” This publication provides...
Investment Strategy | Insights Blog

Don’t Let Inflation be a One-Two Punch for Your Endowment

Investment committees overseeing the endowments of higher ed institutions need to think about inflation for two fundamental reasons.
Private Equity | Private Equity Insights

Private Equity: Responding Tactically, Changing Strategically

The current year has seen an enormous amount of change packed into a few months: breakout inflation, rising interest rates, war in Ukraine, COVID mutations and stubborn supply chain problems. We know...
Private Equity | Private Equity Insights

Measuring Success with Private Equity

In early May, Commonfund had the opportunity to participate in the NACUBO Endowment Leadership Series by delivering a virtual learning session entitled, “Measuring Success with Private Equity”. The...
Diversity | Insights Blog

Diversity and Diversification: The People Edge in Portfolios

Can diverse people managing investment portfolios deliver an edge in performance? A growing body of research shows that diverse managers—defined by gender, race, ethnicity or other...
Market Commentary | Insights Blog

The “Divorcification” of Stocks and Bonds

It has been a difficult start for traditional portfolios of stocks and bonds in 2022 as the usual diversification benefits of these asset classes have failed to materialize. As high inflation remains...