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Market Commentary | Insights Blog
Year-End Update and 2026 Investment Outlook
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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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Featured
Investment Strategy | Videos
A Practical Guide to Buyouts and Growth Equity
Are you curious about the evolving world of buyouts and growth equity investing? In this insightful Commonfund Institute Online workshop, Tor Martinsen from the buyouts and growth equity team at CF... Learn Morecommunity_college
Governance And Policy | Articles
Resource Management for College and Universities
William Massy has spent his entire career at the intersection of academia and administration, as a microeconomist; professor, dean and CFO at Stanford University; author; and now, an independent...
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Investment Strategy | Videos
Enhancing Investment Stewardship with Fund Governance Analytics
Strong board performance is critical for every organization dedicated to achieving its mission, which is why Commonfund Institute makes it our mission to advance best investment stewardship...
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Investment Strategy | Articles
Increasing Giving During COVID-19: Thoughts for Philanthropy
The Council on Foundations has acted to support its members, their nonprofit partners, and the people and communities hit hardest by the impacts of COVID-19 by asking members to sign a pledge of...
Diversity | Spotlight
Rochelle Witharana, Chief Financial Officer, California Wellness Foundation
With nearly $1 billion in assets, The California Wellness Foundation (Cal Wellness), is one of California’s largest public health philanthropic institutions.
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Investment Strategy | Private Equity Insights
Seven Ways to Diversify Your Private Equity Portfolio
A strong private capital program requires consistent, diversified investing over time. It is also necessary to have— or obtain externally— resources for research and due diligence before you invest;...
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Governance And Policy | Videos
Stewarding Foundations Through the COVID-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 crisis has put tremendous strain on local communities across the country and foundations have been asked to rise to the challenge while endowments have declined in value due to market...
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Mission-aligned Investing | Articles
Intergenerational Equity and Sustainable Investing
Intergenerational equity was defined by economist James Tobin in 1974. He wrote, “The trustees of endowed institutions are the guardians of the future against the claims of the present. Their task in...
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Market Commentary | Videos
An Insider's Guide to the Chinese Economy
Commonfund CEO and CIO, Mark Anson, hosted Leland Miller, CEO of China Beige Book. Mr. Miller shared his proprietary research and insights in this exclusive session for Commonfund Forum registrants....
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Mission-aligned Investing | Videos
Examining the Sustainability Conundrum
Sustainable investing, sometimes called ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investing, has been a hotly contested topic for years. And the debate continues with both supporters and naysayers...
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Private Equity | Private Equity Insights
Private Capital Secondary Market | An Overview
COVID-19 is impacting the world in unprecedented ways. Today, it is estimated approximately 75 percent of the U.S. population or, almost 250 million people, are staying at home. Globally, over 1.5...
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Governance And Policy | Videos
CARES Act | Implications and Opportunities for Nonprofits
On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), establishing the largest aid package in our nation’s history. The $2...
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Market Commentary | Articles
Higher Ed in the Age of COVID-19
Commonfund convenes an expert panel to take on the short- and intermediate-term threats that higher education confronts in the face of a national emergency the likes of which have not been seen for...
Implications of the U.S. Arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
This past weekend U.S. Special Forces launched a large-scale military operation in Venezuela and in the process captured and arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores....