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Unconventional Thinking – A Reset of the Investment Opportunity in Upstream Energy
Step back in time a little over a decade ago to 2014 and recall the state of the global economy. Five years earlier, global GDP had experienced a significant contraction in the wake of the Global...
Four Takeaways from the 2025 Nest Climate Campus Event
At this year’s Nest Climate Campus event, held September 23-25, 2025, during NYC’s Climate Week, the conversation around climate shifted—from ideals to execution, and from rhetoric to financial and... Learn More
The Seismic Shifts Impacting Nonprofits Today
Commonfund recently hosted its 27th annual Commonfund Forum, March 9th-11th, in Orlando, Florida. This Forum Spotlight explores the financial and operational implications of these major shifts,...
Institutional Investors Split on U.S. Economic Outlook, Commonfund’s Annual Market Sentiment Survey Finds
Sixty eight percent of institutional investors surveyed (representing over $800 billion in total assets) expect the S&P 500 Index to have lower or negative returns in 2025, compared to the 10-year...
Independent Schools Increasingly Depend on Endowments for Operations
Amidst concerns about student enrollment, fundraising, inflation, market volatility, and more, independent schools are relying more on their endowments to cover any gaps. Data from the 2024...
Key Takeaways from Forum 2025
Commonfund Forum 2025, held in Orlando, brought together registrants from some 370 institutions with more than $800 billion in endowed assets representing 42 states and five foreign countries in a...
Forum 2025 Key Statistics [Infographic]
Commonfund recently hosted its 27th annual Commonfund Forum, March 9th-11th, in Orlando, Florida. The event brought together institutional investors to engage in a three-day conference to explore...
Top Concerns in Higher Education
In the 2024 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments, a new area of inquiry was asked to participating institutions to identify their top two concerns from an inclusive list of 20 alternatives from...
OCIO Model: An Overview for Decision Makers
An institution’s decision to work with an OCIO provider will likely depend on several factors. Learn more about the OCIO Model here..
Study of Independent Schools - Key Highlights [Infographic] 2024
For fiscal year 2024, independent schools reported an average return (net of fees) on their endowment assets of 12.3 percent. In this infographic, we report the key highlights from the 2024...
A Closer Look at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Earlier this year, in partnership with the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), Commonfund released the 2024 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments (NCSE). The...
Study of Endowments - Key Highlights [Infographic] 2024
For fiscal year 2024, U.S. higher education endowments reported an average return (net of fees) on their endowment assets of 11.2 percent. In this infographic, we report the key highlights from the...
Commonfund Study of Independent Schools Released for FY2024
Back-to-Back Positive Years: Independent Schools Report 12.3% Return on Endowment Assets for FY2024; 10-Year average returns hold steady at 6.7% Returns Positive; New Gifts to Endowments Fell, Use of...
Blossoming New Era of Secondaries