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Private Equity | Private Equity Insights
Unconventional Thinking – A Reset of the Investment Opportunity in Upstream Energy
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Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
A Closer Look at Private Family Foundations
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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
Governance and Policy | Podcasts
Purpose-Driven Governance in the Nonprofit Sector
Join host George Suttles, Executive Director of Commonfund Institute in this episode of "Espresso Chats," a series by the Commonfund Institute serving up strong, short shots of governance and... Learn More
Diversity | Insights Blog
Commonfund’s Investments with Diverse Managers Continue to Grow
Commonfund continues to build exposure to diverse managers1 as a source of return and diversification for our clients. In 2024, we closed the year with allocations to 50 different diverse managers,...
Perspectives | Insights Blog
Winter Wonders: Warming Reads for the Season
Commonfund Institute is excited to share our annual winter reading list, curated by our colleagues. These selections explore themes of personal transformation, resilience, and identity with stories...
Responsible Investing | Insights Blog
Responsible Investing: Terminology and Background
In recent years there has been a rise in available investment strategies and governance considerations to help investors adapt to evolving challenges in the responsible investing space. Norms and...
educational-endowments
Perspectives | Press Releases
2024 HEPI Report Released
Inflation for U.S. Higher Education Institutions Rises 3.4% in Fiscal 2024, Down from Fiscal 2023 Rate WILTON, Conn., December 16, 2024 – Data from the annual Commonfund Higher Education Price Index®...
Private Equity | Private Equity Insights
Edging Out the Competition – The Sector Specialist Advantage
Unlike the early days of private equity, when generalist private equity firms predominately relied on financial engineering to generate returns, today’s competitive markets require a much deeper...
Responsible Investing | White Papers
Navigating the Changing ESG Landscape: Challenges and Opportunities
Investment professionals debate whether a portfolio’s long-term performance can be enhanced by including environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations in the security selection process.
foundations
Investment Strategy | Videos
Investing in the Creative Economy - Commonfund Coffee Talk
Investing in the Creative Economy In this Commonfund Coffee Talk, the Institute’s executive director, George Suttles, is joined by Upstart Co-Lab founding partner, Laura Callanan, to discuss impact...
educational-endowments
Market Commentary | Insights Blog
U.S. Trade Deficit Reaches Record High Amid Global Trade Shifts
As of September 2024, the U.S. trade deficit stands at $84.4 billion, marking the highest level since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. During that period in the conflict, the deficit...
educational-endowments
Outsourced Cio | Insights Blog
Understanding OCIO Partnerships: Key Insights and Best Practices
A Chief Investment Office “down the hall.” That’s what we aim to be at Commonfund. Our Mission As an OCIO, our goals are aligned with the institutions we work with and focused on how we can best...
Market Commentary | Private Equity Insights
Real Assets and Sustainability Investing Post-2024 Election
The 2024 United States election cycle appears to have handed a Republican sweep with control of the White House, the Senate, and a slender House majority. With President-elect Trump soon to return to...
educational-endowments
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
Three Things You Should Know About Inflation and the Higher Education Price Index
The Higher Education Price Index (HEPI), produced annually by Commonfund Institute, is an inflation measure designed specifically for educational institutions. It is comprised of eight key components...
educational-endowments
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog
The Case for the Seventh P: Progression in Nonprofit Investment Stewardship
At Commonfund Institute, we’ve long adhered to the six guiding principles of nonprofit investment stewardship, often referred to as the "6 Ps": Purpose, Policy, Process, Portfolio, People, and...
More Than Multiples: Understanding the Broader Drivers of Equity Valuations
The S&P 500 has produced a ~25 percent annualized return for the three successive years ending September 2025, a banner period of performance.