Portland State University
Endowment Value: $80.3 million (2020)
Portland State University (PSU) is a public, nonprofit, coeducational research university located in Portland, Oregon with a student body of around 25,000. The Investment Committee of the PSU Foundation Board of Trustees oversees the endowment.
Portland State University is on its way to becoming the first university in Oregon to have no investments in the Carbon Underground Top 200 companies, the companies that own the most global fossil fuel reserves.
As a result of student advocacy on the Divest Portland State (DPS) campaign, an Environmental Social Governance (ESG) statement was added to the PSU Foundation’s investment policy in early 2015 and entails both a quarterly investment portfolio review and a negative fossil fuel screening across 100% of its portfolio. Nearly 50% of the value of PSUF’s holdings are in funds with positive SRI screenings.
PSU currently has a Green Revolving Fund (GRF), established after its pledge to the Billion Dollar Green Challenge. The GRF provides funding for energy efficiency projects across campus. The fund currently holds $1.5 million and has funded nearly 20 projects since its inception in 2013.
Portland State University is a participant or member of the following Initiatives & Commitments:
- IEN Founding Member (2016)
- AASHE STARS: Yes, Gold
- ACUPCC: Yes, Climate Neutral by 2040
- Billion Dollar Green Challenge: Yes
- CDP: No
- Committee on Investor Responsibility: Yes
- Divestment Goal: No
- INCR: No
- Montreal Carbon Pledge: No
- Sustainable Investment Fund: Yes
- Sustainable Investment Policy: Yes
- Principles for Responsible Investment: No
Other Sustainable Practices and Resources: