We're pleased to announce The Russell Family Foundation, and the AJL Foundation have completed the Endowment Impact Benchmark (EIB) assessment and earned a platinum rating, setting a strong example for other investment institutions. Also, read our latest Op-ed on the Endowment Impact Benchmark, highlighting the crucial role of endowment in shaping a transparent, sustainable financial future. 

If you, or endowment & foundation representatives in your network are interested in potentially participating in 2025, please contact Georges Dyer at [email protected] or fill out this form to learn more 

As we celebrate Dr. Tony Cortese’s retirement, we are proud to launch the Anthony Cortese Fellowship Fund, preserving his remarkable legacy of mentorship in sustainability. This fund will support 4-6 fellows each year, focusing on students and early-to-mid-career professionals from underrepresented backgrounds in finance

Join us to celebrate Tony’s legacy at IEN's 10th Anniversary Gala and contribute to the Anthony Cortese Fellowship Fund. Don’t miss this special tribute!

• Oberlin College
• Catawba College
• SK2 Fund

New Steering Committee Members Announcement!

Aaron Moore, Executive Director, Advancement, California State University, Office of the Chancellor

We’re pleased to introduce Aaron Moore as a new member of the IEN Steering Committee. He brings valuable experience as the CFO of the CSU Foundation, the philanthropic auxiliary for the CSU Office of the Chancellor. More about Aaron

Marina a Severinovsky, Head of Sustainability, North America, Schroder

We are excited to welcome Marina as a new IEN Steering Committee member. Marina's extensive experience in sustainability and ESG integration, coupled with her background in investment strategy, makes her a valuable addition to our team. More about Marina

Thank You, IEN Summer Interns!

Natthaset (Golf) Junoutid, Sustainable Investing Summer Intern

Natthaset Junoutid is a rising sophomore and dedicated finance student at Bunker Hill Community College in Charlestown, MA. He has extensive experience in tutoring and worked as a private math tutor for over a decade. This summer, he interned with IEN, contributing to meaningful projects and expanding his knowledge of sustainable investing. More about Natthaset Junoutid

Grace Yanes, Sustainable Investing Summer Intern

Grace is a Junior at Yale University, majoring in History with a certificate in Energy Studies. At Yale, Grace is a co-president of The Women's Network. Over the summer, Grace contributed to IEN's mission of encouraging sustainable investing in higher education endowments. More about Grace

Please join us for our upcoming IEN events:

• IEN 2024 Climate Solutions Series: Mercator Partners | Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 02:00 PM
• Campus Stakeholder Engagement and Conflict-Related Calls for Divestment [Chatham House Rules Conversation] | September 30, 2024 at 12 pm ET
• Webinar: How ESG-Conscious Firms End Up Supporting Anti-ESG Regulations | Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at 3 PM
• IEN 10-Year Anniversary | November 14th, 2024, at Boston's Museum of Science
• Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit 2025 | February 2-3, 2025, Washington DC

Other Events

• Climate Action - Sustainable Investment Forum North America 2024 | September 24, 2024 New York, NY
• Opal Group - Emerging Managers Summit | Opal Group,  Sept 23 - Sept 2024, Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead, Atlanta, GA
• Reuters Events - Sustainability USA 2024 |  October 7 - 8, 2024, New York
• AASHE 2024 Conference & Expo | October 27-29, 2024 Anaheim, California
• Cyber Cache: Does Your Tech “Stack” Up? - CIO | October 22, Online 
• Impact Summit America - Phenix Capital | October 30, 2024, New York
• Opal Group - Endowment & Foundation Forum | Nov 7, Omni Parker House, Boston, MA
• PEI - Impact & Transition Investor Summit - North America 2024 | Nov 12 - 13, The Westin Times Square, New York
• CIO - Sustainable Investments, Sustainable Portfolios - Livestream | Nov 21, Online
• Scope 3 Innovation Forum | December 3 - 4, 2024, Washington DC
• Washington Oregon Cascadia Higher Education Sustainability Conference| March 5 - 7, 2025, Portland Community College Sylvania campus in Portland, OR

IEN Members can access the following recent webinars through our member-only archive:

• Investment Governance Initiative Q3 Call | Mission, Impact, and Compliance Monitoring for Investment Policy Statements

• Webinar: Assessing Political Risk as an Institutional Investor

• IEN 2024 Climate Solutions Series: Climate Investing in 2024 - Juggling Feathers in a Rainstorm  

• Climate Solutions Investing Series: Driving Solutions at Public Companies  

• IEN 2024 Climate Solutions Series: Community Solar - The Middle Market of the U.S. Solar Industry 

• Advancing Racial Equity as Institutional Investors: A Juneteenth Conversation with the Belonging Collaborative

• Investment Governance Initiative Q3 Call 

• Webinar: The Impact of Climate Engagement: A Field Experiment 

We’re excited to share that a few endowments and foundations that signed up for the second cohort of the Endowment Impact Benchmark(EIB) have completed their assessments and will be sharing their experiences at the Endowment and Foundation Forum and the Impact Summit America, hosted by Opal Group and Phenix Capital, respectively. 

Also, the deadline to confirm participation in the Endowment Impact Benchmark this year has been extended to September 30. To learn more or indicate interest in participating in the EIB, fill out this form or contact Georges Dyer ([email protected]) 

The assessment is verified and rated with guaranteed security and confidentiality by BlueMark, an independent impact verification firm.

The EIB is generously funded by:

Supporting Sponsor:

Members of IEN’s Sustainable Retirements Initiative remain active as judicial challenges to the DOL rule continue. IEN Senior Advisor Chris Walker recently joined a FinPublica webinar to discuss integrating ESG factors into retirement plans. View recording.

Wespath also expanded its Social Values Choice funds for institutional investors, offering a new option for DC plan participants through LifeStage Investment Management.

For updates, join our retirement listserv or contact Chris Walker [email protected] and Bella Alvarez [email protected].

Supporting Sponsors

This summer, the Net Zero Endowments Initiative and IEN’s JEDI initiative launched a Climate Justice Taskforce to support the "Leading with Justice 2.0" project. This series builds on the 2022 Leading with Justice paper, diving deeper into how allocators can decarbonize while ensuring a just transition, supporting frontline communities and BIPOC individuals. Key topics include sustainable infrastructure, microfinance, regenerative agriculture, and more.

The Climate Solutions Investing Series conversations are also expanding, with discussions on community solar, public companies' roles in climate solutions, and navigating economic challenges. View details and register for upcoming events!

For further involvement with IEN’s Net Zero Endowments Initiative, please reach out to Aicha Ly at [email protected].

Lead sponsor

Supporting Sponsors

The JEDI Initiative made significant strides this quarter, including hosting a thought-provoking Juneteenth webinar in collaboration with the Belonging Collaborative. The event explored the intersection of climate and racial justice and left participants with a toolkit for tackling racial economic inequality.

The JEDI Initiative also held a powerful session at UNITE 2024. The session delved into the collaborative efforts between IEN and Second Nature to foster systemic change by cultivating a culture of sustainability on HBCU campuses.

Additionally, the Climate Justice Taskforce held its kick-off meeting. This group of sustainable investing leaders has come together to shape IEN's “Leading with Justice 2.0”—a comprehensive resource aimed at helping allocators decarbonize while ensuring a just transition.

For more information about the JEDI Initiative, please reach out to Paris Prince at [email protected].

Lead Sponsors 

We’re excited to partner with Wharton’s Turner Impact Portfolio Challenge, where graduate student teams will design portfolios for ESG-conscious investors and pitch them to industry experts. Open to U.S. teams of 3-5 students, no finance background required. Apply by October 8!

We’re also supporting the UConn Opportunity Fund Project, led by Professor Steve Wilson, which expands UConn’s SMIF program to focus on female students and those from underrepresented identities. Learn more in Wilson’s recent article on pensions and investments.

Reach out to Bella Alvarez at [email protected] to learn more about the SIILK Initiative.

Supporting Sponsor:

We're excited to discuss the effectiveness of shareholder engagement on climate-related policy with the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative. In their recent paper, researchers found that engaging with corporations on climate policy does deliver tangible results. 21% of companies in the treatment group have committed to setting a climate target, compared to 15% in the control group.

Join the conversation with IEN and the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative to learn more. Reach out to Bella Alvarez at [email protected] to learn about IEN’s Shareholder Engagement Initiative.

This quarter's Investment Governance call featured Mary Cahill, former CIO of Emory University and CEO & CIO of Acansa Investment Management Group. The discussion delved into crafting effective Investment Policy Statements (IPS), including key components like mission alignment, compliance metrics, and best practices for optimizing institutional investment outcomes.

To learn more about this Initiative, please reach out to Georges Dyer at [email protected]. 

• Marina Severinovsky, New IEN Steering Committee Member | IEN
• IEN at UNITE 2024: Key Takeaways for Institutional Investors | IEN
• Unlocking Racial Economic Equality: A Comprehensive Toolkit | IEN
• The Russell Family Foundation Achieves Platinum Rating Through the Endowment Impact Benchmark | IEN
• Building Resilient Portfolios: IEN Members Are Leading the Charge at Climate Week NYC 2024 | IEN
• The AJL Foundation Achieves a Platinum Rating Through the Endowment Impact Benchmark | IEN
• IEN Celebrates Dr. Tony Cortese's Visionary Leadership in Sustainability | IEN

• From Commitment to Implementation: An Analysis of Corporate Climate Actions from the 2021 Proxy Season | Ceres
• The Divestment Question: Focus on Governance | Cambridge Associates
• Levers of Change – Tackling Racial and Economic Inequality in America | Resilience Capital Ventures
• Diverse Investing Collective Dashboard | DIC
• Defending the Rights of Justice and Sustainability Investors in Pursuit of a Strong Economy for All | Adasina
• Definition and Hallmarks of Systemic Investing | TransCap Initiative 
• Updated Net Zero Investment Framework, The Most Widely Used Net Zero Guidance By Investors, Published as ‘NZIF 2.0’ | Ceres

Intentional Endowments Network Develops Benchmark for Institutions to Measure Impact | Pensions & Investments 

Upside & Impact: How to Benchmark Your Investing Impact with Georges Dyer of IEN | Apple Podcast

It’s Time for Endowments to Lead the Finance Industry in Transparent Impact Investing | Chief Investment Officer

University of California: The University of California's endowment and pension fund grew by over 12% last fiscal year, increasing the university's investment portfolio by $16 billion to $180 billion. A single S&P 500 index fund, excluding tobacco and fossil fuel investments, contributed $1.3 billion to this gain.

University of Pennsylvania: the University of Pennsylvania Office of Investments reports on their energy transition goal set in 2021, which comprises approximately 2.5% of the endowment as of fiscal year-end.

The State of Vermont: Vermont is considering passing a climate bill requiring companies doing business within the state to pay billions of dollars for their past emissions. 

University of Pittsburgh: The University of Pittsburgh’s Environmental, Social, and Governance Report for the 2022 - 2023 year includes the university’s fossil fuel exposure in its endowment.

University of Chicago: Over 100 University of Chicago alumni demand the school’s endowment divest from fossil-fuel interests and will refuse to donate to the university until all fossil-fuel allocations are eliminated.

Canadian Fund University Pension Plan (UPP): The Canadian fund University Pension Plan (UPP) has committed to investing at least $1.2bn in climate solutions by 2030 and aims to transition its investment portfolio to net zero emissions by 2040 or sooner. The fund achieved a 14% reduction in its carbon footprint last year, totaling a 17% reduction against its 2021 baseline.

Denmark’s Pension Fund P+ to cease investing in oil and gas companies expanding production following overwhelming support from its directors.  

Rockefeller Foundation: The Nathan Cummings Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Schmidt Family Foundation collectively invested approximately $70 million in Aligned Climate Capital’s Aligned Climate Fund 2 LP (ACF2) to accelerate climate technology solutions in the United States.