Swarthmore College
Endowment Value: $2.90 billion (2021)
Swarthmore College is a private liberal arts college located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. The college's Finance and Investment offices manage the endowment. The Board of Managers oversees the endowment.
Swarthmore students are among the first to establish a campus fossil fuel divestment campaign. In 2010, students established Swarthmore Mountain Justice to call on the administration to divest after witnessing mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia.
Although it has yet to fully divest from fossil fuels, Swarthmore does consider ESG factors, including making it a criterion in manager selection, engaging in dialogue with existing managers, and divestment from coal companies. Furthermore, Swarthmore has pledged to expand the environmental studies curriculum and improve on-campus energy efficiency. Its Committee on Investor Responsibility provides proxy voting recommendations on shareholder resolutions addressing social issues.
In 2015, the Board established a fossil-fuel free fund for donors that wish to contribute to Swarthmore’s endowment. Swarthmore currently has several environmental sustainability funds designated for green project grants, environmental studies scholarships, and internships.
In 2019, Swarthmore College was awarded an Excellence in Sustainability Award by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). NACUBO commended Swarthmore’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2035 and its Carbon Charge Program, which creates an internal price on carbon emissions.
Swarthmore College is a participant or member of the following Initiatives & Commitments:
- AASHE STARs: Yes, Silver
- ACUPCC: Yes, Climate Neutral by 2035
- Billion Dollar Green Challenge: No
- CDP: No
- Committee for Investor Responsibility: Yes
- Divestment Goal: No
- INCR: No
- Montreal Carbon Pledge: No
- Sustainable Investment Fund: Yes
- Sustainable Investment Policy: No
- Principles for Responsible Investment: No
Other Sustainable Investing Practices and Resources:
- NACUBO Awards Excellence in Higher Education Finance, Sustainability (July 2019)
- Swarthmore College Sustainability
- Swarthmore Environmental Sustainability Commitments