California State University—East Bay

Endowment Value: $16.9 million (2020)

California State University, East Bay is a public university in Hayward, California. CSU East Bay is part of the 23-campus California State University system and has a student body of almost 16,000 students. California State University East Bay's endowment is directly managed by the Cal State East Bay Educational Foundation. The Foundation is governed by a board of trustees who work closely with the University.  

According to the Foundation’s 2015 Investment Statement Policy, “the Foundation shall establish an SRI/ESG long-term portfolio to provide an option to donors who wish to maximize return, consistent with safety of principal, while “screening” to exclude companies that make products such as guns, cigarettes, etc., that are contrary to these donors’ values.” However, as of 2019, the SRI/ESG fund has not yet been utilized since no donor has requested to invest their gift in such a fund. 

Following student and faculty activism efforts, the California faculty association’s CSU East Bay chapter passed a resolution supporting a petition calling on the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) to divest from the 200 largest fossil fuel corporations as well as other student-driven petitions.

California State University, East Bay is a participant or member of the following Initiatives & Commitments: 

• IEN Member (2016)
• AASHE STARS: Yes, Bronze
• ACUPCC: Yes, Climate Neutral By 2040
• Billion Dollar Green Challenge: No
• CDP: No
• Committee for Investor Responsibility: No
• Divestment Goal: Yes, halt fossil fuel investments  
• INCR: Yes
• Montreal Carbon Pledge: No
• Sustainable Investment Fund: No
• Sustainable Investment Policy: No
• Principles for Responsible Investment: No

Endowment Value: $212.8 Million (2019)

Ball State University is a public university located in Muncie, Indiana. Its endowment is managed by the Ball State University Foundation. The mission of the Ball State University Foundation is to “maximize sustainable support for Ball State University by obtaining, investing, and administering private gift support and prudently discharging its fiduciary obligations to the university, donors, and designated beneficiaries.”

In spring 2012, the university launched its geothermal heating and cooling system — the nation’s largest ground-source, closed-loop district geothermal energy system. Now, nearly fully operational, the system will cut the university’s carbon footprint in half and result in an annual savings of $2 million, said Jim Lowe, director of engineering, construction, and operations at Ball State.“When we shut down the coal-fired burners in March 2014, we not only reduced our dependence on fossil fuels, we also reduced carbon dioxide emissions and sulfur matter produced by burning coal,” Lowe said.

In 2015, board members of the Ball State University Foundation supported pursuing an alternative investment portfolio that adopts environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies. Currently, the foundation encourages its fund advisors and managers to incorporate ESG strategies into its investment portfolio. Further, foundation employees are developing opportunities for donors who wish to have gifts managed via more specific, restrictive criteria.

Ball State University is a participant or member of the following Initiatives & Commitments: 

• IEN Founding Member
• AASHE STARS: Yes, Silver
• ACUPCC: Yes, Climate Neutral by 2030
• Billion Dollar Green Challenge: No
• CDP: No
• Committee on Investor Responsibility: No
• Divestment Goal: Yes
• Montreal Carbon Pledge: No
• Sustainable Investment Fund: Yes
• Sustainable Investment Policy: Yes
• Principles for Responsible Investment: No

Other Sustainable Investing Practices:

• Statement of Investment Principles
• Statement on Sustainability
• BSU Climate Action Plan

Endowment Value:  $922 million (2019)

Arizona State University (ASU) is a top-ranked research university in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. ASU has a student body of over 80,000 students. The ASU Foundation manages ASU's endowment. The foundation also serves as the university’s entrepreneurial arm in technology commercialization, real estate investment, and other emerging initiatives.

In November of 2018, IEN published a Case Study for Arizona State University which provides in-depth coverage of the University's move toward sustainable investing. This case study was developed with significant input from the senior leadership from ASU and their investment advisors at BlackRock.

The Investment Committee advises the executive vice president, treasurer, and CFO in guiding the investment of university operating cash and endowment funds. The committee approves university investment policies, selects investment consultants and managers, monitors performance, and advises on investment strategies. Voting members of the committee include faculty from the W. P. Carey School of Business. Other voting members are appointed by the executive vice president, treasurer, and CFO.

Arizona State University’s on-site solar portfolio is one of the largest of any university in the United States, consisting of both ASU-owned and third-party-owned systems. ASU’s portfolio includes more than 24 MW dc equivalent of photovoltaic (PV), concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) and solar thermal capacity from 88 systems located throughout four major campuses and the ASU Research Park. ASU’s portfolio of renewable energy accounts for approximately 13% of ASU’s total electric use, avoiding approximately 21,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year, roughly the same as the annual emissions of 4,500 passenger vehicles.

ASU’s revolving fund is called the Sustainability Initiatives Revolving Fund, or SIRF. The SIRF was established in 2010 to invest in projects that foster sustainability efforts and provide an economic return on investment. SIRF funds are available to ASU community members. With the exception of small SIRF grant projects (less than $5,000), SIRF projects have certain investment criteria (e.g., IRR, NPV, and payback goals). Projects include lighting retrofits, HVAC improvements, and central utility infrastructure improvements.

In January of 2015, the ASU Foundation partnered with the Intentional Endowments Network to host the Intentionally Designed Endowment Forum. Over 100 higher education administrators convened to discuss how endowments can be used to create a more sustainable and equitable future.

As of July 2019, the ASU Foundation offers a socially responsible investment fund for endowment donors to donate to rather than the traditional endowment pool.

Arizona State University is a participant or member of the following Initiatives & Commitments: 

• IEN Founding Member (2016)
• AASHE STARS: Yes, Platinum (2020)
• ACUPCC: Yes, 0 emissions by 2025
• Billion Dollar Green Challenge: Yes
• CDP: No
• Committee for 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

Sustainable Investing Resources from ASU:

• ASU Endowment
• Arizona State University Case Study (October 2018)
• Socially Responsible Investing at the ASU Foundation
• Investment Management Model
• ASU SIRF: Sustainability Initiatives Revolving

Articles: 

• ASU Foundation creates new socially responsible investment fund (July 3, 2019)

Pratt Institute 

Endowment Value: $224.5 million (2021)

Pratt Institute is a private college located in Brooklyn, New York. Pratt Institute has shown strong support for sustainability at the local and national levels, as well as within the art, design, and higher education communities.

Pratt was one of the earliest signatories to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (now known as the Climate Leadership Commitments) in 2007. That same year, the Institute accepted New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s 30/10 Challenge to reduce greenhouse gasses by 30 percent by 2017. Pratt Institute has been named one of the country’s most environmentally responsible colleges by The Princeton Review for several consecutive years. 

While Pratt does not have an official Committee on Investor Responsibility, it does have a Sub-Committee on Investments which, in 2016, recommended and approved divestment from coal securities immediately and other fossil fuels over time. 

Pratt Institute is a participant or member of the following Initiatives & Commitments: 

• IEN Founding Member
• AASHE STARS: Yes, Silver
• ACUPCC: Yes, Carbon Neutral By 2040
• Billion Dollar Green Challenge: No
• CDP: No
• Divestment Goal: Yes, full divestment
• Committee for Investor Responsibility: No
• INCR: No
• Montreal Carbon Pledge: No
• Sustainable Investment Fund: No
• Sustainable Investment Policy: Yes
• Principles for Responsible Investment: No

Other Sustainable Investing Practices:

• Pratt to Divest from its Investments in Fossil Fuels
• Campus Sustainability

California State University—Northridge

Endowment Value: $203.5 million (2021)

California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the second-largest branch of the 23-campus California State University system with a student body of over 40,000 students. CSUN's endowment is directly managed by the California State University Northridge Foundation. The university’s Board of Directors has given the CSUN Foundation’s Finance and Investment Committee the authority to monitor investments and policies. 

In 2015, students enrolled in Finance 437 were given the opportunity to manage $250,000 invested in ESG funds and companies. Students referred to Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s ranking of the “100 Best Corporate Citizens.” The class, taught by Dr. Mike Phillips, employs a different investment strategy each semester in an attempt to understand which ESG investing method is most effective.

Initiatives & Commitments: 

• AASHE STARS: Yes, Gold
• ACUPCC: Yes, Climate Neutral by 2040
• Billion Dollar Green Challenge: No
• CDP: Yes
• Committee on Investor Responsibility: No
• Divestment Goal: Yes, halt fossil fuel investments
• INCR: No
• Montreal Carbon Pledge: No
• Sustainable Investment Fund: No
• Sustainable Investment Policy: Yes
• Principles for Responsible Investment: No

Other Sustainable Investing Practices:

• California State University Undergraduate Managed Sustainability Fund
  • This fund is sponsored by The University Corporation and it is a class project for FIN 491ABH, a Business Honors Seminar class.
• Northridge Foundation Endowment Portfolio Holdings Snapshot (June 2018)
• CSU Sustainability Policy 

Resources from CSU, Northridge:

ESG Investing: A Simple Approach l James Chong and G. Michael Phillips, The Journal of Wealth Management (2016)

Endowment Value: $1.436 billion (June 2019)

The University System of Maryland (USM) is Maryland’s public higher education system. USM is made up of 12 institutions and two regional higher education centers. The University System of Maryland Foundation manages USM's endowment.

University System of Maryland (USM) students have been driving change at the USM Foundation for several years. In 2013, students circulated a petition to divest from fossil fuels with nearly 600 signatures from students at Towson University, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and other colleges. In response, in 2014, along with the United Nations, the USM Foundation was a seed investor in the iShares MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target ETF. The ETF tracks the results of the MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target Index and addresses two dimensions of carbon exposure – carbon emissions and fossil fuel reserves. The fund was designed for individuals and institutions interested in socially-responsible alternatives to fossil fuel divestment. On January 29th, 2015, a member of the USM Foundation investment team rang the NYSE's closing bell to officially usher in the new fund’s ticker onto the exchange.

After significant pressure from student organizers, the USM Foundation stated in June 2016 that it would stop investing directly in coal, oil, and natural gas companies.

The University System of Maryland is a participant or member of the following Initiatives & Commitments: 

• IEN Member (2016)
• AASHE STARS: Yes: 
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore College - Silver
  • University of Maryland, College Park - Gold
• ACUPCC: 
  • Bowie State University - 2019
  • Coppin State University - 2025
  • Frostburg State University - 2030
  • Salisbury University, Towson University, University of Maryland Baltimore County, University of Maryland College Park, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, University of Maryland Global College - 2050
  • University of Maryland Baltimore - Not date set
• Billion Dollar Green Challenge: No
• CDP: No
• Committee on Investor Responsibility: No
• Divestment Goal: Yes, full
• INCR: No
• Montreal Carbon Pledge: No
• Sustainable Investment Fund: No
• Sustainable Investment Policy: No
• Principles for Responsible Investment: Yes

Other Sustainable Investing Practices and News

• USM Foundation Statement on Socially Responsible Investing
• University System of Maryland to direct its endowment away from fossil fuels (June 2016)
• Maryland Endowment Plans to Cut Worst-Performing Hedge Funds (July 2016)

University of Massachusetts System

Endowment Value: $1.2 billion (June 2021)

The University of Massachusetts (UMass) is a public university system in Massachusetts. It has campuses located in Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, and Lowell, as well as a medical school located in Worcester. The University of Massachusetts Foundation manages the UMass system’s endowment. The foundation’s mission is to “foster and promote the growth, progress, and general welfare of the University of Massachusetts.” 

In December 2014, the University of Massachusetts created the Socially Responsible Investing Advisory Committee (SRIAC). The SRIAC receives complaints or concerns raised by the UMass community regarding social injury resulting from the Foundation’s investments, evaluates them, and makes recommendations to the Foundation. By 2015, the Foundation formally incorporated ESG criteria into its investment analysis. Part of this process of incorporating ESG criteria included launching a Social Choice Fund.

In response to student activism, the Board of Directors of the UMass Foundation voted unanimously to divest its endowment from direct holdings in fossil fuels in May 2016. This accomplishment made UMass the first major public university to divest in fossil fuels. 

The University of Massachusetts is a participant or member of the following Initiatives & Commitments: 

• IEN Founding Member (2016)
• AASHE STARS: Yes
  • Amherst, Lowell - Gold
  • Medical School, Dartmouth - Silver
• ACUPCC: Yes
  • Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell - 2050
  • Med School - 2060
• Billion Dollar Green Challenge: No
• CDP: Yes
• Committee on Investor Responsibility: Yes
• Divestment Goal: Yes, full (from coal)
• INCR: No
• Montreal Carbon Pledge: No
• Sustainable Investment Fund: No
• Sustainable Investment Policy: Yes
• Principles for Responsible Investment: No

Other Sustainable Investing Practices and Resources:

• UMass Becomes the First Major Public University to Divest from Fossil Fuel Holdings (2016)

• Sustainability at the University of Massachusetts System