How the University of California and other public schools use reserve funds to keep pace | The Washington Post

August 25th, 2016

Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford universities are in a class of their own in terms of wealth. Each of the private titans has built endowments of tens of billions of dollars to support their enterprises. The public University of California and others keep a large pool of cash on hand for projects- and other fiscal emergencies.

Foundations fail to eke out positive return in 2015 | Pensions & Investments

August 23rd, 2016

Foundations had flat returns in fiscal year 2015 ended Dec. 31, said a report from Commonfund Institute and the Council on Foundations.

Why Endowments Outperform in Private Equity | Chief Investment Officer

August 23rd, 2016

How often do you check up on your general partners (GPs)? Research has suggested that high reporting frequency in private equity is a sign of good governance in GPs and limited partners (LPs) alike—and could lead to better overall performance.

Some Foundations, Endowments Re-evaluating Hedge Fund Use | Think Advisor

August 18th, 2016

Foundations and endowments have a lot of complaints about hedge funds, but most are not giving up on them, according to a new survey by NEPC, an investment consulting firm.Indeed, given their concerns about the U.S. economy and global growth prospects, many investors may be looking toward hedge funds to protect their portfolios.But a sizable number seem to be turning away or cutting back. 

Harvard Management, Trailing Ivy League Neighbors, Makes Abrupt Changes | Value Walk

August 4th, 2016

The Harvard Management Company, like the markets in which the endowment invests, has experienced cyclical performance behavior. While the 12% returns that their asset managers have generated over the past 20 years is significantly above average, lately there has been trouble.

Pressure to Spend More on Poor Students | Inside Higher Ed

August 04th, 2016

A new report suggests wealthy institutions should spend more from their endowments to help low-income students, but many campus critics say it's not so simple.

Foundations, endowments with more private investments consistently outperform — report | Pension & Investments

July 26th, 2016

Top-performing endowments are widening the gap between their returns and the overall median return thanks primarily to greater allocations to private investments, said a new report from Cambridge Associates.

A new study released jointly by the Council on Foundations and Commonfund Institute found that a third of U.S. private, public and community foundations have implemented or are actively considering mission-related investing practices in managing their endowed assets. This study is intended as a tool for investment committees, board members and investment staffers who are exploring new strategy options.

The University of Maryland’s endowment is planning to yank the most expensive and worst performing hedge fund investments, following other managers who are frustrated with high fees and low returns.

 Northern Trust wins $1.2bn US Endowment Fund Mandate | Global Custodian

Northern Trust has won the contract to act as custodian for the $1.2 billion Virginia Commonwealth Investment Management Company. The mandate will cover all global custodian duties for the Virginia Commonwealth University endowment fund and other university assets.