Council on Foundations Convenes Top U.S. Foundation Investment and Finance Leaders

Today, the Council on Foundations welcomes more than 200 foundation chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief investment officers, board members, and board investment committee leaders from across the country to its annual Endowments and Finance Summit.

The Council’s Endowments and Finance Summit is the premier annual event for those responsible for the strategic and effective management of foundations’ assets and resources. High level speakers attached to the 2016 convening include Alberto Ibargüen, President, CEO and Trustee, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Dr. Jason Wingard, Dean and Professor, School of Professional Studies, Columbia University; Jean Case, CEO of The Case Foundation; Randall Lane, Editor of Forbes Magazine; and Vikki Spruill, President and CEO of the Council on Foundations.

From September 28 through September 30 Summit participants will hear from top economists, investment managers, impact investing experts, and many more insightful thinkers about key trends in foundation financial management, the economy, and emerging best practices. They will engage in discussions about effective solutions to current challenges and share with their peers the lessons they have learned regarding investment policy, strategy, risk management, and governance.

“We see this Summit as a continuation, and in some ways, a culmination of the work the Council has done over the past few years to fortify foundations with the expertise and resources they need to make well-informed decisions,” said Council President and CEO Vikki Spruill. “We expect this year’s Summit will lead not only to new thinking and but also to new action to drive social change.”

The Summit’s programming was developed through the hard work of the Endowments and Finance Summit Working Group, comprised of leaders in the philanthropic and investment sectors. Led by returning co-chairs Stephanie Bell-Rose, TIAA Institute Senior Managing Director and Head, Ken Jones, The Annie E. Casey Foundation Vice President and CFO, and Vikki Spruill, Council on Foundations President and CEO, were:

• Steve Cobb, California Community Foundation
• Kathy Graves, Community Foundation of the Great River Bend
• Scott Marquardt, Southwest Initiative Foundation
• Juan J. Martinez, John S. & James L. Knight Foundation
• Thomas Nichols, The Arcus Foundation
• Nicholas Schiavo, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust

Thanks in large part to their efforts, the Summit features:

• Three plenaries with dynamic keynote speakers discussing hot topics like how foundations can think strategically about their investments in the global market.
• Eleven concurrent sessions on issues ranging from avoiding 990 filing pitfalls to asset allocations that work.
• A learning lab on sustainable investing, and one on forging strong relationships with investment managers.
• Two pre-summit sessions — one for community foundations and one on impact investing.
• Limitless networking opportunities throughout each day.

The full Summit programming can be explored at http://www.cof.org/2016-endowments-summit/programming/.

The Council also expresses its thanks to all of its generous sponsors for the Summit, including our top Summit supporters:

• TIAA Institute
• The Annie E. Casey Foundation
• Fund Evaluation Group, LLC
• Prudential
• Russell Investments
• SEI Institutional Group

###

About the Council on Foundations

An active philanthropic network, the Council on Foundations (www.cof.org), founded in 1949, is a nonprofit leadership association of grantmaking foundations and corporations. It provides the opportunity, leadership, and tools needed by philanthropic organizations to expand, enhance and sustain their ability to advance the common good. With members from all foundation types and sizes, the Council empowers professionals in philanthropy to meet today’s toughest challenges and advances a culture of charitable giving in the U.S. and globally.