Endowments & Investing
Foundation Finance and Investment Management
Legal Compliance Guidance, Publication
A Chapter in Mastering Foundation Law:
The Council on Foundations Compendium of Legal Resources
This chapter examines Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA) and other laws that govern the management and investment of endowments and other foundation financial assets. It also…
Investing in Communities - National Entrepreneurship Month
We all knew that November was going to be a tumultuous month (if you hadn't heard, there's an election today). When the polls close and the dust settles, the country could be set on one of a number of starkly different paths. Perhaps because of this uncertainty, President Obama took the…
Responsible Investing and Foundations
This post originally appeared in the Philanthropy Journal on September 26, 2016.
There’s little doubt that impact investing has generated a lot of excitement, but has it translated into action? The Council on Foundations and Commonfund Institute conducted a recent survey to ask foundations about…
2016 Endowments and Finance Summit Opening Plenary
Hello, and welcome to New York City. I want to thank you for coming to our second annual Summit focused on finance and endowments.
For many years, the Council on Foundations has helped our foundation members understand important issues related to the management and practice of the great work you do…
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…
Webinar Recording: Council Member Update: Finance & Endowment Focus
Recording
This member update focused principally on important issues related to foundation financial management and endowment performance.
New Research: Foundations’ Spending in Support of Mission Holds Steady, Despite Second Year of Declining Investment Returns
Data gathered in the 2015 Council on Foundations–Commonfund Study of Investment of Endowments for Private and Community Foundations® (CCSF) show that participating private foundations reported an average return of 0.0 percent for the 2015 fiscal year (January 1 – December 31, 2015), down from the 6…
#EFSummit's Almost Here
Stephanie Bell-Rose is the Senior Managing Director and Head of the TIAA Institute.
The Council on Foundations’ 2016 Endowments and Finance Summit is just around the corner – Sept. 28-30 – and as co-chair of the convening's working group, I strongly encourage you to register for it!
I personally…
Strengthening Community: Finding Synergies in Leadership and Donor Engagement
Join the Council on Foundations with its partner, The Philanthropic Initiative, for a member-only workshop for community foundations where we will explore ways you can maximize your foundation’s impact by leveraging community resources in and outside of your foundation.
Ellen Remmer and Amy Zell…
Better Understanding Responsible Investing Practices
How can you do the most good, with limited resources, when facing enormous problems? That question lies at or near the heart of every decision at a foundation. This is true of the grant dollars which support community institutions and provide for social services, and it is true of the endowed…
Council Member Update: Finance and Endowment Focus
Members View the Recording
This member update will focus principally on important issues related to foundation financial management and endowment performance. We will look in depth at the Council's recent research on endowments and preview our upcoming Endowments and Finance Summit in New York…
Sample Board Resolution Authorizing a Program Related Investment
Sample Document
This template community foundation board resolution authorizes the foundation to make a loan as a program-related investment (PRI). These types of activities are generally permitted by state and federal law when they serve to advance the charitable purposes of the foundation.
The term "program-…
New Examples of Permissible Program-Related Investments
Legal Compliance Guidance
On April 25, 2016, the Treasury Department officially published final regulations providing nine new examples of permissible program-related investments (PRIs). The new examples were first drafted as foundations came to sense that the existing regulations were too narrow and did not adequately…
Examples of Permissible and Impermissible Program-Related Investments
The following examples are taken from Internal Revenue Code § 53.4944-3 Exception for program-related investments. They illustrate permissible and impermissible types of program-related investments.
Example 1.
X is a small business enterprise located in a deteriorated urban area…
New Program-Related Investment Regulations Released by Treasury
Last summer, the Treasury Department announced their intention to finalize new regulations for program-related investments (PRIs). This week, it published nine new examples of permissible PRIs. Treasury responded to continued requests of the philanthropic community, which recognized that the…
Redefining Philanthropy: Values-led, Resident-centered and Place-based Sustainable Development
Incourage’s work is redefining place-based philanthropy to realize a simple yet bold vision: A Community That Works Well for All People, led by values of Equity, Opportunity, and Shared Stewardship.
Over two decades, we have seen a resilient community emerge after crisis with a shift in…