When crafting an investment policy statement (IPS), trustees, directors, and other decision makers should consider future fiduciary audits and thus keep compliance and accountability in mind. As an institutional investment consultant, my clients often ask for my assistance when confronted with a fiduciary audit. I use the following audit tests. Investment horizon An investment horizon... Read More
Private foundations are increasingly considering ways to advance gender issues and equality beyond grantmaking. Women and girls represent half of the world’s population, yet gender inequality persists globally. Gender lens investing, an investment strategy that overlays rigorous financial analysis with gender diverse characteristics, is becoming recognized as one of the most exciting areas of impact... Read More
A fiduciary is anyone who has the legal responsibility of caring for someone else’s money. Foundation board members and investment committee members would generally be called fiduciaries, required by law to be well informed about the assets under their care and to follow a prudent process in caring for them. In this webinar, learn to... Read More
Foundations represent a pool of financial resources to be spent for social good. Whereas much has been penned about how to spend foundation resources wisely to maximize impact, less attention generally has been paid to how to care for those resources before they are spent. Stewarding philanthropic resources requires a series of complex economic, market,... Read More
In the midst of significant market volatility, funders are struggling with diminished investment returns that seemingly jeopardize their ability to make an impact. In this webinar, our speakers will lead the conversation to provide context around recent market volatility, examine the factors that will impact an eventual recovery, and share strategies for foundations looking to... Read More
Your organization’s spending policy should be carefully selected after the thorough evaluation of several key inputs. A qualitative review of the type of organization, time horizon, beneficiaries, purpose of the endowment, sources of funding, institutional resources, applicable donor restrictions, and the investment policy statement should lead to a quantitative analysis that addresses: Annual operating expenses... Read More