Drawing on results of a CA Institute survey of endowment clients, this note explores how spending policies are established and implemented, while also highlighting several operational and governance details that can materially affect portfolio management and oversight.
The 2025 Endowment Radar Study reveals a widening divide: well-endowed institutions have more capacity to deliver their mission, while those with smaller endowments face growing financial vulnerability.
A recent Cambridge Associates survey of 104 endowments and foundations reveals that most institutions are adhering to their endowment spending policies, with 80% following policy in 2025 and 81% expected to do so in 2026.
New tax provisions in legislation recently passed by the US House of Representatives would impose millions of dollars of new costs on many colleges, universities, and private foundations, if enacted. We recommend four steps nonprofit organizations can consider right now to ensure they are well-prepared and responsive should the proposals become law
Endowment spending is a dependable source of revenue that pays for teaching and research and reduces reliance on student fees and annual fundraising appeals. In 2025, this sustainable business model faces intense headwinds that threaten to destabilize the financial equation.
This paper offers considerations for how to manage calls for divestment and raises questions that need to be answered to respond clearly and effectively to divestment requests. To navigate tumultuous times and passionate entreaties, we believe institutions need to lean into good governance.
Higher costs and higher rates of endowment spending are the major story lines of the 2023 Endowment Radar Study. Over the past year, the endowment provided a stable source of funding to for the growing costs of private college and university business model.
In today’s dynamic funding and operating environment, a lot is at stake for public colleges and universities and their endowments. The endowment is more than a static funding source; it plays a strategic and expanding role in the public university business model, and with strong stewardship, a growing endowment can transform a university’s financial equation.
Inflation is having a moment—driving up the costs of delivering the nonprofit mission and making it more challenging to maintain endowment purchasing power. This environment highlights the importance of endowment spending policies and their role in balancing near-term spending needs and intergenerational equity.
Our 2022 Endowment Radar Study reflects the important role of the endowment in the dynamic private college and university business model. The endowment played a relatively smaller role in supporting growing operating budgets and financial aid commitments compared to 2021.