Peer Data

Endowment Spending Amid Record Inflation

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.

Spending Policies and Practices: Fiscal Year 2022

Annual distributions from the endowment are a source of supplemental operating revenue for most endowed institutions. An institution’s endowment spending policy provides a basis for the calculation of the annual distribution, serving as a bridge that links the long-term investment portfolio and the enterprise. The data and analysis in this report review the various spending rule types used among our endowment clients. Also included are analyses on the endowment’s support of operations and effective spending rate.

Annual Review of Endowments: Fiscal Year 2022

In fiscal year 2022, endowments faced a challenging market environment one year after they had seen the best investment returns in decades. Our annual report based on a survey administered to our endowment clients summarizes returns, asset allocation, and other investment-related data for 316 institutions for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. We also review peer data on topics such as investment policy, portfolio manager structures, spending, and investment office staffing and governance.

College and University Investment Pool Returns: Fiscal Year 2022

Just one year after the best investment returns endowments had seen in decades, fiscal year 2022 brought about the most challenging market environment since the Global Financial Crisis of the late 2000s. Our annual survey-based report of 158 US colleges and universities includes commentary and analysis of investment performance, asset allocation, and related trends. We also review peer data on topics such as investment policy, portfolio manager structures, spending, and investment office staffing and governance.

College and University Flash Statistics Report: Fiscal Year 2022

The College and University Flash Statistics Report provides a first look at the results of our 2022 College and University Investment Pool Returns survey. Included in the report are investment pool returns and asset allocation for 158 colleges and universities. Look for our full annual analysis in the upcoming College and University Investment Pool Returns report to be published later this winter.