Articles
How Are Foundation’s Doing? May 2019 Topic: International a Drag
Every month, Foundation Advocate chooses one topic relating to foundation investment performance to highlight. This month we took a look at how international stock allocations have likely held back foundation performance. Why Haven't Foundations Done Better in this 10 Year Bull Market? Following the financial crisis, the US stock market has been on a pretty great … [Read more...] about How Are Foundation’s Doing? May 2019 Topic: International a Drag
How are Foundations Doing? April 2019 Topic: Who Should We Compare Ourselves To?
Every month, Foundation Advocate chooses one aspect of foundation investment performance to highlight. This month we ask a very fundamental question, Who Should We Compare Ourselves To? Before answering this seemingly straightforward question about performance, it might be useful to establish a quick framework to place performance into context. Rather than lead with … [Read more...] about How are Foundations Doing? April 2019 Topic: Who Should We Compare Ourselves To?
1% Better Investment Performance – Implication for Charitable Giving
The Math is SimplePrivate foundations have $1 trillion in assets. An incremental 1% return on investment would yield an additional $10 billion....per year...every year.To put that in perspective, the additional $10 billion would equal the annual charitable support provided by 12 Ford Foundations, 36 Rockefellers, or 45 Carnegies - you get the picture. Better returns of just 1% … [Read more...] about 1% Better Investment Performance – Implication for Charitable Giving
Incoming Contributions
Five Years of Substantial Growth from Incoming Contributions Foundations have two primary sources of asset growth, 1) investment returns, and 2) new contributions. At FoundationAdvocate, we spend the lion's share of out time focusing on investment returns, but we thought it would be interesting to understand a little more about the incoming contributions. Private … [Read more...] about Incoming Contributions
5 Yr Performance by State
Maine and Vermont Lead the Pack As the map and table below shows, Maine and Vermont led all sates, while North Carolina and North Dakota trailed. It bears noting that North Carolina foundations reported the highest disclosed investment expenses. … [Read more...] about 5 Yr Performance by State