A new study on private foundations will be compiled by the Council on Foundations and the Commonfund Institute, the two organizations announced.
The study will cover the investment returns, portfolio management asset allocation, spending rate and policy, debt, fees and expenses, liquidity, investment office staffing, consultant use and investment committees of foundations of all sizes.
The study will be known as the 2012 Council on Foundations—Commonfund Study of Investments for Private Foundations (CCSF). Findings will be gathered using an online survey and cover calendar year 2012. It will replace the private foundations edition of the annual Commonfund Benchmarks Study of Foundations.
“This is an historic opportunity for us to combine resources with the authoritative voice in the private foundation community and to offer trustees and staff a comprehensive analysis of private foundation investment policies and practices,” John Griswold, executive director of the Commonfund Institute, says of the partnership. The study should out by the end of June, he says.
“We see this partnership as an excellent opportunity to provide our private foundation members with the opportunity to benefit from understanding the investment practices and returns of their peers,” adds Vikki N. Spruill, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations.
The report will include an analysis setting the data in the context of the current financial environment and recent trends.
The Commonfund Institute is the educational and research arm of the Commonfund, which is devoted to enhancing the financial resources of long-term investors, including nonprofit institutions, pension plans and family offices. The Council on Foundations is a nonprofit membership association of grantmaking foundations and corporations.