Transforming Endowment Investment Advisory For Family Foundations: New Models for Mission Alignment and Fiscal Responsibility

We begin with a question: What if financial incentive structures were redrafted to be more aligned with aspects of charitable purpose than asset accumulation? If you’ve seen one family foundation across the sea of over 40,000, you’ve seen… one family foundation. Each one has its own unique approach to giving, legacy, and fomenting change. When innovation is concerned, particularly within the context of building towards a moral economy, adopting a vanguard approach to grantmaking is the more typical refrain. However, what if an investment advisor worked in concert with the program team? An industry, led by a homogenous patriarchy, that largely pursues profits over impact has charted the investment course of endowments for decades. However, over the past few years, a growing group of family foundations have been exploring out-of-the-box thinking on investment management to leverage the full power of the endowment to advance racial, economic and climate justice. One family foundation is even reimagining the role and structure of professional investment advisory. This session explores the possibilities that emerge when more diverse voices are heard and are positioned at the helm of innovative investment structures.