Investments

The Investments Division is responsible for the oversight, stewardship, and investment of the University of Wisconsin Foundation’s (UWF) endowment and other investment-related assets and reserves. UWF’s mission is to help ensure that the University of Wisconsin-Madison has the financial resources necessary to maintain its national leadership in teaching, innovative research, and outreach.

To support this mission, the Investments team works to achieve the best possible long-term, inflation-adjusted returns given the Foundation’s risk tolerance, working closely with UWF’s Investment Committee, a nominated sub-group of the UWF Board of Directors. The Investment Committee serves as the investment fiduciary responsible for the prudent management of the investment portfolio overseeing the investment strategies and policies. 

Investments Division team members are responsible for investing and managing the investments in accordance with the objectives, goals, and guidelines of the portfolios. They continually monitor industry trends, explore and evaluate financial opportunities and provide prudent, ethical stewardship of gifts entrusted to the UWF.

The Endowment’s Guiding Principles

The essence of creating or giving to an endowed fund means gifts are meant to live in perpetuity. In managing the endowment, the Team endeavors to provide support for the University’s current and future operating needs, while preserving real value for future generations. To meet the endowment’s objectives, the majority of the endowment’s assets are invested in equity or equity-like opportunities. In accordance with these objectives, investment returns must generate a real return over the long-term that maintains the purchasing power of the endowment portfolio after inflation, spending and expenses.

Endowment Portfolio Growth

$3,838,021,789 as of June 30, 2023

Endowment Portfolio Performance

As of June 30, 2023

* Net of external manager fees