Commonfund Launches Diverse Manager Portal to Broaden Client Access to Diverse Investment Talent

WILTON, Conn., Sept. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Commonfund, a prominent asset manager for endowments, foundations and public pension investors, announced today the launch of an online Diverse Manager Portal ("The Portal") designed specifically to receive due diligence materials from women and minority managers investing in equities, fixed income and credit, real estate and hedge funds. Through The Portal, Commonfund aims to better facilitate the receipt and review of investment information from diverse managers who are defined as firms with 33 percent or more ownership by women, people of black or African American, Latino/Hispanic, Asian, Native American or Pacific Islander descent, veterans and/ or people with disabilities.

Over the last year, Commonfund's Diversity and Inclusion Office has been focused on establishing a cross-asset class database of diverse managers to determine the size and depth of the firm's diverse manager universe relative to the broader "known" universe available through traditional database sources. Building upon this foundation, The Portal will allow diverse managers across the country to submit their investment information for consideration and potential inclusion in Commonfund's Diverse Manager Database.

"While our existing database shows that we've made substantial progress in expanding our coverage and investment with diverse managers, we see a clear opportunity to build upon our progress by considering submissions from the wider manager community," said Caroline Greer, Managing Director and the inaugural chairperson of Commonfund's Diversity Office. "Independent research indicates that diverse manager performance distributions tend to fall in-line with the broader investment universe by asset class.  As such we are excited about the opportunity The Portal will provide for us to expand our clients' access to a larger pool of investment talent."

Diverse managers interested in submitting their data to The Portal will be asked to submit a strategy overview, monthly performance and a standard AIMA due diligence questionnaire. Commonfund pledges to review all submissions received through The Portal, and managers who submit their materials before November 1, 2019 will have their submissions reviewed by the appropriate investment team at Commonfund before year end. 

Launched in 2018, Commonfund's Diversity and Inclusion Office was created with the mission to intentionally promote and foster inclusion and equity across Commonfund and its investment process, thought leadership and professional and organizational development. The Office serves as a resource and clearinghouse of information for diversity in the broader asset management industry and also reaffirms Commonfund's belief that diversity is a crucial component in both developing a dynamic workforce and constructing robust investment portfolios.

Complete guidelines and submission details for diverse managers are available at www.commonfund-diversity.com

About Commonfund 
Commonfund was founded in 1971 as an independent asset management firm focused on not-for-profit institutions. Today, we manage $25.3 billion in assets for some 1,300 institutional clients and are one of North America's leading investment firms for educational endowments, foundations and philanthropic organizations. Our only business is investment management, and we are active in all sectors of the global capital markets, both public and private, serving a broad spectrum of investors, including nonprofit organizations, healthcare organizations, family offices and pension plans.

Media Contacts

Tony Ialeggio
Commonfund
203-563-5121
[email protected]

William Szczecinski
Prosek Partners
646-818-9029
[email protected] 

SOURCE Commonfund