Endowment Radar is a methodology that Cambridge Associates developed to visually evaluate the endowment’s role in the college and university enterprise. The four components of Endowment Radar measure the endowment’s impact on budget funding (Endowment Dependence), pricing strategy (Endowment Support-to-Financial Aid), balance sheet health (Endowment-to-Debt), and an indicator of future purchasing power (Net Flow Rate). […]
April 2022
While colleges and universities have faced several financial fissures due to the disruptions of COVID-19, their endowments have been a source of financial stability. Four key financial indicators tell this story: operating margins were compressed, tuition discounts grew, institutions borrowed more debt, and endowment spending was consistent. In this note, we review these financial pressures and the endowment implications that emerged in Cambridge Associates’ second annual Endowment Radar Study of private college and university finances.
April 2021
The current health crisis is creating extraordinary financial disruptions for nonprofit enterprises, leading stakeholders to ask if the endowment can come to the rescue of revenue shortfalls and often growing costs. How should an institution evaluate this, and what are the long-term implications of boosting spending beyond policy levels? First, we consider whether it is […]
October 2020
Nonprofit institutions have not been spared from the impact of COVID-19. In June 2020, when many endowed institutions were completing fiscal year 2020 and on the brink of a new fiscal year, we issued a survey that focused on endowment spending and other sources of liquidity for these institutions.
October 2020
There are many facets of higher education finance, and it is often challenging to describe how the endowment fits into an institution’s financial picture. Endowment Radar is a visual tool that plots the endowment’s role in the college and university business model. It focuses on four key metrics to assess the endowment’s contributions to the […]
July 2020
In April 2020, Cambridge Associates conducted a survey of our foundation clients to gauge sentiment about spending for the current year and to understand potential sources of flexibility and liquidity in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year has brought tremendous disruption and uncertainty, but foundations are approaching these challenges with responsive philanthropy and a long-term view, so they can support important causes in 2020 and beyond.
May 2020
The “secret sauce” to long-term investment success is, in most cases, the governance that guides and oversees the investment program. In this series, we discuss the roles and responsibilities of governance; highlight the steps to build a diverse and collaborative committee, and outline the culture of a well-functioning committee.
May 2020
The “secret sauce” to long-term investment success is, in most cases, the governance that guides and oversees the investment program. In this series, we discuss the roles and responsibilities of governance; highlight the steps to build a diverse and collaborative committee, and outline the culture of a well-functioning committee.
May 2020