We are committed to stewarding the charitable funds entrusted to us by our donors to get as many dollars as possible out to the causes, nonprofits and communities that they care about.

Our Investment Committee consists of board members and volunteers with extensive institutional investment experience and varied perspectives. With oversight by our board, the committee is responsible for developing and implementing our investment policy, recommending investment managers, and monitoring our investment performance.

In 2023, following industry best practices, the Foundation’s Investment Committee sent out a limited Request for Proposals and undertook a thorough review process of our investment portfolio. In our continued goal of aligning our mission with an investment model that maximizes philanthropic impact and advances equity, the investment committee voted unanimously to place Foundation assets formerly held with Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) with Boston Trust Walden (BTW).

Boston Trust Walden has already been a trusted partner to the Foundation for several years, managing one-third of our overall portfolio with impressive results. Their superior record of customer service and management of our assets has proven their ability to preserve and grow our endowment through prudent investment strategies in a well-diversified portfolio.

Our three-pronged asset-allocation approach centers on growth, risk reduction and inflation protection.

All of our donors’ funds are pooled together and invested in a well-diversified portfolio, which includes large, midsize and small-cap U.S. equities, international equities, real estate, alternatives and fixed-income securities (bonds).

As we continue to bring an equity and justice lens to our work, we also continue to explore ways to align our investments with positive community impact. The investment portfolio is designed to minimize exposure to tobacco-related products, fossil fuels, gun manufacturers or distributors and private prisons. Boston Trust Walden is a longtime specialist in actively applying additional Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) screens to our investment portfolio to encourage companies to act responsibly.

Recent Investment Performance

Recent investment performance has followed general market trends for similarly allocated investment portfolios. Our 5-year annualized rate of return keeps us in line with our objectives of achieving perpetuity and making annual grant and scholarship awards that keep pace with inflation from the more than 600 funds we oversee.