University endowments are the ultimate long horizon investors and have a unique responsibility to maintain intergenerational equity. However, little is known about the origins of endowment investing although it has been critical in establishing the template that many subsequent institutional and individual investors have followed. This project documents the long run evolution of university endowments’ asset allocation and examines their investment performance and strategies. We explore the relationship between gifting behaviour, endowment performance and economic conditions. This project also draws on a new database to examine the risk and return of endowments’ non- CRSP equity investments.
