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Building resilience: Investment initiatives for Canadian endowments & foundations
How can Canadian endowments & foundations (E&Fs) build resilience amidst market uncertainty, persistent inflation and increasing disbursement quotas?
Each not-for-profit organization is unique in its mission and approach, and so should be your investment portfolio. Your investments should work to provide long-term growth while reflecting your organization’s values. However, Canadian E&Fs currently face a number of headwinds to achieving their investment objectives, including market uncertainty, persistent, systemic inflation, and an increasing disbursement quota.
Watch this video to learn more about the key investment initiatives Canadian E&Fs should focus on to position themselves for success:
Key investment considerations for Canadian E&Fs
- 1 Strategic asset mix
- 2 Sustainable investment
- 3 Governance
The investment landscape is becoming more complex, making your strategic asset mix increasingly important. Mercer’s 2023 global E&F investment survey – Gauging risk, building resilience reveals that the 60% Equity/40% universe bond portfolio is no longer effective. To build long term resilience, E&F investors are increasingly allocating to help diversify away from the equity risk premium.
In addition, the experience investing in private markets is overwhelmingly positive for organizations already doing so, with nearly 79%* determining that they have been adequately compensated for illiquidity risk.
* Mercer’s 2023 Global Endowment & Foundation Investment Survey
Key stakeholders, especially donors and staff, expect more from E&F organizations beyond the grants you make. Your investment program should be an extension of your values. And while E&F investors look to sustainable investment and climate transition to align portfolios with the mission of their organizations, investors’ approaches vastly differ from one another.
Climate transition is the most-cited social issue that organizations believe could be better supported through portfolio allocation. However, just 15% of organizations have set a science-based net-zero target across their portfolio while a fifth (21%) have implemented a DEI framework across their investment program.
* Mercer’s 2023 Global Endowment & Foundation Investment Survey
Good governance is ‘the painting that ties the room together’ – it is our view that good governance practices can enhance returns and better manage risk over the long term.
A robust governance model can:
- Help align liquidity decisions to long-term horizon
- Expand portfolio diversification
- Enable effective rebalancing
When combined, these three core components can enhance organizations’ flexibility to navigate regime changes, geopolitical events and have the potential to add up to 115 bps annually to the bottom line.*
* The return on governance, Mercer, 2023
Leverage our breadth and depth
US $17.5 trillion in global assets under advisement1
US $670 billion in global assets under management2
11,500 investment strategies rated3
1 June 30, 2024. The assets under advisement data (AUA Data) reported here include aggregated assets under advisement for Mercer Investments LLC [and its affiliated companies globally (Mercer)]. The AUA Data has been derived from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to, third-party custodians or investment managers, regulatory filings, and client self-reported data. Mercer has not independently verified the data sourced from third parties in compiling the AUA Data. Where available, the AUA Data are provided as of the date indicated (the Reporting Date). To the extent information was not available as of the Reporting Date; information from a date closest in time to the Reporting Date, which may be of a date more or less recent in time than the Reporting Date, was included in the AUA Data. The AUA Data include assets of clients that have engaged Mercer to provide ongoing advice. Global AUA includes clients that have engaged Mercer to provide project-based services at any time within the 12-month period ending on the Reporting Date, as well as assets of clients that subscribe to Mercer’s Manager Research database delivered through the MercerInsight® platform as of the Reporting Date.
2 June 30, 2025. The assets under management data (the AUM Data) reported here include aggregated assets for which Mercer Investments LLC [and its global affiliates] provide discretionary investment management services as of the dates indicated. With respect to certain commitment-based private funds managed by Mercer Investments LLC or its global affiliates, the AUM data includes committed but uncalled capital, which may also be reflected in client assets otherwise managed by Mercer Investments LLC or its global affiliates. The AUM Data reported here may differ from regulatory assets under management reported in the Form ADV for Mercer Investments. For regulatory assets under management, please see the Form ADV for Mercer Investments which is available upon request by contacting Compliance Department, Mercer Investments 99 High Street, Boston, MA 02110.
3 June 30, 2025
The investment landscape is becoming more complex and E&F organizations need to adapt their investment program to meet increasing return targets