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Mercer’s Indigenous Services: Partnering for Sustainable Futures

Our specialized team is dedicated to supporting Indigenous communities in achieving their financial and strategic goals with respect, integrity, and partnership.
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At Mercer, we recognize the unique aspirations and priorities of Indigenous communities across Canada. 

Our team combines over 25 years of experience in advising Indigenous Trusts across Canada with a commitment to reconciliation and sustainable investing, helping communities build resilient and prosperous futures aligned with their values.

Supported by Mercer’s 200+ investment researchers and advanced multi-asset solutions, we deliver innovative, objective advice tailored to the unique needs of Indigenous Trusts. Our dedicated Sustainable Investment team ensures integration of Indigenous values and sustainable investing principles.

Unlike large traditional firms, we offer a personalized client experience focused solely on Indigenous Trusts, delivering a cultural understanding that truly matters. And unlike smaller advisory firms, we bring the strength, scale, and intellectual capital of a global leader in investment consulting.

Together, we create lasting value for and with Indigenous communities—empowering economic self-sufficiency and supporting the financial futures of current and future generations.

Our approach

  • Development of Investment Policies and Guidelines
    A well-defined investment strategy leaves no room for ambiguity. We work closely with you to evaluate risk, expected returns, and cash flow needs, crafting tailored asset allocation strategies, spending policies, and investment guidelines. This includes integrating Socially Responsible Investment principles, clearly defining roles and responsibilities, establishing reporting requirements, and implementing robust processes for ongoing policy and manager reviews—ensuring your community’s values and legacy are honored.
  • Designing the Most Cost-Effective Portfolio Structure
    Leveraging our deep industry expertise, we help design an investment portfolio structure that balances efficiency and effectiveness. We consider factors such as cost management, asset size, the optimal number and types of investment managers, and the appropriate mix of active and passive strategies—all aligned with your risk tolerance and investment objectives.
  • Investment Manager Search and Selection
    Our dedicated investment manager research team partners with you to develop precise search criteria tailored to your goals. We conduct comprehensive assessments of potential managers, evaluating performance, risk management, fees, investment philosophy, human capital stability, ownership structure, and technological capabilities. This rigorous process results in a carefully curated long list of candidates, followed by facilitation of interviews and support in selecting the best fit for your portfolio.
  • Ongoing Support and Monitoring
    Timely awareness of investment performance is critical. We conduct quarterly review meetings to provide clear insights, comparing results against relevant market benchmarks, risk-adjusted returns, peer groups, and your community’s specific goals. Our proactive monitoring ensures you are informed promptly of any underperformance, enabling effective oversight and decision-making.
Mercer is committed to fostering an inclusive culture that enhances Indigenous cultural competency, builds respectful partnerships, and increases Indigenous representation, guided by leadership accountability and meaningful community engagement. As members of the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB), we are actively pursuing Partnership Accreditation in Indigenous Relations (PAIR) to deepen our collaboration and support for Indigenous communities.  

Key benefits

  • Extensive Experience and Expertise: Mercer has over 80 years of experience providing comprehensive investment consulting services, including to Indigenous clients across Canada.
  • Access to Global Best-in-Class Managers: Our global scale and strong reputation allow us to access top-tier investment managers worldwide, including in specialized asset classes, often negotiating preferential fees for the benefit of our clients.
  • Responsible and Sustainable Investing: We collaborate closely with Indigenous clients to develop responsible investment policies that incorporate their perspectives, support their community priorities, and encourage investment manager engagement on sustainability and reconciliation issues—helping to align financial growth with the long-term well-being of Indigenous peoples and their lands.
  • Independent, Unbiased Advice: Mercer maintains strict policies to avoid conflicts of interest, ensuring that our investment consulting and manager research services are independent and focused solely on client interests.
  • Comprehensive Support and Education: We provide ongoing trustee education, strategic asset mix advice, investment policy development, manager search and selection, and regular performance monitoring tailored to our clients’ needs.
  • Delegated Implementation Services:  If desired, our experienced team can manage execution on your behalf, providing efficient, risk-controlled implementation aligned with your community’s goals and values.
  • Tailored and Respectful Partnership: We understand the importance of prudently managing Indigenous trust funds to support community programs, services, and facilities. Our approach is collaborative, listening carefully and partnering closely with Indigenous communities to align investment strategies with their goals and cultural values.
  • Deep Indigenous Expertise: Our Indigenous Services leadership includes professionals with extensive experience in Indigenous banking, finance, and advisory services, ensuring culturally informed and relevant support.

Common questions from indigenous investors

Mercer can help strengthen the future of your community by focusing on three guiding principles that honor stewardship and resilience:

  1. Balanced portfolio mix: We help you thoughtfully review your asset allocation, including opportunities in private markets and alternative assets that can provide steady, long-term growth aligned with your community’s values.
  2. Governance rooted in respect: Together, we build governance structures that reflect your community’s decision-making traditions and support informed, transparent choices that serve future generations.
  3. Mindful cost management: We recognize that every resource matters. By leveraging our scale and experience, we help reduce costs to preserve more of your community’s wealth for its intended purposes.

Partnering with a trusted external adviser brings specialized knowledge and experience to help carry the responsibility of managing your community’s resources with care and diligence. We act as a steady guide, helping you make thoughtful decisions or, if you choose, managing investments on your behalf with respect for your community’s goals and values. Our team is committed to understanding your unique needs and delivering quality stewardship that honors your trust.

Private markets—such as infrastructure, real estate, and private equity—offer opportunities to grow your community’s resources in ways that are often less tied to public market fluctuations. Accessing these opportunities requires trusted partnerships with experienced managers who understand the importance of long-term stewardship and community impact. We help connect you with these partners, ensuring alignment with your values and vision.

Ongoing care and attention are essential to ensure your asset managers act in harmony with your community’s values and goals. We provide thorough, forward-looking research and reporting to help you understand each manager’s approach and impact. This knowledge supports wise decisions that protect and grow your community’s resources.

While the future holds uncertainty, we honor the wisdom of preparing for all seasons by building a diversified portfolio that includes different asset classes, managers, and return drivers. This approach helps protect your community’s wealth from shocks and supports steady growth over time. We work with you to create a resilient strategy that balances long-term stability with the flexibility to embrace new opportunities.

Sustainability is at the heart of Indigenous stewardship. We help you include Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into your investment approach, reflecting your community’s connection to the land, respect for all living beings, and commitment to future generations. Together, we develop policies and strategies that honor these values and ensure ongoing care and accountability.

We’d love to hear from you!

Let’s start a conversation to understand your community’s unique goals and explore how we can support your journey.

Investment solutions to suit your needs

  • Implementation and OCIO

    We can help you define, develop and implement your investment strategy by addressing areas such as governance, risk, sustainability and diversification. We flex our services to suit your needs and help you achieve your investment goals.

  • Sustainable investing

    We build or optimize our clients’ sustainable investment strategy to help them meet their investment objectives. Our research, tools, advice and solutions are designed to help mitigate risks to portfolios while seeking to capture investment opportunities associated with sustainability.

  • Alternative investments

    Leveraging our existing relationships with hundreds of asset managers around the world, we can help you identify and source new investment strategies, opportunities, ideas and innovations across private markets and hedge funds. 

  • Strategic research 

    Become a member of the MercerInsight® Community today to get access to strategic research from hundreds of thought leaders around the world, including Mercer and third-party publishers. It’s complimentary and easy to join.

  • Asset manager research 

    By subscribing to MercerInsight®, an alliance with eVestment, you can gain access to data, analytics and our forward-looking research on asset managers and thousands of investment strategies across both public and private markets. 

  • Managing investment risk

    Our Mercer Sentinel team can help you conduct due diligence and mitigate operational risks across your portfolios and strategies. We assess asset managers, custodians and other service providers to help you deliver on your governance objectives.

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Leverage our breadth and depth

$16.2T

US $16.2 trillion in global assets under advisement1

$683Bn

US $683 billion in global assets under management2

11K+

11,100 investment strategies rated3

1 June 30, 2025. Pensions & Investments (P&I) Research Centre. Represents worldwide assets under advisement for consultants, as reported by 48 participating firms to P&I as of June 30, 2025. The survey is published annually.

2 September 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