Agenda - Day 1

Gain insight into today’s sessions so you can get the most out of your conference experience and maximize your value.

In a world shaped by simultaneous global challenges from climate volatility and geopolitical instability to shifting demographics and rapid technological disruption, foundations, endowments, and nonprofits are uniquely positioned to respond with both purpose and capital. Navigate uncertainty, manage evolving risks, and seize opportunities to invest in a more resilient and equitable future by:

• Aligning investments with mission can serve as both a financial strategy and a tool for systemic change.
• Balancing fiduciary duty with forward-looking risk management to protect and grow capital while supporting long-term impact.
• Scaling influence and innovation across borders with local philanthropic and investment actions

Respond to the complexity of today’s world with clarity, conviction, and impact by leveraging capital not just to preserve assets, but to shape the future.

In a time marked by geopolitical fragmentation, inflationary pressures, climate risk, and shifting monetary policy, institutional stewards of philanthropic capital must recalibrate their long-term investment strategies, look at the macroeconomic forces reshaping financial markets and what they mean for foundations, endowments, and non-profits.

1. Global Macro Outlook 2026–2028:
   Understand the economic indicators that matter most for long-horizon investors from interest rates and energy markets to trade flows and geopolitical flashpoints.
2. Mission-Aligned Investing in a Polycrisis Era:
   How philanthropic institutions can balance values and performance amid environmental, political, and demographic upheavals.
3. Currency, Capital, and Conflict:
   What de-dollarization, regional instability, and policy divergence mean for cross-border giving and globally diversified portfolios.
4. Strategic Patience and Adaptive Capital:
   Why long-term investors must lead, not follow, in a decade defined by structural change.

Institutional investors are facing a complex and rapidly evolving investment environment shaped by rising bond yields, shifting fiscal policies, and increased market concentration. The stakes are high. Create a practical roadmap to build resilient, mission-aligned portfolios amidst uncertainty on:

• How macroeconomic trends may impact future returns across asset classes
• Whether continued reliance on a narrow set of outperforming equities poses long-term risks
• How to preserve capital while staying agile in a shifting policy and geopolitical environment

Strategize to mitigate emerging risks and enhance diversification

For nonprofits and foundations new to investing, taking the first steps toward building and managing an endowment can be daunting. Establish sound governance, develop an investment policy statement (IPS), choose the right investment partners, and build internal capacity to steward funds responsibly by:

• Understanding the roles and responsibilities of board members, finance committees, and staff in overseeing investments.
• Developing a clear, mission-aligned IPS that outlines objectives, risk tolerance, asset allocation, and spending policies.
• Evaluating, selecting, and managing relationships with investment advisors, managers, and consultants.

Assess your organization’s investment readiness and avoid common mistakes that can slow down progress.

Discover how partnering with an OCIO can help your organization enhance investment governance, strengthen performance, and stay mission-focused amid growing market complexity. Optimize your investment strategy while aligning with your mission and stakeholder priorities by:

• Freeing up internal resources so you can better serve donors, beneficiaries, and long-term goals
• Improving decision-making through expert guidance on complex strategies like impact investing and private markets
• Navigating volatility with confidence, building greater resilience in uncertain economic environments

Evaluate the OCIO model and tailor it to your organization’s unique investment needs and mission.

Unlocking long-term prosperity requires more than capital, it demands partnerships grounded in respect, reconciliation, and shared opportunity. Explore the critical role of foundations, endowments, and mission-aligned investors in supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs and community-led economic development with:

• Innovative funding models and investment readiness strategies
• Moving from transactional support to transformative collaboration.
• Embedment of equity, reconciliation, and Indigenous leadership into impact portfolios.

Shift from transactions to partnerships and embed equity and leadership in every portfolio.

While endowments and foundations typically invest with a long-term horizon, short-term funding requirements for operations, grants, and programs can create challenges in portfolio management. Source your plan of action by:

• Balancing the protection of long-term capital with meeting immediate funding needs.
• Clearly articulating funding needs during periods of economic downturn or heightened market volatility.
• Avoiding the liquidation of assets at suboptimal times.

Optimize your strategy to manage both long-term investments and short-term funding demands.

Mitigate risks, meet due diligence requirements, and enhance performance through effective manager selection. Acquire tips and avoid pitfalls when conducting your own search. Source practical tips to:

• Staff an investment committee with diverse expertise.
• Design and implement a systematic selection process.
• Uncover the steps for conducting a manager search that prioritizes positive impact.

Reduce risks to your investments by fulfilling due diligence in your money manager search.

Review the key solutions and takeaways from today’s sessions. Source a summary of action points to implement in your work. Discuss tomorrow’s highlights!