Driving Smarter Portfolios for Endowments and Foundations

For midsize endowments and foundations navigating a volatile investment landscape, striking the perfect balance between growth and stability isn’t just a good practice— it’s a necessity. At Oxford, our Institutional Consulting Services Team specializes in crafting tailored strategies with the goal of helping these organizations achieve their mission while optimizing risk-adjusted returns. It’s not just about managing portfolios—it’s about empowering institutional clients to think differently and make informed decisions.

Oxford has developed a comprehensive framework for helping clients understand and embrace diversification and alternative investment opportunities. This approach focuses on education, research-driven insights and tailored solutions to deliver results. Here’s how we guide our clients through the process:

Step 1: Education and Context Setting

One of the most significant challenges institutional investors face is overcoming the comfort of sticking with conventional approaches, such as relying heavily on public equities or fixed income. Oxford addresses this by focusing on education. In committee settings, we work with clients’ decision-makers—often sophisticated volunteer boards—to explain the potential benefits and risks of private market solutions. This involves outlining liquidity considerations, expected returns and how these strategies fit within a diversified portfolio.

Our education process compares private market opportunities with the success larger institutions have experienced over decades, showcasing how midsize foundations can “punch above their weight” using Oxford’s access to institutional-grade investments. By building understanding and trust, we help committees make confident, informed decisions about their portfolio strategies.

Step 2: Evaluating Fit and Customizing Solutions

Not every investment strategy is a fit for every client. That’s why Oxford’s Institutional Consulting Services Team takes a tailored approach to portfolio construction. For growth portfolios traditionally reliant on public equities, we introduce private equity and other Aspirational Solutions to enhance returns. These investments help create a cushion for draw rates, allowing endowments and foundations to maintain spending power.

To complement fixed-income allocations, we incorporate absolute return strategies, which provide better yield potential without the volatility of equities. When public equity markets are high, but still an essential component of a portfolio, we leverage long-short strategies that capture the upside while mitigating downside risks caused by inflation, geopolitical tensions or economic uncertainty. This focus on diversification aims to help clients build resilient portfolios while maintaining liquidity.

Step 3: Monitoring and Adapting Over Time

Our work doesn’t end with implementation. Oxford emphasizes ongoing monitoring and reporting while comparing portfolio expectations to actual performance. Quarterly reviews with clients provide clarity on returns, volatility and alignment with objectives. This consistent cadence also allows us to make adjustments as market conditions evolve. By remaining nimble, we can help clients capture upside potential during favorable markets while striving to maintain protection in downturns.

What sets Oxford apart from big-box retail firms is access and scale. Thanks to our deep relationships with high-net-worth families and our aspirational platform, we offer institutional clients access to private equity and other alternative investments. Unlike retail-focused solutions, which often rely on hedge-fund-like mutual funds, Oxford brings decades of expertise and research-driven insights to the table, ensuring midsize endowments and foundations have access to the same high-quality managers used by billion-dollar institutions.

The result? Portfolios that have the potential to achieve long-term growth, maintain liquidity and fulfill the missions of the organizations we serve. For institutional investors looking to navigate an uncertain future, Oxford provides the education, tools and expertise aimed at helping them achieve their goals.