Portfolio philosophy, principles & practices

 The Foundation believes endowments are forever. Ensuring the university has a stable revenue source to fund projects and research of vital importance is what drives the Foundation’s long-term investment horizon and focus on long-term returns.

As investors, the Foundation Board believes Responsible Investing that takes environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into consideration, is an important determinant of long-term financial performance and investment returns. We are committed to updating plans to ensure important ESG risk and opportunity considerations, including climate change, are a part of investment strategies for all asset classes.

UVic Foundation's investment objectives

The endowment funds of the University of Victoria Foundation (the “Foundation”) are invested in accordance with the Foundation’s Statement of Investment Objectives and Guidelines (SIO&G). The SIO&G sets out the categories of permitted investments, diversification, asset mix and rate of return expectations. A fundamental underlying concept is that the Foundation’s endowed assets are intended to exist in perpetuity.

As a result, the Foundation has a long-term investment horizon and focuses on long term returns. The investment objectives of the Foundation reflect this and are focused on:

•  preservation of capital in real terms;
•  generation of sufficient annual cash flow to meet annual distribution requirements; and
•  growth of the retained assets to meet rising costs over the long term.

The SIO&G is reviewed annually by the Board of Directors of the Foundation.