Financials

Grant Information

The Foundation continues to make grants in three major areas. Our outcomes and assessment program supports projects ranging from ground-up, faculty-driven assessment efforts at liberal arts colleges to the development of assessment instruments. Our fresh thinking program funds projects that develop new ideas and pedagogical practices for liberal education. And our college-community connections program helps disadvantaged young people in New York City prepare for college and thrive once they are there. Other funding initiatives include special grants to New Orleans institutions affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (under "other higher education"); our ExxonMobil scholarship program, which honors Walter Teagle's commitment to help the families of employees at what was then Standard Oil of New Jersey; and a matching gift program for the Foundation's directors and employees. We also fund meetings of our grantees and others in higher education to help ensure that our grantmaking is responsive to their needs.

Investment Informtation

The Foundation's investment objective is to enhance the yield of the portfolio and thereby maximize our ability to fulfill our mission. The market value of the portfolio was approximately $175 million on June 30, 2008. The portfolio includes a diversified mixture of large-, mid-, and small-cap investments and a balance between value and growth investment styles. Alternative investment strategies include venture capital, merchant banking, and multi-strategy hedge funds. Subsequent to June 30, 2008, the financial markets experienced substantial downward pressures. As of October 27, 2008, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down approximately 28% from June 30, 2008. Click here to view the Foundation's audited financial statements (PDF, 472k).