Commonfund

Mark Anson serves as both Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, a dual role he has held since 2016. Anson previously managed large public pension assets at CalPERS, Hermes Investment Management, and the British Telecom Pension Scheme. All investment decisions ultimately roll up under his CIO authority, with dedicated teams managing the firm's distinct investment platforms — Commonfund Capital, Commonfund Realty, and the OCIO practice.

Commonfund operates both models. For institutions that already have investment staff, it offers pooled funds and separate account management. For institutions that lack internal investment offices, Commonfund OCIO provides fully discretionary outsourced CIO services, taking responsibility for asset allocation, manager selection, and ongoing portfolio monitoring. The OCIO practice is one of the largest in the nonprofit sector.

Commonfund was founded directly by the Ford Foundation in 1971. The foundation created Commonfund as an independent vehicle to offer investment management services to other endowments and nonprofits. Today Commonfund operates as a separate 501(c)(3) organization with no operational control by the Ford Foundation, though the founding legacy remains central to its institutional identity.

Commonfund accesses private markets primarily through fund commitments and co-investments rather than direct control deals. Its Commonfund Capital platform commits to private equity, venture capital, and natural resource fund managers globally, while Commonfund Realty invests in private real estate strategies. The firm occasionally participates in direct co-investments alongside the GPs it backs.

Commonfund exclusively serves nonprofit institutions, including higher education endowments, independent schools, foundations, healthcare organizations, cultural institutions, and other charitable entities. The firm does not manage assets for individual investors, family offices, or for-profit entities. It currently serves approximately 1,200 institutional clients.

Commonfund is itself a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, governed by an independent board of trustees drawn from academic and institutional leadership. This structure aligns the firm with the fiduciary culture and tax-exempt status of its clients. The firm's investment entities are organized under a single holding company, the Asset Management Company of Commonfund Group, established in 2015 to unify its various investment platforms and governance operations.

Commonfund integrates ESG and mission-aligned considerations as standard portfolio inputs rather than offering standalone impact funds. The firm's nonprofit client base frequently imposes ethical screens or specific exclusionary policies tied to institutional missions. Commonfund executes these mandates across its pooled vehicles and customized separate accounts, and participates in industry efforts around diversity in manager selection through its Commonfund Institute research arm (per firm communications).