# Employees' Retirement Plan of Duke University

Employees' Retirement Plan of Duke University is a Pension Fund based in Durham, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Pension Fund
- **Headquarters:** Durham, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Durham, NC, United States
- **Founded:** 1959
- **Assets under management:** $5B - $9B (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** hr.duke.edu

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Employees' Retirement Plan of Duke University is a corporate pension sponsored by Duke University. It provides retirement benefits to eligible employees. The plan is governed by the university's Board of Trustees.

## Sectors

- Venture Capital
- Private Equity
- Hedge Funds
- Private Credit
- Real Assets

## Questions

### How is the retirement plan's investment strategy different from the Duke endowment?

The retirement plan shares the same investment platform and manager roster as the endowment but with distinct liability-driven constraints. The plan must meet ERISA funding, liquidity, and benefit-payment requirements that do not apply to the endowment, so DUMAC adjusts asset allocation and liquidity profiles accordingly, even while investing through shared vehicles and relationships.

### Does the plan commit directly to venture capital funds?

Yes. DUMAC has been a consistent limited partner in venture capital and private equity funds on behalf of the retirement plan. The plan was singled out by the National Association of Investment Companies as a leading corporate pension for commitments to diverse-managed funds, reflecting a sustained allocation to emerging and diverse VC managers.

### What is the relationship between the retirement plan and The Duke Endowment?

Both are managed by DUMAC, Inc. The Duke Endowment is a private foundation established by James B. Duke in 1924, separate from the university's retirement plan, but their assets run on the same investment platform. This shared management structure creates operational efficiencies and gives the retirement plan exposure to institutional-quality deal flow sourced for the foundation.

### How large is the Duke Employees' Retirement Plan?

Duke does not publicly disclose a standalone AUM figure for the retirement plan. The assets are pooled with the endowment for investment purposes. Altss estimates the pension component falls in a $5–9 billion range based on public filings and typical allocation splits among DUMAC-managed pools.

## Related profiles

- [Employees' Retirement Plan of Bose Corporation](https://altss.com/profile/employees-retirement-plan-of-bose-corporation)
- [Employees Retirement Plan of Mid-South Transportation Management](https://altss.com/profile/employees-retirement-plan-of-mid-south-transportation-management)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/employees-retirement-plan-of-duke-university

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology