Fordham University Endowment

Fordham University Endowment

Fordham University established its endowment in 1841 to provide perpetual support for academic operations. Geeta Kapadia serves as Chief Investment Officer with Mallika Nair as Senior Director of Investments. The office oversees allocations across public equities, private equity, hedge funds, and real assets. The endowment holds limited partner interests in Warburg Pincus Access Fund and a venture capital and growth equity portfolio focused on technology and healthcare. It maintains positions in absolute return hedge funds and has begun shifting public equity exposure to passive vehicles managed by Vanguard. Geographic reach centers on North America with additional real estate exposure in the United Kingdom through the London Centre. Student-managed funds at the Gabelli School of Business allocate a small portion of assets to public securities and hard assets. The investment office employs five professionals. The endowment owns multiple New York campuses and maintains a London facility. Geeta Kapadia spoke at the SALT iConnections New York 2024 conference on endowment strategy and ESG topics. Adjacent vehicles include the Flourishing in Community Grantmaker Initiative funded by a $50 million EPA grant. The endowment operates as the investment arm of a Jesuit university rather than a standalone family office, with governance tied to university leadership and alumni donor relationships such as Mario Gabelli.