# Girl Scouts of the USA Pension Plan Girl Scouts of the USA Pension Plan is a Pension Fund based in New York, United States. ## Overview - **Organization type:** Pension Fund - **Headquarters:** New York, United States - **Region:** North America - **Address:** New York, NY, United States - **Founded:** 1912 - **Assets under management:** Undisclosed - **Website:** girlscouts.org - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/girlscouts ## Regulatory record - **Reports private funds:** No ## About The National Girl Scout Council Retirement Plan operates as a defined-benefit pension vehicle for employees of Girl Scout councils across the United States. Unlike a traditional single-employer corporate plan, this is a multi-employer arrangement where the national organization, Girl Scouts of the USA, coordinates the benefit obligations of its independently chartered councils. Participating councils include some of the organization's largest chapters — Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital, Girl Scout Council of Greater New York, Girl Scouts of Western Washington, and Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles — each contributing to the pooled asset base. The plan's investment portfolio is managed by the national body and is structured to support long-term pension liabilities. While the asset allocation, investment managers, and total asset value are not publicly disclosed, the portfolio is subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and managed with a traditional pension-liability framework. The fund became a subject of financial scrutiny when its funded status deteriorated, placing significant strain on participating councils' operating budgets. The resulting contribution obligations competed directly with programmatic spending for the councils. In 2018, the plan's funding challenges prompted Girl Scouts of the USA to advocate for a congressional exemption, seeking to apply the special pension funding rules previously granted to multi-employer plans in the mining and trucking industries under the Kline-Miller Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014. The requested relief, introduced as the "Butch Lewis Act"-style fix, would have allowed the plan to reduce or suspend benefits to remain solvent, an extraordinary step for a youth-serving non-profit (per Pension & Investments, 2018). Specific legislative outcomes and the plan's current funded status remain private. The plan's structure is unusual: it is a large, multi-employer defined-benefit plan within a non-profit federated system, where the sponsoring entity is neither a union nor a for-profit corporation. This hybrid governance — a national body overseeing the retirement obligations of decentralized councils — creates a distinct fiduciary dynamic and a concentrated risk profile. Succession and governance for the plan's trustees are integrated into the national Girl Scouts board structure, though the specific investment committee and its outside advisors are not publicly identified. ## Questions ### What is the legal structure of the Girl Scouts of the USA Pension Plan? It is a multi-employer defined-benefit pension plan sponsored by Girl Scouts of the USA. The plan covers employees of independently chartered regional Girl Scout councils. It is subject to ERISA and is managed by the national organization, making it distinct from single-employer corporate plans. The pooling structure spreads liability across participating councils. ### Which councils participate in the National Girl Scout Council Retirement Plan? Several large metropolitan councils are known participants, including Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital, Girl Scout Council of Greater New York, Girl Scouts of Western Washington, and Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles. The exact total number of participating councils is not publicly disclosed, but the plan aggregates liabilities from dozens of the organization's approximately 100 chartered councils. ### How are investment decisions made for the Girl Scouts pension fund? The plan is governed by a board of trustees appointed through the national Girl Scouts of the USA governance structure. Specific investment committee members, external consultants, and asset managers are not publicly identified. The portfolio is managed under ERISA fiduciary standards with a traditional liability-driven investment framework. ### What is the current funded status and AUM of the Girl Scouts pension plan? The plan does not publicly disclose its total assets under management or current funded status in a format readily available to institutional allocators. Annual filings exist as required by ERISA but are not proactively promoted by the organization. As a non-profit pension sponsor, its reporting cadence differs from that of public or corporate plans. ## Related profiles - [Girard Pension Services](https://altss.com/profile/girard-pension-services) - [Gitau Financial Advisors](https://altss.com/profile/gitau-financial-advisors) --- Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/girl-scouts-of-the-usa-pension-plan Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology