Unitarian Universalist Association

Unitarian Universalist Association

The Unitarian Universalist Association took its current form in 1961, merging the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America. It serves as the central body for a liberal religious movement comprising more than 1,000 autonomous congregations. The UUA’s investment corpus is pooled in the Unitarian Universalist Common Endowment Fund (UUCEF), whose capital originates from congregational contributions and bequests. The UUA deploys capital with an explicit values mandate, blending ESG integration, negative screening, and direct shareholder advocacy. Its strategy targets public equities, fixed income, and community investments, with an emphasis on climate, human rights, and corporate governance. The association does not disclose full portfolio holdings, but it invests through Boston Trust Walden, a faith-consistent asset manager, and maintains an active engagement posture as a member of Ceres and the Investor Alliance for Human Rights. Tim Brennan served as the UUA’s Treasurer and CFO, a role that historically combined financial oversight with the operational leadership now held by President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt. Lucia Santini Field of Boston Trust Walden advises on the investment strategy. The UUA’s physical asset base includes its headquarters at 24 Farnsworth Street in Boston. The association remains a cornerstone institution in the faith-based shareholder advocacy movement. The UUA’s structural differentiator is its wholly integrated advocacy and investment model. Unlike a university endowment that manages money to fund a mission, the UUA uses its endowment as the instrument of the mission itself — filing shareholder resolutions, leading corporate dialogues, and working through networked coalitions like ICCR. Its common endowment fund offers a direct mechanism for member congregations to pool investable assets for impact.