University of Iowa Foundation

Jim Bethea serves as Chief Investment Officer for the University of Iowa Center for Advancement, which houses the foundation's investment function. Dan Grana has been named interim CIO. The investment committee is chaired by Barbara A. McKenzie, who serves as a director. The precise delineation of decision-making authority between the CIO and the investment committee is determined by the foundation's internal governance documents, which have not been publicly detailed.

The foundation's Long-Term Pool includes public equities, hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, real assets, and direct commodity-futures exposure. Direct commodity-futures positioning is uncommon among university endowments, which more typically access commodities through fund structures. The foundation also directly owns commercial and mixed-use properties in Iowa City and holds fine art — including a Jackson Pollock — as a balance-sheet asset, a configuration that resembles a family-office or European foundation model more than a standard US endowment.

Yes. The University of Iowa Foundation holds museum-grade artwork, including Jackson Pollock's Mural (1943) and Max Beckmann's Karneval (1943), through the Stanley Museum of Art. The Stanley Collection of African Art is also part of this holding. These works are stewarded within the foundation's investment pool, distinguishing the portfolio from endowment peers that typically ring-fence museum collections in separate nonprofit entities.

The foundation's directly owned properties include 1360 Melrose Avenue, a commercial building at 5210 Sutliff Road in Solon, the Market Street Property, and the Burlington Street Properties — all in the Iowa City area. These represent direct commercial and mixed-use holdings rather than fund-level real-estate exposure, though the foundation may also invest in commingled real-estate vehicles within the broader portfolio.

The University of Iowa Research Foundation (UIRF) operates as an adjacent vehicle that manages technology transfer and commercialization of university research. This structure is separate from the investment-management function but sits within the broader constellation of foundation-related entities that support the university's financial ecosystem.

The University of Iowa Foundation has not publicly disclosed a current AUM figure. Unlike large public endowments that report annually through NACUBO's endowment study with precise dollar amounts, the foundation's asset base has not been published in a verifiable primary source. As a result, the total size of the Long-Term Pool remains undisclosed.

The foundation operates a hybrid model. Public evidence shows direct real-estate ownership, direct commodity-futures exposure, and direct art holdings on the balance sheet. The public-equity, hedge-fund, private-equity, and venture-capital allocations are likely accessed through a combination of external fund commitments and co-investments, though the specific mix has not been detailed in public disclosures.