University of New Hampshire Foundation

University of New Hampshire Foundation

The University of New Hampshire Foundation was incorporated in 1989 to build and manage private support for the University of New Hampshire. As a component unit of the University System of New Hampshire, the foundation oversees a portion of the system's consolidated endowment pool, with an investment committee chaired by Greg Jansen. The foundation benefits from a long history of land and real estate gifts that have shaped its asset base, including multiple farms and campus properties in Durham, New Hampshire. The foundation allocates across a broad opportunity set, spanning buyout, venture capital, distressed debt, mezzanine, and secondaries. Real assets form a notable component: holdings include East Foss Farm, West Foss Farm, Thompson Farm, the UNH Horticultural Farm, and College Woods—rural and agricultural parcels that distinguish this endowment from urban real-estate-heavy peers. The foundation also holds a position in the TrueBridge Blockchain I fund venture vehicle, signaling a willingness to access early-stage technology through specialized fund managers alongside its more traditional private equity and credit commitments. The foundation maintains a compact professional footprint, with Deborah Dutton serving as president and Kevin Knarr chairing the investments and capital planning committee. The foundation is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment and participates actively in the Intentional Endowments Network, integrating ESG considerations into its investment process. The structural differentiator lies in the foundation's in-kind legacy. Direct ownership of operating farmland, forested tracts, and campus real estate—much of it donated—creates a long-duration, hard-asset core that most similarly sized public-university foundations lack. This real-asset ballast sits alongside a conventional fund-of-funds and co-investment program, producing a hybrid portfolio that blends endowment-style diversification with direct land stewardship.