Invest with your faith
The Unitarian Universalist Common Endowment Fund is a diversified investment fund seeking current income and long-term investment returns through portfolio allocation and professional asset management with UU socially responsible investing goals.
UUCEF News
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The environmental impact of fossil fuel investments by major asset managers like Vanguard
We are occasionally asked about Vanguard relative to the UUA Common Endowment Fund. This recent report by the independent non-profit…
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October Monthly Commentary
Global markets were spooked in October as nearly all major stock and bond indexes ended the month in the red.…
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UUA Welcomes Three New Investment Committee Members
UUA welcomed three new investment committee members this year, bringing diverse perspectives and experience to the Committee and oversight of the…
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UUA Pushes Back on Congressional Critique of Climate 100+ and ‘Woke’ Investing
In a letter, the Unitarian Universalist Association affirmed that it is “freely exercising its faith and beliefs and well within…
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Fund Performance
Period Ending 10/31/2024 | Net Asset Value $12.4144 |
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Last Month | -2.5% |
1 year | 19.6% |
3 years | 0.1% |
Ending Market Value | 265,286,169 |
Expanded Summary Table |
October Monthly Commentary
Global markets were spooked in October as nearly all major stock and bond indexes ended the month in the red.…
View UUCEF Performance Reports
Introduction to Making Money While Doing Good (MP4 - video)
Money as an 8th Principle Action Tool (video)
Sign up for the November 19, 2024 Quarterly Investor Meeting
Why Invest with the UU Common Endowment Fund?
Well-Managed and Efficient
The Fund is under the oversight of the Board and the Investment Committee who selects professional outside advisors and Investment Managers. Collectively, these groups and individuals work to set investment policies, determine asset allocation targets, select and monitor investment managers and regularly rebalance the Fund to maintain its strategic asset allocation targets.Simplify a Challenging Responsibility
When managing an endowment, UU Congregations face an increasingly complex set of challenges. Establishing investment policies, implementing an asset allocation strategy, selecting investment advisors or managers, rebalancing the portfolio, monitoring performance and, controlling costs are but a few examples of the challenges that must be met and with each comes its own risks. The UUCEF manages all of these challenges and more. So why not invest your endowment in the UUCEF and transfer the responsibilities to a team of UUA committee members, staff and outside professional managers and advisors and take advantage of a comprehensive approach already in place?Invest With Your Values
When a UU Congregation becomes an investor in the UUCEF, its voice is amplified by joining with other investors in the Fund, to the extent that the assets are directly managed on behalf of the UUA or in certain selected investment vehicles that apply SRI criteria in selecting their investments. We believe this gives UU Congregations an opportunity to have a more powerful and wide-ranging impact on corporate behavior and other issues of deep concern to Unitarian Universalists. Currently 72% of the UUCEF is managed by firms that apply Environmental, Social, and Governance (EGS) criteria or that screen out certain industries.Socially Responsible Investing at the
Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is ensuring that our investments are aligned with our values. The UUA has been strongly committed to SRI for over forty years. Our commitment springs from our faith, and from our deep conviction in the dignity of all human beings.
SRI Strategies
Proposing and representing resolutions at annual stockholder meetings to encourage companies to adopt policies consistent with your values.
Using your shareholder voting power to vote on important issues of corporate governance, and proposed shareholder resolutions, through the annual proxy voting process.
Trying to avoid doing unnecessary harm, such as by avoiding investments in companies that are serious polluters, employ sweatshops, or have racist or sexist policies.
Setting aside some portion of funds, often 1%, to be invested in local businesses that generate jobs and opportunities in addition to an attractive return.
SRI News
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"The staff of the finance office serves our investing congregations with excellent client service, timely reporting, and a robust website that has a rich array of resources about the Common Endowment. Our goal is to bring a high degree of professionalism to the management of the Common Endowment that includes regular rebalancing, rigorous accounting, audits by an outside firm, custodial banking, and legal oversight."
"The UUCEF is a values-aligned fund that manages our collective UU treasure to fund our congregational and denominational missions. Pooling our collective funds enables the hiring of diverse and capable professional money managers, lowers our per unit management costs across a larger asset pool, and mitigates risks that affect smaller portfolios. Via our UU staff and volunteers that direct the fund, we continually work to improve corporate behavior via shareholder coalitions that stretch well beyond our denomination. We are proud of our accomplishments and gladly share our expertise with UU organizations who wish to invest alongside the UUA."
"The UUCEF is a powerful vehicle for congregations to join with each other and with the denomination as a whole to advance UU values. We are a pioneering force driving corporate progress on issues such as climate change, money in politics, civil rights and LGBTQ rights. We make an impact disproportionate to our size through our shareholder advocacy and community investing. We also catalyze innovation in the investment community through our demand for data on companies’ social and environmental performance and our expectation that managers take an integrated approach to sustainability, social responsibility, and financial results."