Press release from Cal Poly Humboldt:

For more than a decade, the Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation has been committed to responsible investing of the University’s endowment. In keeping with that commitment, 100% of the Foundation’s investments—excluding the approximately 16 percent invested in real estate mutual funds—are now in Environmentally and Socially Responsible (ESR) mutual funds as of this summer. ESR funds are pools of investments selected for their strong environmental, social, and governance practices, balanced with a reasonable rate of return.

Earlier this year, the Foundation’s Finance & Investment Committee approved replacing its last traditional investment with the Nuveen Core Impact Bond Fund, and the transfer was completed this summer.  Real estate investments are not included in this figure because they do not receive an ESR rating.

With student involvement and assistance, the Foundation adopted a new policy focused on ESR investing in 2014, putting Humboldt at the leading edge of responsible investing within higher education. That policy takes a “positive investment” approach to select funds with strong environmental, social, and governance practices. The policy was updated and expanded in 2023. Steve Karp, Interim Vice President for Advancement and Executive Director of the Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation, is available for interviews.

About the Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation and Investments

The Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation manages the University’s endowment and is a nonprofit entity governed by a board composed of a majority of volunteers.  The University’s endowment, currently valued at approximately $56.7 million, invests a donor’s contribution long-term, using the income generated to provide  scholarships and funds to support students, research and university programs  in perpetuity. The endowment does not include any state funding, including tuition dollars.

The Foundation does not directly invest in any stocks. Most of the University’s endowment portfolio is invested in pooled, diversified mutual funds, which have stock in companies that can change frequently.

The Foundation Board makes decisions on which mutual funds to invest in based on our environmentally and socially responsible (ESR) policy, balanced with the return on investment. Maximizing the return on investment ultimately increases the amount of money available to support student scholarships and other programming.