Endowment Performance at Select Nonprofits

Dayton Foundation

Endowment’s market value: $358,173,190

Fiscal year ends: June 30

Behind the numbers: The Dayton Foundation recovered faster than most endowments, reaching its pre-recession peak in 2011. The group uses fewer alternative investments, with no investments in private equities or venture capital, and puts more into traditional investments like stocks and bonds.

Asset allocation: 64% stocks, 21% bonds, 11% alternative investments, 4% cash

United Way of Miami-Dade

Endowment’s market value: $15,751,108

Fiscal year ends: June 30

Behind the numbers: United Way of Miami-Dade was able to return its endowment to pre-recession levels in 2009, a faster turnaround than most. It increased the share of its portfolio in bonds from 0.1 percent in 2008 to 40.6 percent in 2009. The organization has since increased its investment in stocks and pulled back on bonds.

Asset allocation: 46.6% alternative investments, 43.4% stocks, 6.5% cash, 3.5% bonds

Grinnell College

Endowment’s market value: $1,553,629,299

Fiscal year ends: June 30

Behind the numbers: Grinnell’s return on investment in 2013—16.6 percent—was the highest for a college in The Chronicle’s endowment survey. The university invests almost half of its assets in alternative investments, which include private equity and hedge funds.

Asset allocation: 72% stocks, 19% bonds, 8% alternative investments, 1% cash

Compassion International

Endowment’s market value: $8,577,678

Fiscal year ends: June 30

Behind the numbers: Compassion International posted a 12.5-percent return on investment in 2013, the 11th year in a row that the organization has reported a positive return in The Chronicle’s endowment survey. The nonprofit has a straightforward investment portfolio, skipping alternative investments altogether.

Asset allocation: 56% stocks, 34% bonds, 10% cash