Investment Pools
With the expertise and oversight of our Investment Committee and investment staff, The Chicago Community Trust constructs and manages multiple investment portfolios — all with the goal of helping our donors meet their charitable goals.
The Trust’s Professional Investment Oversight
With the expertise and oversight of our Investment Committee and investment staff, The Chicago Community Trust constructs and manages multiple investment portfolios — all with the goal of helping our donors meet their charitable goals.
The Trust works with NEPC, a world-class institutional investment consultant, who collaborates with us on the investment strategy of our Operating and Growth Pools. NEPC helps nonprofit clients like the Trust create investment programs to improve long-term financial outcomes, allowing us to pursue our strategic mission as a community foundation and advance the philanthropy of thousands of generous Trust donors.
Know Your Investment Options
We develop investment options to help our donors meet their charitable goals, and you have a choice in how The Chicago Community Trust invests the charitable assets in your donor advised fund (DAF).
The time horizon for your anticipated grantmaking may play a role in your choice. Depending on when you expect to make grants — in the near or far future — you can choose to invest in our Growth or Operating Pools. All donor advised funds at the Trust have access to these two pooled options, and one additional option exists for funds with balances over $1 million.
- The Growth Pool is designed for long-term capital growth. If you anticipate making grants both in the near term and three or more years from now, or even across future generations, the Growth Pool seeks a higher rate of return to ensure that your charitable objectives can be met over the long term. The Growth Pool may also be the best option for donors when only a portion of their assets are expected to be granted in the near future. Investments within this portfolio also generate positive social impact in Chicago.
- The Operating Pool is designed for capital preservation. When you plan to spend down the balance of your fund via grants within the next one to three years, selecting the Operating Pool seeks to seeks to protect your charitable assets from market-based volatility during that time period, while also generating a modest yield.
Your Financial Advisor
Your financial advisor can be invited to manage your donor advised fund’s investments if your fund balance exceeds $1 million, providing you with another option to invest your philanthropic assets at the Trust.
Current Performance of the Growth Pool
Current performance of the Growth Pool as of October 31, 2024, net of fees:
| 1 Month | 1 Year | 3 Year | 5 Year | 7 Year | 10 Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growth Pool | -0.4% | 21.9% | 3.4% | 8.5% | 7.0% | 6.7% |
| Policy Index | -1.1% | 22.7% | 3.9% | 7.9% | 7.0% | 6.8% |
The Policy Index is a benchmark for relative comparison, and reflects the weighted benchmark performance of the asset classes in our long-term strategic asset allocation. You cannot invest directly in a Policy Index.
Current Annual Yield of the Operating Pool
Current annual yield of the Operating Pool as of October 31, 2024, net of fees, is 4.34%.
Find Out More
- How to add new assets to your donor advised fund
- How to fund your donor advised fund with non-cash assets
- Discover different ways to give