Duke University Endowment Totals $5.6 Billion at End of Fiscal Year

DUMAC, Inc. achieved a 1.0 percent return on Duke University's endowment and other investments for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, bringing the endowment total to $5.6 billion, according to the university's latest annual financial report, which was made public Tuesday. 

The return compared favorably to the -1.1 return for a portfolio used by the university as a benchmark for its own long-term investment pool. As a result of favorable investment returns and new gifts, the university's endowment has largely recovered from losses it experienced during the financial downturn, including a drop of more than 25 percent in FY2009.

In FY2011, DUMAC achieved a 24.5 percent return on investments. This past year, the market value of the university's endowment declined slightly even though the investment returns were positive. This occurred because of planned distributions in support of university operations.  Each year, Duke allocates approximately 5.5 percent of the average value of its endowment over the three previous calendar year-end totals to support designated ongoing operations.

DUMAC's investment portfolio consists of equities, debt and other investments. More information about it is available at http://dukeforward.duke.edu/ways-to-give/endowment.

The new financial information was included in an annual financial report submitted to the university's board of trustees last weekend, a gathering highlighted by the launch of a comprehensive fundraising campaign. The report is online at https://finance.duke.edu/resources/docs/financial_reports.pdf.