Topic A: The Big Picture.
• Society’s urgent sustainability challenges and relevance to endowment investing.
• Defining your institution’s values.
• Why it is important for higher education to align investments and ESG goals.

Topic B: Fiduciary responsibility.
• Core concepts of fiduciary responsibility now and in the future.
• Requirements of the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act as adopted by New England states and DC, highlighting significant differences.
• Discussing shifts in investment approach with your investment committee.
• Developing a statement of investment beliefs/principles/policies around ESG issues.

Topic C: Investment Risks, ESG strategies and Mega-Trends.
• Key risks/megatrends likely to affect investments (climate change, resource depletion, water scarcity, population growth, growth of middle class/consumption, human rights etc.);
• The divestment movement, climate and carbon asset risk;
• Overview of ESG investing historically, current and future trends
• How to stay current with ESG issues and innovations.
• Making the business case for ESG investing:

• Illustrative examples of ESG strategies with superior performance;
• Long-term qualitative and quantitative benefits/costs of implementing an ESG portfolio.

Topic D: Institutional stakeholders.
• Talking to your investment committee, other trustees, CFO’s and fund managers.
• Addressing implementation challenges, e.g., co-mingling of funds.
• Risks/Benefits of Fundraising After Implementing an ESG Portfolio.

Topic E: ESG Investing: Core issues for implementation.
• Strategies and Screens.

• Potential ESG strategies: risk analysis, negative screening, positive screening, best in class, thematic (investing in solutions), engagement/asset stewardship;
• The PASSIVE (lower cost indexing) and ACTIVE alternatives for various asset classes;
• Illiquid strategies: Impact (Environment, Social and Governance sensitive) investing through private equity and venture capital.
• Alternative investments, including internal investments such as revolving loan funds and community development financial institutions.
• How to think about the limits of what one invests (or doesn’t invest) in.

• How to integrate ESG factors into investment decision-making.

• Process steps to address these issues/integrate ESG factors into investment decision-making (e.g. 10 steps in Ceres’ 21st Century Investor Blueprint for Sustainable Investing;
• A case study on how to assure prudent portfolio asset allocation when choosing not to invest in a type of asset or company;
• Where and how to start. Defining challenges and developing implementation strategies. Identifying necessary help and resource needs.

Topic F: Next Steps

• Types of immediate/ongoing support you need to consider and/or take action on ESG investing.
• Collective role of higher education and private foundations in expanding ESG investing.
• Defining what role would you like to play in local, regional and national efforts to further ESG investing by higher education and private foundations.