LP profile · Endowment

University of Michigan Endowment

University of Michigan Endowment is a endowment headquartered in United States (North America). Ranked #6 in the 2026 Dealroom Power Law LP Ranking by realised power-law score across its venture commitments.

Type
Endowment
HQ
United States
AUM
$19.2B
VC allocation
15%
Power Law score
123,272
LP rank

Historical Background

  • The University of Michigan's Investment Office was established in 1999 to oversee the university's Long Term Portfolio.
  • In 2000, the university launched "The Michigan Difference," a major fundraising campaign that aimed to raise $2.5 billion, with a significant portion designated for the permanent endowment.

Source of Capital

  • The endowment is a collection of more than 12,700 separate funds, with the majority of these being restricted for specific purposes as specified by individual donors.
  • Other sources of capital include bequests, trust distributions, and outright gifts to the university.

Major Events

  • The endowment experienced a significant 40.6% growth for the 2021 fiscal year, reaching a total of $17 billion.
  • As of June 2023, the endowment was valued at $17.9 billion, making it one of the ten largest in the United States.

Allocation Strategy

  • The endowment's investment strategy emphasizes diversification across a wide spectrum of asset classes, including private equity, venture capital, real assets, public equities, and hedge funds.
  • The university's investment approach includes a focus on early-stage venture capital, demonstrating an interest in diversifying its portfolio and exploring opportunities in the alternative investment space.
  • The endowment's distribution policy is designed to insulate the university's budget from market volatility by basing the distribution rate on a trailing average of the market.

Sources

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