| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.82 |
| Liaison | Konrad Schlarbaum |
| Submission Date | Feb. 20, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
PA-14: Sustainable Investment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.39 / 4.00 |
Dan
Palmquist Vice President & Chief Financial Officer CU Foundation |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
None
Total value of the investment pool:
1,090,782,592
US/Canadian $
None
Value of holdings in each of the following categories::
| Value of Holdings | |
| Sustainable industries (e.g. renewable energy or sustainable forestry) | 49,254,907 US/Canadian $ |
| Businesses selected for exemplary sustainability performance (e.g. using criteria specified in a sustainable investment policy) | 0 US/Canadian $ |
| Sustainability investment funds (e.g. a renewable energy or impact investment fund) | 15,248,887 US/Canadian $ |
| Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) or the equivalent | 0 US/Canadian $ |
| Socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens (or the equivalent) | 0 US/Canadian $ |
| Green revolving loan funds that are funded from the endowment | 0 US/Canadian $ |
None
A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:
- Venture capital firm #1 provides start-up capital and operating leadership to companies in the clean energy, digital media (IT), and life sciences sectors. Recent investments have largely been weighted to the clean technology sector.
- Venture capital firm #2 provides growth capital for mid to late stage venture companies within the clean technology and life sciences sectors.
- Private equity firm#1 makes mezzanine and equity investments in energy and energy-related infrastructure, which include investing in clean energy, coal mining, and fuel additives.
- Private equity firm #2 seeks to create a sizable portfolio of land and livestock enterprises (sheep and cattle) and, subsequently, use technology and advanced herd management techniques to improve efficiencies of pasture-land operations.
None
Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
Yes
None
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
---
None
The sustainable investment policy:
Per the University of Colorado Foundation Shareholder Responsibility Guidelines, "The University of Colorado Foundation, to the degree to which it can reasonably evaluate the impact of a proposition, will attempt to vote for propositions which seek to eliminate or reduce the social injury caused by a company's activities to the degree that there is no negative economic impact to the Foundation's assets."
None
Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
Yes
None
A brief description of how the policy is applied, including recent examples:
The University of Colorado Foundation adheres to a Sudan Divestment Policy. As part of that policy, a negative screen of the entire investment pool is conducted annually. Securities that would be in violation of the policy are identified and managers are then formally asked in writing to sell positions that violate the terms of the policy. This has been done in writing on more than one occasion over the last three years.
None
Does the institution's sustainable investment policy include negative screens?:
No
None
A brief description of the negative screens and how they have been implemented:
N/A
None
Approximate percentage of the endowment that the negative screens apply to:
---
None
Has the institution engaged in proxy voting, either by its CIR or other committee or through the use of guidelines, to promote sustainability during the previous three years?:
Yes
None
A copy of the proxy voting guidelines or proxy record:
---
None
A brief description of how managers are adhering to proxy voting guidelines:
Per the University of Colorado Foundation Shareholder Responsibility Guidelines, "The University of Colorado Foundation, to the degree to which it can reasonably evaluate the impact of a proposition, will attempt to vote for propositions which seek to eliminate or reduce the social injury caused by a company's activities to the degree that there is no negative economic impact to the Foundation's assets."
http://www.cufund.org/wp-content/themes/cufoundation/images/financial/CUF%20Shareholder%20Responsibility%20Guidelines%205-09.pdf
None
Has the institution filed or co-filed one or more shareholder resolutions that address sustainability or submitted one or more letters about social or environmental responsibility to a company in which it holds investments during the previous three years?:
No
None
Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
---
None
Does the institution engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engaging in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
No
None
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:
---
None
The website URL where information about the institution's sustainable investment efforts is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
In addition to the current value of approximately $49 million in sustainable industries such as renewable energy or sustainable forestry, additional commitments of over $26 million have been made but are uncalled to date. There are also additional investments in sustainable industries across other funds, but the amount above represents those funds that are dedicated to the industries noted.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.