| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.47 |
| Liaison | Cora Kenfield |
| Submission Date | March 4, 2021 |
Vassar College
PA-10: Sustainable Investment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.67 / 5.00 |
Cora
Kenfield Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
Total value of the investment pool:
Value of holdings in each of the following categories:
| Value of holdings | |
| Sustainable industries (e.g., renewable energy or sustainable forestry) | 0 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) | 0 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 funds funded from the endowment | 0 US/Canadian $ |
A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:
Percentage of the institution's investment pool in positive sustainability investments:
Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
The sustainable investment policy:
Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
A brief description of how the sustainable investment policy is applied:
Hall Capital, who manages Vassar's endowment, selects many of its fund managers with expectations that they integrate ESG principles and "Full Consequence Investing" (FCI) into their processes. To quote from their policy:
In strategies such as private equity, real estate and hard assets Hall Capital continues to find managers who:
Believe that evaluating long-term business sustainability can improve performance over the long term
Incorporate FCI factors into diligence, and document their policy and process
Seek to improve long-term sustainability of companies or assets, recognizing that sustainability and
efficiency (leading to increased long-term profitability) are often closely linked
Apply and track FCI-related metrics for underlying assets to track sustainability milestones and goals
Proactively invest and/or drive change in companies or industries that address sustainability themes
Have senior-level buy-in, dedicated senior resources in the sustainability area, and/or exhibit awareness of
FCI at all levels of the organization
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?:
A copy of the proxy voting guidelines or proxy record:
A brief description of how managers are adhering to proxy voting guidelines:
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?:
Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
Does the institution participate in a public divestment effort and/or have a publicly available investment policy with negative screens?:
A brief description of the divestment effort or negative screens and how they have been implemented:
Since 2006, Vassar has had a negative screen in place for companies that operate in Sudan.
Approximate percentage of endowment that the divestment effort and/or negative screens apply to:
Does the institution engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engage in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:
Our endowment management firm, Hall Capital, is a signatory to the UN PRI
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable investment efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Hall Capital Partners LLC, whose policies are listed above, currently manages Vassar's endowment, substantiated in our annual IRS filings: https://financeandadministration.vassar.edu/docs/990-2016.pdf
Hall Capital Partners LLC, whose policies are listed above, currently manages Vassar's endowment, substantiated in our annual IRS filings: https://financeandadministration.vassar.edu/docs/990-2016.pdf
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.