Catholic Investment Services marks five-year anniversary of the Catholic Endowment Fund

With its Catholic SRI policy, the strategy provides the most Catholic-compliant institutional product in the investment market

BOSTON, MA – Catholic Investment Services (CIS) today marked the five-year anniversary of its Catholic Endowment Fund (CEF) strategy, a global, multi-asset fund of funds designed for the long-term needs of Catholic institutions.

With approximately $650 million in assets under management, CIS manages endowments and pensions for a wide variety of Catholic organizations, including dioceses, religious orders, higher education/high schools, healthcare systems and social service organizations.

CIS maintains a Catholic Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) Policy, adhering to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ SRI guidelines. The result is the one of the most Catholic-compliant institutional investment products in the market.

CIS, a non-profit, like all of its clients, was founded by some of the investment industry’s leading executives to create a highly differentiated approach to address the investment hurdles faced by Catholic organizations.

“Five years ago, when we looked at the investment landscape, we found that small to mid-size Catholic organizations—and some larger organizations– did not have a complete set of good investment choices,” said Peter Jeton, CEO of CIS. “Pope Francis speaks frequently of bringing the Church out to the periphery, to engage people where they are rather than expecting them to come to the center. Similarly, CIS was created to be at what I call the ‘Catholic investing frontier,’ where we are formulating investment solutions. We are using our access to best-in-breed global managers, who are unavailable to most endowments due to size, while ensuring consistency with Catholic social teaching and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) SRI guidelines.”

In addition to Jeton, other members of the Board of Trustees include:

• John J. Brennan – Chairman Emeritus and Senior Advisor of The Vanguard Group, Inc.
• Scott C. Malpass – Vice President and Chief Investment Officer at the University of Notre Dame
• Thomas E. Lanctot – Retired Partner of William Blair & Company
• Joan A. Payden – President and Chief Executive Officer of Payden & Rygel
• Paul Schott Stevens – President and Chief Executive Officer of the Investment Company Institute

Jeton added that CIS continues to consider new solutions, including a Catholic private equity impact strategy. This takes a diversified approach by geography, industry, and vintage year that suits the long-term needs of Catholic non-profits. It combines investment sophistication with a rigorous Catholic orientation and focuses on selected core impact sectors-Healthcare, Energy, Environment, Community Development and Financial Empowerment. “This shows it is possible to generate good returns while staying true to Catholic teachings,” he said.

About Catholic Investment Services

Catholic Investment Services (CIS) is a non-profit, SEC registered investment advisor that manages endowment and pension assets for Catholic organizations. It seeks to deliver strong investment returns aligned with Catholic principles so Catholic organizations can make a bigger impact in their communities. CIS was founded by some of the investment industry’s most respected leaders to address the investment challenges faced by Catholic organizations. Based in Boston, CIS’s assets under management represent approximately $650 million.