Can You Hire Someone to Raise Capital From Endowments for You?

Adapted for fund managers pitching endowments from Chapter 5 of Capital Raising by Richard C. Wilson.

It is tempting to think one well-connected person could introduce you to five endowments and get the fund raised. I hear this all the time.

I am all for using connectors and networked people to spread your content and keep you in mind. But you can't rely on someone else to get it done.

The main reason

The allocators don't know you. A connector can get you a meeting. Then you are a stranger with a deck, and the endowment may not even have a need right now.

People ask me to introduce them to investors almost every week. I usually do know relevant investors. But an introduction doesn't create trust in the manager. That part only the manager can build.

Wave your own flag

For years I have been known for two things. Running the Family Office Club, and helping single family offices build direct investing capability. Those are my flags. I am not known for oil and gas or London real estate. Families interested in those rarely bring them to me, because that's not my flag.

Endowment allocators work the same way. They go to the manager known for the thing they need. You build that reputation through research, speaking, results and references. An outside marketer can help you spread it. They can't be it.

Where outside help does fit

  • Placement agents with real institutional relationships, under a proper agreement. Talk to securities counsel about registration and how agents may be paid.
  • Investor relations staff inside your firm, working your funnel every day.
  • Consultant relations, getting your fund rated by the firms that screen for endowments.

All of these work better when your own flag is already up.

Frequently asked questions

Are placement agents worth it for endowments?

Some are, especially with strong consultant and institutional ties. Check references with managers they have raised for.

Can I pay someone a percentage of what they raise?

That raises securities law questions. Get advice from securities counsel first.

What should I do myself, no matter what?

Be the visible expert on your strategy. Nobody else can do that part.

Sources

  1. Capital Raising, Chapter 5, Richard C. Wilson .

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Can You Hire Someone to Raise Capital From Endowments for You?
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I started Family Office Club 19 years ago. I would rather build a real relationship than sell you something. I am not a broker. I am not a bank. I do not charge for anything on this site.

Endowments are some of the most studied investors in the world, and the numbers are scattered across financial reports, press releases and student newspapers. This site puts each endowment's figures in one place, from its own reports first, names every source, and says plainly when a number has not been published.

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I run a fund and want endowment LPs
Tell me what you are raising for. I will tell you which endowments look like a fit, and which rooms are worth being in.
For Fund Managers
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Compare value, returns and spending across endowments, with the source and the date behind every number.
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Benchmark study

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Source: NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments FY2025 · Data through FY2025

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Methodology

How we check facts

Each fact names its source and its date. When two sources disagree, we show both. When an endowment has not published a number, we say so.

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Endowment directory

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Ranked from published profiles only, using each endowment's latest reported fiscal year. The basis and date sit next to every number. {{ stats.queued }} endowments are still in research and will be added as their profiles publish.

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Practical guides for raising from, working with and running endowments. Each one is being written now and will publish here, free.

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Useful to include
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Correct it or claim it. It is free. Send the page, the change and a public source, and we will update it and note the date.

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Compare endowments on the same terms.

For board members, investment committee members, donors, students and journalists. Every profile shows value, return, spending and allocation with the fiscal year and source next to each figure.

Largest endowmentsBy value, latest fiscal year Returns by fiscal yearRanked by latest reported return Reading an endowment reportWhat each headline figure counts Glossary{{ glossaryCount }} endowment terms, defined
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How we check facts

Each fact names its source and its date. We start with the institution's own financial report, investment office report and press release, then official filings, then third-party reporting. Figures are tied to a fiscal year, because most endowments report once a year. When two sources disagree, we show both. When an endowment has not published a number, we say so rather than estimate it silently.

Status labels

Multiple sourcesTwo or more independent sources agree.
Single sourceOne source, usually the institution itself.
EstimateA third-party estimate or a conversion. Not stated by the institution.
PendingShown for structure; the figure or its source is still being confirmed.

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About Endowments.com

Richard C. Wilson

What this site is

Endowments.com is a research resource on university, college and foundation endowments. It profiles 775 endowments, including university, college, foundation and hospital endowments, built from each institution's own reports and public filings, and runs the Endowments by Size Band benchmark study. Every figure carries its source and date.

Richard C. Wilson, founder of the Family Office Club

I started Family Office Club 19 years ago at 26, as my 12th startup and the first one that worked. All three of my daughters are in the business with me now. My father raised $1 billion for non-profits before I ever started, so I grew up watching this.

Since then: 300+ in-person events, 1,500 investors on stage, 250+ family offices created or formalized, 46 transactions off my own balance sheet, and CIO of a $180M single family office.

I am not a broker. I am not a bank. I do not charge for anything on this site. I built it because endowment figures are spread across hundreds of reports and press releases, and few places put them side by side with sources.

Text or WhatsApp me at (808) 600-9260, or email Richard@Endowments.com.

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Richard C. Wilson

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I'm Richard C. Wilson. I started Family Office Club 19 years ago. I read the messages that come in through this site myself. Text or WhatsApp me at (808) 600-9260, or email Richard@Endowments.com. Thank you.

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This page is for general information only and is not investment, tax or legal advice. Figures come from the public sources listed and may have changed.