Are Colleges Cashing In Endowments As Political Pressure Mounts?
Yale University is reportedly offloading up to $6 billion of its private equity holdings—roughly 15% of its $41.4 billion endowment—as elite academic institutions come under intensified fiscal and political pressure following federal funding cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration.
The move underscores a larger trend: once-stable university endowments, long regarded as immune to cyclical market fluctuations, are now being forced to recalibrate due to shifting federal policy and potential tax threats.
Yale’s investment strategy has historically prioritized illiquid alternatives. As of 2020, nearly 50% of the endowment was allocated to illiquids—including 17.5% in leveraged buyouts and 23.5% in venture capital. The current selloff, focused on private equity, marks a dramatic deviation from that playbook and suggests mounting liquidity concerns or an anticipatory hedge against regulatory shocks.
The ripple effects could be significant to other academic institutions. Harvard, with an estimated 40% PE exposure in its $50.7 billion endowment, faces additional strain if its tax-exempt status remains in jeopardy.
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