research

TNI Institutional Research

True North Institute researches some of the most fundamental over-arching investment challenges that institutional investors will confront in the decade ahead.

featured research

October 2025

Regime Change and Endowment (SAA) Model vs TPA

This paper argues that while there may indeed be a “regime change” taking place in the world, the institutional investor’s response is not a wholesale pivot away from the endowment model to the Total Portfolio Approach (TPA). The recommended model is a “hybrid endowment” where investors retain deep asset-class expertise and diversified manager rosters, enhance portfolio-level factor oversight, and—crucially—delegate more authority to the CIO to act nimbly when conditions change. And most importantly, look for alternative sources of outperformance from asset classes other than private equity.

TPA Image

TNI Library

Van_Wickle_Gates_-_Brown_University
Analysis of Large US University Endowment Outperformance

This paper is an update two years on from our whitepaper entitled “Analysis of Large US University Endowment Outperformance” covering the 10-years ending June 2023 of a select group of 12 US university endowments.  This update is a summary of the analysis of large US University Endowment outperformance for the period ending June 2025. US Endowment…

Picture4
Beyond the Endowment Model

This whitepaper explores the potential obsolescence of the endowment model, particularly for endowments and foundations. The paper examines the historical performance of the endowment model, noting the significant role of private equity and venture capital in its success. However, due to factors such as increased competition and higher interest rates, the future prospects for these asset…

AI image for website
Will AI Deliver More Alpha to Institutional Investors

This document highlights the transformative impact of AI on institutional investing. It defines core AI concepts, discusses its macroeconomic effects, and outlines how it’s changing investment management, including asset manager selection, portfolio risk management, and the crucial need for data governance. It also describes the key attributes of AI-integrated asset managers, the importance of proprietary…