Introduction

In 1991, a network of foundations founded a cooperative-style investment organization whose structure and eligibility criteria have evolved over time but whose essential mission has not. Known colloquially as TIFF, this organization seeks to improve the investment returns of endowed charities by making available to them a series of multi-manager investment vehicles plus resources aimed at enhancing fiduciaries' knowledge of investing. The organization comprises three regulated entities at present: a tax-exempt private operating foundation whose d/b/a (TIFF Education Foundation) is more descriptive of its focus on education and research than its formal legal name (The Investment Fund for Foundations); TIFF Investment Program (TIP), an SEC-regulated mutual fund family; and TIFF Advisory Services (TAS), a taxable non-stock corporation and SEC-registered investment advisor that administers investment vehicles bearing the TIFF name.