The 20 Year Review: 1996 & 2016 HBCU Endowments Then & Now

The 2016 HBCU Money’s Top 10 HBCU Endowments list is out. NACUBO’s list this year included 815 reporting institutions from the U.S. and Canada. Here are a few fast facts of then and now in regards to HBCUs place in the whole of the endowment conversation.

• Of the 815 reporting institutions in 2016, only 1.8 percent were HBCUs. HBCUs comprise 3 percent of American colleges and universities. In 1996, Of the 467 reporting institutions in 1994, only 0.8 percent were HBCUs.
• 20 years ago, the 4 HBCUs who were present on the list had a combined endowment value of $468.2 million versus the top 4 HWCUs who had a combined endowment value of $23.8 billion.
• The endowment wealth gap between the top HWCUs/HBCUs in 2016 was 101:1. In 1996, it was 51:1.
• In 1996, 20 HWCUs reported endowments over $1 billion and 3 HBCUs reported endowments over $100 million. In 2016, there were 93 HWCUs with reported endowments over $1 billion or an increase of 365 percent. HBCUs increased their ranks of $100 million endowments from 2 to 5 or an increase of 150 percent – unchanged from the 1994 to 2014 review.
• The 101:1 gap currently is actually a decrease from our 2014 review where the gap was 106:1. A significant 4.7 percent decrease.
• Of the 805 within the United States, 74.3 percent of the $515 billion in endowment value is controlled by 11.3 percent or 91 institutions.
• The favorite investment of endowments above $100 million is alternative strategies*, which for endowments above $1 billion make up 58 percent, between $501 million to $1 billion make up 45 percent, and endowments $101 million to $500 million constitute 35 percent of their portfolio.
• While the majority of HBCUs fall well under the $100 million sphere, the favorite investment among those groups are domestic equities, constituting in the range of 33 to 44 percent of portfolios under $100 million.

*Alternative strategies are categorized in the NCSE as follows: Private equity (LBOs, mezzanine, M&A funds, and international private equity); Marketable alternative strategies (hedge funds, absolute return, market neutral, long/short, 130/30, and event-driven and derivatives); Venture capital; Private equity real-estate (non-campus); Energy and natural resources (oil, gas, timber, commodities and managed futures); and Distressed debt. On-campus real estate is included in the Short-term Securities/Cash/Other category.