Conservation Trust Fund Investment Survey

There are many conservation trust funds (CTFs) of varying sizes and missions, supported by a range of financing, that operate throughout the world.

While some of these are funded through annual government appropriations or manage sinking funds where capital is spent down over time, many also manage endowment funds, relying upon the return from endowment investments to sustain their operations.

Many of CTFs operate without the benefit of broader information and knowledge sharing, especially with regard to financial information. Instead, many CTFs are
operating in relative isolation and therefore devise their investment strategies and management practices without the ability to draw upon one another’s experiences.

The Conservation Trust Fund Investment Survey (CTFIS) was created in order to bridge this divide.

This study’s principal objectives are to assess CTFs’ financial performance, to establish a benchmark against which the funds can evaluate their returns, and to share this information publicly in order to foster best practices. To this end, the CTFIS effort sets out to gather and share background information on funds with specific emphasis on information related to:

• Size, period of operation, contact information
• Size of invested assets and investment return
• Asset and currency allocation
• Investment return criteria
• Type of investment advisors, if any
• Investment restrictions, if any