UO
LP profile
University of Notre Dame Endowment
Endowment · Founded 1920 · South Bend, United States
14
VC firms backed
$18B
AUM
~$1.8B
Allocated to VC (est. 10%)
01 · Background
Who University of Notre Dame Endowment is.
- Historical Background
- The University of Notre Dame was founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross. In 1944, the university's endowment was valued at $1.4 million. The endowment grew to over $600 million by 1990 and reached $20.3 billion by the end of the 2021 fiscal year. At the close of the 2023 fiscal year, the endowment was valued at $18.9 billion.
- Source of Capital
- The endowment is comprised of over 7,000 individual funds established by donors. Capital is sourced from contributions from alumni, parents, and friends of the university.
- Major Events
- The 2021 fiscal year saw a 53.2 percent investment return, the second-highest one-year return in the endowment's history. For the 2023 fiscal year, the endowment's return was 1.32%.
- Allocation Strategy
- The endowment's investment strategy is guided by principles of Catholic social teaching. A portion of the endowment is allocated to private equity. Payouts from the endowment fund financial aid, academic programs, and university operations, covering approximately 37% of the university's budget. The endowment is the largest at a Catholic university and the 12th largest in American higher education.
02 · Fund commitments
The funds University of Notre Dame Endowment backs.
University of Notre Dame Endowment is a limited partner in 14 funds. 7 of them place in the Power Law Investor Ranking; those lead, best-ranked first.

Sequoia Capital
#2 Power Law

First Round Capital
#16 Power Law

Kleiner Perkins
#18 Power Law

Venrock
#56 Power Law

Mayfield
#134 Power Law

North Bridge Venture Partners
#328 Power Law

U.S. Venture Partners
#342 Power Law

BioCrossroads

Carlyle AlpInvest

HarbourVest Partners

Mohr Davidow Ventures

Novak Biddle Venture Partners
03 · Allocation
How University of Notre Dame Endowment’s fund book is spread.
The 14 funds University of Notre Dame Endowment backs, by where the manager is headquartered and how many funds that manager has raised.
Where those managers are based
By fund headquarters.
- North America 14100%
United States 14
How established those managers are
Managers grouped by how many funds they have raised — across the 8 of 14 with a fund history on record.
Emerging funds · 0
Established funds · 8
1
2
3
1
4
5-6
5
7-9
10-14
2
15+
Funds raised by the manager
04 · Other LPs
Other LPs.
Other endowments in the Power Law LP ranking, closest to University of Notre Dame Endowment by combined power-law score — North America first, then the nearest worldwide.
🇺🇸
University of Michigan Endowment
$18B AUM
81 VC funds backed
🇺🇸
The Heinz Endowments
$2.3B AUM
45 VC funds backed
🇺🇸
University of Washington Endowment
$6.2B AUM
28 VC funds backed
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The Duke Endowment
$4.5B AUM
19 VC funds backed
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Silicon Valley Community Foundation Endowment Pool
$14B AUM
8 VC funds backed
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University of Pittsburgh Endowment
$5.5B AUM
31 VC funds backed
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Cornell University Endowment
$10B AUM
11 VC funds backed
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Claremont McKenna College Endowment
$1.2B AUM
3 VC funds backed