Growth Objective  |  Social Purpose Investments  |  Professional Management

Participation in the ELCA Endowment Fund Pooled Trust
The ELCA Endowment Fund Pooled Trust - Fund A, administered by the ELCA Foundation with the ELCA Board of Pensions acting as investment advisor, invests assets entrusted to it by congregations, synods and other organizations of the church. The ELCA Foundation invites ELCA congregations and institutions to invest in Fund A.

Experienced Management
When pooled in the ELCA Endowment Fund Pooled Trust - Fund A, your institution's endowment assets are managed and invested by professionals. The Board of Pensions currently manages over $7 billion. The Trust offers one fund, the ELCA Endowment Fund "A" (Fund), for investment.  

Investment managers of the Pooled Trust are: JP Morgan Asset Management; AXA Rosenberg Institutional Equity Management; Alliance Bernstein Institutional Management; SEI Investments; Barclays Global Investors NA; Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited; BlackRock Financial Management; Cohen & Steers Capital Management; Shenkman Capital Management, Inc.; T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.; and Board of Pensions of the ELCA.

* All Returns are before the deduction of fees and are unaudited.  Fees are 1/12 of 1 percent per month.  All returns for periods greater than one year are annualized.  Past performance does not guarantee future results. 

Economies of Scale in Investing
Your organization's assets are pooled with the accounts from many other ELCA synods, congregations, agencies and institutions as well as the permanent endowment funds of the ELCA churchwide ministry.  When you pool your organization's or congregation's assets in this unitized fund with the accounts of others, the larger aggregate fund allows a diversity of investment that may not otherwise be available.  Investments are made in accordance with the ELCA's guidelines for socially responsible investing.

Investment Objective: Growth and Income for the Long Term
The Fund is structured to provide participants with a relatively stable, quarterly stream of distributable investment income that grows over time.  The Fund also seeks to provide participants with long-term capital appreciation, keeping pace with the expected long-term rate of inflation.  Fund A's target allocation is 50% in U.S. equity, 15% non-U.S. equity, 20% fixed income, 10% high yield fixed income and 5% real estate investment trusts.

Social Purpose Investing
Fund A pursues its investment objective using criteria of social responsibility that are consistent with the values and programs of the ELCA. These social responsibility criteria are used to limit the universe of securities in which the fund

  + harmful products or services including tobacco, distilled alcohol, pornography or gambling

  + those that research and develop nuclear, biological or chemical weapons, or manage U.S. government-owned facilities

     for such weapons

  + those with significant toxic waste releases, hazardous waste sites, and environmental penalties or liabilities; and major

     producers of toxic chemicals

In addition, we seek investments that benefit community economic development or the environment. 

Pooled Trust Investments include:

• Access to account balances without withdrawal fees

• Easy to read quarterly reports

• Flexible options for deposit and withdrawal

• Professional management

Other Fund A Features

Quarterly Distributions
As an endowment investment vehicle, Fund A issues quarterly payments (March, June, September, December) based on an annual distribution percentage. Fund A investors may opt to have their quarterly payments reinvested automatically, or request a different distribution percentage.

Management Fees
The management fee is one-twelfth of 1 percent (1/12 percent) per month of your fund's balance. It is deducted on the last day of each month. This fee is all inclusive, covering all management and investment costs of your account.

Starting Balance & Deposits
Investments with the Trust can be started with a minimum initial investment of $25,000. Thereafter, deposits of $2,000 or more may be made at any time and will be credited to your account balance on the next valuation date (which is generally the last business day of every month).

Minimum Balance
The minimum fund balance is $25,000.

Distributions and Withdrawals
Distributions are made on the last business day of each calendar quarter (March, June, September, and December), in accordance with the current policy of the Endowment Fund of the ELCA, the Pooled Trust's Trustee.  Additional withdrawals may be requested by written notice to the ELCA Foundation.  The minimum withdrawal is $2,000. There is no withdrawal fee.

Closing Withdrawals
Fund A accounts may be closed by submitting a closing withdrawal form to the ELCA Foundation. The account balance will be distributed at the end of the month following the month notification is received.

Disclosure Statement Availability
To receive a Disclosure Statement containing more complete information, including expenses, risks and an application form, please call 1-800-638-3522, ext. 2970.  Please read the Disclosure Statement carefully before investing.

Disclaimer
The statements enclosed herein do not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, to any person in Mississippi or Vermont.

ELCA Endowment Fund Pooled Trust Forms
Current participants in the ELCA Endowment Fund Pooled Trust should use the following forms to make deposits, request withdrawals or submit changes to your account.  Should you have any questions, or are unable to access a form, please contact the ELCA Foundation at 1-800-638-3522 x 2970.

Resources for Congregational Endowment Fund Committees

    Download and install the Free Adobe Acrobat Reader  to view and

    download the .pdf forms on this page.

Pooled Trust Factoids as of Dec. 31, 2007

• 435 congregations participated in the Trust, utilizing 527 separate accounts.
  The total market value of these accounts is $79.6 million.
• 37 ELCA synods accounts
• Total value of all accounts held for entities beyond the churchwide office was $129,444,582
• Total value was $347.5 million: $169.4 million in U.S. equity; $53.5 million in non-U.S. equity; $71.4 million in fixed income; $35.1 million in high yield; $15.1 million in real estate; and, the remainder in cash equivalents.

The statements enclosed herein do not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, to any person in Mississippi or Vermont.  For more information and the latest disclosure statement, please contact 800/638-3522, ext. 2970.