Investment Policy for World Resources Institute (“WRI”)

The WRI Investment Policy outlines the management of its portfolio, which includes a Permanent Endowment, Board Designated Working Capital Reserve, and Working Capital. The policy mandates the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and impact factors to maximize long-term risk-adjusted returns and align with the Paris Agreement. It defines a governance structure involving the Board, Finance and Investment Committee, an Investment Advisor (OCIO), and Investment Managers. Key restrictions include a goal to be 100% fossil fuel free by excluding investments in the exploration, drilling, refining, or production of oil, natural gas, and coal.

• WRI integrates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and impact factors into its endowment to maximize long-term risk-adjusted returns and align its portfolio with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
• The organization's sustainable investment strategy consists of three primary objectives: reducing ESG risk through passive strategies, using active managers for ESG integration to drive value, and allocating capital to private market investments with measurable positive impacts.
• WRI has a specific goal to make its portfolio 100% fossil fuel free by excluding equity and fixed income investments in the production, refining, drilling, or exploration of coal, natural gas, and oil, including holdings within commingled vehicles.
• The portfolio is divided into two main fund types: the Operating & Program Fund for short-term expenses and the Reserve Fund (comprising the Board Designated Operating Reserve Pool and the Long Term Pool) for long-term financial security and purchasing power preservation.
• The Reserve Fund's investment objectives include preserving real purchasing power by seeking returns that exceed both the rate of inflation and the spending rate, with total returns evaluated on a five-year rolling basis.
• WRI's current spending policy is to multiply 4.5% by the preceding rolling 12-quarter average market value of the Portfolio to ensure expenditures remain below the total inflation-adjusted return.

APA

World Resources Institute (2020). Investment Policy for World Resources Institute (“WRI”). https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/uploads/wri-ips-october-2020_0.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Investment Policy for World Resources Institute (“WRI”). 2020. https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/uploads/wri-ips-october-2020_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Investment Policy for World Resources Institute (“WRI”) |date=October 2020 |url=https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/uploads/wri-ips-october-2020_0.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2020investment, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Investment Policy for World Resources Institute (“WRI”)}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/uploads/wri-ips-october-2020_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }