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Equity Trustees understands the not-for-profit sector. We are a philanthropic funder of thousands of for-purpose organisations, while our core business as a trustee is inherently focused on the best interests of others. We assist not-for-profit organisations in their purpose to have a meaningful and positive impact on society.

Our asset management team provides investment management services to more than 650 charitable entities, a range of foundations, and for-purpose organisations with total funds under management of $2.6 billion. We know how to best manage money on behalf of tax-exempt organisations who need long-term capital growth and reliable sources of regular income. Achieving financial sustainability and producing diverse revenue streams helps enable not-for-profit organisations implement strategies to fulfil their mission.
 
We understand the challenges the sector faces and provide solutions to help create more sustainable and impactful organisations. Our sector expertise delivers:

Governance advice to fulfil Board fiduciary and Investment Committee responsibilities
Investment strategies to achieve organisational objectives and build long-term financial sustainability
Income to support NFPs’ grant, budget and program funding requirements.
Solutions for responsible investing and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) objectives. 
Cost effective investment solutions and transparent, easy to understand fees.
Values aligned with our clients, supporting the NFP sector’s long-term impact.

Partnership offering


Our relationship with clients is consultative and collaborative. We take the time to understand your needs and bring together our trustee, philanthropic and investment management services. This helps us determine the most effective strategy and asset allocation to meet your goals.

We offer a dedicated, proactive client relationship model that provides ongoing investment support. As a specialist asset manager, we can use our scale to consistently make efficient investment decisions and implement them at a low cost.
 
Our lasting partnerships with clients run deeply and are founded on the strong cultural alignment we have with the not-for-profit sector.
 
We are one of the largest sources of trustee philanthropic funding and bequests in Australia, distributing an average of more than $100 million a year. Our position as a trustee and leading provider of impact funding in Australia means we are privileged to make a positive social impact.

Not-for-profit investment strategy solutions


We have repeatedly seen that a well-structured investment management strategy helps grow an organisation’s corpus to build long term sustainability.

As a trustee company, we are duty bound to provide our clients with the highest duty of care, from early-stage investors to sophisticated organisations.

The investment services we provide include the full range of service not-for-profit organisations require:

Advice on how to formulate investment policy statements and investment objectives in line with the organisation’s mission.
Advice on how to formulate investment strategies built around strategic asset allocation modelling that meet defined investment objectives.
Day-to-day management of individual portfolios for wholesale not-for-profit clients.
Portfolio implementation through selection of asset classes, securities and external investment managers across a wide range of asset classes. 
Regular reporting and administration to assist with ongoing compliance and robust oversight. 
Ongoing advice to help our clients ensure their investment strategy remains relevant to their mission.

Our asset management team’s core service is formulating investment strategies and managing funds for tax-exempt entities. It has helped us develop a deep understanding of how tax can affect net returns, particularly in the areas of franking credits and share buybacks.

Incorporating responsible investment practices into our investment decision-making process focuses on delivering strong financial performance. This recognises that robust responsible investment practices can lead to positive financial and social outcomes, reduce risk, and improve investment returns.
 

Bespoke solutions

We design bespoke portfolios for wholesale not-for-profit clients to align their investment strategy with their investment objectives. 
When designing an investment strategy (or strategic asset allocation) we believe there are six key investment considerations:

Charitable trust and not for profit investments

Addressing these considerations maximises our ability to deliver performance that meets our clients’ expectations and aligns with their risk/reward profile.

Read - Navigating the responsible investment landscape

Philanthropic value-add solutions


We believe in ensuring for-purpose organisations have the resources and capacity to sustainably achieve their mission.
  
To help them do so, we work collaboratively to unlock their potential. Our added value for not-for-profit clients includes: 

- Leveraging the experience of our 35 strong charitable trust and philanthropy team. 
- Additional expertise, knowledge and connections of our fundraising and philanthropy team to enhance the journey.
- Building capacity to underpin your organisation’s sustainability and future growth.
- Promoting your organisation through our channels and into our diverse, extensive networks.
- Co-hosting events to create opportunities for networking and building professional relationships.
- Insights into our new technology platforms for our Active Philanthropy clients.

Our asset management and fundraising and philanthropy teams share insights and provide education to not-for-profit boards, committees and senior executives on a wide range of relevant areas. These include sector trends, investment portfolio reporting, trustee and fiduciary responsibilities, fundraising and philanthropy, outcomes from key thought leadership events, and considerations for updating significant policies.

The array of skills we bring to our not-for-profit relationships include comprehensive intellectual property, thought leadership, extensive networks and infrastructure. We apply these skills to promote best practice stewardship of philanthropy and guide organisations to achieve their missions and goals.

Equity Trustees Charitable Foundation


The Equity Trustees Charitable foundation (ECF) was established in 2006 and manages approximately $160 million across more than 170 donor accounts. It is a public ancillary fund and clients can start their own charitable sub-fund with as little as $5000.

More information is available here