Foundation endowments lean on ESG ratings built largely on corporate self-reporting
Foundation endowments sold as responsible investments rely on ESG ratings that take most of their human rights data from the companies themselves, write Benjamin Claeson and Mathieu Vervynckt of Swedwatch in Alliance Magazine. A 2025 OECD analysis of eight major ratings providers found that over 80 percent of human rights metrics came from corporate self-disclosure. Global philanthropy may hold as much as 2.4 trillion dollars in assets.
Alliance Magazine · October 28, 2026