Practice Area
Tenet proudly offers OCIO services to emerging endowments and foundations that deserve the same disciplined, process-driven approach as the largest allocators — without being treated as an afterthought.
Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO)
Tenet's OCIO service is built for organizations in a growth phase, where a disciplined yet straightforward investment framework and fee-aware portfolio construction can have an outsized impact on long-term outcomes. Tenet supports the formation of investment committees and the development of governance principles, providing the structural foundation that allows emerging organizations to make investment decisions with clarity, consistency, and accountability.
Tenet recognizes that trustees and investment committee members serve in a fiduciary capacity on behalf of their organizations. As a fiduciary, our interests are fully aligned with those of our clients. By providing a rigorous, well-documented investment process, clear governance frameworks, and transparent reporting, we help ensure that every member of your committee can fulfill those responsibilities with confidence regardless of their investment background.
Investment Consulting
As with our OCIO services for E&F, Tenet's Investment Consulting offering is designed for emerging organizations. Early stage, mission-driven organizations exploring the formation of a dedicated Investment Committee can benefit from our guidance on committee formation, member selection, and investment policy statement drafting — all before considering whether investment execution via an in-house team or OCIO is more appropriate for their organization's capabilities and long-term goals. Tenet will also engage with Investment Consulting clients as an independent investment committee member on an interim or longer-term basis.
An OCIO assumes responsibility for the day-to-day management of an organization's investment program utilizing an investment framework aligned with the client's objectives and governance structure. For organizations without a dedicated internal investment staff, an OCIO provides the expertise, process, and accountability of an institutional investment function without the overhead of building one internally. Additionally, OCIOs provide their E&F partners with consistency and institutional knowledge that endure despite turnover in investment committee membership.
Tenet's OCIO services are specifically designed for "Emerging" organizations seeking outsourced investment management but who may be underserved by larger firms oriented toward more significant asset bases. As your asset base increases and the organization's investment needs grow with it, our service offering provides clients with an ability to evaluate new OCIO offerings and then transition to a new firm smoothly and efficiently. We also offer this service to E&F that are not OCIO clients already but have a specific need that can be met through a one-off, limited scope engagement.
Consistent investment outcomes begin with sound governance. Through the collaborative work we do with our clients, we support the development of governance principles, investment policy statements, and decision-making frameworks — providing clarity, consistency, and long-term accountability. This structural foundation is as important as portfolio construction in building a durable investment program.
Additionally, we support governance by striving for simplicity. Because Emerging E&Fs often do not have a dedicated Investment Committee — or even when they do, the membership may not include focused investment professionals — we strive to simplify investments so that all members can contribute to the process regardless of their background.
Beyond the governance-related benefits of simplicity, this approach reduces our clients' fees compared to more complex offerings. Value leakage through excessive manager fees and trading costs can meaningfully erode long-term returns. Tenet applies rigorous scrutiny to manager selection and portfolio construction to ensure that costs are warranted by the value delivered, and that each client's capital is working as efficiently as possible toward its intended purpose.
Yes. As a fiduciary, Tenet is obligated to act in the best interest of each client. Clients can be confident that every recommendation and decision is driven solely by their investment objectives and organizational mission.
OCIO fees are based on the value of assets under management and are billed quarterly in arrears. The fees paid to Tenet are separate from other costs clients may incur, including custodian fees, trading costs, and underlying fund expenses.
Investment Consulting engagements are priced on a fixed-fee basis. Tenet collects half of the fee in advance with the remainder paid in monthly or quarterly installments at the beginning of each month or quarter.
Select the "Schedule a Free Consultation" button on our site. This will take you to a calendar page displaying meeting availability. Once you schedule a time that is convenient for you, you'll receive an email confirming our meeting along with a link to join online.