Investment Committee members Sarah Stein, Ed McDermott, Andy Ballard, along with CFO Monica Pressley, shared how this year more than ever, we have witnessed the importance and pay off of investing for the long run. As the stewards of some of the Bay Area’s greatest philanthropic visionaries, we have the responsibility to be disciplined, to think long-term, and avoid emotion-driven decisions.

Diligent stewardship of The San Francisco Foundation assets matters because long-term, strong performance means greater impact in community.

At the event, Monica Pressley told the story of the Greater Communities Collaborative, a partnership to ensure that areas around transit stations being rebuilt are vibrant,with mixed income housing, multi-use retail, walking paths, and access to jobs. Over seven years of collaboration, coordination, and trust-building amongst partners, our $500,000 seed loan was leveraged into a $60 million loan fund to develop affordable housing around transit.

No one leader, donation, organization, or grant could accomplish such a feat. This vision of the long run, coupled with the advantage of our large scale endowment, allow us to continue making lasting impact in the Bay Area.

We invite you to learn more about our investment strategy and performance in Strategy, Discipline, Impact—our latest Annual Investment Report.

Strategy, Discipline, Impact—that is the title of our latest Annual Investment Report.

Discipline isn’t a word we hear too often in today’s financial lexicon.When I watch the news the conversation remains focused on swift course corrections, bumps in the road, and a “new world” of short-term reactions.

However, this year more than ever, we have witnessed the importance and pay off of investing for the long run. As the stewards of some of the Bay Area’s greatest philanthropic visionaries, we have the responsibility to be disciplined, to think long-term, and avoid panic-driven decisions.

Charts and graphs may not be the best fodder for conversation (let alone a blog), but when we understand the powerful insights they reveal, they get your full attention. Each year at the Annual Investment Forum we look forward to sharing these insights and the strategies of our Investment Committee with our partners and potential partners. We reflect on how the Committee has guided our investments and we continue to see returns that out-pace the average, and continue to make significant impact in the Bay Area.

Bob Peck is a managing director of FPR Partners, a private investment partnership focused on public equities. Prior to founding FPR, Bob was with the Murchison family and RPM Metropolitan Capital, a company he co-founded. He also spent eight years with Perot Investments with his last position as head of public equities.

Bob serves on the boards of the Fremont Group, the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, REDF, California STEM Learning Network, and Grace Cathedral. He is also president of the Day School Foundation, which is affiliated with St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School in San Mateo, CA.

Bob received an M.A. in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He also graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in History.