The Foundation adopts a total-asset approach — spanning public and private capital markets, direct local investments, and grants — rooted in the conviction that 100% of the Foundation’s resources can be invested for maximum social impact
NEWARK, NJ — October 14, 2026 — The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation today announced a new partnership with Bivium Westfuller, a mission-aligned outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO), to manage the Foundation’s public and private markets investment portfolio and move 100 percent of their endowment towards mission and values-aligned investments. The strategy moving forward will go beyond ensuring that the Foundation’s investments are not doing harm, but rather will focus on actively seeking investments that support the Foundation’s mission and values. The appointment reflects the Foundation’s commitment to a total-asset strategy: one that seeks to deploy every dollar it holds, not just its grants, in service of its core mission to close the racial wealth gap.
“The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation has officially adopted a new investment strategy that will ensure that our endowment and our mission are fully aligned,” said Samra Haider, President & CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. “If our mission is to close the racial wealth gap, then we should be thinking about how we can intentionally invest our capital, alongside our grantmaking, in the things we believe in. Bivium Westfuller understands that, and they’re the right partner to help us act on it.”
The firm shares a vision and a track record of aligning foundation investments and mission, and the organization also has deep roots in New Jersey: one of its founders, Ian Fuller, is from Newark, and many team members – including senior professionals – currently reside in the state.
A Three-Part Strategy for Total-Asset Impact
The Dodge Foundation’s approach to impact is organized around three interconnected pillars.
Total Portfolio Activation will focus on investments in public and private markets, where Bivium Westfuller will serve as OCIO, and will represent the Foundation’s largest pool of capital. Rather than treating those assets as a financial engine separate from the mission, the Dodge Foundation is committed to investing them in ways that align with its values and goals. Additionally the Foundation is exploring how to leverage its role as a shareholder to engage and advocate for policies and actions that foster the kind of world that is aligned with its values.
Impact First Investments allow the Foundation to deploy capital into New Jersey communities to address the racial wealth gap. The Foundation has made local investments that address affordable housing, home-ownership, small business finance and access to capital that traditional markets often pass over. The Foundation also seeks opportunities to pilot initiatives that de-risk investments for other funders and capital providers. As a place-based Foundation that is actively engaged with its communities, the Foundation has a unique opportunity to source and fund innovative solutions grounded in local understanding and needs.
Grants remain a key form of support for the Foundation, funding the organizations, advocates, and leaders driving systems change in housing and economic mobility across the state.
Together, these strategies form a coherent whole. The Foundation’s approach goes beyond just aligning the endowment with its mission – the overall strategy is a unique combination of aligned capital markets investments, and hyper-local investments and grants directly into the communities they serve while at the same time ensuring the endowment is maximally leveraged to meet the mission.
“We believe that philanthropic organizations can and should leverage all available resources in service of their mission and driving positive impact,” said Karen Sunderam, Board Member at the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. “At the Dodge Foundation, we are committed to ensuring that every dollar the Foundation deploys is working to help build a more just world, and not against it. Aligning our investments with our mission is one of the most powerful levers we can deploy, and we are excited to see the impact our investments can have to expand affordable housing and economic mobility opportunities for individuals across the State of New Jersey.”
Why It Matters: The Racial Wealth Gap in New Jersey
New Jersey’s racial wealth gap is among the most pronounced in the nation. The gap in homeownership rates, business ownership, wages, and intergenerational wealth between white households and Black and Latino households represents both a moral failure and an economic failure, and it will not be closed by grants alone.
The Dodge Foundation focuses on two strategic priorities which are the biggest levers to address the widening racial wealth gap: housing and economic mobility. These two strategies reflect an understanding that locking communities of color out of wealth-building opportunities dictates whether a family can buy a home, weather an emergency, send their children to college, or save for the future. It shapes whether a child grows up with opportunity or with the constant stress of economic instability. Aligning the Foundation’s investments with these priorities means asking, across all three asset pillars, whether capital is flowing toward greater equity or reinforcing the status quo.
Bivium Westfuller: A Partner Built for This Moment
Bivium Westfuller is a full-service provider of mission-aligned Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) solutions. The firm works with foundations, endowments, and institutional investors seeking to integrate mission and financial strategy without compromising either.
The Foundation selected Bivium Westfuller following a robust interview process. The firm’s shared vision for mission-aligned investing, and their track record of success with other foundations, made them stand out among a competitive field. The Foundation selected Bivium Westfuller, a Black owned, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and LGBTQ+ led firm, because of their deep belief that financial return and social impact are not mutually exclusive, and that prioritizing both, equally, is a successful strategy. The firm has also exemplified a genuine partnership mindset and they bring an excitement and energy around building a customized portfolio that reflects the full ambition of the Foundation.
“The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation is asking exactly the right questions,” said Ian Fuller, Co-Founder and Co-Head, Bivium Westfuller. “The question is not whether a mission-aligned endowment can perform because we’ve already proven that it can. The question is whether institutions are willing to ask more of their assets. The Dodge Foundation is, and we’re proud to be the partner helping them do it.”
About the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation is a New Jersey-based foundation committed to closing the racial wealth gap through strategies focused on increasing housing choice and economic mobility. The Foundation believes in deploying all of its resources, including grants, local investments, and its full endowment, in service of that mission. More info at grdodge.org
About Bivium Westfuller
Bivium Westfuller is a full-service provider of mission-aligned Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) solutions. We partner with mission-driven organizations to pursue investment performance in alignment with, not at the expense of, values. Formed as a strategic partnership in 2020 between SEC Registered Investment Advisers Bivium Capital Partners, LLC (founded in 2002), and Westfuller Advisors, LLC (founded in 2011), Bivium Westfuller represents a new class of values-aligned providers, deploying assets with intention and without compromise. Please visit us at www.biviumwestfuller.com.
Media contact: Janna Oberdorf, joberdorf@grdodge.org