Tertön Sogyal Trust UK
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Endowment Fund
The Endowment Fund is one of several restricted funds that the UK Trust holds, in collaboration with the other Tertön Sogyal foundations. Its goal is to provide the long-term financial security and resources that are necessary for the work of Rigpa to continue to flourish and grow, for the benefit of future generations. It is one of several restricted funds that the Tertön Sogyal Trust holds.
The Endowment Fund provides long-term financial stability for Rigpa and is a continuous source of funding for the most vital cornerstones of its work. The capital of the Endowment Fund is invested as wisely as possible to optimise the capacity to support projects long into the future.
Other restricted funds, such as the Global Fund, are available for grants to projects that promote and advance the Buddhist religion.
Gifts received by the Tertön Sogyal Trust, whether by donation, wills or legacies are invested in the Endowment Fund and preserved for life. Only the interest and capital gains are distributed through grants.
Annual Reports and financial statements ensure full transparency of both the performance and distribution of income from the Endowment and other funds.
Investment Policy
The Endowment Fund Investment Policy sets forth the investment objectives of the Endowment Fund, as well as guidelines and parameters for achieving those objectives.
This includes the asset allocation, target returns and disbursement policy, which are reviewed and approved by the Tertön Sogyal Boards through recommendation by the Investment Committee.
Objectives
The main objective of the investment policy is to preserve the equity of the Endowment Fund for the benefit of future generations, by preserving the value of our assets.
Another objective is to generate sufficient income to provide continuous and stable distributions for the projects and centres supported by the Endowment Fund through the Study and Practice grants, the Light of Dharma grants and the Elders grants.
Our investment policy is based on a long-term strategy, in which we endeavour to minimise risks with optimising profit results.
Types of Donations
Donations to the Trust can be gifts of money, property or goods through Wills and Legacies, as well as major donations.
Gifts of land, buildings, investments or other assets may, at the discretion of the board of trustees, be converted into liquid assets. It is most helpful if donations to the Endowment Fund are given without any specific designation.
This allows the Tertön Sogyal Board maximum flexibility to allocate support where it will have the greatest effect and benefit, at any given time.
Investment Committee
The Tertön Sogyal Investment Committee is composed of Rigpa students with experience in financial markets and who hold a close relationship with Rigpa and the Terton Sogyal Foundation boards. All members of the Investment Committee are contributing their time and expertise on a voluntary basis.
Pedro Beroy Pedro has been a Rigpa student for the last 24 years. He is currently a partner at AP Structured
Pedro was a Managing Director in New York, a member of the Fixed Income Operating Committee, global head of the Longevity Markets Group and prior to that role, head of Latin America Structuring and Coverage Group. He is the president of the Tertön Sogyal Foundation (US), a member of Rigpa’s International Steering Group and of Lerab Ling’s Advisory Group. Pedro is based in New York.
Christian Hauser has been a Rigpa student for the last 20 years. Christian is a Managing Director in a large state-owned foundation for children and adolescent psychiatry.
Prior to that, Christian was the President of the Investment Committee. He is the President of the Board of Directors of the Swiss Rigpa Foundation, a member of the Rigpa Chairs of Boards, and a member of the Rigpa International Finance Team. He holds a PhD in philosophy and completed his studies of psychoanalysis in 1989. Christian is still active as a psychoanalyst therapist. Christian is based in Zurich.
Heinz Siepmann has been a Rigpa student for the last 21 years. Heinz is active developing real estate projects and manages his investment portfolio.
For sixteen years he managed successfully his family business. Prior to that, he worked in a German bank and in an American wholesale company. Heinz was part of the team of students that established the Rigpa Centre in Berlin. Heinz has devoted considerable amount of time serving the Investment Committee and the Tertön Sogyal Stiftung. Heinz is based in Berlin.
Dan Schuessler Dan has 30 years of experience in the investment industry. He began his career in 1991 as a mortgage backed securities portfolio manager and trader.
In 1996 he worked for Mellon Capital Management specialising in global asset allocation serving as the firm’s global strategist and as a director of Hedge Funds. In 2004 Dan was a founding partner of Bayswater Asset Management, a macro alternative asset management firm. Since 2012 Dan has been an independent investor. He is a member of the Investment Committee. Dan is based in San Francisco.
