cultivating a community of curious, engaged individuals.

We develop undergraduate students to critically assess the world around them and apply their analysis in contexts of investing, data science, and philanthropy.

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the usit foundation

The USIT Foundation is the 501(c)(3) parent organization of the University Securities Investment Team, the largest student-run investment fund at The University of Texas at Austin. The Foundation supports the USIT student organization and engages its alumni to promote personal and professional growth through active charitable giving. In Spring 2020, the alumni of the USIT Foundation initiated a philanthropic Giving Pledge to commit time and resources to better our communities.

philanthropy investment team

The Philanthropy Investment Team (PIT) is the student organization and a current subsidiary of the University Securities Investment Team which actively manages the capital raised by the USIT Foundation. PIT leads the Foundation’s philanthropic efforts via selecting the nonprofits with maximal social return on investment and making informed investment recommendations to the Foundation. Over the years, PIT’s portfolio has grown to over $120K+ through donations and increased alumni pledges. Learn more about our process below.

what do we do?

The Philanthropy Investment Team employs a private-equity-oriented investment style to allocate our portfolio to 501(c)(3) organizations with the highest social impact.

We also continually monitor prior donation recipients and offer pro bono advisory services to help our partners enhance their philanthropic work.

  • PIT is funded via grants from the USIT Foundation, a group of alumni from the University Securities Investment Team at UT Austin, who have chosen to donate a portion of their salary annually to our philanthropic efforts.

  • We’ve combined award-winning research methodologies with diligence processes from leading PE firms to effectively identify and evaluate the best philanthropic choices.

  • After a deliberation period and feedback from the Foundation, we make informed decisions into our top picks. We also provide a lifetime commitment to help them streamline their operations and tackle challenging issues.

where we work.

Our members and alumni have gone on to work at leading institutions in the government, corporate world, and more. We encourage our portfolio charities and student analysts to build their future through our Foundation.