INTELLIGENCE & INSIGHTS 

Governance Intelligence for Patient Capital Institutions 

Peer comparisons. Policy diagnostics. Pre-decision insight. 

Funston Advisory Services delivers structured intelligence and benchmarking across U.S. public investment organizations — enabling boards and executive teams to strengthen policy discipline, surface risk signals early, and reinforce long-horizon decision quality. 

We are building continuous intelligence across more than 100 U.S. public systems. 

WHY INTELLIGENCE MATTERS 

Markets fluctuate. 

Governance drift accumulates.   

 

Performance erosion rarely begins in asset allocation. 

It begins when policy discipline weakens under pressure. 

Patient capital requires continuous governance intelligence — not episodic consulting. 

WHAT WE MEASURE

FAS benchmarks institutional investors across four core dimensions: 

1. Structure

Board architecture, delegation clarity, committee alignment, oversight layering.

2. Policy

Investment policy discipline, liquidity governance, delegation documentation, fiduciary standards.

3. Practice

Operating model alignment, risk escalation pathways, decision cadence, audit reinforcement.

4. Performance Context

Net risk-adjusted returns, information ratio, cost discipline indicators, governance-performance linkages.

Each diagnostic translates governance architecture into measurable insight. 

HOW OUR INTELLIGENCE IS DIFFERENT 

Most benchmarking focuses on returns. 

FAS benchmarks governance systems. 

Our Intelligence & Insights capability integrates: 

  • Governance diagnostics 

  • Peer comparisons 

  • Operating model assessments 

  • Delegation and oversight clarity reviews 

  • Risk signal mapping 

  • Performance returns  

  • Pre-decision structured analysis 

Delivered with expert-in-the-loop interpretation — not automated dashboards alone. 

This model is part of GEM™, our Governance Policy System for patient capital institutions  . 

CONTINUOUS PEER INTELLIGENCE 

We maintain active intelligence across: 

  • Public pension systems 

  • State investment boards 

  • Taft-Hartley plans 

  • Sovereign-style institutions 

Covering over 100 U.S. systems and growing. 

This enables: 

  • Contextualized peer comparison 

  • Identification of structural blind spots 

  • Early detection of governance drift 

  • Improved delegation discipline 

  • Stronger board-ready decision framing 

Institutional learning compounds when peer insight is structured. 

FAS LATEST 

Taft-Hartley Investment Operating Model Survey 

Our latest survey examines: 

  • Operating model structures 

  • Delegation clarity 

  • Risk governance layering 

  • Committee architecture 

  • Enterprise function maturity 

  • Audit and assurance alignment 

The survey provides structured peer comparison for multi-employer and Taft-Hartley plans navigating evolving fiduciary standards and operating complexity. 

FROM INSIGHT TO INFRASTRUCTURE 

 

Intelligence without structure is observation. 

GEM™ integrates intelligence into governance infrastructure:   

  • Key Decision Calendars 

  • Oversight registries 

  • Performance-at-risk dashboards 

  • Delegation matrices 

  • Fiduciary education (BoardSmart™) 

  • Structured verification cycles 

Governance maturity compounds. 

THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR GOVERNANCE DISCIPLINE 

Research indicates institutions with stronger governance outperform peers by approximately ~50 basis points annually . 

Not due to market timing — but due to disciplined decision-making, cost control, risk clarity, and policy continuity. 

For a $50B institution, 50 bps represents $250 million annually  . 

Intelligence is not reporting. 

It is a performance infrastructure. 

WHO THIS IS FOR 

This capability is designed for: 

  • Boards seeking independent governance benchmarking 

  • CIOs evaluating operating model resilience 

  • Audit Committees strengthening assurance discipline 

  • Executive Directors navigating leadership transition 

  • Risk leaders aligning oversight to board accountability 

Patient capital requires patient governance. 

ENGAGE INTELLIGENCE 

Tell us: 

  • Your governance challenge 

  • Your operating model question 

  • Your benchmarking need 

  • Your upcoming key decision 

We will structure a peer-informed intelligence briefing aligned to your mandate.