Endowment Returns in 2010 Less Than in 2009, Say Two New Surveys - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "Endowments fared well last year, achieving investment returns of about 12 percent, but that is far less than what they achieved in 2009, when returns topped 20 percent, according to two studies—one of foundations and the other of charities—released today by the Commonfund Institute."