Stanford Management Company (SMC) is the office within Stanford University that invests the Endowment and other financial assets to provide long-term support to the University. The Endowment and other gifts to the University support the academic mission. These financial resources provide vital support to the University's mission by advancing pioneering research, supporting a world-class faculty, and funding student financial aid. SMC provides expert investment management and stewardship of the Merged Pool, which includes substantially all of Stanford's investable endowment assets.