Harvard University’s endowment grew 27.1% in fiscal year 2026, its strongest return since 2021, according to the school’s annual financial report released Thursday. The fund now stands at about $68 billion, up from $57 billion a year earlier, and it beat the S&P 500’s 22.3% total return over the same period by nearly five percentage points, CNBC reported.
One holding stands out. In its second-quarter 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Harvard Management Company disclosed a $2.2 billion stake in SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite company. It was the endowment’s largest single reported holding by value, far ahead of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company at just under $350 million.
Why a Musk Company Shows Up in Harvard’s Filing
Musk founded SpaceX and still controls it, but he has never owned all of it. The company raised money from venture firms and institutional investors for years while it was private, and some college endowments got in early through those funds, Fortune reported. Harvard Management Company declined to comment on individual investments, so it is not clear how much of the stake Harvard bought directly and how much came to it through private funds.
SSC Premium · Free with signup
Keep reading. It’s free.
This is a Premium story from Social Storytellers Collective. Enter your email to unlock the rest right now, and get the End of Day Closing Note six nights a week. Already a subscriber? Use the same email and you’ll go straight back to the story.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium readers also hear first when The Deep View membership opens.