Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

StepStone Group Inc. is a global private markets investment firm that provides investment solutions and advisory services to institutional investors, including pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, endowments, foundations, and family offices.

The company does not offer lending, deposit, or insurance services to individual consumers, nor does it provide direct financial products to low-income, minority, rural, immigrant, or credit-invisible populations. Therefore, all KPIs related to consumer financial services are not applicable to its business model.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

StepStone Group's CEO to median employee pay ratio for Fiscal 2025 was 29:1, with the CEO receiving $4,705,412 and the median employee $163,738.

The company was involved in a class action lawsuit, *Josue Torres v. Stepstone, Inc.*, alleging multiple violations of California labor laws, including failure to pay minimum and overtime wages, failure to provide meal and rest periods, and inaccurate wage statements. The class period for these alleged violations was from June 16, 2019, to August 23, 2024, resulting in a gross settlement of $400,000, which included up to $20,000 in PAGA penalties. The company provides fully paid health insurance for employees, though the cost for family members is noted as high. An Injury and Illness Prevention Program is in place, and annual anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training is required for all employees. A Code of Conduct and Ethics applies to all personnel, with a whistleblower hotline and a strict non-retaliation policy for good-faith reports.

Honest & Fair Business

The company has a formal whistleblower protection policy that includes mandatory annual compliance training.

It provides an electronic and secure whistleblowing system with guaranteed anonymity. Reports are acknowledged within 7 days, and feedback on the status and follow-up measures is provided within three months. Anti-corruption policies and procedures are in place, with annual training covering all markets, and specific guidance on gifts and dealings with public officials. Financial statements are externally audited by Ernst & Young LLP, and the company uses third-party ESG data providers like GRESB and RepRisk for analysis.

Kind to Animals

StepStone Group Inc. is a global private markets investment firm, and its core business model does not involve activities directly related to animal welfare, such as product manufacturing, animal testing, or animal agriculture. The company does not produce goods requiring cruelty-free certification or animal testing. It does not operate animal husbandry or captive operations, nor does it source animal products or ingredients. Therefore, KPIs related to these activities are not applicable to its operations. While StepStone engages in broader ESG initiatives, including responsible investment policies and support for environmental disclosures

, there is no specific evidence of direct engagement in animal welfare policy improvement or advocacy, or measurable biodiversity impact from its conservation initiatives with species recovery or habitat restoration metrics. The company's general statements about supplier due diligence do not specify animal welfare compliance , and its funding of forestry projects is primarily for carbon offsetting, without explicit metrics on species recovery or habitat restoration , .

No War, No Weapons

The provided articles do not contain specific, quantifiable evidence for any of the KPIs related to the 'No War, No Weapons' ethical value. The reports focus on general responsible investment strategies and ESG integration, but lack data on military-related revenue, dual-use technology, sales to sanctioned regimes, peacebuilding investments, conflict divestment, or any other specific metrics for this value.

One article was inaccessible.

Planet-Friendly Business

StepStone Group reported total Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions of 14,914 tCO₂e in 2023, a decrease from 16,813 tCO₂e in 2022.

As a global private markets investment firm, its operational emissions are considered non-material, and the company has been certified as Carbon Neutral by Pathzero, operating as carbon-neutral since 2019. Eight of its 27 offices have LEED or BREEAM green building certifications, representing approximately 29.6% of its facilities. The company incurred no significant fines or non-monetary sanctions for non-compliance with environmental laws or regulations in 2023. StepStone Group has been certified as Carbon Neutral by Pathzero since 2019, indicating it has achieved net-zero emissions. The company became a signatory to the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) in 2019 and published its first TCFD report in 2022.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

The company has reported no cultural appropriation incidents.

It states that Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes are not applicable to its operations. The company has conducted over 15 sessions on ESG, responsible investment, and modern slavery training in the past three years, but the percentage of employees completing cultural sensitivity training is not specified.

Safe & Smart Tech

StepStone Group aims to integrate AI ethics into product development, focusing on autonomy, fairness, harm prevention, and explainability, and utilizes an ethical framework, ethics boards, and a company-wide culture of AI ethics.

The company invested $18.5 million in cybersecurity in Fiscal 2023, representing 2.70% of its $684 million revenue. StepStone conducts annual cybersecurity training and phishing exercises for all staff, with three maturity levels. The company's European entity outlines user rights to access, correct, erase, restrict, and port data, and to withdraw consent, which are basic data control options. Data retention is based on need and legal obligations, indicating some data minimization efforts. The company manages 37 distinct international regulatory systems, spending $12.4 million on regulatory technology and training, and reports a 98.7% compliance track record. Annual penetration testing by third-party firms is conducted, and the company uses static code analysis and pen testing. The company conducts annual penetration testing.