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Statement of Additional Information

January 31, 2024

Share Class | Ticker

A | IHIAX

C | IHICX

Institutional | EMDIX

Federated Hermes Emerging Market Debt Fund

A Portfolio of Federated Hermes World Investment Series, Inc.

This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a Prospectus. Read this SAI in conjunction with the Prospectus for Federated Hermes Emerging Market Debt Fund (the “Fund”), dated January 31, 2024.

This SAI incorporates by reference the Fund’s Annual Report. Obtain the Prospectus or the Annual Report without charge by calling 1-800-341-7400.

	Contents
1	How is the Fund Organized?
1	Securities in Which the Fund Invests
12	Investment Risks
17	Investment Objective and Investment Limitations
19	What Do Shares Cost?
22	How is the Fund Sold?
25	Purchases In-Kind
25	Redemption In-Kind
25	Account and Share Information
26	Tax Information
26	Who Manages and Provides Services to the Fund?
43	Financial Information
43	Investment Ratings
48	Addresses
49	Appendix

Federated Hermes Emerging Market Debt Fund
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561

Federated Securities Corp., Distributor

G01745-02 (1/24)

How is the Fund Organized?

The Fund is a diversified portfolio of Federated Hermes World Investment Series, Inc. (the “Corporation”). The Corporation is an open-end, management investment company that was established under the laws of the State of Maryland on January 25, 1994. The Corporation may offer separate series of shares representing interests in separate portfolios of securities. Effective June 26, 2020, the Corporation changed its name from Federated World Investment Series, Inc., to Federated Hermes World Investment Series, Inc. and the Fund changed its name from Federated Emerging Market Debt Fund to Federated Hermes Emerging Market Debt Fund.

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) has established three classes of shares of the Fund, known as Class A Shares, Class C Shares, and Institutional Shares (“Shares”). This SAI relates to all classes of Shares. The Fund’s investment adviser is Federated Investment Management Company (the “Adviser” or “FIMCO”). The Fund’s sub-adviser is Federated Hermes (UK) LLP (the “Sub-Adviser” or “Fed UK”).

Securities in Which the Fund Invests

The principal securities or other investments in which the Fund invests are described in the Fund’s Prospectus. The Fund also may invest in securities or other investments as non-principal investments for any purpose that is consistent with its investment objective. The following information is either additional information, in respect of a principal security or other investment referenced in the Prospectus, or information in respect of a non-principal security or other investment (in which case there is no related disclosure in the Prospectus). As used in this SAI, the term “securities” is broadly defined to include securities, investments and instruments.

Securities Descriptions And Techniques

Fixed-Income securities

Fixed-income securities pay interest, dividends or distributions at a specified rate. The rate may be a fixed percentage of the principal or may be adjusted periodically. In addition, the issuer of a fixed-income security must repay the principal amount of the security, normally within a specified time. Fixed-income securities provide more regular income than equity securities. However, the returns on fixed-income securities are limited and normally do not increase with the issuer’s earnings. This limits the potential appreciation of fixed-income securities as compared to equity securities.

A security’s yield measures the annual income earned on a security as a percentage of its price. A security’s yield will increase or decrease depending upon whether it costs less (a “discount”) or more (a “premium”) than the principal amount. If the issuer may redeem the security before its scheduled maturity, the price and yield on a discount or premium security may change based upon the probability of an early redemption. Securities with higher risks generally have higher yields.

The following further describes the types of fixed-income securities in which the Fund invests.

Loan Instruments (A Fixed-Income Security)

The Fund may invest in loans and loan-related instruments, which are generally interests in amounts owed by a corporate, governmental, or other borrower to lenders or groups of lenders known as lending syndicates (loans and loan participations).

Trade finance refers generally to loans made to producers, sellers, importers and/or exporters in relation to commodities, goods, or services. Such loans typically have short- to medium-term maturities and will generally be self-liquidating (i.e., as the goods or commodities are sold, proceeds from payments for such goods or commodities are used to pay the principal on the loan prior to being distributed to the borrower). These trade finance structures are subject to significant individual variation but typical structures may include but not be limited to the following:

◾ Buyer’s credit. An extension of credit typically made by a bank to a buyer of goods (i.e., importer) to finance the purchase of goods under a commercial contract of sale.

◾ Contract frustration and trade credit indemnity. An insurance policy issued by an insurer in favor of an insured (typically a supplier or a bank) that provides conditional coverage to the insured against loss incurred as a result of non-payment/non delivery by an obligor involved in a trade transaction.

◾ Cross border leases. Cross border leases, often structured with insignificant residual value.

◾ Export credit agency financing. A loan where an export credit agency act as lender, co-lender or guarantor.

◾ Import finance. An extension of credit made to an importer that finances his imports.

◾ Inventory finance. An extension of credit made to a borrowing entity (be it an importer or exporter) secured against the physical inventory held and owned by that borrower. The inventory may be held in a warehouse.

◾ Letter of Credit (L/C). A written undertaking, or obligation, of a bank made at the request of its customer (usually an importer) to honor or pay an exporter against presentation of trade documents that comply with terms specified in the letter of credit.

◾ Multilateral agency financing. A loan where a multilateral agency acts as either a lender or a co-lender. Such a loan may benefit from preferred creditor status in the event of shortages of foreign exchange that may be experienced by sovereign governments.

◾ Pre-export finance. An extension of credit to an exporter before export of the goods has taken place. This can be secured against the subject goods or sales proceeds, or unsecured.

◾ Pre-payment agreement. An extension of credit to an exporter where the source of pay-back is through the future export of goods. The difference between Pre-export finance and a Pre-payment agreement is that the latter arrangement may involve the buyer of the goods as a contractual party and is in effect a payment for goods in advance of delivery.

◾ Promissory notes, bills of exchange and other forms of negotiable instrument. A written promise to pay issued by (or drawn on) an obligor in favor of a beneficiary.

◾ Receivables. Receivables or flows of receivables created in consideration for the transfer of goods and services.

◾ Supplier Credit. An extension of credit made by a supplier (or exporter) to an importer to finance a purchase of goods. Banks or other lenders may purchase or participate in the credit instrument if the instrument permits transfer.

◾ Trade finance related loans and other loan assignments and participations. The Fund expects primarily to purchase trade finance loans and other loans by assignment, transfer or novation from a participant in the original syndicate of lenders or from subsequent holders of such interests. The Fund may also purchase participations on a primary basis from a mandated lead arranger during the formation of the original syndicate making such loans. See the headings “Loan Assignments” and “Loan Participations” below for a complete description of such loan assignments and loan participations.

Investments in certain loans have additional risks that result from the use of agents and other interposed financial institutions. Such loans are structured and administered by a financial institution (e.g., a commercial bank) that acts as the agent of the lending syndicate. The agent bank, which may or may not also be a lender, typically administers and enforces the loan on behalf of the lenders in the lending syndicate. In addition, an institution, typically but not always the agent bank, holds the collateral, if any, on behalf of the lenders. A financial institution’s employment as an agent bank might be terminated for a number of reasons, for example, in the event that it fails to observe a requisite standard of care or becomes insolvent. A successor agent bank would generally be appointed to replace the terminated agent bank, and assets held by the agent bank under the loan agreement likely would remain available to holders of such indebtedness. However, if assets held by the agent bank for the benefit of the Fund were determined to be subject to the claims of the agent bank’s general creditors, the Fund might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a loan or loan participation and could suffer a loss of principal and/or interest. In situations involving other interposed financial institutions (e.g., an insurance company or government agency) similar risks may arise.

Loan instruments may be secured or unsecured. If secured, then the lenders have been granted rights to specific property, which is commonly referred to as collateral. The purpose of securing loans is to allow the lenders to exercise rights over the collateral if a loan is not repaid as required by the terms of the loan agreement. Collateral may include security interests in receivables, goods, commodities, or real property. With regard to trade finance loan transactions the collateral itself may be the source of proceeds to repay the loan (i.e., the borrower’s ability to repay the loan will be dependent on the borrower’s ability to sell, and the purchaser’s ability to buy, the goods or commodities that are collateral for the loan). Interests in loan instruments may also be tranched or tiered with respect to collateral rights. Unsecured loans expose the lenders to increased credit risk.

The loans in which the Fund may invest may involve borrowers, agent banks, co-lenders and collateral located both in the United States and outside of the United States (in both developed and emerging markets).

Investments in loans may expose the Fund to interest rate risk, risk of investing in foreign securities, credit risk, liquidity risk, risk of noninvestment-grade debt instruments, risk of emerging markets and leverage risk. (For purposes of the descriptions in this SAI of these various risks, references to “issuer,” include borrowers under loan instruments.) Many loans incorporate risk mitigation, credit enhancement (e.g., standby letters of credit) and insurance products into their structures, in order to manage these risks. There is no guarantee that these risk management techniques will work as intended.

Loan Assignments (A Type of Loan Instrument)

The Fund may purchase a loan assignment from the agent bank or other member of the lending syndicate. Investments in loans through an assignment may involve additional risks to the Funds. For example, if a loan is foreclosed, a Fund could become part owner of any collateral, and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of the collateral. In addition, it is conceivable that under emerging legal theories of lender liability, a Fund could be held liable as co-lender. It is unclear whether loans and other forms of direct indebtedness offer securities law protections against fraud and misrepresentation. In the absence of definitive regulatory guidance, the Funds rely on the Adviser’s research in an attempt to avoid situations where fraud or misrepresentation could adversely affect the Funds.

Loan Participations (A Type of Loan Instrument)

The Fund may purchase a funded participation interest in a loan, by which the Fund has the right to receive payments of principal, interest and fees from an intermediary (typically a bank, financial institution, or lending syndicate) that has a direct contractual relationship with a borrower. In loan participations, the Fund does not have a direct contractual relationship with the borrower.

The Fund may also purchase a type of a participation interest, known as risk participation interest. In this case, the Fund will receive a fee in exchange for the promise to make a payment to a lender if a borrower fails to make a payment of principal, interest or fees, as required by the loan agreement.

When purchasing loan participations, the Fund will be exposed to credit risk of the borrower and, in some cases, the intermediary offering the participation. A participation agreement also may limit the rights of the Fund to vote on changes that may be made to the underlying loan agreement, such as waiving a breach of a covenant. The participation interests in which a Fund intends to invest may not be rated by any nationally recognized rating service or, if rated, may be below investment grade and expose the Fund to the risks of noninvestment-grade securities.

Corporate Debt Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)

Corporate debt securities are fixed-income securities issued by businesses. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most prevalent types of corporate debt securities. The Fund may also purchase interests in bank loans to companies. The credit risks of corporate debt securities vary widely among issuers.

In addition, the credit risk of an issuer’s debt security may vary based on its priority for repayment. For example, higher ranking (“senior”) debt securities have a higher priority than lower ranking (“subordinated”) securities. This means that the issuer might not make payments on subordinated securities while continuing to make payments on senior securities. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy, holders of senior securities may receive amounts otherwise payable to the holders of subordinated securities. Some subordinated securities, such as trust preferred and capital securities notes, also permit the issuer to defer payments under certain circumstances. For example, insurance companies issue securities known as surplus notes that permit the insurance company to defer any payment that would reduce its capital below regulatory requirements.

Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) (A Fixed-Income Security)

An MBS is a type of pass-through security, which is a pooled debt obligation repackaged as interests that pass principal and interest through an intermediary to investors. In the case of MBS, the ownership interests are issued by a trust and represent participation interests in pools of adjustable and fixed-rate mortgage loans. MBS are most commonly issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government (or one of its agencies or instrumentalities). Unlike conventional debt obligations, MBS provide monthly payments derived from the monthly interest and principal payments (including any prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans. Most MBS make these payments monthly; however, certain MBS are backed by mortgage loans which do not generate monthly payments but rather generate payments less frequently.

The MBS acquired by the Fund could be secured by fixed-rate mortgages, adjustable-rate mortgages or hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages. Adjustable-rate mortgages are mortgages whose interest rates are periodically reset when market rates change. A hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (“hybrid ARM”) is a type of mortgage in which the interest rate is fixed for a specified period and then resets periodically, or floats, for the remaining mortgage term. Hybrid ARMs are usually referred to by their fixed and floating periods. For example, a “5/1 ARM” refers to a mortgage with a five-year fixed interest rate period, followed by 25 annual interest rate adjustment periods.

Investments in MBS expose the Fund to interest rate, prepayment and credit risks.

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (CMO) (A Type of Mortgage-Backed Security)

CMOs, including interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs), allocate payments and prepayments from an underlying pass-through certificate among holders of different classes of mortgage-backed securities. This creates different prepayment and interest rate risks for each CMO class. The degree of increased or decreased prepayment risks depends upon the structure of the CMOs. However, the actual returns on any type of mortgage-backed securities depend upon the performance of the underlying pool of mortgages, which no one can predict with certainty and will vary among pools.

Sequential CMOs (A Type of CMO)

In a sequential pay CMO, one class of CMOs receives all principal payments and prepayments. The next class of CMOs receives all principal payments after the first class is paid off. This process repeats for each sequential class of CMO. As a result, each class of sequential pay CMOs reduces the prepayment risks of subsequent classes.

PACs, TACs and Companion Classes (Types of CMOs)

More sophisticated CMOs include planned amortization classes (PACs) and targeted amortization classes (TACs). PACs and TACs are issued with companion classes. PACs and TACs receive principal payments and prepayments at a specified rate. The companion classes receive principal payments and prepayments in excess of the specified rate. In addition, PACs will receive the companion classes’ share of principal payments, if necessary, to cover a shortfall in the prepayment rate. This helps PACs and TACs to control prepayment risks by increasing the risks to their companion classes.

IOs and POs (Types of CMOs)

CMOs may allocate interest payments to one class (Interest Only or IOs) and principal payments to another class (Principal Only or POs). POs increase in value when prepayment rates increase. In contrast, IOs decrease in value when prepayments increase, because the underlying mortgages generate less interest payments. However, IOs tend to increase in value when interest rates rise (and prepayments decrease), making IOs a useful hedge against interest rate risks.

Floaters and Inverse Floaters (Types of CMOs)

Another variant allocates interest payments between two classes of CMOs. One class (“Floaters”) receives a share of interest payments based upon a market index. The other class (“Inverse Floaters”) receives any remaining interest payments from the underlying mortgages. Floater classes receive more interest (and Inverse Floater classes receive correspondingly less interest) as interest rates rise. This shifts prepayment and interest rate risks from the Floater to the Inverse Floater class, reducing the price volatility of the Floater class and increasing the price volatility of the Inverse Floater class.

Z Classes and Residual Classes (Types of CMOs)

CMOs must allocate all payments received from the underlying mortgages to some class. To capture any unallocated payments, CMOs generally have an accrual (Z) class. Z classes do not receive any payments from the underlying mortgages until all other CMO classes have been paid off. Once this happens, holders of Z class CMOs receive all payments and prepayments. Similarly, REMICs have residual interests that receive any mortgage payments not allocated to another REMIC class.

Asset-Backed Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)

Asset-backed securities are payable from pools of obligations other than mortgages. Most asset-backed securities involve consumer or commercial debts with maturities of less than 10 years. However, almost any type of fixed-income assets (including other fixed-income securities) may be used to create an asset-backed security. Asset-backed securities may take the form of commercial paper, notes, or pass through certificates. Asset-backed securities have prepayment risks. Like CMOs, asset-backed securities may be structured like Floaters, Inverse Floaters, IOs and POs.

Treasury Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)

Treasury securities are direct obligations of the federal government of the United States. Treasury securities are generally regarded as having minimal credit risks.

Government Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)

Government securities are issued or guaranteed by a federal agency or instrumentality acting under federal authority. Some government securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States and are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal. These include the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), Small Business Administration, Federal Financing Bank, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Export-Import Bank and Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Other government securities receive support through federal subsidies, loans or other benefits but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. For example, the U.S. Treasury is authorized to purchase specified amounts of securities issued by (or otherwise make funds available to) the Federal Home Loan Bank System, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and Tennessee Valley Authority in support of such obligations.

Some government agency securities have no explicit financial support and are supported only by the credit of the applicable agency, instrumentality or corporation. The U.S. government has provided financial support to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, but there is no assurance that it will support these or other agencies in the future. These include Farm Credit System and Financing Corporation securities.

Investors regard government securities as having minimal credit risks, but not as low as Treasury securities.

The Fund treats mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by a federal agency or instrumentality as government securities. Although such a guarantee helps protect against credit risk, it does not eliminate it entirely or reduce other risks.

Additional Information Related to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The extreme and unprecedented volatility and disruption that impacted the capital and credit markets beginning in 2008 led to market concerns regarding the ability of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to withstand future credit losses associated with securities held in their investment portfolios, and on which they provide guarantees, without the direct support of the federal government. On September 7, 2008, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were placed under the conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Under the plan of conservatorship, the FHFA assumed control of, and generally has the power to direct, the operations of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and is empowered to exercise all powers collectively held by their respective shareholders, directors and officers, including the power to: (1) take over the assets of and operate Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with all the powers of the shareholders, the directors and the officers of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and conduct all business of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (2) collect all obligations and money due to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (3) perform all functions of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which are consistent with the conservator’s appointment; (4) preserve and conserve the assets and property of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; and (5) contract for assistance in fulfilling any function, activity, action or duty of the conservator.

In connection with the actions taken by the FHFA, the Treasury has entered into certain preferred stock purchase agreements (SPAs) with each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which establish the Treasury as the holder of a new class of senior preferred stock in each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The senior preferred stock was issued in connection with financial contributions from the Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Although the SPAs are subject to amendment from time to time, currently the Treasury is obligated to provide such financial contributions up to an aggregate maximum amount determined by a formula set forth in the SPAs, and until such aggregate maximum amount is reached, there is not a specific end date to the Treasury’s obligations.

The future status and role of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae could be impacted by (among other things) the actions taken and restrictions placed on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by the FHFA in its role as conservator, the restrictions placed on Freddie Mac’s and Fannie Mae’s operations and activities under the SPAs, market responses to developments at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, downgrades or upgrades in the credit ratings assigned to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs) or ratings services, and future legislative and regulatory action that alters the operations, ownership, structure and/or mission of these institutions, each of which may, in turn, impact the value of, and cash flows on, any securities guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

In addition, the future of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and other U.S. government-sponsored enterprises that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government (GSEs), remains in question as the U.S. government continues to consider options ranging from structural reform, nationalization, privatization, or consolidation, to outright elimination. The issues that have led to significant U.S. government support for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have sparked serious debate regarding the continued role of the U.S. government in providing mortgage loan liquidity.

Commercial Paper (A Type of Corporate Debt Security)

Commercial paper is an issuer’s obligation with a maturity of less than nine months. Companies typically issue commercial paper to pay for current expenditures. Most issuers constantly reissue their commercial paper and use the proceeds (or bank loans) to repay maturing paper. If the issuer cannot continue to obtain liquidity in this fashion, its commercial paper may default. The short maturity of commercial paper generally reduces both the market and credit risks as compared to other debt securities of the same issuer.

Convertible Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)

Convertible securities are fixed-income securities that the Fund has the option to exchange for equity securities at a specified conversion price. The option allows the Fund to realize additional returns if the market price of the equity securities exceeds the conversion price. For example, the Fund may hold fixed-income securities that are convertible into shares of common stock at a conversion price of $10 per share. If the market value of the shares of common stock reached $12, the Fund could realize an additional $2 per share by converting its fixed-income securities.

Convertible securities have lower yields than comparable fixed-income securities. In addition, at the time a convertible security is issued the conversion price exceeds the market value of the underlying equity securities. Thus, convertible securities may provide lower returns than non-convertible, fixed-income securities or equity securities depending upon changes in the price of the underlying equity securities. However, convertible securities permit the Fund to realize some of the potential appreciation of the underlying equity securities with less risk of losing its initial investment.

The Fund treats convertible securities as fixed-income securities for purposes of its investment policies and limitations.

EQUITY SECURITIES

Equity securities represent a share of an issuer’s earnings and assets, after the issuer pays its liabilities. The Fund cannot predict the income it will receive from equity securities because issuers generally have discretion as to the payment of any dividends or distributions. However, equity securities offer greater potential for appreciation than many other types of securities, because their value increases directly with the value of the issuer’s business.

The following describes the equity securities in which the Fund principally invests.

Common Stocks

Common stocks are the most prevalent type of equity security. Common stocks receive the issuer’s earnings after the issuer pays its creditors and any preferred stockholders. As a result, changes in an issuer’s earnings directly influence the value of its common stock.

Preferred Stocks

Preferred stocks have the right to receive specified dividends or distributions before the issuer makes payments on its common stock. Some preferred stocks also participate in dividends and distributions paid on common stock. Preferred stocks may also permit the issuer to redeem the stock. The Fund may also treat such redeemable preferred stock as a fixed-income security.

Derivative Contracts

Derivative contracts are financial instruments that derive their value from underlying securities, commodities, currencies, indices or other assets or instruments including other derivative contracts (each a “Reference Instrument” and collectively, “Reference Instruments”). The most common types of derivative contracts are swaps, futures and options, and the major asset classes include interest rates, equities, commodities and foreign exchange. Each party to a derivative contract may sometimes be referred to as a “counterparty.” Some derivative contracts require payments relating to an actual, future trade involving the Reference Instrument. These types of derivatives are frequently referred to as “physically settled” derivatives. Other derivative contracts require payments relating to the income or returns from, or changes in the market value of, a Reference Instrument. These types of derivatives are known as “cash settled” derivatives, since they require cash payments in lieu of delivery of the Reference Instrument.

Many derivative contracts are traded on exchanges. In these circumstances, the relevant exchange sets all the terms of the contract except for the price. Parties to an exchange-traded derivative contract make payments through the exchange. Most exchanges require traders to maintain margin accounts through their brokers to cover their potential obligations to the exchange. Parties to the contract make or collect daily payments to the margin accounts to reflect losses (or gains), respectively, in the value of their contracts. This protects traders against a potential default by their counterparty. Trading contracts on an exchange also allows traders to hedge or mitigate certain risks or carry out more complex trading strategies by entering into offsetting contracts.

For example, the Fund could close out an open contract to buy an asset at a future date by entering into an offsetting contract to sell the same asset on the same date. If the offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a gain; if it is less, the Fund realizes a loss. Exchanges may limit the amount of open contracts permitted at any one time. Such limits may prevent the Fund from closing out a position. If this happens, the Fund will be required to keep the contract open (even if it is losing money on the contract), and to make any payments required under the contract (even if it has to sell portfolio securities at unfavorable prices to do so). Inability to close out a contract could also harm the Fund by preventing it from disposing of or trading any assets it has been using to secure its obligations under the contract.

The Fund may also trade derivative contracts over-the-counter (OTC), meaning off-exchange, in transactions negotiated directly between the Fund and an eligible counterparty, which may be a financial institution. OTC contracts do not necessarily have standard terms, so they may be less liquid and more difficult to close out than exchange-traded derivative contracts. In addition, OTC contracts with more specialized terms may be more difficult to value than exchange-traded contracts, especially in times of financial stress.

The market for swaps and other OTC derivatives was largely unregulated prior to the enactment of federal legislation known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). Regulations enacted by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) under the Dodd-Frank Act require the Fund to clear certain types of swap contracts (including certain interest rate and credit default swaps) through a central clearinghouse known as a derivatives clearing organization (DCO).

To clear a swap through a DCO, the Fund will submit the contract to, and post margin with, a futures commission merchant (FCM) that is a clearinghouse member. The Fund may enter into the swap with a counterparty other than the FCM and arrange for the contract to be transferred to the FCM for clearing or enter into the contract with the FCM itself. If the Fund must centrally clear a transaction, the CFTC’s regulations also generally require that the swap be executed on a registered exchange (either a designated contract market (DCM) or swap execution facility (SEF)). Central clearing is presently required only for certain swaps; the CFTC is expected to impose a mandatory central clearing requirement for additional derivative instruments over time.

DCOs, DCMs, SEFs and FCMs are all subject to regulatory oversight by the CFTC. In addition, certain derivative market participants that act as market makers, and engage in a significant amount of “dealing” activity are as also required to register as swap dealers with the CFTC. Among other things, swap dealers are subject to minimum capital requirements and business conduct standards and must also post and collect initial and variation margin on uncleared swaps with certain of their counterparties. Because of this, if the Fund enters into uncleared swaps with any swap dealers, it may be subject to initial and variation margin requirements that could impact the Fund’s ability to enter into swaps in the OTC market, including making transacting in uncleared swaps significantly more expensive.

At this point in time, most of the Dodd-Frank Act has been fully implemented, though a small number of remaining rulemakings are unfinished or are subject to phase-in periods. Any future regulatory or legislative activity would not necessarily have a direct, immediate effect upon the Fund, though it is within the realm of possibility that, upon implementation of these measures or any future measures, they could potentially limit or completely restrict the ability of the Fund to use these instruments as a part of its investment strategy, increase the costs of using these instruments or make them less effective.

Depending on how the Fund uses derivative contracts and the relationships between the market value of a derivative contract and the Reference Instrument, derivative contracts may increase or decrease the Fund’s exposure to the risks of the Reference Instrument and may also expose the Fund to liquidity and leverage risk. OTC contracts also expose the Fund to credit risk in the event that a counterparty defaults on the contract, although this risk may be mitigated by submitting the contract for clearing through a DCO, or certain other factors, such as collecting margin from the counterparty.

The Fund may invest in a derivative contract if it is permitted to own, invest in or otherwise have economic exposure to the Reference Instrument. The Fund is not required to own a Reference Instrument in order to buy or sell a derivative contract relating to that Reference Instrument. The Fund may trade in the following specific types and/or combinations of derivative contracts:

Futures Contracts (A Type of Derivative)

Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a Reference Instrument at a specified price, date and time. Entering into a contract to buy a Reference Instrument is commonly referred to as buying a contract or holding a long position in the asset. Entering into a contract to sell a Reference Instrument is commonly referred to as selling a contract or holding a short position in the Reference Instrument. Futures contracts are considered to be commodity contracts. The Adviser has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act with respect to the Fund and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the Act with respect to the Fund. Futures contracts traded OTC are frequently referred to as forward contracts. The Fund can buy or sell financial futures (such as interest rate futures, index futures and security futures), as well as currency futures and forward contracts.

Index Futures

An index futures contract is an exchange-traded contract to make or receive a payment based upon changes in the value of an index. An index is a statistical composite that measures changes in the value of designated Reference Instruments within the index.

Security Futures

A security futures contract is an exchange-traded contract to purchase or sell in the future a specific quantity of a security (other than a Treasury security) or a narrow-based securities index at a certain price. Presently, the only available security futures contracts use shares of a single equity security as the Reference Instrument. However, it is possible that in the future security futures contracts will be developed that use a single fixed-income security as the Reference Instrument.

Option Contracts (A Type of Derivative)

Option contracts (also called “options”) are rights to buy or sell a Reference Instrument for a specified price (the “exercise price”) during, or at the end of, a specified period. The seller (or writer) of the option receives a payment, or premium, from the buyer, which the writer keeps regardless of whether the buyer uses (or exercises) the option. Options may be bought or sold on a wide variety of Reference Instruments. Options that are written on futures contracts will be subject to margin requirements similar to those applied to futures contracts.

The Fund may buy and/or sell the following types of options:

Call Options

A call option gives the holder (buyer) the right to buy the Reference Instrument from the seller (writer) of the option. The Fund may use call options in the following ways:

◾ Buy call options on a Reference Instrument in anticipation of an increase in the value of the Reference Instrument; and

◾ Write call options on a Reference Instrument to generate income from premiums, and in anticipation of a decrease or only limited increase in the value of the Reference Instrument. If the Fund writes a call option on a Reference Instrument that it owns and that call option is exercised, the Fund foregoes any possible profit from an increase in the market price of the Reference Instrument over the exercise price plus the premium received.

Put Options

A put option gives the holder the right to sell the Reference Instrument to the writer of the option. The Fund may use put options in the following ways:

◾ Buy put options on a Reference Instrument in anticipation of a decrease in the value of the Reference Instrument; and

◾ Write put options on a Reference Instrument to generate income from premiums, and in anticipation of an increase or only limited decrease in the value of the Reference Instrument. In writing puts, there is a risk that the Fund may be required to take delivery of the Reference Instrument when its current market price is lower than the exercise price.

The Fund may also buy or write options, as needed, to close out existing option positions.

Finally, the Fund may enter into combinations of options contracts in an attempt to benefit from changes in the prices of those options contracts (without regard to changes in the value of the Reference Instrument).

Swap Contracts (A Type of Derivative)

A swap contract (also known as a “swap”) is a type of derivative contract in which two parties agree to pay each other (swap) the returns derived from Reference Instruments. Most swaps do not involve the delivery of the underlying assets by either party, and the parties might not own the Reference Instruments. The payments are usually made on a net basis so that, on any given day, the Fund would receive (or pay) only the amount by which its payment under the contract is less than (or exceeds) the amount of the other party’s payment. Swap agreements are sophisticated instruments that can take many different forms and are known by a variety of names. Common swap agreements that the Fund may use include:

Caps and Floors (A Type of Swap Contract)

Caps and Floors are contracts in which one party agrees to make payments only if an interest rate or index goes above (Cap) or below (Floor) a certain level in return for a fee from the other party.

Total Return Swaps

A total return swap is an agreement between two parties whereby one party agrees to make payments of the total return from a Reference Instrument (or a basket of such instruments) during the specified period, in return for payments equal to a fixed or floating rate of interest or the total return from another Reference Instrument. Alternately, a total return swap can be structured so that one party will make payments to the other party if the value of a Reference Instrument increases, but receive payments from the other party if the value of that instrument decreases.

Currency Swaps

Currency swaps are contracts which provide for interest payments in different currencies. The parties might agree to exchange the notional principal amounts of the currencies as well (commonly called a “foreign exchange swap”).

Volatility Swaps

A volatility swap is an agreement between two parties to make payments based on changes in the volatility of a Reference Instrument over a stated period of time. Specifically, one party will be required to make a payment to the other party if the volatility of a Reference Instrument increases over an agreed upon period of time, but will be entitled to receive a payment from the other party if the volatility decreases over that time period. A volatility swap that requires a single payment on a stated future date will be treated as a forward contract. Payments on a volatility swap will be greater if they are based upon the mathematical square of volatility (i.e., the measured volatility multiplied by itself, which is referred to as “variance”). This type of a volatility swap is frequently referred to as a variance swap.

Hybrid Instruments

Hybrid instruments combine elements of two different kinds of securities or financial instruments (such as a derivative contract). Frequently, the value of a hybrid instrument is determined by reference to changes in the value of a Reference Instrument (that is a designated security, commodity, currency, index or other asset or instrument including a derivative contract). Hybrid instruments can take on many forms including, but not limited to, the following forms. First, a common form of a hybrid instrument combines elements of a derivative contract with those of another security (typically a fixed-income security). In this case all or a portion of the interest or principal payable on a hybrid security is determined by reference to changes in the price of a Reference Instrument. Second, a hybrid instrument may also combine elements of a fixed-income security and an equity security. Third, hybrid instruments may include convertible securities with conversion terms related to a Reference Instrument.

Depending on the type and terms of the hybrid instrument, its risks may reflect a combination of the risks of investing in the Reference Instrument with the risks of investing in other securities, currencies and derivative contracts. Thus, an investment in a hybrid instrument may entail significant risks in addition to those associated with traditional securities or the Reference Instrument. Hybrid instruments are also potentially more volatile than traditional securities or the Reference Instrument. Moreover, depending on the structure of the particular hybrid, it may expose the Fund to leverage risks or carry liquidity risks.

Credit Linked Note (A Type of Hybrid Instrument)

A credit linked note (CLN) is a type of hybrid instrument in which a special purpose entity issues a structured note (the “Note Issuer”) with respect to which the Reference Instrument is a single bond, a portfolio of bonds, or the unsecured credit of an issuer, in general (each a “Reference Credit”). The purchaser of the CLN (the “Note Purchaser”) invests a par amount and receives a payment during the term of the CLN that equals a fixed or floating rate of interest equivalent to a high rated funded asset (such as a bank certificate of deposit) plus an additional premium that relates to taking on the credit risk of the Reference Credit. Upon maturity of the CLN, the Note Purchaser will receive a payment equal to: (i) the original par amount paid to the Note Issuer, if there is no occurrence of a designated event of default, restructuring or other credit event (each a “Credit Event”) with respect to the issuer of the Reference Credit; or (ii) the market value of the Reference Credit, if a Credit Event has occurred. Depending upon the terms of the CLN, it is also possible that the Note Purchaser may be required to take physical delivery of the Reference Credit in the event of a Credit Event. Most credit linked notes use a corporate bond (or a portfolio of corporate bonds) as the Reference Credit. However, almost any type of fixed-income security (including foreign government securities), index or derivative contract (such as a credit default swap) can be used as the Reference Credit.

Equity Linked Note (A Type of Hybrid Instrument)

An equity linked note (ELN) is a type of hybrid instrument that provides the noteholder with exposure to a single equity security, a basket of equity securities, or an equity index (the “Reference Equity Instrument”). Typically, an ELN pays interest at agreed rates over a specified time period and, at maturity, either converts into shares of a Reference Equity Instrument or returns a payment to the noteholder based on the change in value of a Reference Equity Instrument.

Other Investments, Transactions, Techniques

Reverse Repurchase Agreements

Reverse repurchase agreements (which are considered a type of special transaction for asset segregation or asset coverage purposes) are repurchase agreements in which the Fund is the seller (rather than the buyer) of the securities, and agrees to repurchase them at an agreed upon time and price. A reverse repurchase agreement may be viewed as a type of borrowing by the Fund. Reverse repurchase agreements are subject to credit risks. In addition, reverse repurchase agreements create leverage risks because the Fund must repurchase the underlying investment at a higher price, regardless of the market value of the security at the time of repurchase.

Delayed Delivery Transactions

Delayed delivery transactions, including when issued transactions, are arrangements in which the Fund buys securities for a set price, with payment and delivery of the securities scheduled for a future time. During the period between purchase and settlement, no payment is made by the Fund to the issuer and no interest accrues to the Fund. The Fund records the transaction when it agrees to buy the securities and reflects their value in determining the price of its shares. Settlement dates may be a month or more after entering into these transactions so that the market values of the securities bought may vary from the purchase prices. Therefore, delayed delivery transactions create interest rate risks for the Fund. Delayed delivery transactions also involve credit risks in the event of a counterparty default.

Securities Lending

The Fund may lend portfolio securities to borrowers that the Adviser deems creditworthy. In return, the Fund receives cash or liquid securities from the borrower as collateral. The borrower must furnish additional collateral if the market value of the loaned investments increases. Also, the borrower must pay the Fund the equivalent of any dividends or interest received on the loaned securities.

The Fund will reinvest cash collateral in securities that qualify as an acceptable investment for the Fund. However, the Fund must pay interest to the borrower for the use of cash collateral. An acceptable investment into which the Fund may reinvest cash collateral includes, among other acceptable investments, securities of affiliated money market funds (including affiliated institutional prime money market funds with a “floating” net asset value that can impose redemption fees and liquidity gates, impose certain operational impediments to investing cash collateral, and, if net asset value decreases, result in the Fund having to cover the decrease in the value of the cash collateral).

Loans are subject to termination at the option of the Fund or the borrower. The Fund will not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, the Fund will attempt to terminate a loan in an effort to reacquire the securities in time to vote on matters that are deemed to be material by the Adviser. There can be no assurance that the Fund will have sufficient notice of such matters to be able to terminate the loan in time to vote thereon. The Fund may pay administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan and may pay a negotiated portion of the interest earned on the cash collateral to a securities lending agent or broker.

Securities lending activities are subject to interest rate risks and credit risks.

Derivatives Regulation and Asset Coverage

The regulation of the U.S. and non-U.S. derivatives markets has undergone substantial change in recent years and such change may continue. In addition, effective August 19, 2022, Rule 18f-4 (the “Derivatives Rule”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), replaced the asset segregation framework previously used by funds to comply with limitations on leverage imposed by the 1940 Act. The Derivatives Rule generally mandates that a fund either limit derivatives exposure to 10% or less of its net assets, or in the alternative implement: (i) limits on leverage calculated based value-at-risk (VAR); and (ii) a written derivatives risk management program (DRMP) administered by a derivatives risk manager appointed by the Fund’s Board, including a majority of the independent Board members, that is periodically reviewed by the Board.

In accordance with the requirements of Section 18 of the 1940 Act, any borrowings by the Fund will be made only to the extent the value of its assets, less its liabilities other than borrowings, is equal to at least 300% of all of its borrowings (the “300% Asset Coverage Ratio”). The Derivatives Rule permits the Fund to enter into reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions, notwithstanding limitations on the issuance of senior securities under Section 18 of the 1940 Act, provided that the Fund either (i) treats these transactions as derivatives transactions under the Derivatives Rule, or (ii) ensures that the 300% Asset Coverage Ratio with respect to such transactions and any other borrowings in the aggregate. While reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions aggregated with other indebtedness do not need to be included in the calculation of whether a fund satisfies the Limited Derivatives Users exception, for funds subject to the VAR testing requirement, reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions must be included for purposes of such testing whether treated as derivatives transactions or not. See “Borrowing Money and Issuing Senior Securities” and “Additional Information” below.

Hedging

Hedging transactions are intended to reduce specific risks. For example, to protect the Fund against circumstances that would normally cause the Fund’s portfolio securities to decline in value, the Fund may buy or sell a derivative contract that would normally increase in value under the same circumstances. The Fund may also attempt to hedge by using combinations of different derivative contracts, or derivative contracts and securities. The Fund’s ability to hedge may be limited by the costs of the derivative contracts. The Fund may attempt to lower the cost of hedging by entering into transactions that provide only

limited protection, including transactions that: (1) hedge only a portion of its portfolio; (2) use derivative contracts that cover a narrow range of circumstances; or (3) involve the sale of derivative contracts with different terms. Consequently, hedging transactions will not eliminate risk even if they work as intended. In addition, hedging strategies are not always successful, and could result in increased expenses and losses to the Fund.

Investing in Securities of Other Investment Companies

The Fund may invest its assets in securities of other investment companies, including the securities of affiliated money market funds, as an efficient means of implementing its investment strategies and/or managing its uninvested cash. The Fund may also invest in emerging-market, fixed-income investments primarily by investing in another investment company (which is not available for general investment by the public) that owns those securities and that is advised by an affiliate of the Adviser. The Fund may also invest in such securities directly. These other investment companies are managed independently of the Fund and incur additional fees and/or expenses which would, therefore, be borne indirectly by the Fund in connection with any such investment. However, the Adviser believes that the benefits and efficiencies of this approach should outweigh the potential additional fees and/or expenses.

Investing in Exchange-Traded Funds

The Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as an efficient means of carrying out its investment strategies. As with traditional mutual funds, ETFs charge asset-based fees, although these fees tend to be relatively low. ETFs are traded on stock exchanges or on the over-the-counter market. ETFs do not charge initial sales charges or redemption fees and investors pay only customary brokerage fees to buy and sell ETF shares.

Short Sales

The Fund may sell a security short in an effort to take advantage of an anticipated decline in the price of the security. In a short sale, the Fund sells a security it does not own, and must borrow the security in order to deliver it at completion of the sale. The Fund then has an obligation to replace the borrowed security (e.g., to purchase the security at a future date and deliver it to the lender of the security). In order to cover its obligation to purchase such securities in the future, the Fund holds short-term liquid securities such as money market funds, U.S. Treasury securities or government agency securities. If the value of the security sold short declines between the time that the Fund borrows the security and the time it repurchases and returns the security to the lender, the Fund makes a profit on the difference (less any interest, fees and/or dividend payments the Fund is required to pay the lender). If it has to buy the security back at a higher price, a loss results. The Fund may incur expenses in selling securities short and such expenses are investment expenses of the Fund.

Investment Ratings for Investment-Grade Securities

The Adviser will determine whether a security is investment grade based upon the credit ratings given by one or more NRSROs. For example, Standard & Poor’s, an NRSRO, assigns ratings to investment-grade securities (AAA, AA, A and BBB including modifiers, sub-categories and gradations) based on their assessment of the likelihood of the issuer’s inability to pay interest or principal (default) when due on each security. Lower credit ratings correspond to higher credit risk. If a security has not received a rating, the Fund must rely entirely upon the Adviser’s credit assessment that the security is comparable to investment grade. The presence of a ratings modifier, sub-category, or gradation (for example, a (+) or (-)) is intended to show relative standing within the major rating categories and does not affect the security credit rating for purposes of the Fund’s investment parameters. If a security is downgraded below the minimum quality grade discussed above, the Adviser will reevaluate the security, but will not be required to sell it.

Investment Ratings for NONInvestment-Grade Securities

Noninvestment-grade securities are rated below BBB- by an NRSRO. These bonds have greater economic, credit and liquidity risks than investment-grade securities.

INTER-FUND BORROWING AND THIRD-PARTY LENDING ARRANGEMENTS

Inter-Fund Borrowing

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has granted an exemption that permits the Fund and all other funds (“Federated Hermes funds”) advised by subsidiaries of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes,” formerly, Federated Investors, Inc.) to lend and borrow money for certain temporary purposes directly to and from other Federated Hermes funds. Participation in this inter-fund lending program is voluntary for both borrowing and lending Federated Hermes funds, and

an inter-fund loan is only made if it benefits each participating Federated Hermes fund. Federated Hermes administers the program according to procedures approved by the Fund’s Board, and the Board monitors the operation of the program. Any inter-fund loan must comply with certain conditions set out in the exemption, which are designed to assure fairness and protect all participating Federated Hermes funds.

For example, inter-fund lending is permitted only: (a) to meet shareholder redemption requests; (b) to meet commitments arising from “failed” trades; and (c) for other temporary purposes. All inter-fund loans must be repaid in seven days or less. The Fund’s participation in this program must be consistent with its investment policies and limitations, and must meet certain percentage tests. Inter-fund loans may be made only when the rate of interest to be charged is more attractive to the lending Federated Hermes fund than market-competitive rates on overnight repurchase agreements (“Repo Rate”) and more attractive to the borrowing Federated Hermes fund than the rate of interest that would be charged by an unaffiliated bank for short-term borrowings (“Bank Loan Rate”), as determined by the Board. The interest rate imposed on inter-fund loans is the average of the Repo Rate and the Bank Loan Rate.

Third-Party Line of Credit

The Fund participates with certain other Federated Hermes funds, on a several basis, in an up to $500,000,000 unsecured, 364-day, committed, revolving line of credit (LOC) agreement. The LOC was made available to temporarily finance the repurchase or redemption of shares of the Fund, failed trades, payment of dividends, settlement of trades and for other short-term, temporary or emergency general business purposes. The Fund cannot borrow under the LOC if an inter-fund loan is outstanding. The Fund’s ability to borrow under the LOC also is subject to the limitations of the 1940 Act and various conditions precedent that must be satisfied before the Fund can borrow. Loans under the LOC are charged interest at a fluctuating rate per annum equal to (a) the highest, on any day, of: (i) the federal funds effective rate; (ii) the published secured overnight financing rate plus an assigned percentage; and (iii) 0.0%; plus (b) a margin. Any fund eligible to borrow under the LOC pays its pro rata share of a commitment fee based on the amount of the lenders’ commitment that has not been utilized, quarterly in arrears and at maturity. As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, there were no outstanding loans. During the most recently ended fiscal year, the Fund did not utilize the LOC.

LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

The Fund has adopted and implemented a written liquidity risk management program (LRMP) and related procedures to assess and manage the liquidity risk of the Fund in accordance with Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act and Rule 22e-4 thereunder. The Board has designated the Adviser, together with Federated Hermes, Inc.’s (“Federated Hermes,” formerly Federated Investors, Inc.) other affiliated registered investment advisory subsidiaries that serve as investment advisers to other Federated Hermes funds, to collectively serve as the administrator of the LRMP and the related procedures (the “Administrator”). Rule 22e-4 defines “liquidity risk” as the risk that the Fund will be unable to meet requests to redeem shares issued by the Fund without significant dilution of the remaining investors’ interests in the Fund. As a part of the LRMP, the Administrator is responsible for classifying the liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio investments in accordance with Rule 22e-4. As part of the LRMP, the Administrator is also responsible for assessing, managing and periodically reviewing the Fund’s liquidity risk, for making periodic reports to the Board and the SEC regarding the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, and for notifying the Board and the SEC of certain liquidity events specified in Rule 22e-4. The liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio investments is determined based on relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations under the LRMP.

Investment Risks

There are many risk factors which may affect an investment in the Fund. The Fund’s principal risks are described in its Prospectus. The following information is either additional information in respect of a principal risk factor referenced in the Prospectus or information in respect of a non-principal risk factor applicable to the Fund (in which case there is no related disclosure in the Prospectus).

Call Risk

Call risk is the possibility that an issuer may redeem a fixed-income security before maturity (a call) at a price below its current market price. An increase in the likelihood of a call may reduce the security’s price.

If a fixed-income security is called, the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in other fixed-income securities with lower interest rates, higher credit risks or other less favorable characteristics.

Prepayment and Extension Risk

Unlike traditional fixed-income securities, which pay a fixed rate of interest until maturity (when the entire principal amount is due) payments on mortgage-backed securities include both interest and a partial payment of principal. Partial payment of principal may be comprised of scheduled principal payments as well as unscheduled payments from the voluntary prepayment, refinancing or foreclosure of the underlying loans. These unscheduled prepayments of principal create risks that can adversely affect a Fund holding mortgage-backed securities.

For example, when interest rates decline, the values of mortgage-backed securities generally rise. However, when interest rates decline, unscheduled prepayments can be expected to accelerate, and the Fund would be required to reinvest the proceeds of the prepayments at the lower interest rates then available. Unscheduled prepayments would also limit the potential for capital appreciation on mortgage-backed securities.

Conversely, when interest rates rise, the values of mortgage-backed securities generally fall. Since rising interest rates typically result in decreased prepayments, this could lengthen the average lives of mortgage-backed securities, and cause their value to decline more than traditional fixed-income securities.

Generally, mortgage-backed securities compensate for the increased risk associated with prepayments by paying a higher yield. The additional interest paid for risk is measured by the difference between the yield of a mortgage-backed security and the yield of a U.S. Treasury security with a comparable maturity (the “spread”). An increase in the spread will cause the price of the mortgage-backed security to decline. Spreads generally increase in response to adverse economic or market conditions. Spreads may also increase if the security is perceived to have an increased prepayment risk or is perceived to have less market demand.

Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) Risk

The value of asset-backed securities (ABS) may be affected by certain factors such as interest rate risk, the availability of information concerning the pool of underlying assets and its structure, the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the pool or the originator of the underlying assets and the ability of the servicing agent to service the underlying collateral. Under certain market conditions, ABS may be less liquid and may be difficult to value. Movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain types of ABS. Unscheduled prepayments of ABS may result in a loss of income if the proceeds are invested in lower-yielding securities. Conversely, in a rising interest rate environment, a declining prepayment rate will extend the average life of many ABS, which increases the risk of depreciation due to future increases in market interest rates. ABS can also be subject to the risk of default on the underlying assets.

Risk of Investing In Derivative Contracts and Hybrid Instruments

The Fund’s exposure to derivative contracts and hybrid instruments (either directly or through its investment in another investment company) involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. First, changes in the value of the derivative contracts and hybrid instruments in which the Fund invests may not be correlated with changes in the value of the underlying Reference Instruments or, if they are correlated, may move in the opposite direction than originally anticipated. Second, while some strategies involving derivatives may reduce the risk of loss, they may also reduce potential gains or, in some cases, result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in portfolio holdings. Third, there is a risk that derivative contracts and hybrid instruments may be erroneously priced or improperly valued and, as a result, the Fund may need to make increased cash payments to the counterparty. Fourth, exposure to derivative contracts and hybrid instruments may have tax consequences to the Fund and its shareholders. For example, derivative contracts and hybrid instruments may cause the Fund to realize increased ordinary income or short-term capital gains (which are treated as ordinary income for Federal income tax purposes) and, as a result, may increase taxable distributions to shareholders. In addition, under certain circumstances certain derivative contracts and hybrid instruments may cause the Fund to: (a) incur an excise tax on a portion of the income related to those contracts and instruments; and/or (b) reclassify, as a return of capital, some or all of the distributions previously made to shareholders during the fiscal year as dividend income. Fifth, a common provision in OTC derivative contracts permits the counterparty to terminate any such contract between it and the Fund, if the value of the Fund’s total net assets declines below a specified level over a given time period. Factors that may contribute to such a decline (which usually must be substantial) include significant shareholder redemptions and/or a marked decrease in the market value of the Fund’s investments. Any such termination of the Fund’s OTC derivative contracts may adversely affect the Fund (for example, by increasing losses and/or costs, and/or preventing the Fund from fully implementing its investment strategies). Sixth, the Fund may use a derivative contract to benefit from a decline in the value of a Reference Instrument. If the value of the Reference Instrument declines during the term of the contract, the Fund makes a profit on the difference (less any payments the Fund is required to pay under the terms of the contract). Any such strategy involves risk. There is no assurance that the Reference Instrument will decline in value during the term of the contract and make a profit for the Fund. The Reference Instrument may instead appreciate in value creating a loss for the Fund. Seventh, a default or failure by a CCP or an FCM (also sometimes called a “futures broker”), or the failure of a contract to be transferred from an Executing Dealer to the FCM for

clearing, may expose the Fund to losses, increase its costs, or prevent the Fund from entering or exiting derivative positions, accessing margin or fully implementing its investment strategies. The central clearing of a derivative and trading of a contract over a SEF could reduce the liquidity in, or increase costs of entering into or holding, any contracts. Finally, derivative contracts and hybrid instruments may also involve other risks described herein or in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as stock market, interest rate, credit, currency, liquidity and leverage risks.

Risk Associated With the Investment Activities of Other Accounts

Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other accounts managed by the Adviser and accounts managed by affiliates of the Adviser. Therefore, it is possible that investment-related actions taken by such other accounts could adversely impact the Fund with respect to, for example, the value of Fund portfolio holdings, and/or prices paid to or received by the Fund on its portfolio transactions, and/or the Fund’s ability to obtain or dispose of portfolio securities. Related considerations are discussed elsewhere in this SAI under “Brokerage Transactions and Investment Allocation.”

Short Selling Risk

The Fund can sell securities short to the maximum extent permitted under the 1940 Act. A short sale by the Fund involves borrowing a security from a lender which is then sold in the open market. At a future date, the security is repurchased by the Fund and returned to the lender. While the security is borrowed, the proceeds from the sale are deposited with the lender and the Fund may be required to pay interest, fees and/or the equivalent of any dividend payments paid by the security to the lender. If the value of the security declines between the time the Fund borrows the security and the time it repurchases and returns the security to the lender, the Fund makes a profit on the difference (less any expenses the Fund is required to pay the lender). There is no assurance that a security will decline in value during the period of the short sale and make a profit for the Fund. If the value of the security sold short increases between the time that the Fund borrows the security and the time it repurchases it and returns the security to the lender, the Fund will realize a loss on the difference plus any expenses the Fund is required to pay the lender. This loss is theoretically unlimited as there is no limit as to how high the security sold short can appreciate in value, thus increasing the cost of buying that security to cover a short position. In addition, there is no guarantee that the security needed to cover the short position will be available for purchase.

The Fund may incur two types of expenses from short sales: borrowing expenses and dividend expenses. Borrowing expenses may occur because the Fund may pay income or be charged a fee on borrowed securities. This income or fee is based upon the market value of the borrowed security and is dependent upon the availability of the security. Dividend expenses may occur because the Fund has to pay the lender of the security the value of any dividends earned on the borrowed security. These dividends and borrowing expense are investment expenses of the Fund.

Risk of Investing in Loans

In addition to the risks generally associated with debt instruments, such as credit, market, interest rate, liquidity and derivatives risks, bank loans are also subject to the risk that the value of the collateral securing a loan may decline, be insufficient to meet the obligations of the borrower or be difficult to liquidate. The Fund’s access to the collateral may be limited by bankruptcy, other insolvency laws or by the type of loan the Fund has purchased. For example, if the Fund purchases a participation instead of an assignment, it would not have direct access to collateral of the borrower. As a result, a floating rate loan may not be fully collateralized and can decline significantly in value. Additionally, collateral on loan instruments may consist of assets that may not be readily liquidated, and there is no assurance that the liquidation of such assets will satisfy a borrower’s obligations under the instrument. Loans generally are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale.

Loans and other forms of indebtedness may be structured such that they are not securities under securities laws. As such, it is unclear whether loans and other forms of direct indebtedness offer securities law protections, such as those against fraud and misrepresentation. In the absence of definitive regulatory guidance, while there can be no assurance that fraud or misrepresentation will not occur with respect to the loans and other investments in which the Fund invests, the Fund relies on the Adviser’s research in an attempt to seek to avoid situations where fraud or misrepresentation could adversely affect the Fund.

Risk of Loss After Redemption

The Fund may also invest in trade finance loan instruments primarily by investing in other investment companies (which are not available for general investment by the public) that own those instruments and that are advised by an affiliate of the Adviser.

The investment company that is advised by an affiliate of the Adviser is structured as an extended payment fund (EPF). In the EPF, the Fund, as shareholder, will bear the risk of investment loss during the period between when shares of such EPF are presented to the transfer agent of the EPF for redemption and when the net asset value of the EPF is determined for payment of the redeemed EPF shares (the “Redemption Pricing Date”). The time between when EPF shares are presented for redemption and the Redemption Pricing Date will be no more than twenty-four (24) calendar days. EPF shares tendered for redemption will participate proportionately in the EPF’s gains and losses during between when EPF shares are presented for redemption and the

Redemption Pricing Date. During this time the value of the EPF shares will likely fluctuate and EPF shares presented for redemption could be worth less on the Redemption Pricing Date than on the day the EPF shares were presented to the transfer agent of the EPF for redemption. The EPF has adopted a fundamental policy that may only be changed by shareholder vote, that the Redemption Pricing Date will fall no more than twenty-four (24) days after the date the Fund, as shareholder, presents EPF shares for redemption in good order. If such date is a weekend or holiday, the Redemption Pricing Date will be on the preceding business day.

Exchange-Traded Funds Risk

An investment in an exchange-traded fund (ETF) generally presents the same primary risks as an investment in a conventional fund (i.e., one that is not exchange-traded) that has the same investment objectives, strategies and policies. The price of an ETF can fluctuate up or down, and the Fund could lose money investing in an ETF if the prices of the securities owned by the ETF go down. In addition, ETFs may be subject to the following risks that do not apply to conventional funds: (i) the market price of an ETF’s shares may trade above or below its net asset value; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained; or (iii) trading of an ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem such action appropriate, the shares are delisted from the exchange or the activation of market-wide “circuit breakers” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally.

Stock Market Risk

The value of equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio will rise and fall over time. These fluctuations could be a sustained trend or a drastic movement. Historically, the equity market has moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s securities may fluctuate from day to day. The Fund’s portfolio will reflect changes in prices of individual portfolio stocks or general changes in stock valuations. Consequently, the Fund’s Share price may decline. The Adviser attempts to manage market risk by limiting the amount the Fund invests in each company’s equity securities. However, diversification will not protect the Fund against widespread or prolonged declines in the stock market.

Information publicly available about a company, whether from the company’s financial statements or other disclosures or from third parties, or information available to some but not all market participants, can affect the price of a company’s shares in the market. The price of a company’s shares depends significantly on the information publicly available about the company. The reporting of poor results by a company, the restatement of a company’s financial statements or corrections to other information regarding a company or its business may adversely affect the price of its shares, as would allegations of fraud or other misconduct by the company’s management. The Fund may also be disadvantaged if some market participants have access to material information not readily available to other market participants, including the Fund.

LIBOR Risk

Certain derivatives or debt securities, or other financial instruments in which the Fund may invest, have utilized the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) as the reference or benchmark rate for interest rate calculations.

LIBOR is a measure of the average interest rate at which major global banks can borrow from one another. LIBOR has historically been quoted in multiple currencies and tenors using data reported by a panel of private-sector banks. Following allegations of rate manipulation in 2012 and concerns regarding its thin liquidity, the use of LIBOR came under increasing pressure, and in July 2017, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which regulates LIBOR, announced that it will stop encouraging banks to provide the quotations needed to sustain LIBOR. The ICE Benchmark Administration Limited, the administrator of LIBOR, ceased publishing most LIBOR tenors, including some USD LIBOR tenors, on December 31, 2021, and ceased publishing the remaining and most liquid USD LIBOR tenors on June 30, 2023. As a result, many market participants have transitioned to the use of alternative reference or benchmark rates prior to the applicable LIBOR publication cessation date. Although regulators have encouraged the development and adoption of alternative rates, such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), the future of any particular replacement rate still remains uncertain. In addition, the FCA has announced that it will require the publication of synthetic LIBOR for the one-month, three-month and six-month U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings after June 30, 2023 through at least September 30, 2024.

While the transition away from LIBOR became increasingly well-defined in advance of the anticipated discontinuation of LIBOR, the impact on certain debt securities, derivatives and other financial instruments has not been determined and may remain uncertain for some time. Market participants have adopted alternative rates such as SOFR or have otherwise amended certain legacy instruments referencing LIBOR to include fallback provisions and other measures that contemplate the discontinuation of LIBOR or other similar market disruption events. However, neither the effect of the transition process nor the viability of such measures is known. Further, uncertainty and risk remain regarding the willingness and ability of issuers and lenders to include alternative rates and revised provisions in new and existing contracts or instruments. To facilitate the transition of legacy derivatives contracts referencing LIBOR, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. launched a protocol

to incorporate fallback provisions. However, there are obstacles to converting certain longer-term securities and transactions to a new benchmark or benchmarks. For example, certain proposed replacement rates to LIBOR, such as SOFR, which is a broad measure of secured overnight U.S. Treasury repo rates, or the Bloomberg Short-Term Bank Yield Index (BSBY), a proprietary series of credit sensitive reference rates that incorporate bank credit spreads, are different from LIBOR, and changes in the applicable spread for financial instruments that have transitioned away from LIBOR have been made to accommodate the differences. In addition, regulators in foreign jurisdictions have proposed alternative replacement rates. Furthermore, the risks associated with the transition to alternative rates may be exacerbated if the orderly transition to an alternative reference rate was not completed in a timely manner.

The effectiveness of multiple alternative reference rates as opposed to one primary reference rate has not been determined. The effectiveness of alternative reference rates used in new or existing financial instruments and products has also not yet been determined. The utilization of an alternative reference rate, or the transition process to an alternative reference rate, may adversely affect the Fund’s investment performance.

LARGE SHAREHOLDER RISK

A significant percentage of the Fund’s shares may be owned or controlled by a large shareholder, such as other funds or accounts, including those of which the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser may have investment discretion. Accordingly, the Fund can be subject to the potential for large scale inflows and outflows as a result of purchases and redemptions made by significant shareholders. These inflows and outflows could be significant and, if frequently occurring, could negatively affect the Fund’s net asset value and performance and could cause the Fund to buy or sell securities at inopportune times in order to meet purchase or redemption requests. Investments in the Fund by other investment companies also can create conflicts of interests for the Adviser to the Fund and the investment adviser to the acquiring fund. For example, a conflict of interest can arise due to the possibility that the investment adviser to the acquiring fund could make a decision to redeem the acquiring fund’s investment in the Fund. In the case of an investment by an affiliated fund, a conflict of interest can arise if, because of the acquiring fund’s investment in the Fund, the Fund is able to garner more assets from third-party investors, thereby growing the Fund and increasing the management fees received by the Adviser, which could also be the investment adviser to the acquiring fund.

Cybersecurity and Operational Risk

Like other funds and business enterprises, Federated Hermes’ business relies on the security and reliability of information and communications technology, systems and networks. Federated Hermes uses digital technology, including, for example, networked systems, email and the Internet, as well as mobile devices and “cloud”-based service offerings, to conduct business operations and engage clients, customers, employees, products, accounts, shareholders, and relevant service providers, among others. Federated Hermes, as well as its funds and certain service providers, also generate, compile and process information for purposes of preparing and making filings or reports to governmental agencies, or providing reports or statements to customers, and a cybersecurity attack or incident that impacts that information, or the generation and filing processes, can prevent required regulatory filings and reports from being made, or reports or statements from being delivered, or cause the inadvertent release of confidential information (possibly resulting in the violation of applicable privacy laws). The use of the Internet and other electronic media and technology exposes the Fund, the Fund’s shareholders, and the Fund’s service providers, and their respective operations, to potential risks from cybersecurity attacks or incidents (collectively, “cyber-events”). The work-from-home environment necessitated by the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic has increased the risk of cyber incidents given the increase in cyber attack surface stemming from the use of personal devices and non-office or personal technology.

Cyber-events can result from intentional (or deliberate) attacks or unintentional events by insiders (e.g., employees) or third parties, including cybercriminals, competitors, nation-states and “hacktivists,” among others. Cyber-events can include, for example, phishing, credential harvesting or use of stolen access credentials, unauthorized access to systems, networks or devices (such as, for example, through “hacking” activity), structured query language attacks, infection from or spread of malware, ransomware, computer viruses or other malicious software code, corruption of data, exfiltration of data to malicious sites, the dark web or other locations or threat actors, and attacks (including, but not limited to, denial of service attacks on websites), which shut down, disable, slow, impair or otherwise disrupt operations, business processes, technology, connectivity or website or internet access, functionality or performance. Like other funds and business enterprises, the Fund and its service providers have experienced, and will continue to experience, cyber-events on a daily basis. In addition to intentional cyber-events, unintentional cyber-events can occur, such as, for example, the inadvertent release of confidential information. Cyber-events can also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on the service providers’ systems or websites rendering them unavailable to intended users or via “ransomware” that renders the systems inoperable until appropriate actions are taken. To date, cyber-events have not had a material adverse effect on the Fund’s business operations or performance.

Cyber-events can affect, potentially in a material way, Federated Hermes’ relationships with its customers, employees, products, accounts, shareholders and relevant service providers. Any cyber-event could adversely impact the Fund and its shareholders and cause the Fund to incur financial loss and expense, as well as face exposure to regulatory penalties, reputational damage, damage to employee perceptions of the company, and additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and credit monitoring for impacted individuals. A cyber-event can cause the Fund, or its service providers, to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, lose operational capacity (such as, for example, the loss of the ability to process transactions, generate or make filings or deliver reports or statements, calculate the Fund’s NAV, or allow shareholders to transact business or other disruptions to operations), and/or fail to comply with applicable privacy and other laws. Among other potentially harmful effects, cyber-events also can result in theft, unauthorized monitoring and failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support the Fund and its service providers. In addition, cyber-events affecting issuers in which the Fund invests could cause the Fund’s investments to lose value.

The Fund’s Adviser and its relevant affiliates have established risk management systems reasonably designed to seek to reduce the risks associated with cyber-events. The Fund’s Adviser employs various measures aimed at mitigating cybersecurity risk, including, among others, use of firewalls, system segmentation, system monitoring, virus scanning, periodic penetration testing, employee phishing training and an employee cybersecurity awareness campaign. Among other service provider management efforts, Federated Hermes also conducts due diligence on key service providers relating to cybersecurity. Federated Hermes has established a committee to oversee Federated Hermes’ information security and data governance efforts, and updates on cyber-events and risks are reviewed with relevant committees, as well as Federated Hermes’ and the Fund’s Boards of Directors or Trustees (or a committee thereof), on a periodic (generally quarterly) basis (and more frequently when circumstances warrant) as part of risk management oversight responsibilities. However, there is no guarantee that the efforts of Federated Hermes, the Fund’s Adviser or its affiliates, or other service providers, will succeed, either entirely or partially as there are limits on Federated Hermes’ and the Fund’s ability to prevent, detect or mitigate cyber-events. Among other reasons, the cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving, the nature of malicious cyber-events is becoming increasingly sophisticated and the Fund’s Adviser, and its relevant affiliates, cannot control the cyber systems and cybersecurity systems of issuers or third-party service providers.

The Fund can be exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties, or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures. In addition, other disruptive events, including, but not limited to, natural disasters and public health crises (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), can adversely affect the Fund’s ability to conduct business, in particular if the Fund’s employees or the employees of its service providers are unable or unwilling to perform their responsibilities as a result of any such event. Even if the Fund’s employees and the employees of its service providers are able to work remotely, those remote work arrangements could result in the Fund’s business operations being less efficient than under normal circumstances, could lead to delays in its processing of transactions, and could increase the risk of cyber-events.

Investment Objective and Investment Limitations

Fundamental Investment Objective

The Fund’s investment objective is to seek a high level of current income. The Fund has a secondary objective of capital appreciation. The investment objectives may not be changed by the Board without shareholder approval.

Investment Limitations

Borrowing Money and Issuing Senior Securities

The Fund may borrow money, directly or indirectly, and issue senior securities to the maximum extent permitted under the 1940 Act.

Investing in Real Estate

The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate, provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from investing in issuers which invest, deal or otherwise engage in transactions in real estate or interests therein, or investing in securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein. The Fund may exercise its rights under agreements relating to such securities, including the right to enforce security interests and to hold real estate acquired by reason of such enforcement until that real estate can be liquidated in an orderly manner.

Investing in Commodities

The Fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities, provided that the Fund may purchase securities of companies that deal in commodities.

Underwriting

The Fund may not underwrite the securities of other issuers, except that the Fund may engage in transactions involving the acquisition, disposition or resale of its portfolio securities, under circumstances where it may be considered to be an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933.

Lending

The Fund may not make loans, provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from purchasing debt obligations, entering into repurchase agreements, lending its assets to broker/dealers or institutional investors and investing in loans, including assignments and participation interests.

Concentration

The Fund will not make investments that will result in the concentration of its investments in the securities of issuers primarily engaged in the same industry. Government securities, municipal securities and bank instruments will not be deemed to constitute an industry.

The above limitations are fundamental and cannot be changed unless authorized by the Board and by the “vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities,” as defined by the 1940 Act, which means the lesser of (a) 67% of the shares of the Fund present or represented by proxy at a meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present or represented at the meeting or (b) more than 50% of outstanding shares of the Fund. The following limitations, however, may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified before any material change in these limitations becomes effective.

Purchases on Margin

The Fund will not purchase securities on margin, provided that the Fund may obtain short-term credits necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of securities, and further provided that the Fund may make margin deposits in connection with its use of financial options and futures, forward and spot currency contracts, swap transactions and other financial contracts or derivative instruments.

Pledging Assets

The Fund will not mortgage, pledge or hypothecate any of its assets, provided that this shall not apply to the transfer of securities in connection with any permissible borrowing or to collateral arrangements in connection with permissible activities.

Illiquid Investments

The Fund will not make investments in holdings for which there is no readily available market, or enter into repurchase agreements or purchase time deposits that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment, if immediately after and as a result, the value of such investments would exceed, in the aggregate, 15% of the Fund’s net assets.

Additional Information

As a matter of non-fundamental investment policy regarding certain of the Fund’s investment restrictions, please note the following additional information.

Except with respect to borrowing money, if a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or net assets will not result in a violation of such restriction.

For purposes of its policies and limitations, the Fund considers certificates of deposit and demand and time deposits issued by a U.S. branch of a domestic bank or savings association having capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100,000,000 at the time of investment to be “cash items.”

As a matter of non-fundamental operating policy, for purposes of the commodities policy, investments in transactions involving futures contracts and options, forward currency contracts, swap transactions and other financial contracts that settle by payment of cash are not deemed to be investments in commodities.

With respect to securities comprising 75% of the value of its total assets, the Fund will not purchase securities of any one issuer (other than cash, cash items, securities issued or guaranteed by the government of the United States or its agencies or instrumentalities and repurchase agreements collateralized by such U.S. government securities, and securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, more than 5% of the value of its total assets would be invested in securities of that issuer, or the Fund would own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer. Should the Fund determine to operate as a nondiversified investment company in excess of these limits, it will first seek shareholder approval to do so.

In applying the concentration and diversification restrictions, each governmental subdivision, including states and the District of Columbia, territories, possessions of the United States, or their political subdivisions, agencies, authorities, instrumentalities, or similar entities, will be considered a separate issuer if its assets and revenues are separate from those of the governmental body creating it and the security is backed only by its own assets and revenues. Industrial development bonds backed only by the assets and revenues of a nongovernmental user are considered to be issued solely by that user. If in the case of an industrial development bond or government-issued security, a governmental or some other entity guarantees the security, such guarantee would be considered a separate security issued by the guarantor, subject to the same restrictions.

In applying the concentration restriction, the Fund will adhere to the requirements of the 1940 Act which limits investments in a particular industry or group of industries to no more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets. Further, in applying the concentration restriction: (a) utility companies will be divided according to their services, for example, gas, gas transmission, electric and telephone will each be considered a separate industry; (b) financial service companies will be classified according to the end users of their services, for example, automobile finance, bank finance and diversified finance will each be considered a separate industry; and (c) asset-backed securities will be classified according to the underlying assets securing such securities. To conform to the current view of the SEC staff that only domestic bank instruments may be excluded from industry concentration limitations, as a matter of non-fundamental policy, the Fund will not exclude foreign bank instruments from industry concentration limitation tests so long as the policy of the SEC remains in effect. In addition, investments in bank instruments, and investments in certain industrial development bonds funded by activities in a single industry will be deemed to constitute investment in an industry, except when held for temporary defensive purposes. Foreign securities will not be excluded from industry concentration limits.

In applying the borrowing limitation, in accordance with Section 18(f)(1) of the 1940 Act and current SEC rules and guidance, the Fund is permitted to borrow money, directly or indirectly, provided that immediately after any such borrowing, the Fund has asset coverage of at least 300% for all of the Fund’s borrowings, and provided further that in the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300% the Fund shall, within three business days, reduce the amount of its borrowings to an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowings shall be at least 300%.

Non-Fundamental Names Rule Policy

The Fund will invest its assets so that at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) are invested in emerging market fixed-income investments. The Fund will notify shareholders at least 60 days in advance of any change in its investment policy that would enable the Fund to invest, under normal circumstances, less than 80% of its net assets in emerging market fixed-income investments.

What Do Shares Cost?

Determining Market Value of Securities

A Share’s net asset value (NAV) is determined as of the end of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) each day the NYSE is open. The Fund calculates the NAV of each class by valuing the assets allocated to the Share’s class, subtracting the liabilities allocated to each class and dividing the balance by the number of Shares of the class outstanding. The NAV for each class of Shares may differ due to the level of expenses allocated to each class as well as a result of the variance between the amount of accrued investment income and capital gains or losses allocated to each class and the amount actually distributed to shareholders of each class. The NAV is calculated to the nearest whole cent per Share.

In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values investments as follows:

◾ Equity securities listed on a U.S. securities exchange or traded through the U.S. national market system are valued at their last reported sale price or official closing price in their principal exchange or market. If a price is not readily available, such equity securities are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and ask quotations from one or more dealers.

◾ Other equity securities traded primarily in the United States are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and ask quotations from one or more dealers.

◾ Equity securities traded primarily through securities exchanges and regulated market systems outside the United States are valued at their last reported sale price or official closing price in their principal exchange or market. These prices may be adjusted for significant events occurring after the closing of such exchanges or market systems as described below. If a price is not readily available, such equity securities are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and ask quotations from one or more dealers.

◾ Fixed-income securities are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Adviser. The methods used by pricing services to determine such price evaluations are described below.

◾ Futures contracts listed on exchanges are valued at their reported settlement price. Option contracts listed on exchanges are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and ask quotations reported by the exchange or from one or more futures commission merchants.

◾ OTC derivative contracts are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Adviser. The methods used by pricing services to determine such price evaluations are described below. If a price evaluation from a pricing service is not readily available, such derivative contracts may be fair valued based upon price evaluations from one or more dealers or using a recognized pricing model for the contract.

◾ Shares of other mutual funds or nonexchange-traded investment companies are valued based upon their reported NAVs. The prospectuses for these mutual funds explain the circumstances under which they will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.

If any price, quotation, price evaluation or other pricing source is not readily available when the NAV is calculated, if the Fund cannot obtain price evaluations from a pricing service or from more than one dealer for an investment within a reasonable period of time as set forth in the Adviser’s valuation policies and procedures, or if information furnished by a pricing service, in the opinion of the Valuation Committee, is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the Fund will use the fair value of the investment determined in accordance with the procedures described below. There can be no assurance that the Fund could purchase or sell an investment at the price used to calculate the Fund’s NAV. The Fund will not use a pricing service or dealer who is an affiliated person of the Adviser to value investments.

Noninvestment assets and liabilities are valued in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The NAV calculation includes expenses, dividend income, interest income, other income and realized and unrealized investment gains and losses through the date of the calculation. Changes in holdings of investments and in the number of outstanding Shares are included in the calculation not later than the first business day following such change. Any assets or liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are converted into U.S. dollars using an exchange rate obtained from a third party.

The Fund follows procedures that are common in the mutual fund industry regarding errors made in the calculation of its NAV. This means that, generally, the Fund will not correct errors of less than one cent per Share.

Fair Valuation and Significant Events Procedures

Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Board has designated the Adviser as the Fund’s valuation designee to perform the fair value determination for securities and other assets held by the Fund. The Adviser, acting through its “Valuation Committee,” is responsible for determining the fair value of investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Valuation Committee is comprised of officers of the Adviser and certain of the Adviser’s affiliated companies and determines fair value and oversees the calculation of the NAV. The Valuation Committee is also authorized to use pricing services to provide price evaluations of the current fair value of certain investments for purposes of calculating the NAV. The Valuation Committee is subject to Board oversight and certain reporting and other requirements intended to provide the Board the information it needs to oversee the Adviser’s fair value determinations.

Pricing Service Valuations. The Valuation Committee, subject to Board oversight, is authorized to use pricing services that provide daily fair value evaluations of the current value of certain investments, primarily fixed-income securities and OTC derivatives contracts. Different pricing services may provide different price evaluations for the same security because of differences in their methods of evaluating market values. Factors considered by pricing services in evaluating an investment include the yields or prices of investments of comparable quality, coupon, maturity, call rights and other potential prepayments, terms and type, reported transactions, indications as to values from dealers and general market conditions. A pricing service may find it more difficult to apply these and other factors to relatively illiquid or volatile investments, which may result in less frequent or more significant changes in the price evaluations of these investments. If a pricing service determines that it does not have sufficient information to use its standard methodology, it may evaluate an investment based on the present value of what investors can reasonably expect to receive from the issuer’s operations or liquidation.

Special valuation considerations may apply with respect to the Fund’s “odd-lot” positions, if any, as the Fund may receive lower prices when it sells such positions than it would receive for sales of institutional round lot positions. Typically, these securities are valued assuming orderly transactions of institutional round lot sizes, but the Fund may hold or, from time to time, transact in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes.

The Valuation Committee oversees the Fund’s pricing services, which includes, among other things, monitoring significant or unusual price fluctuations above predetermined tolerance levels from the prior day, back-testing of pricing services’ prices against actual sale transactions, conducting periodic due diligence meetings and reviews, and periodically reviewing the inputs, assumptions and methodologies used by these pricing services. If information furnished by a pricing service is not readily available or, in the opinion of the Valuation Committee, is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the security will be fair valued by the Valuation Committee in accordance with procedures established by the Adviser as discussed below in “Fair Valuation Procedures.”

Some pricing services provide a single price evaluation reflecting the bid-side of the market for an investment (a “bid” evaluation). Other pricing services offer both bid evaluations and price evaluations indicative of a price between the bid and ask prices for the investment (a “mid” evaluation). The Fund normally uses bid evaluations for any U.S. Treasury and Agency securities, mortgage-backed securities and municipal securities. The Fund normally uses mid evaluations for any other types of fixed-income securities and any OTC derivative contracts.

Fair Valuation Procedures. The Adviser has established procedures for determining the fair value of investments for which price evaluations from pricing services or dealers and market quotations are not readily available. The procedures define an investment’s “fair value” as the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive upon its current sale. The procedures assume that any sale would be made to a willing buyer in the ordinary course of trading. The procedures require consideration of factors that vary based on the type of investment and the information available. Factors that may be considered in determining an investment’s fair value include: (1) the last reported price at which the investment was traded; (2) information provided by dealers or investment analysts regarding the investment or the issuer; (3) changes in financial conditions and business prospects disclosed in the issuer’s financial statements and other reports; (4) publicly announced transactions (such as tender offers and mergers) involving the issuer; (5) comparisons to other investments or to financial indices that are correlated to the investment; (6) with respect to fixed-income investments, changes in market yields and spreads; (7) with respect to investments that have been suspended from trading, the circumstances leading to the suspension; and (8) other factors that might affect the investment’s value.

The Valuation Committee is responsible for the day-to-day implementation of these procedures subject to the oversight of the Board. The Valuation Committee may also authorize the use of a financial valuation model to determine the fair value of a specific type of investment. The Board periodically reviews the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee. The Board has also approved the Adviser’s fair valuation procedures and significant events procedures as part of the Fund’s compliance program and will review any changes made to the procedures.

Using fair value to price investments may result in a value that is different from an investment’s most recent closing price and from the prices used by other registered funds to calculate their NAVs. The application of the fair value procedures to an investment represents a good faith determination of such investment’s fair value. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if it sold the investment at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share, and the actual value could be materially different.

Significant Events. The Adviser has adopted procedures requiring an investment to be priced at its fair value whenever the Adviser determines that a significant event affecting the value of the investment has occurred between the time as of which the price of the investment would otherwise be determined and the time as of which the NAV is computed. An event is considered significant if there is both an affirmative expectation that the investment’s value will change in response to the event and a reasonable basis for quantifying the resulting change in value. Examples of significant events that may occur after the close of the principal market on which a security is traded, or after the time of a price evaluation provided by a pricing service or a dealer, include:

◾ With respect to securities traded principally in foreign markets, significant trends in U.S. equity markets or in the trading of foreign securities index futures contracts;

◾ Political or other developments affecting the economy or markets in which an issuer conducts its operations or its securities are traded; and

◾ Announcements concerning matters such as acquisitions, recapitalizations or litigation developments, or a natural disaster affecting the issuer’s operations or regulatory changes or market developments affecting the issuer’s industry.

The Adviser has adopted procedures whereby the Valuation Committee uses a pricing service to provide factors to update the fair value of equity securities traded principally in foreign markets from the time of the close of their respective foreign stock exchanges to the pricing time of the Fund. The pricing service uses models that correlate changes between the closing and opening price of equity securities traded primarily in non-U.S. markets to changes in prices in U.S.-traded securities and derivative contracts. The pricing service seeks to employ the model that provides the most significant correlation based on a periodic review of the results. The model uses the correlation to adjust the reported closing price of a foreign equity security based on information available up to the close of the NYSE.

The fair valuation of securities following a significant event can serve to reduce arbitrage opportunities for short-term traders to profit at the expense of long-term investors in the Fund. For example, such arbitrage opportunities may exist when the market on which portfolio securities are traded closes before the Fund calculates its NAV, which is typically the case with Asian and European markets. However, there is no assurance that these significant event procedures will prevent dilution of the NAV by short-term traders.

For other significant events, the Fund may seek to obtain more current quotations or price evaluations from alternative pricing sources. If a reliable alternative pricing source is not available, the fair value of the investment is determined using the methods discussed above in “Fair Valuation Procedures.” The Board periodically reviews fair valuations made in response to significant events.

How is the Fund Sold?

Under the Distributor’s Contract with the Fund, the Distributor (“Federated Securities Corp.”) offers Shares on a continuous, best-efforts basis.

Rule 12b-1 Plan (CLASS C SHARES)

As a compensation-type plan, the Rule 12b-1 Plan is designed to pay the Distributor for activities principally intended to result in the sale of Shares such as advertising and marketing of Shares (including printing and distributing prospectuses and sales literature to prospective shareholders and financial intermediaries) and providing incentives to financial intermediaries to sell Shares. The Plan is also designed to cover the cost of administrative services performed in conjunction with the sale of Shares, including, but not limited to, shareholder services, recordkeeping services and educational services, as well as the costs of implementing and operating the Plan. The Rule 12b-1 Plan allows the Distributor to contract with financial intermediaries to perform activities covered by the Plan. The Rule 12b-1 Plan is expected to benefit the Fund in a number of ways. For example, it is anticipated that the Plan will help the Fund attract and retain assets, thus providing cash for orderly portfolio management and Share redemptions and possibly helping to stabilize or reduce other operating expenses.

In addition, the Plan is integral to the multiple class structure of the Fund, which promotes the sale of Shares by providing a range of options to investors. The Fund’s service providers that receive asset-based fees also benefit from stable or increasing Fund assets.

The Fund may compensate the Distributor more or less than its actual marketing expenses. In no event will the Fund pay for any expenses of the Distributor that exceed the maximum Rule 12b-1 Plan fee.

For some classes of shares, the maximum Rule 12b-1 Plan fee that can be paid in any one year may not be sufficient to cover the marketing-related expenses the Distributor has incurred. Therefore, it may take the Distributor a number of years to recoup these expenses.

In addition, in connection with the sale of Class C Shares, Federated Hermes and its subsidiaries make advance commission payments to financial intermediaries and in return may receive Rule 12b-1 fees and contingent deferred sales loads from the Class C Shares. Federated Hermes and its subsidiaries may benefit or sustain losses from such arrangements.

Additional Payments To Financial Intermediaries

The Distributor may pay out of its own resources amounts to certain financial intermediaries, including broker-dealers, banks, registered investment advisers, independent financial planners and retirement plan administrators. In some cases, such payments may be made by, or funded from the resources of, companies affiliated with the Distributor (including the Adviser). While Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) regulations limit the sales charges that you may bear, there are no limits with regard to the amounts that the Distributor may pay out of its own resources. In addition to the payments which are generally described herein and in the Prospectus, the financial intermediary also may receive payments under the Rule 12b-1 Plan and/or Service Fees. In connection with these payments, the financial intermediary may elevate the prominence or profile of the Fund and/or other Federated Hermes funds within the financial intermediary’s organization by, for example, placement on a list of preferred or recommended funds and/or granting the Distributor preferential or enhanced opportunities to promote the funds in various ways within the financial intermediary’s organization. The same financial intermediaries may receive payments under more than one or all categories. These payments assist in the Distributor’s efforts to support the sale of Shares. These payments are negotiated and may be based on such factors as: the number or value of Shares that the financial intermediary sells or may sell; the value of client assets invested; the level and types of services or support furnished by the financial intermediary; or the Fund’s and/or other Federated Hermes funds’ relationship with the financial intermediary. Not all financial intermediaries receive such payments and the amount of compensation may vary by intermediary. You should ask your financial intermediary for information about any payments it receives from the Distributor or the Federated Hermes funds and any services it provides, as well as the fees and/or commissions it charges.

The categories of additional payments are described below.

Supplemental Payments

The Distributor may make supplemental payments to certain financial intermediaries that are holders or dealers of record for accounts in one or more of the Federated Hermes funds. These payments may be based on such factors as: the number or value of Shares the financial intermediary sells or may sell; the value of client assets invested; or the type and nature of services or support furnished by the financial intermediary.

Processing Support Payments

The Distributor may make payments to certain financial intermediaries that offer Federated Hermes investment companies to help offset their costs associated with client account maintenance support, statement processing and transaction processing. The types of payments that the Distributor may make under this category include, but are not limited to: payment of ticket charges on a per-transaction basis; payment of networking fees; and payment for ancillary services such as setting up funds on the financial intermediary’s mutual fund trading system.

Retirement Plan Program Servicing Payments

The Distributor may make payments to certain financial intermediaries who sell Federated Hermes fund shares through retirement plan programs. A financial intermediary may perform retirement plan program services itself or may arrange with a third party to perform retirement plan program services. In addition to participant recordkeeping, reporting or transaction processing, retirement plan program services may include: services rendered to a plan in connection with fund/investment selection and monitoring; employee enrollment and education; plan balance rollover or separation; or other similar services.

Marketing Support Payments

From time to time, the Distributor, at its expense, may provide additional compensation to financial intermediaries that sell or arrange for the sale of Shares. Such compensation, provided by the Distributor, may include reimbursement of transaction costs, and financial assistance to financial intermediaries that enable the Distributor to participate in or present at conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered representatives and other employees, client entertainment, client and investor events and other financial intermediary-sponsored events. The Distributor may also provide additional compensation to financial intermediaries for services rendered in connection with technology and programming set-up, platform development and maintenance or similar services and for the provision of sales-related data to the Adviser and/orits affiliates.

The Distributor also may hold or sponsor, at its expense, sales events, conferences and programs for employees or associated persons of financial intermediaries and may pay the travel and lodging expenses of attendees. The Distributor also may provide, at its expense, meals and entertainment in conjunction with meetings with financial intermediaries. Other compensation may be offered to the extent not prohibited by applicable federal or state law or regulations, or the rules of any self-regulatory agency, such as FINRA. These payments may vary depending on the nature of the event or the relationship.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, the following is a list of FINRA member firms that received additional payments from the Distributor or an affiliate. Additional payments may also be made to certain other financial intermediaries that are not FINRA member firms that sell Federated Hermes fund shares or provide services to the Federated Hermes funds and shareholders. These firms are not included in this list. Any additions, modifications or deletions to the member firms identified in this list that have occurred since December 31, 2023, are not reflected. You should ask your financial intermediary for information about any additional payments it receives from the Distributor.

ADP Broker-Dealer, Inc.
AE Wealth Management, LLC
Aegis Financial
All Star Financial
American Enterprise Investment Services Inc.
American Portfolios Advisors, Inc.
Aon Securities Corp.
Arete Wealth Management, LLC
Assetmark, Inc.
Atlas Private Wealth Management, LLC
BlackRock Investments, LLC
BofA Securities, Inc.
Bolton Global Capital, Inc.
Boyd Capital Management

Broadridge Business Process Outsourcing, LLC
Callan
Cambridge Financial Group, Inc.
Cetera Advisor Networks LLC
Cetera Advisors LLC
Cetera Investment Services LLC
Charles Schwab & Company, Inc.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Citizens Securities, Inc.
Comerica Securities, Inc.
Commonwealth Financial Network
Davenport & Company LLC
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
Dynasty Wealth Management, LLC

Edward D. Jones & Co., LP
Empower Financial Services, Inc.
Envestnet PMC
FBL Marketing Services, LLC
Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc. (FIIOC)
Fifth Third Securities, Inc.
FIS Brokerage & Securities Services LLC
Global Retirement Partners LLC
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
HighTower Securities, LLC
Hilltop Securities, Inc.
HUB International Investment Services Inc.
Huntington Securities, Inc.
Insigneo Securities, LLC
Institutional Cash Distributors, LLC
Interactive Brokers LLC
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC
Jefferies LLC
John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co
Kestra Investment Services LLC
Key Investment Services LLC
KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc.
Keystone Financial Planning, Inc.
Leafhouse Financial Advisors, LLC
Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation
Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc.
Lincoln Investment Planning, LLC
LPL Financial LLC
Marquette Associates, Inc.
Mercer Global Advisors Inc.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith Incorporated
MML Investors
Monarch Wealth Strategies
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC
National Financial Services LLC
Nationwide Investment Services Corporation
NewEdge Securities, Inc.
Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC
OneDigital Investment Advisors
Open Range Financial Group, LLC
Oppenheimer & Company, Inc.
Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC
Osaic Institutions, Inc
Osaic Wealth, Inc.
Paychex Securities Corp.
Pensionmark Financial Group, LLC
Pershing LLC
Planmember Securities Corporation
PNC Capital Markets, LLC

PNC Investments LLC
Principal Securities, Inc.
Private Client Services, LLC
Private Wealth Advisors, Inc.
Prudential Investment Management Services LLC
Putnam Investment Management, LLC
Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.
RBC Capital Markets, LLC
Robert W Baird & Co. Incorporated
Rockefeller Capital Management
Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.
Sagepoint Financial, LLC
Sanctuary Securities, Inc.
Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, LLC
SBC Wealth Management
Securities America, Inc.
Security Distributors, LLC
Sentry Advisors, LLC
Spire Securities, LLC
State Street Global Markets, LLC
Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
Strategic Financial Partners, Ltd
TD Ameritrade, Inc.
TD Private Client Wealth LLC
Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America
The Huntington Investment Company
The Vanguard Group, Inc.
Thrivent Investment Management Inc
Towerpoint Wealth, LLC
Treasury Brokerage
Truist Investment Services, Inc.
Truist Securities, Inc.
U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.
UBS Financial Services Inc.
UBS Securities LLC
UMB Financial Services, Inc.
United Planners Financial Services of America, L.P.
Validus Capital LLC
Vanguard Marketing Corporation
Veridian Capital Partners
Vining-Sparks-IBG, LLC
Vision Financial Markets, LLC
Voya Financial Advisors, Inc.
Voya Retirement Advisors, LLC
Webb Financial Group, LLC.
Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
Woodbury Financial Services, Inc.

UNDERWRITING COMMISSIONS

The following chart reflects the total front-end sales charges and/or contingent deferred sales charges paid in connection with the sale of Class A Shares and Class C Shares and the amount retained by the Distributor for the last three fiscal years ended November 30:

	2023		2022		2021
	Total Sales Charges	Amount Retained	Total Sales Charges	Amount Retained	Total Sales Charges	Amount Retained
Class A Shares	$7,899	$1,003	$8,126	$905	$4,622	$532

Purchases In-Kind

You may contact the Distributor to request a purchase of Shares using securities you own. The Fund reserves the right to determine whether to accept your securities and the minimum market value to accept. The Fund will value your securities in the same manner as it values its assets. An in-kind purchase may be treated as a sale of your securities for federal tax purposes; please consult your tax adviser regarding potential tax liability.

Redemption In-Kind

Although the Fund generally intends to pay Share redemptions in cash, it reserves the right, on its own initiative or in response to a shareholder request, to pay the redemption price in whole or in part by a distribution of the Fund’s portfolio securities.

Because the Fund has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act, the Fund is obligated to pay Share redemptions to any one shareholder in cash only up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net assets represented by such Share class during any 90-day period.

Any Share redemption payment greater than this amount will also be in cash unless the Fund elects to pay all or a portion of the remainder of the redemption in portfolio securities, valued in the same way as the Fund determines its NAV.

Redemption in-kind is not as liquid as a cash redemption. Shareholders receiving the portfolio securities could have difficulty selling them, may incur related transaction costs and would be subject to risks of fluctuations in the securities’ values prior to sale.

Account and Share Information

Voting Rights

Each Share of the Fund gives the shareholder one vote in Director elections and other matters submitted to shareholders for vote.

All Shares of the Fund have equal voting rights, except that in matters affecting only a particular class, only Shares of that class are entitled to vote.

Directors may be removed by the Board or by shareholders at a special meeting. A special meeting of shareholders will be called by the Board upon the written request of shareholders who own at least 10% of the Corporation’s outstanding Shares of all series entitled to vote.

As of January 8, 2024, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially or both, 5% or more of outstanding Class A Shares: National Financial Services LLC, New York, NY, owned approximately 180,958 Shares (10.81%); Charles Schwab & Co Inc., San Francisco, CA, owned approximately 168,883 Shares (10.09%); MLPF&S, Jacksonville, FL, owned approximately 126,117 Shares (7.53%); Edward D.Jones & Co., St. Louis, MO, owned approximately 119,632 Shares (7.14%); UBS WM USA, Weehawken, NJ, owned approximately 107,876 Shares (6.44%); and Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC, St. Louis, MO, owned approximately 101,971 Shares (6.09%).

As of January 5, 2024, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially or both, 5% or more of outstanding Class C Shares: LPL Financial, San Diego, CA, owned approximately 8,008 Shares (36.56%); UMB Bank, NA, Templeton, PA, owned approximately 5,338 Shares (24.37%); UMB Bank, NA, Sligo, PA, owned approximately 3,226 Shares (14.73%); and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Brooklyn, NY owned approximately 2,148 Shares (9.80%).

As of January 5, 2024, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially, or both, 5% or more of outstanding Institutional Shares: LPL Financial, San Diego, CA, owned approximately 232,146 Shares (33.45%); Charles Schwab & Co. Inc, San Francisco, CA, owned approximately 98,638 Shares (14.21%); National Financial Services LLC, Jersey City, NJ, owned approximately 73,064 Shares (10.52%); American Enterprise Inv Svc, Minneapolis, MN, owned approximately 54,492 Shares (7.85%); Pershing LLC, Jersey City, NJ, owned approximately 47,141 Shares (6.79%); and Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC,St. Louis, MO, owned approximately 39,480 Shares (5.68%).

Shareholders owning 25% or more of outstanding Shares may be in control and be able to affect the outcome of certain matters presented for a vote of shareholders.

LPL Financial LLC is organized in the State of California.

Tax Information

Federal Income Tax

The Fund intends to meet requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) applicable to regulated investment companies. If these requirements are not met, it will not receive special tax treatment and will be subject to federal corporate income tax.

The Fund will be treated as a single, separate entity for federal income tax purposes so that income earned and capital gains and losses realized by the Corporation’s other portfolios will be separate from those realized by the Fund.

The Fund is entitled to a loss carryforward, which may reduce the taxable income or gain that the Fund would realize, and to which the shareholder would be subject, in the future.

Tax Basis Information

The Fund’s Transfer Agent and/or your financial intermediary is required to provide you with the cost basis information on the sale of any of your Shares in the Fund, subject to certain exceptions.

Foreign Investments

If the Fund purchases foreign securities, its investment income may be subject to foreign withholding or other taxes that could reduce the return on these securities. Tax treaties between the United States and foreign countries, however, may reduce or eliminate the amount of foreign taxes to which the Fund would be subject. The effective rate of foreign tax cannot be predicted since the amount of Fund assets to be invested within various countries is uncertain. However, the Fund intends to operate so as to qualify for treaty-reduced tax rates when applicable.

Distributions from the Fund may be based on estimates of book income for the year. Book income generally consists solely of the income generated by the securities in the portfolio, whereas tax-basis income includes, in addition, gains or losses attributable to currency fluctuation. Due to differences in the book and tax treatment of fixed-income securities denominated in foreign currencies, it is difficult to project currency effects on an interim basis. Therefore, to the extent that currency fluctuations cannot be anticipated, a portion of distributions to shareholders could later be designated as a return of capital, rather than income, for income tax purposes, which may be of particular concern to certain trusts.

Certain foreign corporations may qualify as Passive Foreign Investment Companies (PFIC). There are special rules prescribing the tax treatment of such an investment by the Fund, which could subject the Fund to federal income tax.

If more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets at the end of the tax year is represented by stock or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund will qualify for certain Code provisions that allow its shareholders to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction on their U.S. income tax returns. The Code may limit a shareholder’s ability to claim a foreign tax credit. Shareholders who elect to deduct their portion of the Fund’s foreign taxes rather than take the foreign tax credit must itemize deductions on their income tax returns.

Who Manages and Provides Services to the Fund?

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is responsible for managing the Corporation’s business affairs and for exercising all the Corporation’s powers except those reserved for the shareholders. The following tables give information about each Director and the senior officers of the Fund. Where required, the tables separately list Directors who are “interested persons” of the Fund (i.e., “Interested” Directors) and those who are not (i.e., “Independent” Directors). Unless otherwise noted, the address of each person listed is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779. The address of all Independent Directors listed is

4000 Ericsson Drive, Warrendale, PA 15086-7561; Attention: Mutual Fund Board. As of December 31, 2022, the Corporation comprised three portfolios, and the Federated Hermes Complex consisted of 33 investment companies (comprising 102 portfolios). Unless otherwise noted, each Officer is elected annually. Unless otherwise noted, each Director oversees all portfolios in the Federated Hermes Complex and serves for an indefinite term.

As of January 8, 2024, the Fund’s Board and Officers as a group owned less than 1% of each class of the Fund’s outstanding Shares.

qualifications of Independent Directors

Individual Director qualifications are noted in the “Independent Directors Background and Compensation” chart. In addition, the following characteristics are among those that were considered for each existing Director and will be considered for any Nominee Director.

◾ Outstanding skills in disciplines deemed by the Independent Directors to be particularly relevant to the role of Independent Director and to the Federated Hermes funds, including legal, accounting, business management, the financial industry generally and the investment industry particularly.

◾ Desire and availability to serve for a substantial period of time, taking into account the Board’s current mandatory retirement age of 75 years.

◾ No conflicts which would interfere with qualifying as independent.

◾ Appropriate interpersonal skills to work effectively with other Independent Directors.

◾ Understanding and appreciation of the important role occupied by Independent Directors in the regulatory structure governing regulated investment companies.

◾ Diversity of background.

Interested Directors Background and Compensation

Name Birth Date Positions Held with Corporation Date Service Began	Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years, Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)	Aggregate Compensation From Fund (past fiscal year)	Total Compensation From Fund and Federated Hermes Complex (past calendar year)
J. Christopher Donahue* Birth Date: April 11, 1949 President andDirector Indefinite Term Began serving: January 2000	Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; Director or Trustee of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Chairman and Trustee, Federated Investment Management Company; Trustee, Federated Investment Counseling; Chairman and Director, Federated Global Investment Management Corp.; Chairman and Trustee, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania; Trustee, Federated Shareholder Services Company; Director, Federated Services Company. Previous Positions: President, Federated Investment Counseling; President and Chief Executive Officer, Federated Investment Management Company, Federated Global Investment Management Corp. and Passport Research, Ltd.; Chairman, Passport Research, Ltd.	$0	$0

Name Birth Date Positions Held with Corporation Date Service Began	Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years, Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)	Aggregate Compensation From Fund (past fiscal year)	Total Compensation From Fund and Federated Hermes Complex (past calendar year)
Thomas R. Donahue* Birth Date: October 20, 1958 Director Indefinite Term Began serving: May 2016	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of certain funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Vice President and Assistant Secretary, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Chairman and Trustee, Federated Administrative Services; Chairman and Director, Federated Administrative Services, Inc.; Trustee and Treasurer, Federated Advisory Services Company; Director or Trustee and Treasurer, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling, and Federated Investment Management Company; Director, MDTA LLC; Director, Executive Vice President and Assistant Secretary, Federated Securities Corp.; Director or Trustee and Chairman, Federated Services Company and Federated Shareholder Services Company; and Director and President, FII Holdings, Inc. Previous Positions: Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Assistant Secretary, Federated Investment Management Company, Federated Global Investment Management Company and Passport Research, LTD; Treasurer, Passport Research, LTD; Executive Vice President, Federated Securities Corp.; and Treasurer, FII Holdings, Inc.	$0	$0

Family relationships and reasons for “interested” status: J. Christopher Donahue and Thomas R. Donahue are brothers. Both are “interested” due to their beneficial ownership of shares of Federated Hermes, Inc. and the positions they hold with Federated Hermes, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

Independent Directors Background, Qualifications and Compensation

Name Birth Date Positions Held with Corporation Date Service Began	Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications	Aggregate Compensation From Fund (past fiscal year)	Total Compensation From Fund and Federated Hermes Complex (past calendar year)
G. Thomas Hough Birth Date: February 28, 1955 Director Indefinite Term Began serving: August 2015	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee and Chair of the Board of Directors or Trustees of the Federated Hermes Complex; formerly, Vice Chair, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm) (Retired). Other Directorships Held: Director, Chair of the Audit Committee, Member of the Compensation Committee, Equifax, Inc.; Lead Director, Member of the Audit and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees, Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc.; formerly, Director, Member of Governance and Compensation Committees, Publix Super Markets, Inc. Qualifications: Mr. Hough has served in accounting, business management and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Hough most recently held the position of Americas Vice Chair of Assurance with Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm). Mr. Hough serves on the President’s Cabinet and Business School Board of Visitors for the University of Alabama. Mr. Hough previously served on the Business School Board of Visitors for Wake Forest University, and he previously served as an Executive Committee member of the United States Golf Association.	$377.92	$365,000

Name Birth Date Positions Held with Corporation Date Service Began	Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications	Aggregate Compensation From Fund (past fiscal year)	Total Compensation From Fund and Federated Hermes Complex (past calendar year)
Maureen Lally-Green Birth Date: July 5, 1949 Director Indefinite Term Began serving: August 2009	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Adjunct Professor of Law, Emerita, Duquesne University School of Law; formerly, Dean of the Duquesne University School of Law and Professor of Law and Interim Dean of the Duquesne University School of Law; formerly, Associate General Secretary and Director, Office of Church Relations, Diocese of Pittsburgh. Other Directorships Held: Director, CNX Resources Corporation (natural gas). Qualifications: Judge Lally-Green has served in various legal and business roles and directorship positions throughout her career. Judge Lally-Green previously held the position of Dean of the School of Law of Duquesne University (as well as Interim Dean). Judge Lally-Green previously served as Director of the Office of Church Relations and later as Associate General Secretary for the Diocese of Pittsburgh, a member of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and as a Professor of Law, Duquesne University School of Law. Judge Lally-Green was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and previously served on the Supreme Court’s Board of Continuing Judicial Education and the Supreme Court’s Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee. Judge Lally-Green was then appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and currently serves on the Judicial Ethics Advisory Board. Judge Lally-Green also currently holds the positions on not for profit or for profit boards of directors as follows: Director and Chair, UPMC Mercy Hospital; Regent, Saint Vincent Seminary; Member, Pennsylvania State Board of Education (public); Director, Catholic Charities, Pittsburgh; and Director, CNX Resources Corporation (natural gas). Judge Lally-Green has held the positions of: Director, Auberle; Director, Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central Pennsylvania; Director, Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh; Director, Saint Thomas More Society; Director and Chair, Catholic High Schools of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Inc.; Director, Pennsylvania Bar Institute; Director, Saint Vincent College; Director and Chair, North Catholic High School, Inc.; Director and Vice Chair, Our Campaign for the Church Alive!, Inc.; and Director and Vice Chair, Saint Francis University.	$341.67	$330,000
Thomas M. O’Neill Birth Date: June 14, 1951 Director Indefinite Term Began serving: October 2006	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Sole Proprietor, Navigator Management Company (investment and strategic consulting). Other Directorships Held: None. Qualifications: Mr. O’Neill has served in several business, mutual fund and financial management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. O’Neill serves as Director, Medicines for Humanity. Mr. O’Neill previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Fleet Investment Advisors; President and Chief Executive Officer, Aeltus Investment Management, Inc.; General Partner, Hellman, Jordan Management Co., Boston, MA; Chief Investment Officer, The Putnam Companies, Boston, MA; Credit Analyst and Lending Officer, Fleet Bank; Director and Consultant, EZE Castle Software (investment order management software); Director, Midway Pacific (lumber); and Director, The Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, Florida.	$341.67	$330,000

Name Birth Date Positions Held with Corporation Date Service Began	Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications	Aggregate Compensation From Fund (past fiscal year)	Total Compensation From Fund and Federated Hermes Complex (past calendar year)
Madelyn A. Reilly Birth Date: February 2, 1956 Director Indefinite Term Began serving: November 2020	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; formerly, Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary of Board of Directors, Duquesne University (Retired). Other Directorships Held: None. Qualifications: Ms. Reilly has served in various business and legal management roles throughout her career. Ms. Reilly previously served as Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary of Board of Directors and Director of Risk Management and Associate General Counsel, Duquesne University. Prior to her work at Duquesne University, Ms. Reilly served as Assistant General Counsel of Compliance and Enterprise Risk as well as Senior Counsel of Environment, Health and Safety, PPG Industries. Ms. Reilly currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of UPMC Mercy Hospital, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities, Pittsburgh.	$310.62	$300,000
P. Jerome Richey Birth Date: February 23, 1949 Director Indefinite Term Began serving: October 2013	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Retired; formerly, Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh and Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, CONSOL Energy Inc. (split into two separate publicly traded companies known as CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX Resources Corp.). Other Directorships Held: None. Qualifications: Mr. Richey has served in several business and legal management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Richey most recently held the positions of Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously served as Chairman of the Board, Epilepsy Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and Chairman of the Board, World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously served as Chief Legal Officer and Executive Vice President, CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX Gas Company; and Board Member, Ethics Counsel and Shareholder, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC (a law firm).	$341.67	$330,000
John S. Walsh Birth Date: November 28, 1957 Director Indefinite Term Began serving: January 1999	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; President and Director, Heat Wagon, Inc. (manufacturer of construction temporary heaters); President and Director, Manufacturers Products, Inc. (distributor of portable construction heaters); President, Portable Heater Parts, a division of Manufacturers Products, Inc. Other Directorships Held: None. Qualifications: Mr. Walsh has served in several business management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Walsh previously served as Vice President, Walsh & Kelly, Inc. (paving contractors).	$310.62	$300,000

OFFICERS*

Name

Birth Date

Address

Positions Held with Corporation

Date Service Began

Principal Occupation(s) and Previous Position(s)

Lori A. Hensler

Birth Date: January 6, 1967

Treasurer

Officer since: April 2013

Principal Occupations: Principal Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Federated Hermes Complex; Senior Vice President,

Federated Administrative Services; Financial and Operations Principal for Federated Securities Corp.; and Assistant Treasurer,

Federated Investors Trust Company. Ms. Hensler has received the Certified Public Accountant designation.

Previous Positions: Controller of Federated Hermes, Inc.; Senior Vice President and Assistant Treasurer, Federated Investors

Management Company; Treasurer, Federated Investors Trust Company; Assistant Treasurer, Federated Administrative Services,

Federated Administrative Services, Inc., Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood Services, Inc., Federated Advisory Services

Company, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global Investment Management Corp.,

Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company, Passport Research, Ltd. and Federated MDTA,

LLC; Financial and Operations Principal for Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood Services, Inc. and Southpointe Distribution

Services, Inc.

Name Birth Date Address Positions Held with Corporation Date Service Began	Principal Occupation(s) and Previous Position(s)
Peter J. Germain Birth Date: September 3, 1959 CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER, SECRETARY and EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Officer since: January 2005	Principal Occupations: Mr. Germain is Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive Vice President of the Federated Hermes Complex. He is General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Trustee and Senior Vice President, Federated Investors Management Company; Trustee and President, Federated Administrative Services; Director and President, Federated Administrative Services, Inc.; Director and Vice President, Federated Securities Corp.; Director and Secretary, Federated Private Asset Management, Inc.; Secretary, Federated Shareholder Services Company; and Secretary, Retirement Plan Service Company of America. Mr. Germain joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in 1984 and is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Previous Positions: Deputy General Counsel, Special Counsel, Managing Director of Mutual Fund Services, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Senior Vice President, Federated Services Company; and Senior Corporate Counsel, Federated Hermes, Inc.
Stephen Van Meter Birth Date: June 5, 1975 CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER AND SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Officer since: July 2015	Principal Occupations: Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of the Federated Hermes Complex; Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of Federated Hermes, Inc. and Chief Compliance Officer of certain of its subsidiaries. Mr. Van Meter joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in October 2011. He holds FINRA licenses under Series 3, 7, 24 and 66. Previous Positions: Mr. Van Meter previously held the position of Compliance Operating Officer, Federated Hermes, Inc. Prior to joining Federated Hermes, Inc., Mr. Van Meter served at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in the positions of Senior Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Division of Investment Management and Senior Counsel, Division of Enforcement.
Robert J. Ostrowski Birth Date: April 26, 1963 Chief Investment Officer Officer since: May 2004	Principal Occupations: Robert J. Ostrowski joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in 1987 as an Investment Analyst and became a Portfolio Manager in 1990. He was named Chief Investment Officer of Federated Hermes, Inc. taxable fixed-income products in 2004 and also serves as a Senior Portfolio Manager. Mr. Ostrowski became an Executive Vice President of the Fund’s Adviser in 2009 and served as a Senior Vice President of the Fund’s Adviser from 1997 to 2009. Mr. Ostrowski has received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He received his M.S. in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University.

Officers do not receive any compensation from the Fund.

In addition, the Fund has appointed an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer.

DIRECTOR/TRUSTEE EMERITUS PROGRAM

The Board has created a position of Director/Trustee Emeritus, whereby an incumbent Director/Trustee who has attained the age of 75 and completed a minimum of five years of service as a director/trustee, may, in the sole discretion of the Committee of Independent Directors/Trustees (“Committee”), be recommended to the full Board of Directors/Trustees of the Fund to serve as Director/Trustee Emeritus.

A Director/Trustee Emeritus that has been approved as such receives an annual fee in an amount equal to a percent of the annual base compensation paid to a Director/Trustee. In the case of a Director/Trustee Emeritus who had previously served at least five years but less than 10 years as a Director/Trustee, the percent will be 10%. In the case of a Director/Trustee Emeritus who had previously served at least 10 years as a Director/Trustee, the percent will be 20%. The Director/Trustee Emeritus will be reimbursed for any expenses incurred in connection with their service, including expenses of travel and lodging incurred in attendance at Board meetings. Director/Trustee Emeritus will continue to receive relevant materials concerning the Funds, will be expected to attend at least one regularly scheduled quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors/Trustees each year and will be available to consult with the Committees or its representatives at reasonable times as requested by the Chairman; however, a Director/Trustee Emeritus does not have any voting rights at Board meetings and is not subject to election by shareholders of the Funds.

The Director/Trustee Emeritus will be permitted to serve in such capacity at the pleasure of the Committee, but the annual fee will cease to be paid at the end of the calendar year during which he or she has attained the age of 80 years, thereafter the position will be honorary.

The following table shows the fees paid to each Director/Trustee Emeritus for the Fund’s most recently ended fiscal year and the portion of that fee paid by the Fund or Corporation/Trust.1

EMERITUS Directors and Compensation

Director/Trustee Emeritus	Compensation From Corporation (past fiscal year)	Total Compensation Paid to Director/Trustee Emeritus1
John T. Collins2	$398.62	$385,000
Charles F. Mansfield, Jr.	$2.54	$60,000.00

The fees paid to a Director/Trustee are allocated among the funds that were in existence at the time the Director/Trustee elected Emeritus status, based on each fund’s net assets at that time.

John T. Collins retired from the Federated Hermes Funds Board of Directors/Trustees on December 31, 2023. Until December 31, 2023, Mr. Collins was compensated as a Director/Trustee of the Fund. The compensation provided in the table above reflects compensation that Mr. Collins received from the Fund for his service to the Fund for the Fund’s last fiscal year and the total compensation that Mr. Collins received for his service to the Federated Hermes Funds Board for the calendar year ended December 31, 2023. Mr. Collins has not yet been paid compensation as Emeritus Director/Trustee. It is anticipated that Mr. Collins will be formally appointed as Emeritus Director/Trustee on February 15, 2024 to become retroactively effective as of January 1, 2024.

BOARD LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

As required under the terms of certain regulatory settlements, the Chairman of the Board is not an interested person of the Fund and neither the Chairman, nor any firm with which the Chairman is affiliated, has a prior relationship with Federated Hermes or its affiliates or (other than his position as a Director) with the Fund.

Committees of the Board

Board Committee	Committee Members	Committee Functions	Meetings Held During Last Fiscal Year
Executive	J. Christopher Donahue G. Thomas Hough John S. Walsh	In between meetings of the full Board, the Executive Committee generally may exercise all the powers of the full Board in the management and direction of the business and conduct of the affairs of the Corporation in such manner as the Executive Committee shall deem to be in the best interests of the Corporation. However, the Executive Committee cannot elect or remove Board members, increase or decrease the number of Directors, elect or remove any Officer, declare dividends, issue shares or recommend to shareholders any action requiring shareholder approval.	One
Audit	Maureen Lally-Green Thomas M. O’Neill P. Jerome Richey John S. Walsh	The purposes of the Audit Committee are to oversee the accounting and financial reporting process of the Fund, the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting and the quality, integrity and independent audit of the Fund’s financial statements. The Committee also oversees or assists the Board with the oversight of compliance with legal requirements relating to those matters, approves the engagement and reviews the qualifications, independence and performance of the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, acts as a liaison between the independent registered public accounting firm and the Board and reviews the Fund’s internal audit function.	Seven
Nominating	G. Thomas Hough Maureen Lally-Green Thomas M. O’Neill Madelyn A. Reilly P. Jerome Richey John S. Walsh	The Nominating Committee, whose members consist of all Independent Directors, selects and nominates persons for election to the Fund’s Board when vacancies occur. The Committee will consider candidates recommended by shareholders, Independent Directors, officers or employees of any of the Fund’s agents or service providers and counsel to the Fund. Any shareholder who desires to have an individual considered for nomination by the Committee must submit a recommendation in writing to the Secretary of the Fund, at the Fund’s address appearing on the back cover of this SAI. The recommendation should include the name and address of both the shareholder and the candidate and detailed information concerning the candidate’s qualifications and experience. In identifying and evaluating candidates for consideration, the Committee shall consider such factors as it deems appropriate. Those factors will ordinarily include: integrity, intelligence, collegiality, judgment, diversity, skill, business and other experience, qualification as an “Independent Director,” the existence of material relationships which may create the appearance of a lack of independence, financial or accounting knowledge and experience and dedication and willingness to devote the time and attention necessary to fulfill Board responsibilities.	Three

BOARD’S ROLE IN RISK OVERSIGHT

The Board’s role in overseeing the Fund’s general risks includes receiving performance reports for the Fund and risk management reports from Federated Hermes’ Chief Risk Officer at each regular Board meeting. The Chief Risk Officer is responsible for enterprise risk management at Federated Hermes, which includes risk management committees for investment management and for investor services. The Board also receives regular reports from the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer regarding significant compliance risks.

On behalf of the Board, the Audit Committee plays a key role overseeing the Fund’s financial reporting and valuation risks. The Audit Committee meets regularly with the Fund’s Principal Financial Officer and outside auditors, as well as with Federated Hermes’ Chief Audit Executive to discuss financial reporting and audit issues, including risks relating to financial controls.

Board Ownership Of Shares In The Fund And In The Federated Hermes Family Of Investment Companies As Of December 31, 2023

Interested Board Member Name	Dollar Range of Shares Owned in Federated Hermes Emerging Market Debt Fund	Aggregate Dollar Range of Shares Owned in Federated Hermes Family of Investment Companies
J. Christopher Donahue	None	Over $100,000
Thomas R. Donahue	None	Over $100,000
Independent Board Member Name
G. Thomas Hough	None	Over $100,000
Maureen Lally-Green	None	Over $100,000
Thomas M. O’Neill	None	Over $100,000
Madelyn A. Reilly	None	Over $100,000
P. Jerome Richey	None	Over $100,000
John S. Walsh	None	Over $100,000

Investment Adviser

FIMCO, as the investment adviser, is responsible for the supervision of the sub-adviser’s services to the Fund and, subject to general oversight of the Board, manages and supervises the investment operations and business affairs of the Fund. Fed UK, as the sub-adviser, conducts investment research and makes investment decisions for the Fund, subject to the supervision of FIMCO.

FIMCO and Fed UK are each a wholly owned subsidiary of Federated Hermes.

Neither FIMCO nor Fed UK shall be liable to the Corporation or any Fund shareholder for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security or for anything done or omitted by it, except acts or omissions involving willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties imposed upon it by its contract with the Corporation.

In December 2017, Federated Investors, Inc., now Federated Hermes, became a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The PRI is an investor initiative in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative and the United Nations Global Compact. Commitments made as a signatory to the PRI are not legally binding, but are voluntary and aspirational. They include efforts, where consistent with our fiduciary responsibilities, to incorporate environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues into investment analysis and investment decision making, to be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices, to seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest, to promote acceptance and implementation of the PRI within the investment industry, to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the PRI, and to report on our activities and progress towards implementing the PRI. Being a signatory to the PRI does not obligate Federated Hermes to take, or not take, any particular action as it relates to investment decisions or other activities.

In July 2018, Federated Investors, Inc., now Federated Hermes, acquired a majority interest in Federated Hermes Limited (FHL) (formerly, Hermes Fund Managers Limited), a pioneer of integrated ESG investing. Federated Hermes now owns 100% of FHL. FHL’s experience with ESG issues contributes to Federated Hermes’ understanding of material risks and opportunities these issues may present.

EOS at Federated Hermes, which was established as Hermes Equity Ownership Services Limited (EOS) in 2004 as an affiliate of FHL and Hermes Investment Management Limited, is a 50+ member engagement and stewardship team that conducts long-term, objectives-driven dialogue with board and senior executive level representatives of approximately 1,000 unique issuers annually. It seeks to address the most material ESG risks and opportunities through constructive and continuous discussions with the goal of improving long-term results for investors. Engagers’ deep understanding across sectors, themes and regional markets, along with language and cultural expertise, allows EOS to provide insights to companies on the merits of addressing ESG risks and the positive benefits of capturing opportunities. Federated Hermes investment management teams have access to the insights gained from understanding a company’s approach to these long-term strategic matters as an additional input to improve portfolio risk/return characteristics.

Portfolio Manager Information

As a general matter, certain conflicts of interest may arise in connection with a portfolio manager’s management of a fund’s investments, on the one hand, and the investments of other funds/pooled investment vehicles or accounts (collectively, including the Fund, as applicable, “accounts”) for which the portfolio manager is responsible, on the other. For example, it is possible that the various accounts managed could have different investment strategies that, at times, might conflict with one another to the possible detriment of the Fund. Alternatively, to the extent that the same investment opportunities might be desirable for more than one account, possible conflicts could arise in determining how to allocate them. Other potential conflicts can include, for example, conflicts created by specific portfolio manager compensation arrangements (including, for example, the allocation or weighting given to the performance of the Fund or other accounts or activities for which the portfolio manager is responsible in calculating the portfolio manager’s compensation), and conflicts relating to selection of brokers or dealers to execute Fund portfolio trades and/or specific uses of commissions from Fund portfolio trades (for example, research or “soft dollars”). The Adviser has adopted policies and procedures and has structured the portfolio managers’ compensation in a manner reasonably designed to safeguard the Fund from being negatively affected as a result of any such potential conflicts.

The following information about the Fund’s Portfolio Managers is provided as of the end of the Fund’s most recently completed fiscal year unless otherwise indicated.

FIMCO

Ihab Salib, Portfolio Manager

Types of Accounts Managed by Ihab Salib	Total Number of Additional Accounts Managed/Total Assets*	Additional Accounts/Assets Managed that are Subject to Advisory Fee Based on Account Performance
Registered Investment Companies	15/$2.8 billion	0/$0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles	7/$491.1 million	0/$0
Other Accounts	2/$27.0 million	2/$408.7 million

None of the Accounts has an advisory fee that is based on the performance of the account.

Dollar value range of shares owned in the Fund: $100,001-$500,000.

Ihab Salib is paid a fixed base salary and a variable annual incentive. Base salary is determined within a market competitive, position-specific salary range, based on the portfolio manager’s experience and performance. The annual incentive amount is determined based primarily on Investment Product Performance (IPP) and may also include a discretionary component based on a variety of factors deemed relevant, such as financial measures and performance and may be paid entirely in cash, or in a combination of cash and restricted stock of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes”). The total combined annual incentive opportunity is intended to be competitive in the market for this portfolio manager role.

IPP is measured on a rolling one, three and five calendar year pre-tax gross total return basis versus the Fund’s benchmark (i.e., Equally weighted JPMorgan Emerging Markets Bond Index Global / JPMorgan Corporate Emerging Markets Bond Index / JPMorgan Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets-Unhedged) and versus the Fund’s designated peer group of comparable accounts. Performance periods are adjusted if a portfolio manager has been managing an account for less than five years; accounts with less than one year of performance history under a portfolio manager may be excluded.

As noted above, Mr. Salib is also the portfolio manager for other accounts in addition to the Fund. Such other accounts may have different benchmarks and performance measures. The allocation or weighting given to the performance of the Fund or other accounts or activities for which Mr. Salib is responsible when his compensation is calculated may be equal or can vary.

In addition, Mr. Salib has oversight responsibility for other portfolios that he does not personally manage and serves on one or more Investment Teams that establish guidelines on various performance drivers (e.g., currency, duration, sector, volatility and/or yield curve) for taxable, fixed-income accounts. A portion of the IPP score is based on Federated Hermes’ senior management’s assessment of team contributions.

For purposes of calculating the annual incentive amount, each account managed by the portfolio manager currently is categorized into one of two IPP groups (which may be adjusted periodically). Within each performance measurement period and IPP group, IPP currently is calculated on the basis of an assigned weighting to each account managed or activity engaged in by the portfolio manager and included in the IPP groups. At the account level, the weighting assigned to the Fund is lesser than or equal to the weighting assigned to certain other accounts or activities (but can be adjusted periodically). A portion of the bonus tied to the IPP score may be adjusted based on management’s assessment of overall contributions to account performance and any other factors as deemed relevant.

Any individual allocations from the discretionary pool may be determined, by executive management on a discretionary basis using various factors, such as, for example, on a product, strategy or asset class basis, and considering overall contributions and any other factors deemed relevant (and may be adjusted periodically).

Jason DeVito, Portfolio Manager

Types of Accounts Managed by Jason DeVito	Total Number of Additional Accounts Managed/Total Assets*	Additional Accounts/Assets Managed that are Subject to Advisory Fee Based on Account Performance
Registered Investment Companies	1/$790.8 million	0/$0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles	1/$28.9 million	0/$0
Other Accounts	0/$0	2/$408.7 million

None of the Accounts has an advisory fee that is based on the performance of the account.

Dollar value range of shares owned in the Fund: $100,001-$500,000.

Jason DeVito is paid a fixed base salary and a variable annual incentive. Base salary is determined within a market competitive, position-specific salary range, based on the portfolio manager’s experience and performance. The annual incentive amount is determined based primarily on Investment Product Performance (IPP) and may also include a discretionary component based on a variety of factors deemed relevant, such as financial measures and performance and may be paid entirely in cash, or in a combination of cash and restricted stock of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes”). The total combined annual incentive opportunity is intended to be competitive in the market for this portfolio manager role.

As noted above, Mr. DeVito is also the portfolio manager for other accounts in addition to the Fund. Such other accounts may have different benchmarks and performance measures. The allocation or weighting given to the performance of the Fund or other accounts or activities for which Mr. DeVito is responsible when his compensation is calculated may be equal or can vary.

In addition, Mr. DeVito serves on one or more Investment Teams that establish guidelines on various performance drivers (e.g., currency, duration, sector, volatility and/or yield curve) for taxable, fixed-income accounts. A portion of the IPP score is based on Federated Hermes’ senior management’s assessment of team contributions.

For purposes of calculating the annual incentive amount, each account managed by the portfolio manager currently is categorized into one of three IPP groups (which may be adjusted periodically). Within each performance measurement period and IPP group, IPP currently is calculated on the basis of an assigned weighting to each account managed or activity engaged in by the portfolio manager and included in the IPP groups. At the account level, the weighting assigned to the Fund is greater than or equal to the weighting assigned to other accounts or activities, and is lesser than or equal to the weighting assigned to certain other accounts or activities, used to determine IPP (but can be adjusted periodically). A portion of the bonus tied to the IPP score may be adjusted based on management’s assessment of overall contributions to account performance and any other factors as deemed relevant.

Fed UK

Mohammed H. Elmi, Portfolio Manager

Types of Accounts Managed by Mohammed H. Elmi	Total Number of Additional Accounts Managed/Total Assets*
Registered Investment Companies	2/$1.0 billion
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles	0/$0
Other Accounts	1/$28.9 million

None of the Accounts has an advisory fee that is based on the performance of the account.

Dollar value range of shares owned in the Fund: None.

Mohammed H. Elmi is paid a fixed base salary and a variable annual incentive. Base salary is determined within a market competitive, position-specific salary range, based on the portfolio manager’s experience and performance. The annual incentive amount is determined based primarily on Investment Product Performance (IPP) and may also include a discretionary component based on a variety of factors deemed relevant, such as financial measures and performance. The total combined annual incentive opportunity is intended to be competitive in the market for this portfolio manager role.

IPP is measured on a rolling one, three and five calendar year pre-tax gross total return basis versus the Fund’s benchmark (i.e., Equally weighted J.P. Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index Global / J.P. Morgan Corporate Emerging Markets Bond Index / J.P. Morgan Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets-Unhedged) and versus the Fund’s designated peer group of comparable accounts. Performance periods are adjusted if a portfolio manager has been managing an account for less than five years; accounts with less than one year of performance history under a portfolio manager may be excluded.

Mr. Elmi also the portfolio manager for other accounts in addition to the Fund. Such other accounts may have different benchmarks and performance measures. The allocation or weighting given to the performance of the Fund or other accounts or activities for which Mr. Elmi is responsible when his compensation is calculated may be equal or can vary. In addition, Mr. Elmi serves on one or more Investment Teams that establish guidelines on various performance drivers (e.g., currency, duration, sector, volatility and/or yield curve) for taxable, fixed-income accounts. A portion of the IPP score is based on Federated Hermes’ senior management’s assessment of team contributions. For purposes of calculating the annual incentive amount, each account managed by the portfolio manager currently is categorized into one of three IPP groups (which may be adjusted periodically). Within each performance measurement period and IPP group, IPP currently is calculated on the basis of an assigned weighting to each account managed or actively engaged in by the portfolio manager and included in the IPP groups. At the account level, the weighting assigned to the Fund is greater than or equal to the weighting assigned to other accounts or activities, and is lesser than or equal to the weighting assigned to certain other accounts or activities, used to determine IPP (but can be adjusted periodically). A portion of the bonus tied to the IPP score may be adjusted based on management’s assessment of overall contributions to account performance and any other factors as deemed relevant.

Services Agreement

Federated Advisory Services Company, an affiliate of the Adviser, provides certain support services to the Adviser. The fee for these services is paid by the Adviser and not by the Fund.

Other Related Services

Affiliates of the Adviser may, from time to time, provide certain electronic equipment and software to institutional customers in order to facilitate the purchase of Fund Shares offered by the Distributor.

Code Of Ethics Restrictions On Personal Trading

As required by Rule 17j-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act (as applicable), the Fund, its Adviser and its Distributor have adopted codes of ethics. These codes govern securities trading activities of investment personnel, Fund Directors and certain other employees. Although they do permit these people to trade in securities, including those that the Fund could buy, as well as Shares of the Fund, they also contain significant safeguards designed to protect the Fund and its shareholders from abuses in this area, such as requirements to obtain prior approval for, and to report, particular transactions.

Voting Proxies On Fund Portfolio Securities

The Board has delegated to the Adviser authority to vote proxies on the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio. The Board has also approved the Adviser’s policies and procedures for voting the proxies, which are described below.

Proxy Voting Policies

As an investment adviser with a fiduciary duty to the Fund and its shareholders, the Adviser’s general policy is to cast proxy votes in favor of management proposals and shareholder proposals that the Adviser anticipates will enhance the long-term value of the securities being voted in a manner that is consistent with the investment objectives of the Fund. Generally, this will mean voting for proposals that the Adviser believes will improve the management of a company, increase the rights or preferences of the voted securities, or increase the chance that a premium offer would be made for the company or for the voted securities. This approach to voting proxy proposals will be referred to hereafter as the “General Policy.”

The Adviser generally votes consistently on the same matter when securities of an issuer are held by multiple client portfolios. However, the Adviser may vote differently if a client’s investment objectives differ from those of other clients or if a client explicitly instructs the Adviser to vote differently.

The following examples illustrate how the General Policy may apply to the most common management proposals and shareholder proposals. However, whether the Adviser supports or opposes a proposal will always depend on a thorough understanding of the Fund’s investment objectives and the specific circumstances described in the proxy statement and other available information.

On matters related to the board of directors, generally, the Adviser will vote to elect nominees to the board in uncontested elections except in certain circumstances, such as where the director: (1) had not attended at least 75% of the board meetings during the previous year; (2) serves as the company’s chief financial officer, unless the company is headquartered in the UK where this is market practice; (3) has become overboarded (more than five boards for retired executives and more than two boards for CEOs); (4) is the chair of the nominating or governance committee when the roles of chairman of the board and CEO are combined and there is no lead independent director; (5) served on the compensation committee during a period in which compensation appears excessive relative to performance and peers; or (6) served on a board that did not implement a shareholder proposal that the Adviser supported and received more than 50% shareholder support the previous year. In addition, the Adviser will generally vote in favor of: (7) a full slate of directors, where the directors are elected as a group and not individually, unless more than half of the nominees are not independent; (8) shareholder proposals to declassify the board of directors; (9) shareholder proposals to require a majority voting standard in the election of directors; (10) shareholder proposals to separate the roles of chairman of the board and CEO; (11) a proposal to require a company’s audit committee to be comprised entirely of independent directors; and (12) shareholder proposals to eliminate supermajority voting requirements in company bylaws.

On other matters of corporate governance, generally, the Adviser will vote: (1) in favor of proposals to grant shareholders the right to call a special meeting if owners of at least 10% of the outstanding stock agree; (2) against proposals to allow shareholders to act by written consent; (3) on a case-by-case basis for proposals to adopt or amend shareholder rights plans (also known as “poison pills”); (4) in favor of shareholder proposals to eliminate supermajority requirements in company bylaws; and (5) in favor of shareholder proposals calling for “Proxy Access,” that is, a bylaw change allowing shareholders owning at least 3% of the outstanding common stock for at least three years to nominate candidates for election to the board of directors.

Generally, the Adviser will vote every shareholder proposal of an environmental or social nature on a case-by-case basis. The quality of these shareholder proposals varies widely across markets. Similarly, company disclosures of their business practices related to environmental and social risks are not always adequate for investors to make risk assessments. Thus, the Adviser places great importance on company-specific analyses to determine how to vote. Above all, the Adviser will vote in a manner that would enhance the long-term value of the investment within the framework of the client’s investment objectives.

The Adviser’s general approach to analyzing these proposals calls for considering the literal meaning of the written proposal, the financial materiality of the proposal’s objective and the practices followed by industry peers. This analysis utilizes research reports from the Adviser’s proxy advisors, company filings, as well as reports published by the company and other outside organizations.

On matters of capital structure, generally, the Adviser will vote proxies for U.S. issuers on a case-by-case basis for proposals to authorize the issuance of new shares if not connected to an M&A transaction and the potential dilution is more than 10%, against proposals to create multiple-class voting structures where one class has superior voting rights to the other classes, in favor of proposals to authorize reverse stock splits unless the amount of authorized shares is not also reduced proportionately. Generally, the Adviser will vote proxies for non-U.S. issuers in favor of proposals to authorize issuance of shares with and without pre-emptive rights unless the size of the authorities would threaten to unreasonably dilute existing shareholders.

Votes on executive compensation come in many forms, including advisory votes on U.S. executive compensation plans (“Say On Pay”), advisory and binding votes on the design or implementation of non-U.S. executive remuneration plans and votes to approve new equity plans or amendments to existing plans. Generally, the Adviser will support compensation arrangements that are aligned with the client’s long-term investment objectives. With respect to Say On Pay proposals, the Adviser will generally vote in favor unless the compensation plan has failed to align executive compensation with corporate performance, or the design of the plan is likely to lead to misalignment in the future. The Adviser supports the principle of an annual shareholder vote on executive pay and will generally vote accordingly on proposals which set the frequency of the Say On Pay vote.

In some markets, especially Europe, shareholders are provided a vote on the remuneration policy, which sets out the structural elements of a company’s executive remuneration plan on a forward-looking basis. The Adviser will generally support these proposals unless the design of the remuneration policy fails to appropriately link executive compensation with corporate performance, total compensation appears excessive relative to the company’s industry peer group, with local market dynamics also taken into account; or there is insufficient disclosure to enable an informed judgment, particularly as it relates to the disclosure of the maximum amounts of compensation that may be awarded.

The Adviser will generally vote in favor of equity plan proposals unless they result in unreasonable dilution to existing shareholders, permit replacement of “underwater” options with new options on more favorable terms for the recipient, or omit the criteria for determining the granting or vesting of awards.

On matters relating to corporate transactions, the Adviser will generally vote in favor of mergers, acquisitions and sales of assets if the Adviser’s analysis of the proposed business strategy and the transaction price would have a positive impact on the total return for shareholders.

If a shareholders meeting is contested, that is, shareholders are presented with a set of director candidates nominated by company management and a set of director candidates nominated by a dissident shareholder, the Adviser will study the proposed business strategies of both groups and vote in a way that maximizes expected total return for the Fund.

In addition, the Adviser will not vote any proxy if it determines that the consequences or costs of voting outweigh the potential benefit of voting. For example, if a foreign market requires shareholders voting proxies to retain the voted shares until the meeting date (thereby rendering the shares “illiquid” for some period of time), the Adviser will not vote proxies for such shares. In addition, the Adviser is not obligated to incur any expense to send a representative to a shareholder meeting or to translate proxy materials into English.

To the extent that the Adviser is permitted to loan securities, the Adviser does not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, the Adviser will take all reasonable steps to recall shares prior to the record date when the meeting raises issues that the Adviser believes materially affect shareholder value, provided that the Adviser considers that the benefits of voting on the securities are greater than the associated costs, including the opportunity cost of the lost revenue that would otherwise be generated by the loan. However, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will have sufficient notice of such matters to be able to terminate the loan in time to vote thereon.

The Adviser will take into account feedback from issuers on the voting recommendations of the Adviser’s proxy advisory firm if the feedback is provided at least five days before the voting cut-off date. In certain circumstances, primarily those where the Adviser’s voting policy is absolute and without exception, issuer feedback will not be part of the voting decision. For example, it is the Adviser’s policy to always support a shareholder proposal to separate the roles of chairman of the board and CEO. Thus, any comments from the issuer opposing this proposal would not be considered.

If proxies are not delivered in a timely or otherwise appropriate basis, the Adviser may not be able to vote a particular proxy.

For an Adviser that employs a quantitative investment strategy for certain funds or accounts that does not make use of qualitative research (“Non-Qualitative Accounts”), the Adviser may not have the kind of research to make decisions about how to vote proxies for them. Therefore, the Adviser will vote the proxies of these Non-Qualitative Accounts as follows: (a) in accordance with the Standard Voting Instructions (defined below); (b) if the Adviser is casting votes for the same proxy on behalf of a regular qualitative account and a Non-Qualitative Account, the Non-Qualitative Account would vote in the same manner as the regular qualitative account; (c) if neither of the first two conditions apply, as the proxy advisory firm is recommending; and (d) if none of the previous conditions apply, as recommended by the Proxy Voting Committee.

Proxy Voting Procedures

The Adviser has established a Proxy Voting Committee (“Proxy Committee”), to exercise all voting discretion granted to the Adviser by the Board in accordance with the proxy voting policies. To assist it in carrying out the day-to-day operations related to proxy voting, the Proxy Committee has created the Proxy Voting Management Group (PVMG). The day-to-day operations related to proxy voting are carried out by the Proxy Voting Operations Team (PVOT) and overseen by the PVMG. Besides voting the proxies, this work includes engaging with investee companies on corporate governance matters, managing the proxy

advisory firm, soliciting voting recommendations from the Adviser’s investment professionals, bringing voting recommendations to the Proxy Committee for approval, filing with regulatory agencies any required proxy voting reports, providing proxy voting reports to clients and investment companies as they are requested from time to time and keeping the Proxy Committee informed of any issues related to corporate governance and proxy voting.

The Adviser has compiled a list of specific voting instructions based on the General Policy (the “Standard Voting Instructions”). The Standard Voting Instructions and any modifications to them are approved by the Proxy Committee. The Standard Voting Instructions sometimes call for an investment professional to review the ballot question and provide a voting recommendation to the Proxy Committee (a “case-by-case vote”). The foregoing notwithstanding, the Proxy Committee always has the authority to determine a final voting decision.

The Adviser has hired a proxy advisory firm to perform various proxy voting related administrative services such as ballot reconciliation, vote processing and recordkeeping functions. The Proxy Committee has supplied the proxy advisory firm with the Standard Voting Instructions. The Proxy Committee retains the right to modify the Standard Voting Instructions at any time or to vote contrary to them at any time in order to cast proxy votes in a manner that the Proxy Committee believes is in accordance with the General Policy. The proxy advisory firm may vote any proxy as directed in the Standard Voting Instructions without further direction from the Proxy Committee. However, if the Standard Voting Instructions require case-by-case handling for a proposal, the PVOT will work with the investment professionals and the proxy advisory firm to develop a voting recommendation for the Proxy Committee and to communicate the Proxy Committee’s final voting decision to the proxy advisory firm. Further, if the Standard Voting Instructions require the PVOT to analyze a ballot question and make the final voting decision, the PVOT will report such votes to the Proxy Committee on a quarterly basis for review.

Conflicts of Interest

The Adviser has adopted procedures to address situations where a matter on which a proxy is sought may present a potential conflict between the interests of the Fund (and its shareholders) and those of the Adviser or Distributor. This may occur where a significant business relationship exists between the Adviser (or its affiliates) and a company involved with a proxy vote.

A company that is a proponent, opponent, or the subject of a proxy vote, and which to the knowledge of the Proxy Committee has this type of significant business relationship, is referred to below as an “Interested Company.”

The Adviser has implemented the following procedures in order to avoid concerns that the conflicting interests of the Adviser or its affiliates have influenced proxy votes. Any employee of the Adviser or its affiliates who is contacted by an Interested Company regarding proxies to be voted by the Adviser must refer the Interested Company to a member of the Proxy Committee, and must inform the Interested Company that the Proxy Committee has exclusive authority to determine how the proxy will be voted. Any Proxy Committee member contacted by an Interested Company must report it to the full Proxy Committee and provide a written summary of the communication. This requirement includes engagement meetings with investee companies and does not include communications with proxy solicitation firms. Under no circumstances will the Proxy Committee or any member of the Proxy Committee make a commitment to an Interested Company regarding the voting of proxies or disclose to an Interested Company how the Proxy Committee has directed such proxies to be voted. If the Standard Voting Instructions already provide specific direction on the proposal in question, the Proxy Committee shall not alter or amend such directions. If the Standard Voting Instructions require the Proxy Committee to provide further direction, the Proxy Committee shall do so in accordance with the proxy voting policies, without regard for the interests of the Adviser with respect to the Interested Company. If the Proxy Committee provides any direction as to the voting of proxies relating to a proposal affecting an Interested Company, it must disclose annually to the Fund’s Board information regarding: the significant business relationship; any material communication with the Interested Company; the matter(s) voted on; and how, and why, the Adviser voted as it did. In certain circumstances it may be appropriate for the Adviser to vote in the same proportion as all other shareholders, so as to not affect the outcome beyond helping to establish a quorum at the shareholders’ meeting. This is referred to as “proportional voting.” If the Fund owns shares of another Federated Hermes mutual fund, generally the Adviser will proportionally vote the client’s proxies for that fund or seek direction from the Board or the client on how the proposal should be voted. If the Fund owns shares of an unaffiliated mutual fund, the Adviser may proportionally vote the Fund’s proxies for that fund depending on the size of the position. If the Fund owns shares of an unaffiliated exchange-traded fund, the Adviser will proportionally vote the Fund’s proxies for that fund.

Downstream Affiliates

If the Proxy Committee gives further direction, or seeks to vote contrary to the Standard Voting Instructions, for a proxy relating to a portfolio company in which the Fund owns more than 10% of the portfolio company’s outstanding voting securities at the time of the vote (“Downstream Affiliate”), the Proxy Committee must first receive guidance from counsel to the Proxy Committee as to whether any relationship between the Adviser and the portfolio company, other than such ownership of the portfolio company’s securities, gives rise to an actual conflict of interest. If counsel determines that an actual conflict exists, the Proxy Committee must address any such conflict with the executive committee of the board of directors or trustees of any investment company client prior to taking any action on the proxy at issue.

Proxy Advisers’ Conflicts of Interest

Proxy advisory firms may have significant business relationships with the subjects of their research and voting recommendations. For example, a proxy advisory firm board member also sits on the board of a public company for which the proxy advisory firm will write a research report. This and similar situations give rise to an actual or apparent conflict of interest.

In order to avoid concerns that the conflicting interests of the engaged proxy advisory firm have influenced proxy voting recommendations, the Adviser will take the following steps:

◾ A due diligence team made up of employees of the Adviser and/or its affiliates will meet with the proxy advisory firm on an annual basis and determine through a review of their policies and procedures and through inquiry that the proxy advisory firm has established a system of internal controls that provide reasonable assurance that their voting recommendations are not influenced by the business relationships they have with the subjects of their research.

◾ Whenever the standard voting guidelines call for voting a proposal in accordance with the proxy advisory firm recommendation and the proxy advisory firm has disclosed that they have a conflict of interest with respect to that issuer, the PVOT will take the following steps: (a) the PVOT will obtain a copy of the research report and recommendations published by another proxy advisory firm for that issuer; (b) the Director of Proxy Voting, or his designee, will review both the engaged proxy advisory firm research report and the research report of the other proxy advisory firm and determine what vote will be cast. The PVOT will report all proxies voted in this manner to the Proxy Committee on a quarterly basis. Alternatively, the PVOT may seek direction from the Committee on how the proposal shall be voted.

Proxy Voting Report

A report on “Form N-PX” of how the Fund voted any proxies during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available via the Proxy Voting Record (Form N-PX) link associated with the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us/FundInformation. Form N-PX filings are also available at the SEC’s website at sec.gov.

Portfolio Holdings Information

Information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us/FundInformation. A complete listing of the Fund’s portfolio holdings as of the end of each calendar quarter is posted on the website 30 days (or the next business day) after the end of the quarter and remains posted for six months thereafter. Summary portfolio composition information as of the close of each month is posted on the website 15 days (or the next business day) after month-end and remains posted until replaced by the information for the succeeding month. The summary portfolio composition information may include: identification of the Fund’s top 10 holdings, and a percentage breakdown of the portfolio by credit quality and geographic region.

You may also access portfolio information as of the end of the Fund’s fiscal quarters via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us. The Fund’s Annual Shareholder Report and Semi-Annual Shareholder Report contain complete listings of the Fund’s portfolio holdings as of the end of the Fund’s second and fourth fiscal quarters. Fiscal quarter information is made available on the website within 70 days after the end of the fiscal quarter. This information is also available in reports filed with the SEC at the SEC’s website at sec.gov.

Each fiscal quarter, the Fund will file with the SEC a complete schedule of its monthly portfolio holdings on “Form N-PORT.” The Fund’s holdings as of the end of the third month of every fiscal quarter, as reported on Form N-PORT, will be publicly available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter upon filing. You may also access this information via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us.

The disclosure policy of the Fund and the Adviser prohibits the disclosure of portfolio holdings information to any investor or intermediary before the same information is made available to other investors. Employees of the Adviser or its affiliates who have access to nonpublic information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings are prohibited from trading securities on the basis of this information. Such persons must report all personal securities trades and obtain pre-clearance for all personal securities trades other than mutual fund shares.

Firms that provide administrative, custody, financial, accounting, legal or other services to the Fund may receive nonpublic information about Fund portfolio holdings for purposes relating to their services. The Fund may also provide portfolio holdings information to publications that rate, rank or otherwise categorize investment companies. Traders or portfolio managers may provide “interest” lists to facilitate portfolio trading if the list reflects only that subset of the portfolio for which the trader or portfolio manager is seeking market interest. A list of service providers, publications and other third parties who may receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information appears in the Appendix to this SAI.

The furnishing of nonpublic portfolio holdings information to any third party (other than authorized governmental or regulatory personnel) requires the prior approval of the President of the Adviser and of the Chief Compliance Officer of the Fund. The President of the Adviser and the Chief Compliance Officer will approve the furnishing of nonpublic portfolio holdings information to a third party only if they consider the furnishing of such information to be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. In that regard, and to address possible conflicts between the interests of Fund shareholders and those of the Adviser and its affiliates, the following procedures apply. No consideration may be received by the Fund, the Adviser, any affiliate of the Adviser or any of their employees in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information. Before information is furnished, the third party must sign a written agreement that it will safeguard the confidentiality of the information, will use it only for the purposes for which it is furnished and will not use it in connection with the trading of any security. Persons approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information will receive it as often as necessary for the purpose for which it is provided. Such information may be furnished as frequently as daily and often with no time lag between the date of the information and the date it is furnished. The Board receives and reviews annually a list of the persons who receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information and the purposes for which it is furnished.

Brokerage Transactions And Investment Allocation

Equity securities may be traded in the over-the-counter market through broker/dealers acting as principal or agent, or in transactions directly with other investors. Transactions may also be executed on a securities exchange or through an electronic communications network. The Adviser seeks to obtain best execution of trades in equity securities by balancing the costs inherent in trading, including opportunity costs, market impact costs and commissions. As a general matter, the Adviser seeks to add value to its investment management by using market information to capitalize on market opportunities, actively seek liquidity and discover price. The Adviser continually monitors its trading results in an effort to improve execution. Fixed-income securities are generally traded in an over-the-counter market on a net basis (i.e., without commission) through dealers acting as principal or in transactions directly with the issuer. Dealers derive an undisclosed amount of compensation by offering securities at a higher price than they bid for them. Some fixed-income securities may have only one primary market maker. The Adviser seeks to use dealers it believes to be actively and effectively trading the security being purchased or sold, but may not always obtain the lowest purchase price or highest sale price with respect to a fixed-income security. The Adviser’s receipt of research services (as described below) may also be a factor in the Adviser’s selection of brokers and dealers. The Adviser may also direct certain portfolio trades to a broker that, in turn, pays a portion of the Fund’s operating expenses. The Adviser makes decisions on portfolio transactions and selects brokers and dealers subject to review by the Fund’s Board.

Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other accounts managed by the Adviser and accounts managed by affiliates of the Adviser. Except as noted below, when the Fund and one or more of those accounts invests in, or disposes of, the same security, available investments or opportunities for sales will be allocated among the Fund and the account(s) in a manner believed by the Adviser to be equitable. While the coordination and ability to participate in volume transactions may benefit the Fund, it is possible that this procedure could adversely impact the price paid or received and/or the position obtained or disposed of by the Fund. Investments for Federated Hermes Kaufmann Fund and other accounts managed by that fund’s portfolio managers in initial public offerings (IPO) are made independently from any other accounts, and much of their non-IPO trading may also be conducted independently from other accounts. Trading and allocation of investments, including IPOs, for accounts managed by Federated MDTA LLC are also made independently from the Fund. Investment decisions and trading for certain separately managed or wrap-fee accounts, and other accounts, of the Adviser and/or certain investment adviser affiliates of the Adviser also are generally made and conducted independently from the Fund. It is possible that such independent trading activity could adversely impact the prices paid or received and/or positions obtained or disposed of by the Fund.

Brokerage and Research Services

Brokerage services include execution of trades and products and services that relate to the execution of trades, including communications services related to trade execution, clearing and settlement, trading software used to route orders to market centers, software that provides algorithmic trading strategies and software used to transmit orders to direct market access (DMA) systems. Research services may include: advice as to the advisability of investing in securities; security analysis and reports; economic studies; industry studies; receipt of quotations for portfolio evaluations; and similar services. Research services assist

the Adviser and its affiliates in terms of their overall investment responsibilities to funds and investment accounts for which they have investment discretion. However, particular brokerage and research services received by the Adviser and its affiliates may not be used to service every fund or account, and may not benefit the particular funds and accounts that generated the brokerage commissions. In addition, brokerage and research services paid for with commissions generated by the Fund may be used in managing other funds and accounts. To the extent that receipt of these services may replace services for which the Adviser or its affiliates might otherwise have paid, it would tend to reduce their expenses. The Adviser and its affiliates exercise reasonable business judgment in selecting brokers to execute securities transactions where receipt of research services is a factor. They determine in good faith that commissions charged by such persons are reasonable in relationship to the value of the brokerage and research services provided.

Administrator

Federated Administrative Services (FAS), a subsidiary of Federated Hermes, provides administrative personnel and services, including certain legal, compliance and financial administrative services (“Administrative Services”), necessary for the operation of the Fund. FAS provides Administrative Services for a fee based upon the rates set forth below paid on the average daily net assets of the Fund. For purposes of determining the appropriate rate breakpoint, “Investment Complex” is defined as all of the Federated Hermes funds subject to a fee under the Administrative Services Agreement with FAS. FAS is also entitled to reimbursement for certain out-of-pocket expenses incurred in providing Administrative Services to the Fund.

Administrative Services Fee Rate	Average Daily Net Assets of the Investment Complex
0.100%	on assets up to $50 billion
0.075%	on assets over $50 billion

Custodian

The Bank of New York Mellon, New York, New York, is custodian for the securities and cash of the Fund. Foreign instruments purchased by the Fund are held by foreign banks participating in a network coordinated by The Bank of New York Mellon.

Transfer Agent And Dividend Disbursing Agent

SS&C GIDS, Inc., the Fund’s registered transfer agent, maintains all necessary shareholder records.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund, Ernst & Young LLP, conducts its audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), which require it to plan and perform its audits to provide reasonable assurance about whether the Fund’s financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement.

Fees Paid by the Fund for Services

For the Year Ended November 30	2023	2022	2021
Advisory Fee Earned	$149,228	$221,937	$322,107
Advisory Fee Waived	$148,782	$221,668	$321,770
Advisory Fee Reimbursed	$446	$269	$337
Brokerage Commissions	$575	$1,490	$2,568
Net Administrative Fee	$15,095	$23,018	$31,119
Net 12b-1 Fee:
Class C Shares	$1,521	$2,728	$6,764
Net Shareholder Services Fee:
Class A Shares	$30,516	$43,892	$66,395
Class C Shares	$507	$909	$2,255

Fees are allocated among classes based on their pro rata share of Fund assets, except for marketing (“Rule 12b-1”) fees and shareholder services fees, which are borne only by the applicable class of Shares.

Securities Lending Activities

The services provided to the Fund by Citibank, N.A. as securities lending agent may include the following: selecting securities previously identified by the Fund as available for loan to be loaned; locating borrowers identified in the securities lending agency agreement; negotiating loan terms; monitoring daily the value of the loaned securities and collateral; requiring additional collateral as necessary; marking to market non-cash collateral; instructing the Fund’s custodian with respect to the transfer of loaned securities; indemnifying the Fund in the event of a borrower default; and arranging for return of loaned securities to the Fund at loan termination.

The Fund did not participate in any securities lending activities during the Fund’s most recently completed fiscal year.

Gross income from securities lending activities	$00.00
Fees and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related services
Fees paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split	$00.00
Fees paid for any cash collateral management service (including fees deducted from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle) that are not included in the revenue split	—
Administrative fees not included in revenue split	—
Indemnification fee not included in revenue split	—
Rebate (paid to borrower)	$00.00
Other fees not included in revenue split (specify)	—
Aggregate fees/compensation for securities lending activities	$00.00
Net income from securities lending activities	$00.00

Financial Information

The Financial Statements for the Fund for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023, are incorporated herein by reference to the Annual Report to Shareholders of Federated Hermes Emerging Market Debt Fund dated November 30, 2023.

Investment Ratings

Standard & Poor’s Rating Services (S&P) LONG-TERM Issue RATINGS

Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P’s analysis of the following considerations: the likelihood of payment-capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation; the nature of and provisions of the obligation; and the protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights.

AAA—An obligation rated “AAA” has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

AA—An obligation rated “AA” differs from the highest rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

A—An obligation rated “A” is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

BBB—An obligation rated “BBB” exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

Obligations rated “BB,” “B,” “CCC,” “CC” and “C” are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. “BB” indicates the least degree of speculation and “C” the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB—An obligation rated “BB” is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B—An obligation rated “B” is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated “BB,” but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CCC—An obligation rated “CCC” is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CC—An obligation rated “CC” is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.

C—A “C” rating is assigned to obligations that are currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, obligations that have payment arrearages allowed by the terms of the documents, or obligations of an issuer that is the subject of a bankruptcy petition or similar action which have not experienced a payment default. Among others, the “C” rating may be assigned to subordinated debt, preferred stock or other obligations on which cash payments have been suspended in accordance with the instrument’s terms or when preferred stock is the subject of a distressed exchange offer, whereby some or all of the issue is either repurchased for an amount of cash or replaced by other instruments having a total value that is less than par.

D—An obligation rated “D” is in payment default. The “D” rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days, irrespective of any grace period. The “D” rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized. An obligation’s rating is lowered to “D” upon completion of a distressed exchange offer, whereby some or all of the issue is either repurchased for an amount of cash or replaced by other instruments having a total value that is less than par.

The ratings from “AA” to “CCC” may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

S&P Rating Outlook

An S&P rating outlook assesses the potential direction of a long-term credit rating over the intermediate term (typically six months to two years). In determining a rating outlook, consideration is given to any changes in the economic and/or fundamental business conditions.

Positive—Positive means that a rating may be raised.

Negative—Negative means that a rating may be lowered.

Stable—Stable means that a rating is not likely to change.

Developing—Developing means a rating may be raised or lowered.

N.M.—N.M. means not meaningful.

S&P Short-Term Issue RATINGS

Short-term ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. In the United States, for example, that means obligations with an original maturity of no more than 365 days–including commercial paper.

A-1—A short-term obligation rated “A-1” is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-2—A short-term obligation rated “A-2” is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3—A short-term obligation rated “A-3” exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B—A short-term obligation rated “B” is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

C—A short-term obligation rated “C” is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

D—A short-term obligation rated “D” is in payment default. The “D” rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The “D” rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

MOODY’S Investor Services, Inc. (MOODY’s) LONG-TERM RATINGS

Moody’s long-term ratings are assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of one year or more and reflect both on the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default.

Aaa—Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

Aa—Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A—Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium-grade and are subject to low credit risk.

Baa—Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Ba—Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B—Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa—Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca—Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C—Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2 and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aaa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

MOODY’S Short-Term RATINGS

Moody’s short-term ratings are assigned to obligations with an original maturity of 13 months or less and reflect the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments.

P-1—Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated P-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2—Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated P-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-3—Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated P-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

NP—Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

FITCH, INC. (Fitch) LONG-TERM Debt RATINGs

Fitch long-term ratings report Fitch’s opinion on an entity’s relative vulnerability to default on financial obligations. The “threshold” default risk addressed by the rating is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, Fitch long-term ratings also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts, although the agency recognizes that issuers may also make pre-emptive and therefore voluntary use of such mechanisms.

AAA: Highest Credit Quality—“AAA” ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

AA: Very High Credit Quality—“AA” ratings denote expectations of very low default risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A: High Credit Quality—“A” ratings denote expectations of low default risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

BBB: Good Credit Quality—“BBB” ratings indicate that expectations of default risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

BB: Speculative—“BB” ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial flexibility exists which supports the servicing of financial commitments.

B: Highly Speculative—“B” ratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.

CCC: Substantial Credit Risk—Default is a real possibility.

CC: Very High Levels of Credit Risk—Default of some kind appears probable.

C: Exceptionally High Levels of Credit Risk—Default is imminent or inevitable, or the issuer is in standstill. Conditions that are indicative of a “C” category rating for an issuer include: (a) the issuer has entered into a grace or cure period following non-payment of a material financial obligation; (b) the issuer has entered into a temporary negotiated waiver or standstill agreement following a payment default on a material financial obligation; or (c) Fitch otherwise believes a condition of “RD” or “D” to be imminent or inevitable, including through the formal announcement of a distressed debt exchange.

RD: Restricted Default—“RD” ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch’s opinion has experienced an uncured payment default on a bond, loan or other material financial obligation but which has not entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure, and which has not otherwise ceased operating. This would include: (a) the selective payment default on a specific class or currency of debt; (b) the uncured expiry of any applicable grace period, cure period or default forbearance period following a payment default on a bank loan, capital markets security or other material financial obligation; (c) the extension of multiple waivers or forbearance periods upon a payment default on one or more material financial obligations, either in series or in parallel; or (d) execution of a distressed debt exchange on one or more material financial obligations.

D: Default—“D” ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch’s opinion has entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure, or which has otherwise ceased business.

Default ratings are not assigned prospectively to entities or their obligations; within this context, non-payment on an instrument that contains a deferral feature or grace period will generally not be considered a default until after the expiration of the deferral or grace period, unless a default is otherwise driven by bankruptcy or other similar circumstance, or by a distressed debt exchange.

“Imminent” default typically refers to the occasion where a payment default has been intimated by the issuer, and is all but inevitable. This may, for example, be where an issuer has missed a scheduled payment, but (as is typical) has a grace period during which it may cure the payment default. Another alternative would be where an issuer has formally announced a distressed debt exchange, but the date of the exchange still lies several days or weeks in the immediate future.

In all cases, the assignment of a default rating reflects the agency’s opinion as to the most appropriate rating category consistent with the rest of its universe of ratings, and may differ from the definition of default under the terms of an issuer’s financial obligations or local commercial practice.

FITCH SHORT-TERM DEBT RATINGs

A Fitch short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity or security stream and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as “short-term” based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

F1: Highest Short-Term Credit Quality—Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2: Good Short-Term Credit Quality—Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

F3: Fair Short-Term Credit Quality—The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

B: Speculative Short-Term Credit Quality—Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near-term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C: High Short-Term Default Risk—Default is a real possibility.

RD: Restricted Default—Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Applicable to entity ratings only.

D: Default—Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

A.M. BEST Company, Inc. (a.m. best) LONG-TERM DEBT and Preferred Stock RATINGS

A Best’s long-term debt rating is Best’s independent opinion of an issuer/entity’s ability to meet its ongoing financial obligations to security holders when due.

aaa: Exceptional—Assigned to issues where the issuer has an exceptional ability to meet the terms of the obligation.

aa: Very Strong—Assigned to issues where the issuer has a very strong ability to meet the terms of the obligation.

a: Strong—Assigned to issues where the issuer has a strong ability to meet the terms of the obligation.

bbb: Adequate—Assigned to issues where the issuer has an adequate ability to meet the terms of the obligation; however, the issue is more susceptible to changes in economic or other conditions.

bb: Speculative—Assigned to issues where the issuer has speculative credit characteristics, generally due to a modest margin or principal and interest payment protection and vulnerability to economic changes.

b: Very Speculative—Assigned to issues where the issuer has very speculative credit characteristics, generally due to a modest margin of principal and interest payment protection and extreme vulnerability to economic changes.

ccc, cc, c: Extremely Speculative—Assigned to issues where the issuer has extremely speculative credit characteristics, generally due to a minimal margin of principal and interest payment protection and/or limited ability to withstand adverse changes in economic or other conditions.

d: In Default—Assigned to issues in default on payment of principal, interest or other terms and conditions, or when a bankruptcy petition or similar action has been filed.

Ratings from “aa” to “ccc” may be enhanced with a “+” (plus) or “-” (minus) to indicate whether credit quality is near the top or bottom of a category.

A.M. BEST SHORT-TERM DEBT RATINGS

A Best’s short-term debt rating is Best’s opinion of an issuer/entity’s ability to meet its financial obligations having original maturities of generally less than one year, such as commercial paper.

AMB-1+ Strongest—Assigned to issues where the issuer has the strongest ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

AMB-1 Outstanding—Assigned to issues where the issuer has an outstanding ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

AMB-2 Satisfactory—Assigned to issues where the issuer has a satisfactory ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

AMB-3 Adequate—Assigned to issues where the issuer has an adequate ability to repay short-term debt obligations; however, adverse economic conditions likely will reduce the issuer’s capacity to meet its financial commitments.

AMB-4 Speculative—Assigned to issues where the issuer has speculative credit characteristics and is vulnerable to adverse economic or other external changes, which could have a marked impact on the company’s ability to meet its financial commitments.

d: In Default—Assigned to issues in default on payment of principal, interest or other terms and conditions, or when a bankruptcy petition or similar action has been filed.

A.M. Best Rating Modifiers

Both long- and short-term credit ratings can be assigned a modifier.

u—Indicates the rating may change in the near term, typically within six months. Generally is event-driven, with positive, negative or developing implications.

pd—Indicates ratings assigned to a company that chose not to participate in A.M. Best’s interactive rating process (discontinued in 2010).

i—Indicates rating assigned is indicative.

A.M. BEST RATING OUTLOOK

A.M. Best Credit Ratings are assigned a Rating Outlook that indicates the potential direction of a credit rating over an intermediate term, generally defined as the next 12 to36 months.

Positive—Indicates possible ratings upgrade due to favorable financial/market trends relative to the current trading level.

Negative—Indicates possible ratings downgrade due to unfavorable financial/market trends relative to the current trading level.

Stable—Indicates low likelihood of rating change due to stable financial/market trends.

Not Rated

Certain nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs) may designate certain issues as NR, meaning that the issue or obligation is not rated.

Addresses

Federated Hermes Emerging Market Debt Fund

Class A Shares
Class C Shares
Institutional Shares

Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561

Distributor

Federated Securities Corp.
1001 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779

Investment Adviser

Federated Investment Management Company
1001 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779

Sub-Adviser

Federated Hermes (UK) LLP
150 Cheapside
London EC2V 6ET
United Kingdom

Custodian

The Bank of New York Mellon
One Wall Street
New York, NY 10286

Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent

SS&C GIDS, Inc.
P.O. Box 219318
Kansas City, MO 64121-9318

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Ernst & Young LLP
200 Clarendon Street
Boston, MA 02116-5072

Appendix

The following is a list of persons, other than the Adviser and its affiliates, that have been approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information concerning the Federated Hermes Complex; however, certain persons below might not receive such information concerning the Fund:

CUSTODIAN(S)

The Bank of New York Mellon

SECURITIES LENDING AGENT

Citibank, N.A.

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Ernst & Young LLP

LEGAL COUNSEL

Goodwin Procter LLP
K&L Gates LLP

Financial PrinterS

Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc.
Donnelley Financial Solutions

Proxy Voting Administrator

Glass Lewis & Co., LLC

SECURITY PRICING SERVICES

Bloomberg L.P.
S&P Global
JPMorgan PricingDirect
Refinitiv US Holdings Inc.

RATINGS AGENCIES

Fitch, Inc.
Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC

Other SERVICE PROVIDERS

Other types of service providers that have been approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information include service providers offering, for example, trade order management systems, portfolio analytics, or performance and accounting systems, such as:

ACA Technology Surveillance, Inc.
Bank of America
Bloomberg L.P.
Charles River Development
Citibank, N.A.
Eagle Investment Systems LLC
Electra Information Systems
FactSet Research Systems Inc.
FISGlobal
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