Knights of Columbus Core Bond Fund

Class S Shares: KCCSX
I Shares: KCCIX

 

Knights of Columbus Limited Duration Fund

Class S Shares: KCLSX
I Shares: KCLIX

 

Knights of Columbus Large Cap Growth Fund

Class S Shares: KCGSX
I Shares: KCGIX

 

Knights of Columbus Large Cap Value Fund

Class S Shares: KCVSX
I Shares: KCVIX

 

Knights of Columbus Small Cap Fund

Class S Shares: KCSSX
I Shares: KCSIX

 

Knights of Columbus International Equity Fund

Class S Shares: KCISX
I Shares: KCIIX

 

Knights of Columbus Long/Short Equity Fund

Class S Shares: KCESX
I Shares: KCEIX

 

Knights of Columbus U.S. All Cap Index Fund

Class S Shares: KCXSX
I Shares: KCXIX

 

Knights Of Columbus
Real Estate Fund

Class S Shares: KCRSX
I Shares: KCRIX

 

Prospectus | March 1, 2024

 

 

The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III

 

Investment Adviser:

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved
these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus.
Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

About This Prospectus

 

This prospectus has been arranged into different sections so that you can easily review this important information. For detailed information about each Fund, please see:

 

   

Page

Knights of Columbus Core Bond Fund

1

Investment Objective

1

Fund Fees and Expenses

1

Principal Investment Strategies

2

Principal Risks

3

Performance Information

6

Investment Adviser

8

Portfolio Managers

8

Knights of Columbus Limited Duration Fund

9

Investment Objective

9

Fund Fees and Expenses

9

Principal Investment Strategies

10

Principal Risks

12

Performance Information

15

Investment Adviser

16

Portfolio Managers

16

Knights of Columbus Large Cap Growth Fund

17

Investment Objective

17

Fund Fees and Expenses

17

Principal Investment Strategies

18

Principal Risks

20

Performance Information

23

Investment Adviser

24

Portfolio Managers

24

Knights of Columbus Large Cap Value Fund

25

Investment Objective

25

Fund Fees and Expenses

25

Principal Investment Strategies

26

Principal Risks

28

Performance Information

30

Investment Adviser

31

Portfolio Managers

32

 

 

Knights of Columbus Small Cap Fund

33

Investment Objective

33

Fund Fees and Expenses

33

Principal Investment Strategies

34

Principal Risks

36

Performance Information

38

Investment Adviser

39

Portfolio Managers

40

Knights of Columbus International Equity Fund

41

Investment Objective

41

Fund Fees and Expenses

41

Principal Investment Strategies

42

Principal Risks

44

Performance Information

46

Investment Adviser

48

Portfolio Managers

48

Knights of Columbus Long/Short Equity Fund

49

Investment Objective

49

Fund Fees and Expenses

49

Principal Investment Strategies

50

Principal Risks

52

Performance Information

55

Investment Advisers

57

Portfolio Managers

57

Knights of Columbus U.S. All Cap Index Fund

58

Investment Objective

58

Fund Fees and Expenses

58

Principal Investment Strategies

59

Principal Risks

60

Performance Information

63

Investment Advisers

65

Portfolio Managers

65

Knights of Columbus Real Estate Fund

66

Investment Objective

66

Fund Fees and Expenses

66

Principal Investment Strategies

67

Principal Risks

69

Performance Information

72

Investment Advisers

74

Portfolio Manager

74

 

 

Summary Information about the Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Taxes and Financial Intermediary Compensation

75

More Information about the Funds’ Investment Objectives and Strategies

76

More Information about Risk

77

Information about Portfolio Holdings

89

Investment Adviser

90

Investment Sub-Advisers

92

Dormant Multi-Manager Arrangement

93

Portfolio Managers

93

Related Performance Data of L2 Asset Management, LLC (Long/Short Equity Fund)

97

Purchasing, Selling and Exchanging Fund Shares

99

Payments to Financial Intermediaries

112

Other Policies

113

Dividends and Distributions

119

Taxes

119

Additional Information

124

Financial Highlights

125

How to Obtain More Information about the Funds

Back Cover

 

 

 

KCCIX I Shares

KCCSX Class S Shares

Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Knights of Columbus Core Bond Fund

 

Investment Objective

 

The Knights of Columbus Core Bond Fund (the “Core Bond Fund” or the “Fund”) seeks current income and capital preservation.

 

Fund Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a broker for transactions in I Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

     

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if shares redeemed have been held for less than 30 days)

2.00%

2.00%

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

 

I Shares

Class S Shares

Management Fees

0.40%

0.40%

Other Expenses

0.22%

0.32%

Shareholder Servicing Fees

None

0.10%

Other Operating Expenses

0.22%

0.22%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.62%

0.72%

Less Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements1

(0.12)%

(0.12)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements

0.50%

0.60%

 

1

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC (“Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or to reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other costs and expenses relating to the securities that are purchased and sold by the Fund, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, non-routine expenses and any class-specific expenses (including Shareholder Servicing Fees) (collectively, “excluded expenses”)) from exceeding 0.50% of the average daily net assets of each of the Fund’s share classes until February 28, 2025 (the “contractual expense limit”). In addition, the Adviser may receive from the Fund the difference between the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) and the contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) are below the contractual expense limit (i) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (ii) at the time of the recoupment. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III (the “Trust”), for any reason at any time; or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2025.

 

1

 

 

 

Example

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

 

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses (including one year of capped expenses in each period) remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

I Shares

$51

$186

$334

$763

Class S Shares

$61

$218

$389

$883

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 19% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in bonds. This investment policy can be changed by the Fund upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. For purposes of this policy, bonds include a variety of fixed income instruments, such as securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government and its agencies or instrumentalities, municipal bonds, corporate obligations, residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, and asset-backed securities. The Fund invests primarily in U.S. issuers and investment-grade securities, but may hold securities that are rated below investment grade (“high yield” or “junk bonds”). The Fund may invest in securities with any maturity or duration.

 

The Fund seeks to make investment decisions consistent with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Socially Responsible Investing Guidelines (the “USCCB Guidelines”), and therefore, the Fund

 

2

 

 

 

is designed to avoid investments in companies that are believed to be involved with abortion, contraception, pornography, stem cell research/human cloning, weapons of mass destruction, or other enterprises that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. As part of the screening process for the Fund, the Adviser uses information from a third-party environmental, social, and governance research firm and consults with experts to assess the policies and practices of companies based on the criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines. Based on such assessments, the Adviser compiles and maintains a list of companies that it determines to be inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines (the “Restricted Securities List”). The Fund seeks to avoid investments in companies identified through this process. The policies and practices of the companies selected for the Fund are monitored for various issues contemplated by the USCCB Guidelines. If the Adviser becomes aware that the Fund is invested in a company whose policies and practices are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, the Adviser may sell the company’s securities or otherwise exclude future investments in such company. The criteria used to screen out companies for the Fund may be modified from time to time to seek to maintain alignment with any changes to the USCCB Guidelines.

 

In selecting investments to purchase on behalf of the Fund, the Adviser combines quantitative and qualitative analyses to identify market sectors and individual issuers that the Adviser believes are undervalued in the market. For corporate issuers, the Adviser analyzes the company’s financial statements as well as its prospects for future cash generation, while for mortgage- or asset-backed securities, the Adviser analyzes the quality of the underlying receivables and structural credit enhancements. The Adviser will generally sell a security on behalf of the Fund if the security reaches its estimated fair value or is impacted by an adverse event, or if more attractive alternatives exist.

 

Principal Risks

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. A Fund share is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency. The principal risk factors affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.

 

Interest Rate Risk – As with most funds that invest in fixed income securities, changes in interest rates could affect the value of your investment. Generally, the value of the Fund’s fixed income securities will vary inversely with the direction of prevailing interest rates.

 

3

 

 

 

Rising interest rates tend to cause the prices of fixed income securities (especially those with longer maturities and lower credit qualities) and the Fund’s share price to fall. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets and may affect the value and liquidity of instruments held by the Fund.

 

Credit Risk – The credit rating or financial condition of an issuer may affect the value of a fixed income security. Generally, the lower the credit quality of a security, the greater the perceived risk that the issuer will fail to pay interest fully and return principal in a timely manner. If an issuer defaults or becomes unable to honor its financial obligations, the security may lose some or all of its value.

 

Active Management Risk – The Fund is subject to the risk that the Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the Fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform in comparison to its benchmark index or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.

 

Catholic Values Investing Risk – The Fund considers the USCCB Guidelines in its investment process and may choose not to purchase, or may sell, including at inopportune times which would result in losses to the Fund, otherwise profitable investments in companies which have been identified as being in conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. This means that the Fund may underperform other similar mutual funds that do not consider the USCCB Guidelines when making investment decisions. In addition, there can be no guarantee that the activities of the companies identified by the Fund’s investment process will align (or be perceived to align) fully with all of the principles contained in the USCCB Guidelines. The process of screening out companies and maintaining the Restricted Securities List that is based on criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines relies in part on third-party information or data that may be inaccurate, unavailable or outdated, which could cause the Fund to inadvertently hold securities of companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. For example, to the extent there are changes to the USCCB Guidelines, there could be a significant delay before the changes are fully incorporated into the screening process and reflected in the Restricted Securities List. This may cause the Fund to be invested for a period of time in companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. Although the Fund’s investment approach seeks to identify and screen out companies that are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, investors may differ in their views of what companies fit within this category of investments. As a result, to the

 

4

 

 

 

extent an investor intends to invest in a manner consistent with the investor’s interpretation of the USCCB Guidelines, an investment in the Fund may fail to achieve such objective.

 

Prepayment and Extension Risk – When interest rates fall, issuers of high interest debt obligations may pay off the debts earlier than expected (prepayment risk), and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields. When interest rates rise, issuers of lower interest debt obligations may pay off the debts later than expected (extension risk), thus keeping the Fund’s assets tied up in lower interest debt obligations.

 

Municipal Bonds Risk – The Fund could be impacted by events in the municipal securities market. Negative events, such as severe fiscal difficulties, bankruptcy, an economic downturn, unfavorable legislation, court rulings or political developments could adversely affect the ability of municipal issuers to repay principal and to make interest payments.

 

Corporate Fixed Income Securities Risk – The prices of the Fund’s corporate fixed income securities respond to economic developments, particularly interest rate changes, as well as to perceptions about the creditworthiness and business prospects of individual issuers. In addition, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund.

 

Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – Mortgage-backed securities are affected by, among other things, interest rate changes and the possibility of prepayment of the underlying mortgage loans. Mortgage-backed securities are also subject to the risk that underlying borrowers will be unable to meet their obligations.

 

Asset-Backed Securities Risk – Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities is dependent largely on the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

 

High Yield Bond Risk – High yield, or “junk,” bonds are debt securities rated below investment grade. High yield bonds are speculative, involve

 

5

 

 

 

greater risks of default, downgrade, or price declines and are more volatile and tend to be less liquid than investment-grade securities. Companies issuing high yield bonds are less financially strong, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties, and are more vulnerable to adverse market events and negative sentiments than companies with higher credit ratings.

 

Liquidity Risk – Certain securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the Fund would like. The Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell a security, sell other securities to raise cash, or give up an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on Fund management or performance.

 

Large Purchase and Redemption Risk – Large purchases or redemptions of the Fund’s shares may force the Fund to purchase or sell securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, and may cause the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Fund’s performance and have adverse tax consequences for Fund shareholders.

 

U.S. Government Securities Risk – The Fund’s investment in U.S. government obligations may include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government, or its agencies or instrumentalities. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. There can be no assurance that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so. In addition, U.S. government securities are not guaranteed against price movements due to changing interest rates.

 

Performance Information

 

The bar chart and the performance table below illustrate the risks and volatility of an investment in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s I Shares’ performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns for 1 year, 5 years and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Of course, the Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.kofcassetadvisors.org or by calling toll-free to 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).

 

6

 

 

 

 

 

BEST QUARTER

WORST QUARTER

6.19%

(6.22)%

(12/31/2023)

(03/31/2022)

 

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2023

 

This table compares the Fund’s average annual total returns for the periods ended December 31, 2023 to those of an appropriate broad based index.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns will depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for I Shares only. After-tax returns for Class S Shares will vary.

 

7

 

 

 

Knights of Columbus Core Bond Fund

1 Year

5 Years

Since
Inception
1

Fund Returns Before Taxes

     

I Shares

5.00%

1.03%

1.28%

Class S Shares

4.78%

0.93%

1.44%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions

     

I Shares

3.61%

(0.12)%

0.15%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

     

I Shares

2.93%

0.33%

0.50%

Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

5.53%

1.10%

1.25%

 

1

I Shares of the Fund were offered beginning February 27, 2015. Class S Shares of the Fund were offered beginning July 14, 2015. Index comparison begins February 27, 2015.

 

 

Investment Adviser

 

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Mr. Anthony V. Minopoli, President and Chief Investment Officer, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2015.

 

Mr. Gilles A. Marchand Jr., CFA, Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2015.

 

Mr. Nicholas Gentile, CFA, Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since 2019.

 

For important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, taxes and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Summary Information about the Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Taxes and Financial Intermediary Compensation” on page 75 of the prospectus.

 

8

 

 

 

KCLIX I Shares

KCLSX Class S Shares

Bloomberg 1-3 Year US Government/Credit Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Knights of Columbus Limited Duration Fund

 

Investment Objective

 

The Knights of Columbus Limited Duration Fund (the “Limited Duration Fund” or the “Fund”) seeks current income and capital preservation.

 

Fund Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a broker for transactions in I Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

     

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if shares redeemed have been held for less than 30 days)

2.00%

2.00%

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

 

I Shares

Class S Shares

Management Fees

0.40%

0.40%

Other Expenses

0.22%

0.32%

Shareholder Servicing Fees

None

0.10%

Other Operating Expenses

0.22%

0.22%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.62%

0.72%

Less Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements1

(0.12)%

(0.12)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements

0.50%

0.60%

 

1

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC (“Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or to reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other costs and expenses relating to the securities that are purchased and sold by the Fund, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, non-routine expenses and any class-specific expenses (including Shareholder Servicing Fees) (collectively, “excluded expenses”)) from exceeding 0.50% of the average daily net assets of each of the Fund’s share classes until February 28, 2025 (the “contractual expense limit”). In addition, the Adviser may receive from the Fund the difference between the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) and the contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) are below the contractual expense limit (i) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (ii) at the time of the recoupment. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III (the “Trust”), for any reason at any time; or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2025.

 

9

 

 

 

Example

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

 

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses (including one year of capped expenses in each period) remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

I Shares

$51

$186

$334

$763

Class S Shares

$61

$218

$389

$883

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 50% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in bonds. This investment policy can be changed by the Fund upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. For purposes of this policy, bonds include a variety of fixed income instruments, such as securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government and its agencies or instrumentalities, municipal bonds, corporate obligations, residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, and asset-backed securities. The Fund invests primarily in U.S. issuers and investment-grade securities, but may hold securities that are rated below investment grade (“high yield” or “junk bonds”).

 

10

 

 

 

The Fund may invest in securities with any maturity or duration, but seeks to maintain an average duration similar to that of the Bloomberg 1-3 Year U.S. Government/Credit Index, which generally ranges between zero and three years. Duration measures how changes in interest rates affect the value of a fixed income security. For example, a five-year duration means that the fixed income security will decrease in value by 5% if interest rates rise 1% and increase in value by 5% if interest rates fall 1%. Thus, the longer the duration, the more volatile the security.

 

The Fund seeks to make investment decisions consistent with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Socially Responsible Investing Guidelines (the “USCCB Guidelines”), and therefore, the Fund is designed to avoid investments in companies that are believed to be involved with abortion, contraception, pornography, stem cell research/human cloning, weapons of mass destruction, or other enterprises that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. As part of the screening process for the Fund, the Adviser uses information from a third-party environmental, social, and governance research firm and consults with experts to assess the policies and practices of companies based on the criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines. Based on such assessments, the Adviser compiles and maintains a list of companies that it determines to be inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines (the “Restricted Securities List”). The Fund seeks to avoid investments in companies identified through this process. The policies and practices of the companies selected for the Fund are monitored for various issues contemplated by the USCCB Guidelines. If the Adviser becomes aware that the Fund is invested in a company whose policies and practices are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, the Adviser may sell the company’s securities or otherwise exclude future investments in such company. The criteria used to screen out companies for the Fund may be modified from time to time to seek to maintain alignment with any changes to the USCCB Guidelines.

 

In selecting investments to purchase on behalf of the Fund, the Adviser combines quantitative and qualitative analyses to identify market sectors and individual issuers that the Adviser believes are undervalued in the market. For corporate issuers, the Adviser analyzes the company’s financial statements as well as its prospects for future cash generation, while for mortgage- or asset-backed securities, the Adviser analyzes the quality of the underlying receivables and structural credit enhancements. The Adviser will generally sell a security on behalf of the Fund if the security reaches its estimated fair value or is impacted by an adverse event, or if more attractive alternatives exist.

 

11

 

 

 

Principal Risks

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. A Fund share is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency. The principal risk factors affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.

 

Interest Rate Risk – As with most funds that invest in fixed income securities, changes in interest rates could affect the value of your investment. Generally, the value of the Fund’s fixed income securities will vary inversely with the direction of prevailing interest rates. Rising interest rates tend to cause the prices of fixed income securities (especially those with lower credit qualities) and the Fund’s share price to fall. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets and may affect the value and liquidity of instruments held by the Fund.

 

Credit Risk – The credit rating or financial condition of an issuer may affect the value of a fixed income security. Generally, the lower the credit quality of a security, the greater the perceived risk that the issuer will fail to pay interest fully and return principal in a timely manner. If an issuer defaults or becomes unable to honor its financial obligations, the security may lose some or all of its value.

 

Active Management Risk – The Fund is subject to the risk that the Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the Fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform in comparison to its benchmark index or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.

 

Catholic Values Investing Risk – The Fund considers the USCCB Guidelines in its investment process and may choose not to purchase, or may sell, including at inopportune times which would result in losses to the Fund, otherwise profitable investments in companies which have been identified as being in conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. This means that the Fund may underperform other similar mutual funds that do not consider the USCCB Guidelines when making investment decisions. In addition, there can be no guarantee that the activities of the companies identified by the Fund’s investment process will align (or be perceived to align) fully with all of the principles contained in the USCCB Guidelines. The process of screening out companies and

 

12

 

 

 

maintaining the Restricted Securities List that is based on criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines relies in part on third-party information or data that may be inaccurate, unavailable or outdated, which could cause the Fund to inadvertently hold securities of companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. For example, to the extent there are changes to the USCCB Guidelines, there could be a significant delay before the changes are fully incorporated into the screening process and reflected in the Restricted Securities List. This may cause the Fund to be invested for a period of time in companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. Although the Fund’s investment approach seeks to identify and screen out companies that are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, investors may differ in their views of what companies fit within this category of investments. As a result, to the extent an investor intends to invest in a manner consistent with the investor’s interpretation of the USCCB Guidelines, an investment in the Fund may fail to achieve such objective.

 

Prepayment and Extension Risk – When interest rates fall, issuers of high interest debt obligations may pay off the debts earlier than expected (prepayment risk), and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields. When interest rates rise, issuers of lower interest debt obligations may pay off the debts later than expected (extension risk), thus keeping the Fund’s assets tied up in lower interest debt obligations.

 

Municipal Bonds Risk – The Fund could be impacted by events in the municipal securities market. Negative events, such as severe fiscal difficulties, bankruptcy, an economic downturn, unfavorable legislation, court rulings or political developments could adversely affect the ability of municipal issuers to repay principal and to make interest payments.

 

Corporate Fixed Income Securities Risk – The prices of the Fund’s corporate fixed income securities respond to economic developments, particularly interest rate changes, as well as to perceptions about the creditworthiness and business prospects of individual issuers. In addition, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund.

 

13

 

 

 

Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – Mortgage-backed securities are affected by, among other things, interest rate changes and the possibility of prepayment of the underlying mortgage loans. Mortgage-backed securities are also subject to the risk that underlying borrowers will be unable to meet their obligations.

 

Asset-Backed Securities Risk – Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities is dependent largely on the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.

 

High Yield Bond Risk – High yield, or “junk,” bonds are debt securities rated below investment grade. High yield bonds are speculative, involve greater risks of default, downgrade, or price declines and are more volatile and tend to be less liquid than investment-grade securities. Companies issuing high yield bonds are less financially strong, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties, and are more vulnerable to adverse market events and negative sentiments than companies with higher credit ratings.

 

Liquidity Risk – Certain securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the Fund would like. The Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell a security, sell other securities to raise cash, or give up an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on Fund management or performance.

 

Large Purchase and Redemption Risk – Large purchases or redemptions of the Fund’s shares may force the Fund to purchase or sell securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, and may cause the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Fund’s performance and have adverse tax consequences for Fund shareholders.

 

U.S. Government Securities Risk – The Fund’s investment in U.S. government obligations may include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government, or its agencies or instrumentalities. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. There can be no assurance that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so. In addition, U.S. government securities are not guaranteed against price movements due to changing interest rates.

 

14

 

 

 

Performance Information

 

The bar chart and the performance table below illustrate the risks and volatility of an investment in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s I Shares’ performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns for 1 year, 5 years and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Of course, the Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.kofcassetadvisors.org or by calling toll-free to 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).

 

 

 

BEST QUARTER

WORST QUARTER

3.60%

(2.40)%

(06/30/2020)

(03/31/2022)

 

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2023

 

This table compares the Fund’s average annual total returns for the periods ended December 31, 2023 to those of an appropriate broad based index.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns will depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for I Shares only. After-tax returns for Class S Shares will vary.

 

15

 

 

 

Knights of Columbus
Limited Duration Fund

1 Year

5 Years

Since
Inception
1

Fund Returns Before Taxes

     

I Shares

4.86%

1.60%

1.34%

Class S Shares

4.65%

1.49%

1.29%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions

     

I Shares

3.65%

0.81%

0.61%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

     

I Shares

2.86%

0.89%

0.71%

Bloomberg 1-3 Year US Government/Credit Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

4.61%

1.51%

1.31%

 

1

I Shares of the Fund were offered beginning February 27, 2015. Class S Shares of the Fund were offered beginning July 14, 2015. Index comparison begins February 27, 2015.

 

 

Investment Adviser

 

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Mr. Anthony V. Minopoli, President and Chief Investment Officer, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2015.

 

Mr. Gilles A. Marchand Jr., CFA, Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2015.

 

Mr. Nicholas Gentile, CFA, Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since 2019.

 

For important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, taxes and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Summary Information about the Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Taxes and Financial Intermediary Compensation” on page 75 of the prospectus.

 

16

 

 

 

KCGIX I Shares

KCGSX Class S Shares

Russell 1000 Growth Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Bloomberg 1000 Growth Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Knights of Columbus Large Cap Growth Fund

 

Investment Objective

 

The Knights of Columbus Large Cap Growth Fund (the “Large Cap Growth Fund” or the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.

 

Fund Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a broker for transactions in I Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

     

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if shares redeemed have been held for less than 30 days)

2.00%

2.00%

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

 

I Shares

Class S Shares

Management Fees

0.60%

0.60%

Other Expenses

0.30%

0.40%

Shareholder Servicing Fees

None

0.10%

Other Operating Expenses

0.21%

0.21%

Previously Waived Fees and/or Reimbursed Expenses Recovered1

0.09%

0.09%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.90%

1.00%

 

1

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC (“Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or to reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other costs and expenses relating to the securities that are purchased and sold by the Fund, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, non-routine expenses and any class-specific expenses (including Shareholder Servicing Fees) (collectively, “excluded expenses”)) from exceeding 0.90% of the average daily net assets of each of the Fund’s share classes until February 28, 2025 (the “contractual expense limit”). In addition, the Adviser may receive from the Fund the difference between the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) and the contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) are below the contractual expense limit (i) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (ii) at the time of the recoupment. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III (the “Trust”), for any reason at any time; or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2025.

 

17

 

 

 

Example

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

 

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

I Shares

$92

$287

$498

$1,108

Class S Shares

$102

$318

$552

$1,225

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 44% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of large-capitalization companies. This investment policy can be changed by the Fund upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. For purposes of this policy, a large-capitalization company is a company with a market capitalization within the range of the Bloomberg 1000 Growth Total Return Index at the time of initial purchase. While the market capitalization range of the Bloomberg 1000 Growth Total Return Index changes throughout the year, as of December 31, 2023, the market capitalization range of the Bloomberg 1000 Growth Total Return Index was between approximately $1.1 billion and $3.0 trillion. The equity securities in which the Fund invests are primarily common stocks of U.S. companies. From time to time, the Fund may focus its investments in a particular sector, including the information technology sector.

 

18

 

 

 

The Fund seeks to make investment decisions consistent with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Socially Responsible Investing Guidelines (the “USCCB Guidelines”), and therefore, the Fund is designed to avoid investments in companies that are believed to be involved with abortion, contraception, pornography, stem cell research/human cloning, weapons of mass destruction, or other enterprises that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. As part of the screening process for the Fund, the Adviser uses information from a third-party environmental, social, and governance research firm and consults with experts to assess the policies and practices of companies based on the criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines. Based on such assessments, the Adviser compiles and maintains a list of companies that it determines to be inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines (the “Restricted Securities List”). The Fund seeks to avoid investments in companies identified through this process. The policies and practices of the companies selected for the Fund are monitored for various issues contemplated by the USCCB Guidelines. If the Adviser becomes aware that the Fund is invested in a company whose policies and practices are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, the Adviser may sell the company’s securities or otherwise exclude future investments in such company. The criteria used to screen out companies for the Fund may be modified from time to time to seek to maintain alignment with any changes to the USCCB Guidelines.

 

In selecting investments for the Fund, the Adviser combines quantitative and qualitative analyses that together seek to identify companies that have above-average investment potential. The quantitative process begins with understanding the market regime or investment environment. Factor exposures used by the quantitative models are tilted to areas that are believed will perform best within a specific environment. Four “super-factors” (Valuation, Growth and Profitability, Quality and Investor Sentiment) are then applied to the broad universe. By combining these factors, the investable universe is ranked by decile (1 = attractive, 10 = unattractive). The “buyable” universe for the Fund generally includes the top three deciles, or the most statistically attractive companies, and the weighted average rank of securities held in the Fund are within the top three deciles.

 

Fundamental research is conducted on the buyable universe to assess criteria that are difficult to quantify. The portfolio management and fundamental analyst teams construct the portfolio with only highly ranked companies. Risk is measured and monitored throughout the research and portfolio management process in different ways, including active risk to the benchmark, individual stock contribution

 

19

 

 

 

to that active risk and sector/industry group/individual stock exposure risks. The Adviser will generally sell a stock on behalf of the Fund if the stock experiences a rankings decline or extreme price movements, or for risk management purposes.

 

Due to its investment strategy, the Fund may buy and sell securities frequently. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified,” which means that it may invest a larger percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.

 

Principal Risks

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. A Fund share is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency. The principal risk factors affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.

 

Equity Risk Since it purchases equity securities, the Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. In addition, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund.

 

Active Management Risk – The Fund is subject to the risk that the Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the Fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform in comparison to its benchmark index or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.

 

Investment Style Risk The Adviser’s growth investment style may increase the risks of investing in the Fund. Because the prices of growth

 

20

 

 

 

stocks are based largely on the expectation of future earnings, growth stock prices can decline rapidly and significantly when it appears that those expectations will not be met. In addition, a growth investing style may go in and out of favor over time, causing the Fund to sometimes underperform other equity funds that use differing investing styles.

 

Large-Capitalization Company Risk – The large-capitalization companies in which the Fund invests may not respond as quickly as smaller companies to competitive challenges, and their growth rates may lag the growth rates of well-managed smaller companies during strong economic periods.

 

Non-Diversified Risk – The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest in the securities of relatively few issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or political occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers and may experience increased volatility due to its investments in those securities.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk – Information technology companies face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or impairment of those rights.

 

Catholic Values Investing Risk The Fund considers the USCCB Guidelines in its investment process and may choose not to purchase, or may sell, including at inopportune times which would result in losses to the Fund, otherwise profitable investments in companies which have been identified as being in conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. This means that the Fund may underperform other similar mutual funds that do not consider the USCCB Guidelines when making investment decisions. In addition, there can be no guarantee that the activities of the companies identified by the Fund’s investment process will align (or be perceived to align) fully with all of the principles contained in the USCCB Guidelines. The process of screening out companies and maintaining the Restricted Securities List that is based on criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines relies in part on third-party information or data that may be inaccurate, unavailable or outdated, which could cause the Fund to inadvertently hold securities of companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. For example, to the extent there are changes to the USCCB Guidelines, there could be a significant delay before the changes are fully incorporated into the screening process and reflected in the Restricted Securities List. This may cause the Fund to be invested for a period of time in companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. Although the Fund’s investment approach seeks to

 

21

 

 

 

identify and screen out companies that are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, investors may differ in their views of what companies fit within this category of investments. As a result, to the extent an investor intends to invest in a manner consistent with the investor’s interpretation of the USCCB Guidelines, an investment in the Fund may fail to achieve such objective.

 

Quantitative Investing Risk – There is no guarantee that a quantitative model or algorithm used by the Adviser, and the investments selected based on the model or algorithm, will perform as expected or produce the desired results. The Fund may be adversely affected by imperfections, errors or limitations in the construction and implementation of the model or algorithm and the Adviser’s ability to properly analyze or timely adjust the metrics or update the data underlying the model or features of the algorithm.

 

Portfolio Turnover Risk – Due to its investment strategy, the Fund may buy and sell securities frequently. This may result in higher transaction costs and additional capital gains tax liabilities, which may affect the Fund’s performance.

 

Large Purchase and Redemption Risk – Large purchases or redemptions of the Fund’s shares may force the Fund to purchase or sell securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, and may cause the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Fund’s performance and have adverse tax consequences for Fund shareholders.

 

22

 

 

 

Performance Information

 

The bar chart and the performance table below illustrate the risks and volatility of an investment in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s I Shares’ performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns for 1 year, 5 years and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Of course, the Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.kofcassetadvisors.org or by calling toll-free to 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).

 

 

 

BEST QUARTER

WORST QUARTER

27.75%

(19.35)%

(06/30/2020)

(06/30/2022)

 

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2023

 

This table compares the Fund’s average annual total returns for the periods ended December 31, 2023 to those of an appropriate broad based index.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns will depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for I Shares only. After-tax returns for Class S Shares will vary.

 

23

 

 

 

Knights of Columbus Large Cap Growth
Fund

1 Year

5 Years

Since
Inception
1

Fund Returns Before Taxes

     

I Shares

38.13%

14.59%

10.48%

Class S Shares

37.98%

14.48%

10.59%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions

     

I Shares

38.08%

13.19%

9.29%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

     

I Shares

22.59%

11.52%

8.29%

Bloomberg 1000 Growth Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)2

36.23%

17.91%

13.46%

Russell 1000 Growth Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)2

42.68%

19.50%

14.71%

 

1

I Shares of the Fund were offered beginning February 27, 2015. Class S Shares of the Fund were offered beginning July 14, 2015. Index comparison begins February 27, 2015.

2

On February 29, 2024, the Fund’s benchmark changed from the Russell 1000 Growth Index to the Bloomberg 1000 Growth Total Return Index because the Adviser believes that the Bloomberg 1000 Growth Total Return Index better reflects the Fund’s investment strategies.

 

 

Investment Adviser

 

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Mr. David Hanna, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2015.

 

Mr. Douglas A. Riley, CFA, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2015.

 

Mr. James W. Gaul, CFA, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2015.

 

Mr. Eric Eaton, CFA, Portfolio Manager and Equity Analyst, has managed the Fund since 2019.

 

For important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, taxes and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Summary Information about the Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Taxes and Financial Intermediary Compensation” on page 75 of the prospectus.

 

24

 

 

 

KCVIX I Shares

KCVSX Class S Shares

Russell 1000 Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Bloomberg 1000 Value Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Knights of Columbus Large Cap Value Fund

 

Investment Objective

 

The Knights of Columbus Large Cap Value Fund (the “Large Cap Value Fund” or the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.

 

Fund Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a broker for transactions in I Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

     

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if shares redeemed have been held for less than 30 days)

2.00%

2.00%

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

 

I Shares

Class S Shares

Management Fees

0.60%

0.60%

Other Expenses

0.30%

0.40%

Shareholder Servicing Fees

None

0.10%

Other Operating Expenses

0.21%

0.21%

Previously Waived Fees and/or Reimbursed Expenses Recovered1

0.09%

0.09%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.90%

1.00%

 

1

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC (“Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or to reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other costs and expenses relating to the securities that are purchased and sold by the Fund, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, non-routine expenses and any class-specific expenses (including Shareholder Servicing Fees) (collectively, “excluded expenses”)) from exceeding 0.90% of the average daily net assets of each of the Fund’s share classes until February 28, 2025 (the “contractual expense limit”). In addition, the Adviser may receive from the Fund the difference between the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) and the contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) are below the contractual expense limit (i) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (ii) at the time of the recoupment. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III (the “Trust”), for any reason at any time; or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2025.

 

25

 

 

 

Example

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

 

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

I Shares

$92

$287

$498

$1,108

Class S Shares

$102

$318

$552

$1,225

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 37% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of large-capitalization companies. This investment policy can be changed by the Fund upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. For purposes of this policy, a large-capitalization company is a company with a market capitalization within the range of the Bloomberg 1000 Value Total Return Index at the time of initial purchase. While the market capitalization range of the Bloomberg 1000 Value Total Return Index changes throughout the year, as of December 31, 2023, the market capitalization range of the Bloomberg 1000 Value Total Return Index was between approximately $270 million and $3.0 trillion. The equity securities in which the Fund invests are primarily common stocks of U.S. companies.

 

The Fund seeks to make investment decisions consistent with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Socially Responsible Investing Guidelines (the “USCCB Guidelines”), and therefore, the

 

26

 

 

 

Fund is designed to avoid investments in companies that are believed to be involved with abortion, contraception, pornography, stem cell research/human cloning, weapons of mass destruction, or other enterprises that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. As part of the screening process for the Fund, the Adviser uses information from a third-party environmental, social, and governance research firm and consults with experts to assess the policies and practices of companies based on the criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines. Based on such assessments, the Adviser compiles and maintains a list of companies that it determines to be inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines (the “Restricted Securities List”). The Fund seeks to avoid investments in companies identified through this process. The policies and practices of the companies selected for the Fund are monitored for various issues contemplated by the USCCB Guidelines. If the Adviser becomes aware that the Fund is invested in a company whose policies and practices are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, the Adviser may sell the company’s securities or otherwise exclude future investments in such company. The criteria used to screen out companies for the Fund may be modified from time to time to seek to maintain alignment with any changes to the USCCB Guidelines.

 

In selecting investments for the Fund, the Adviser combines quantitative and qualitative analyses that together seek to identify companies that have above-average investment potential. The quantitative process begins with understanding the market regime or investment environment. Factor exposures used by the quantitative models are tilted to areas that are believed will perform best within a specific environment. Four “super-factors” (Valuation, Growth and Profitability, Quality and Investor Sentiment) are then applied to the broad universe. By combining these factors, the investable universe is ranked by decile (1 = attractive, 10 = unattractive). The “buyable” universe for the Fund generally includes the top three deciles, or the most statistically attractive companies, and the weighted average rank of securities held in the Fund are within the top three deciles.

 

Fundamental research is conducted on the buyable universe to assess criteria that are difficult to quantify. The portfolio management and fundamental analyst teams construct the portfolio with only highly ranked companies. Risk is measured and monitored throughout the research and portfolio management process in different ways, including active risk to the benchmark, individual stock contribution to that active risk and sector/industry group/individual stock exposure risks. The Adviser will generally sell a stock on behalf of the Fund if

 

27

 

 

 

the stock experiences a rankings decline or extreme price movements, or for risk management purposes.

 

Principal Risks

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. A Fund share is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency. The principal risk factors affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.

 

Equity Risk – Since it purchases equity securities, the Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. In addition, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund.

 

Active Management Risk – The Fund is subject to the risk that the Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the Fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform in comparison to its benchmark index or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.

 

Investment Style Risk The Adviser’s value investment style may increase the risks of investing in the Fund. If the Adviser’s assessment of market conditions, or a company’s value or prospects for exceeding earnings expectations is inaccurate, the Fund could suffer losses or produce poor performance relative to other funds. In addition, “value stocks” can continue to be undervalued by the market for long periods of time.

 

28

 

 

 

Large-Capitalization Company Risk – The large-capitalization companies in which the Fund invests may not respond as quickly as smaller companies to competitive challenges, and their growth rates may lag the growth rates of well-managed smaller companies during strong economic periods.

 

Catholic Values Investing Risk – The Fund considers the USCCB Guidelines in its investment process and may choose not to purchase, or may sell, including at inopportune times which would result in losses to the Fund, otherwise profitable investments in companies which have been identified as being in conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. This means that the Fund may underperform other similar mutual funds that do not consider the USCCB Guidelines when making investment decisions. In addition, there can be no guarantee that the activities of the companies identified by the Fund’s investment process will align (or be perceived to align) fully with all of the principles contained in the USCCB Guidelines. The process of screening out companies and maintaining the Restricted Securities List that is based on criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines relies in part on third-party information or data that may be inaccurate, unavailable or outdated, which could cause the Fund to inadvertently hold securities of companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. For example, to the extent there are changes to the USCCB Guidelines, there could be a significant delay before the changes are fully incorporated into the screening process and reflected in the Restricted Securities List. This may cause the Fund to be invested for a period of time in companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. Although the Fund’s investment approach seeks to identify and screen out companies that are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, investors may differ in their views of what companies fit within this category of investments. As a result, to the extent an investor intends to invest in a manner consistent with the investor’s interpretation of the USCCB Guidelines, an investment in the Fund may fail to achieve such objective.

 

Quantitative Investing Risk – There is no guarantee that a quantitative model or algorithm used by the Adviser, and the investments selected based on the model or algorithm, will perform as expected or produce the desired results. The Fund may be adversely affected by imperfections, errors or limitations in the construction and implementation of the model or algorithm and the Adviser’s ability to properly analyze or timely adjust the metrics or update the data underlying the model or features of the algorithm.

 

Large Purchase and Redemption Risk – Large purchases or redemptions of the Fund’s shares may force the Fund to purchase or

 

29

 

 

 

sell securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, and may cause the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Fund’s performance and have adverse tax consequences for Fund shareholders.

 

Performance Information

 

The bar chart and the performance table below illustrate the risks and volatility of an investment in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s I Shares’ performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns for 1 year, 5 years and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Of course, the Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.kofcassetadvisors.org or by calling toll-free to 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).

 

 

 

BEST QUARTER

WORST QUARTER

15.64%

(28.28)%

(06/30/2020)

(03/31/2020)

 

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2023

 

This table compares the Fund’s average annual total returns for the periods ended December 31, 2023 to those of an appropriate broad based index.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns will depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for I Shares only. After-tax returns for Class S Shares will vary.

 

30

 

 

 

Knights of Columbus Large Cap Value
Fund

1 Year

5 Years

Since
Inception
1

Fund Returns Before Taxes

     

I Shares

14.97%

11.77%

8.35%

Class S Shares

14.86%

11.66%

8.68%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions

     

I Shares

14.60%

10.81%

7.53%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

     

I Shares

9.07%

9.24%

6.56%

Bloomberg 1000 Value Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)2

9.40%

11.74%

8.63%

Russell 1000 Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)2

11.46%

10.91%

7.91%

 

1

I Shares of the Fund were offered beginning February 27, 2015. Class S Shares of the Fund were offered beginning July 14, 2015. Index comparison begins February 27, 2015.

2

On February 29, 2024, the Fund’s benchmark changed from the Russell 1000 Value Index to the Bloomberg 1000 Value Total Return Index because the Adviser believes that the Bloomberg 1000 Value Total Return Index better reflects the Fund’s investment strategies.

 

 

Investment Adviser

 

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

 

31

 

 

 

KCVIX I Shares

KCVSX Class S Shares

Russell 1000 Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Bloomberg 1000 Value Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Mr. David Hanna, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2015.

 

Mr. Douglas A. Riley, CFA, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2015.

 

Mr. James W. Gaul, CFA, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2015.

 

Mr. Eric Eaton, CFA, Portfolio Manager and Equity Analyst, has managed the Fund since 2019.

 

For important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, taxes and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Summary Information about the Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Taxes and Financial Intermediary Compensation” on page 75 of the prospectus.

 

32

 

 

 

KCSIX I Shares

KCSSX Class S Shares

Russell 2000 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Bloomberg 2000 Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Knights of Columbus Small Cap Fund

 

Investment Objective

 

The Knights of Columbus Small Cap Fund (the “Small Cap Fund” or the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.

 

Fund Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a broker for transactions in I Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

     

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if shares redeemed have been held for less than 30 days)

2.00%

2.00%

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

 

I Shares

Class S Shares

Management Fees

0.73%

0.73%

Other Expenses

0.25%

0.35%

Shareholder Servicing Fees

None

0.10%

Other Operating Expenses

0.21%

0.21%

Previously Waived Fees and/or Reimbursed Expenses Recovered1

0.04%

0.04%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.98%

1.08%

 

1

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC (“Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or to reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other costs and expenses relating to the securities that are purchased and sold by the Fund, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, non-routine expenses and any class-specific expenses (including Shareholder Servicing Fees) (collectively, “excluded expenses”)) from exceeding 1.05% of the average daily net assets of each of the Fund’s share classes until February 28, 2025 (the “contractual expense limit”). In addition, the Adviser may receive from the Fund the difference between the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) and the contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) are below the contractual expense limit (i) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (ii) at the time of the recoupment. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III (the “Trust”), for any reason at any time; or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2025.

 

33

 

 

 

Example

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

 

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

I Shares

$100

$312

$542

$1,201

Class S Shares

$110

$343

$595

$1,317

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 49% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of small-capitalization companies. This investment policy can be changed by the Fund upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. For purposes of this policy, a small-capitalization company is a company with a market capitalization within the range of the Bloomberg 2000 Total Return Index at the time of initial purchase. While the market capitalization range of the Bloomberg 2000 Total Return Index changes throughout the year, as of December 31, 2023, the market capitalization range of the Bloomberg 2000 Total Return Index was between approximately $20 million and $10.6 billion. The equity securities in which the Fund invests are primarily common stocks of U.S. companies.

 

The Fund seeks to make investment decisions consistent with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Socially Responsible Investing Guidelines (the “USCCB Guidelines”), and therefore, the

 

34

 

 

 

Fund is designed to avoid investments in companies that are believed to be involved with abortion, contraception, pornography, stem cell research/human cloning, weapons of mass destruction, or other enterprises that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. As part of the screening process for the Fund, the Adviser uses information from a third-party environmental, social, and governance research firm and consults with experts to assess the policies and practices of companies based on the criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines. Based on such assessments, the Adviser compiles and maintains a list of companies that it determines to be inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines (the “Restricted Securities List”). The Fund seeks to avoid investments in companies identified through this process. The policies and practices of the companies selected for the Fund are monitored for various issues contemplated by the USCCB Guidelines. If the Adviser becomes aware that the Fund is invested in a company whose policies and practices are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, the Adviser may sell the company’s securities or otherwise exclude future investments in such company. The criteria used to screen out companies for the Fund may be modified from time to time to seek to maintain alignment with any changes to the USCCB Guidelines.

 

In selecting investments for the Fund, the Adviser combines quantitative and qualitative analyses that together seek to identify companies that have above-average investment potential. The quantitative process begins with understanding the market regime or investment environment. Factor exposures used by the quantitative models are tilted to areas that are believed will perform best within a specific environment. Four “super-factors” (Valuation, Growth and Profitability, Quality and Investor Sentiment) are then applied to the broad universe. By combining these factors, the investable universe is ranked by decile (1 = attractive, 10 = unattractive). The “buyable” universe for the Fund generally includes the top three deciles, or the most statistically attractive companies, and the weighted average rank of securities held in the Fund are within the top three deciles.

 

Fundamental research is conducted on the buyable universe to assess criteria that are difficult to quantify. The portfolio management and fundamental analyst teams construct the portfolio with only highly ranked companies. Risk is measured and monitored throughout the research and portfolio management process in different ways, including active risk to the benchmark, individual stock contribution to that active risk and sector/industry group/individual stock exposure risks. The Adviser will generally sell a stock on behalf of the Fund if

 

35

 

 

 

the stock experiences a rankings decline or extreme price movements, or for risk management purposes.

 

Principal Risks

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. A Fund share is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency. The principal risk factors affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.

 

Equity Risk – Since it purchases equity securities, the Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. In addition, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund.

 

Active Management Risk – The Fund is subject to the risk that the Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the Fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform in comparison to its benchmark index or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.

 

Small-Capitalization Company Risk – The small-capitalization companies in which the Fund invests may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies. In particular, investments in these small-sized companies may pose additional risks, including liquidity risk, because these companies tend to have limited product lines, markets and financial resources, and may depend upon a relatively small management group. Therefore, small-capitalization stocks may be more volatile than those of larger

 

36

 

 

 

companies. These securities may be traded over-the-counter or listed on an exchange.

 

Catholic Values Investing Risk – The Fund considers the USCCB Guidelines in its investment process and may choose not to purchase, or may sell, including at inopportune times which would result in losses to the Fund, otherwise profitable investments in companies which have been identified as being in conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. This means that the Fund may underperform other similar mutual funds that do not consider the USCCB Guidelines when making investment decisions. In addition, there can be no guarantee that the activities of the companies identified by the Fund’s investment process will align (or be perceived to align) fully with all of the principles contained in the USCCB Guidelines. The process of screening out companies and maintaining the Restricted Securities List that is based on criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines relies in part on third-party information or data that may be inaccurate, unavailable or outdated, which could cause the Fund to inadvertently hold securities of companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. For example, to the extent there are changes to the USCCB Guidelines, there could be a significant delay before the changes are fully incorporated into the screening process and reflected in the Restricted Securities List. This may cause the Fund to be invested for a period of time in companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. Although the Fund’s investment approach seeks to identify and screen out companies that are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, investors may differ in their views of what companies fit within this category of investments. As a result, to the extent an investor intends to invest in a manner consistent with the investor’s interpretation of the USCCB Guidelines, an investment in the Fund may fail to achieve such objective.

 

Quantitative Investing Risk – There is no guarantee that a quantitative model or algorithm used by the Adviser, and the investments selected based on the model or algorithm, will perform as expected or produce the desired results. The Fund may be adversely affected by imperfections, errors or limitations in the construction and implementation of the model or algorithm and the Adviser’s ability to properly analyze or timely adjust the metrics or update the data underlying the model or features of the algorithm.

 

Large Purchase and Redemption Risk – Large purchases or redemptions of the Fund’s shares may force the Fund to purchase or sell securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, and may cause the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise,

 

37

 

 

 

which may negatively affect the Fund’s performance and have adverse tax consequences for Fund shareholders.

 

Performance Information

 

The bar chart and the performance table below illustrate the risks and volatility of an investment in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s I Shares’ performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns for 1 year, 5 years and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Of course, the Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.kofcassetadvisors.org or by calling toll-free to 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).

 

 

 

BEST QUARTER

WORST QUARTER

25.57%

(32.64)%

(12/31/2020)

(03/31/2020)

 

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2023

 

This table compares the Fund’s average annual total returns for the periods ended December 31, 2023 to those of an appropriate broad based index.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns will depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for I Shares only. After-tax returns for Class S Shares will vary.

 

38

 

 

 

Knights of Columbus Small Cap Fund

1 Year

5 Years

Since
Inception
1

Fund Returns Before Taxes

     

I Shares

16.24%

10.06%

6.31%

Class S Shares

16.11%

9.97%

5.82%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions

     

I Shares

15.66%

9.27%

5.37%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

     

I Shares

10.01%

7.95%

4.87%

Bloomberg 2000 Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)2

17.14%

11.06%

7.81%

Russell 2000 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)2

16.93%

9.97%

7.24%

 

1

I Shares of the Fund were offered beginning February 27, 2015. Class S Shares of the Fund were offered beginning July 14, 2015. Index comparison begins February 27, 2015.

2

On February 29, 2024, the Fund’s benchmark changed from the Russell 2000 Index to the Bloomberg 2000 Total Return Index because the Adviser believes that the Bloomberg 2000 Total Return Index better reflects the Fund’s investment strategies.

 

 

Investment Adviser

 

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

 

39

 

 

 

KCSIX I Shares

KCSSX Class S Shares

Russell 2000 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Bloomberg 2000 Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Mr. David Hanna, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2015.

 

Mr. Douglas A. Riley, CFA, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2015.

 

Mr. James W. Gaul, CFA, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2015.

 

Mr. Eric Eaton, CFA, Portfolio Manager and Equity Analyst, has managed the Fund since 2019.

 

For important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, taxes and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Summary Information about the Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Taxes and Financial Intermediary Compensation” on page 75 of the prospectus.

 

40

 

 

 

KCIIX I Shares

KCISX Class S Shares

FTSE All-World ex-US Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Bloomberg World ex-US Large-Mid Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Knights of Columbus International Equity Fund

 

Investment Objective

 

The Knights of Columbus International Equity Fund (the “International Equity Fund” or the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.

 

Fund Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a broker for transactions in I Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

     

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if shares redeemed have been held for less than 30 days)

2.00%

2.00%

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

 

I Shares

Class S Shares

Management Fees

0.90%

0.90%

Other Expenses

0.23%

0.33%

Shareholder Servicing Fees

None

0.10%

Other Operating Expenses

0.23%

0.23%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.13%

1.23%

Less Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements1

(0.03)%

(0.03)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements

1.10%

1.20%

 

1

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC (“Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or to reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other costs and expenses relating to the securities that are purchased and sold by the Fund, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, non-routine expenses and any class-specific expenses (including Shareholder Servicing Fees) (collectively, “excluded expenses”)) from exceeding 1.10% of the average daily net assets of each of the Fund’s share classes until February 28, 2025 (the “contractual expense limit”). In addition, the Adviser may receive from the Fund the difference between the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) and the contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) are below the contractual expense limit (i) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (ii) at the time of the recoupment. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III (the “Trust”), for any reason at any time; or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2025.

 

41

 

 

 

Example

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

 

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses (including one year of capped expenses in each period) remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

I Shares

$112

$356

$619

$1,372

Class S Shares

$122

$387

$673

$1,486

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 47% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities. This investment policy can be changed by the Fund upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. The equity securities in which the Fund invests are primarily common stocks, but may also include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), which are traded on U.S. exchanges and represent an ownership in a foreign security. The Fund may invest in securities of companies with any market capitalization.

 

Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest in at least three countries, including the United States, and at least 40% of its assets will be invested in non-U.S. companies, in both developed and emerging market countries. For purposes of this policy, a company is considered to be a non-U.S. company if: (i) 50% of the company’s assets are located outside of the United States; (ii) 50% of the company’s revenues are

 

42

 

 

 

generated outside of the United States; or (iii) the company maintains its principal place of business outside of the United States.

 

The Fund seeks to make investment decisions consistent with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Socially Responsible Investing Guidelines (the “USCCB Guidelines”), and therefore, the Fund is designed to avoid investments in companies that are believed to be involved with abortion, contraception, pornography, stem cell research/human cloning, weapons of mass destruction, or other enterprises that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. As part of the screening process for the Fund, the Adviser uses information from a third-party environmental, social, and governance research firm and consults with experts to assess the policies and practices of companies based on the criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines. Based on such assessments, the Adviser compiles and maintains a list of companies that it determines to be inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines (the “Restricted Securities List”). The Fund seeks to avoid investments in companies identified through this process. The policies and practices of the companies selected for the Fund are monitored for various issues contemplated by the USCCB Guidelines. If the Adviser becomes aware that the Fund is invested in a company whose policies and practices are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, the Adviser may sell the company’s securities or otherwise exclude future investments in such company. The criteria used to screen out companies for the Fund may be modified from time to time to seek to maintain alignment with any changes to the USCCB Guidelines.

 

In selecting investments for the Fund, the Adviser combines quantitative and qualitative analyses that together seek to identify companies that have above-average investment potential. The Adviser first ranks the individual stocks in which the Fund may invest through the use of models that incorporate multiple fundamental factors, with the weightings of the factors in the models varying in relation to the stock’s sector and region and the current market environment. The Adviser then evaluates highly-ranked securities for purchase based on fundamental data and macroeconomic considerations, while managing the Fund’s exposures to sectors and regions to ensure broad diversification. The Adviser will generally sell a stock on behalf of the Fund if the stock experiences a rankings decline or extreme price movements, or for risk management purposes.

 

43

 

 

 

Principal Risks

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. A Fund share is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency. The principal risk factors affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.

 

Equity Risk – Since it purchases equity securities, the Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. In addition, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund.

 

Active Management Risk – The Fund is subject to the risk that the Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the Fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform in comparison to its benchmark index or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.

 

Foreign Company Risk – Investing in foreign companies, including direct investments and investments through ADRs, poses additional risks since political and economic events unique to a country or region will affect those markets and their issuers. These risks will not necessarily affect the U.S. economy or similar issuers located in the United States. Securities of foreign companies may not be registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and foreign companies are generally not subject to the regulatory controls imposed on U.S. issuers and, as a consequence, there is generally less publicly available information about foreign securities than is available about domestic securities. Income from foreign securities owned by

 

44

 

 

 

the Fund may be reduced by a withholding tax at the source, which tax would reduce income received from the securities comprising the Fund’s portfolio. Foreign securities may also be more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers. In addition, periodic U.S. Government restrictions on investments in issuers from certain foreign countries may require the Fund to sell such investments at inopportune times, which could result in losses to the Fund. While ADRs provide an alternative to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their respective national markets and currencies, investments in ADRs continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities.

 

Emerging Markets Securities Risk – The Fund’s investments in emerging markets securities are considered speculative and subject to heightened risks in addition to the general risks of investing in foreign securities. Unlike more established markets, emerging markets may have governments that are less stable, markets that are less liquid and economies that are less developed. In addition, the securities markets of emerging market countries may consist of companies with smaller market capitalizations and may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; and possible restrictions on repatriation of investment income and capital. Furthermore, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales, and future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization or creation of government monopolies.

 

Foreign Currency Risk – As a result of the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in, and/or receiving revenues in, foreign currencies, the Fund will be subject to currency risk. Currency risk is the risk that foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, in which case, the dollar value of an investment in the Fund would be adversely affected.

 

Catholic Values Investing Risk – The Fund considers the USCCB Guidelines in its investment process and may choose not to purchase, or may sell, including at inopportune times which would result in losses to the Fund, otherwise profitable investments in companies which have been identified as being in conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. This means that the Fund may underperform other similar mutual funds that do not consider the USCCB Guidelines when making investment decisions. In addition, there can be no guarantee that the activities of the companies identified by the Fund’s investment process will align (or be perceived to align) fully with all of the principles contained in the USCCB Guidelines. The process of screening out companies and

 

45

 

 

 

maintaining the Restricted Securities List that is based on criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines relies in part on third-party information or data that may be inaccurate, unavailable or outdated, which could cause the Fund to inadvertently hold securities of companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. For example, to the extent there are changes to the USCCB Guidelines, there could be a significant delay before the changes are fully incorporated into the screening process and reflected in the Restricted Securities List. This may cause the Fund to be invested for a period of time in companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. Although the Fund’s investment approach seeks to identify and screen out companies that are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, investors may differ in their views of what companies fit within this category of investments. As a result, to the extent an investor intends to invest in a manner consistent with the investor’s interpretation of the USCCB Guidelines, an investment in the Fund may fail to achieve such objective.

 

Quantitative Investing Risk – There is no guarantee that a quantitative model or algorithm used by the Adviser, and the investments selected based on the model or algorithm, will perform as expected or produce the desired results. The Fund may be adversely affected by imperfections, errors or limitations in the construction and implementation of the model or algorithm and the Adviser’s ability to properly analyze or timely adjust the metrics or update the data underlying the model or features of the algorithm.

 

Large Purchase and Redemption Risk – Large purchases or redemptions of the Fund’s shares may force the Fund to purchase or sell securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, and may cause the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Fund’s performance and have adverse tax consequences for Fund shareholders.

 

Performance Information

 

The bar chart and the performance table below illustrate the risks and volatility of an investment in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s I Shares’ performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns for 1 year, 5 years and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Of course, the Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the

 

46

 

 

 

Fund’s website at www.kofcassetadvisors.org or by calling toll-free to 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).

 

 

 

BEST QUARTER

WORST QUARTER

18.30%

(24.61)%

(12/31/2020)

(03/31/2020)

 

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2023

 

This table compares the Fund’s average annual total returns for the periods ended December 31, 2023 to those of an appropriate broad based index.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns will depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). After-tax returns are shown for I Shares only. After-tax returns for Class S Shares will vary.

 

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Knights of Columbus International
Equity Fund

1 Year

5 Years

Since
Inception
1

Fund Returns Before Taxes

     

I Shares

13.58%

6.56%

4.92%

Class S Shares

13.52%

6.44%

5.13%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions

     

I Shares

13.16%

5.88%

4.29%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

     

I Shares

8.52%

5.28%

3.93%

Bloomberg World ex-US Large-Mid Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)2

15.26%

7.57%

4.82%

FTSE All-World ex-US Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)2

16.20%

7.85%

4.90%

 

1

I Shares of the Fund were offered beginning February 27, 2015. Class S Shares of the Fund were offered beginning July 14, 2015. Index comparison begins February 27, 2015.

2

On February 29, 2024, the Fund’s benchmark changed from the FTSE All-Word ex-US Index to the Bloomberg World ex-US Large-Mid Total Return Index because the Adviser believes that the Bloomberg World ex-US Large-Mid Total Return Index better reflects the Fund’s investment strategies.

 

 

Investment Adviser

 

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Mr. David Hanna, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2015.

 

Mr. Douglas A. Riley, CFA, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since 2019.

 

Mr. James W. Gaul, CFA, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, has managed the Fund since 2019.

 

Mr. Eric Eaton, CFA, Portfolio Manager and Equity Analyst, has managed the Fund since 2019.

 

For important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, taxes and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Summary Information about the Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Taxes and Financial Intermediary Compensation” on page 75 of the prospectus.

 

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KCEIX I Shares

KCESX Class S Shares

HFRX Equity Market Neutral Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Knights of Columbus Long/Short Equity Fund

 

Investment Objective

 

The Knights of Columbus Long/Short Equity Fund (the “Long/Short Equity Fund” or the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.

 

Fund Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a broker for transactions in I Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

     

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if shares redeemed have been held for less than 30 days)

2.00%

2.00%

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

 

I Shares

Class S Shares

Management Fees

1.25%

1.25%

Other Expenses

0.80%

1.00%

Shareholder Servicing Fees

None

0.20%

Dividend and Interest Expenses on Securities Sold Short

0.53%

0.53%

Other Operating Expenses

0.27%

0.27%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

2.05%

2.25%

Less Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements1

(0.02)%

(0.02)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements

2.03%

2.23%

 

1

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC (“Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or to reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other costs and expenses relating to the securities that are purchased and sold by the Fund, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, Dividend and Interest Expenses on Securities Sold Short, non-routine expenses and any class-specific expenses (including Shareholder Servicing Fees) (collectively, “excluded expenses”)) from exceeding 1.50% of the average daily net assets of each of the Fund’s share classes until February 28, 2025 (the “contractual expense limit”). In addition, the Adviser may receive from the Fund the difference between the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) and the contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) are below the contractual expense limit (i) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (ii) at the time of the recoupment. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III (the “Trust”), for any reason at any time; or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2025.

 

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Example

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

 

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses (including one year of capped expenses in each period) remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

I Shares

$206

$641

$1,101

$2,378

Class S Shares

$226

$701

$1,203

$2,583

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 119% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in long and short positions in equity securities. This investment policy can be changed by the Fund upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.

 

The equity securities in which the Fund invests are primarily common stocks of large-capitalization U.S. companies and derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such securities. The Fund considers a large-capitalization company to be a company with a market capitalization above the 70th percentile of the market capitalization

 

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of companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (approximately $8.75 billion as of January 31, 2024).

 

The Fund takes long and short positions in equity securities. A long position arises where the Fund holds a security in its portfolio or maintains a position through a derivative instrument that provides economic exposure similar to direct ownership of the security. Short positions generally involve selling a security not held within the portfolio in anticipation that the security’s price will decline or entering into a derivative instrument that provides economic exposure similar to a short sale of the security. To complete a short sale transaction, the Fund typically must borrow the stock to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund then would be obligated to replace the stock borrowed by purchasing the stock at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be higher or lower than the price at which the stock was sold short by the Fund. The Fund will be managed with a net long exposure bias, but has the ability to have net short exposure. The Fund may hold a substantial portion of its total assets in cash when it holds significant short positions.

 

In addition to investing in derivatives to take long and short positions, the Fund may also invest in derivatives for hedging or risk management purposes. The derivatives in which the Fund principally invests are options and swaps.

 

The Fund seeks to make investment decisions consistent with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Socially Responsible Investing Guidelines (the “USCCB Guidelines”), and therefore, the Fund is designed to avoid investments in companies that are believed to be involved with abortion, contraception, pornography, stem cell research/human cloning, weapons of mass destruction, or other enterprises that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. As part of the screening process for the Fund, the Adviser uses information from a third-party environmental, social, and governance research firm and consults with experts to assess the policies and practices of companies based on the criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines. Based on such assessments, the Adviser compiles and maintains a list of companies that it determines to be inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines (the “Restricted Securities List”). The Fund seeks to avoid investments in companies identified through this process. The policies and practices of the companies selected for the Fund are monitored for various issues contemplated by the USCCB Guidelines. If L2 Asset Management, LLC (“L2 Asset Management” or the “Sub-Adviser”), the Fund’s sub-adviser, becomes aware that the Fund is invested in a company whose policies and practices are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, the

 

51

 

 

 

Sub-Adviser may sell the company’s securities or otherwise exclude future investments in such company. Although the Fund is designed to avoid taking long positions in the equity securities of such companies, the Fund may, consistent with the USCCB Guidelines, take short positions in the equity securities of such companies. The criteria used to screen out companies for the Fund may be modified from time to time to seek to maintain alignment with any changes to the USCCB Guidelines.

 

In selecting investments to buy and sell for the Fund, the Sub-Adviser utilizes a hybrid quantitative and fundamental investment process to seek to identify atypically high-quality companies for their level of market valuation. Stocks are evaluated by the Sub-Adviser on many variables that can be classified broadly into various categories, including “valuation” and “earnings quality.” “Valuation” contains traditional measures such as the dividend-to-price ratio and the earnings-to-price ratio, and “earnings quality” is used to assess the quality of earnings using measures such as accounting accruals and inventory turnover. Other variables focus on measures of analysts’ forecasts, balance sheet quality, market movements and return patterns including short and long-term price momentum. The Fund may focus its investments in one or more sectors.

 

Due to its investment strategy, the Fund may buy and sell securities frequently.

 

Principal Risks

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. A Fund share is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency. The principal risk factors affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.

 

Short Sales Risk – A short sale involves the sale of a security that the Fund does not own in the expectation of purchasing the same security (or a security exchangeable therefore) at a later date at a lower price. Short sales expose the Fund to the risk that it will be required to buy the security sold short (also known as “covering” the short position) at a time when the security has appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. Investment in short sales may also cause the Fund to incur expenses related to borrowing securities. Reinvesting proceeds received from short selling may create leverage which can amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund and, therefore, the Fund’s

 

52

 

 

 

share prices. Theoretically, uncovered short sales have the potential to expose the Fund to unlimited losses.

 

Equity Risk – Since it purchases equity securities, the Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. In addition, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund.

 

Active Management Risk – The Fund is subject to the risk that the Adviser’s or the Sub-Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the Fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform in comparison to its benchmark index or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.

 

Large-Capitalization Company Risk – The large-capitalization companies in which the Fund invests may not respond as quickly as smaller companies to competitive challenges, and their growth rates may lag the growth rates of well-managed smaller companies during strong economic periods.

 

Catholic Values Investing Risk – The Fund considers the USCCB Guidelines in its investment process and may choose not to purchase, or may sell, including at inopportune times which would result in losses to the Fund, otherwise profitable investments in companies which have been identified as being in conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. This means that the Fund may underperform other similar mutual funds that do not consider the USCCB Guidelines when making investment decisions. In addition, there can be no guarantee that the activities of the companies identified by the Fund’s investment process will align (or be perceived to align) fully with all of the principles contained in the USCCB Guidelines. The process of screening out companies and

 

53

 

 

 

maintaining the Restricted Securities List that is based on criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines relies in part on third-party information or data that may be inaccurate, unavailable or outdated, which could cause the Fund to inadvertently hold securities of companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. For example, to the extent there are changes to the USCCB Guidelines, there could be a significant delay before the changes are fully incorporated into the screening process and reflected in the Restricted Securities List. This may cause the Fund to be invested for a period of time in companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. Although the Fund’s investment approach seeks to identify and screen out companies that are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, investors may differ in their views of what companies fit within this category of investments. As a result, to the extent an investor intends to invest in a manner consistent with the investor’s interpretation of the USCCB Guidelines, an investment in the Fund may fail to achieve such objective.

 

Derivatives Risk – The Fund’s use of options and swaps is subject to market risk, leverage risk, correlation risk, liquidity risk and hedging risk. Market risk is the risk that the market value of an investment may move up and down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Leverage risk is the risk that since derivatives may be purchased for a fraction of their value, a relatively small price movement in a derivative may result in an immediate and substantial loss or gain for the Fund, and may also cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations. Correlation risk is the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly or at all with the underlying asset, rate or index. Liquidity risk is the risk that certain securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the Fund would like. Hedging risk is the risk that derivative instruments used for hedging purposes may also limit any potential gain that may result from the increase in value of the hedged asset. To the extent that the Fund engages in hedging strategies, there can be no assurance that such strategy will be effective or that there will be a hedge in place at any given time. The Fund’s use of swaps is also subject to credit risk and valuation risk. Credit risk is the risk that the counterparty to a derivative contract will default or otherwise become unable to honor a financial obligation. Valuation risk is the risk that a security may be difficult to value. Each of these risks could cause the Fund to lose more than the principal amount invested in a derivative instrument.

 

Sector Emphasis Risk – The securities of companies in the same business sector, if comprising a significant portion of the Fund’s

 

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portfolio, may in some circumstances react negatively to market conditions, interest rates and economic, regulatory or financial developments and adversely affect the value of the portfolio to a greater extent than if such securities comprised a lesser portion of the Fund’s portfolio or the Fund’s portfolio was diversified across a greater number of industry sectors.

 

Investment Style Risk – The Sub-Adviser’s value investment style may increase the risks of investing in the Fund. If the Sub-Adviser’s assessment of market conditions, or a company’s value or prospects for exceeding earnings expectations is inaccurate, the Fund could suffer losses or produce poor performance relative to other funds. In addition, “value stocks” can continue to be undervalued by the market for long periods of time.

 

Portfolio Turnover Risk – Due to its investment strategy, the Fund may buy and sell securities frequently. This may result in higher transaction costs and additional capital gains tax liabilities, which may affect the Fund’s performance.

 

Large Purchase and Redemption Risk – Large purchases or redemptions of the Fund’s shares may force the Fund to purchase or sell securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, and may cause the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Fund’s performance and have adverse tax consequences for Fund shareholders.

 

Performance Information

 

The bar chart and the performance table below illustrate the risks and volatility of an investment in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s I Shares’ performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns for 1 year and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Of course, the Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.

 

Class S Shares had not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. Therefore, performance information for Class S Shares is not presented. Class S Shares would have substantially similar performance as I Shares because the shares are invested in the same portfolio of securities and the returns would generally differ only to the extent that expenses of Class S Shares are higher than the expenses of I Shares, in which case the returns for Class S Shares would be lower than those of I Shares.

 

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Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.kofcassetadvisors.org or by calling toll-free to 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).

 

 

 

BEST QUARTER

WORST QUARTER

6.97%

(9.66)%

(03/31/2021)

(03/31/2020)

 

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2023

 

This table compares the Fund’s average annual total returns for the periods ended December 31, 2023 to those of an appropriate broad-based index.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns will depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”).

 

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Knights of Columbus Long/Short Equity Fund

1 Year

Since Inception
(12/02/2019)

Fund Returns Before Taxes

   

I Shares

2.83%

4.17%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions

   

I Shares

1.98%

3.34%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

   

I Shares

1.74%

2.95%

HFRX Equity Market Neutral Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

4.16%

0.11%

 

 

Investment Advisers

 

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund. L2 Asset Management, LLC serves as investment sub-adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dr. Sanjeev Bhojraj, Co-Founder and Portfolio Manager at L2 Asset Management, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2019.

 

Mr. Matthew Malgari, Co-Founder, Managing Member and Portfolio Manager at L2 Asset Management, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2019.

 

Mr. Nathan Przybylo, Partner, Head of Quantitative Programming and Portfolio Manager at L2 Asset Management, has managed the Fund since 2021.

 

For important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, taxes and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Summary Information about the Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Taxes and Financial Intermediary Compensation” on page 75 of the prospectus.

 

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KCXIX I Shares

KCXSX Class S Shares

Knights of Columbus U.S. All Cap Index® (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Knights of Columbus U.S. All Cap Index Fund

 

Investment Objective

 

The Knights of Columbus U.S. All Cap Index Fund (the “U.S. All Cap Index Fund” or the “Fund”) seeks investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the performance of an index that measures the investment return of the broad U.S. stock market, excluding companies whose policies and practices are inconsistent with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Socially Responsible Investing Guidelines (the “USCCB Guidelines”).

 

Fund Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a broker for transactions in I Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

     

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if shares redeemed have been held for less than 30 days)

2.00%

2.00%

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

 

I Shares

Class S Shares

Management Fees

0.20%

0.20%

Other Expenses

0.40%

0.60%

Shareholder Servicing Fees

None

0.20%

Other Operating Expenses

0.40%

0.40%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.60%

0.80%

Less Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements1

(0.35)%

(0.35)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements

0.25%

0.45%

 

1

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC (“Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or to reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other costs and expenses relating to the securities that are purchased and sold by the Fund, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, non-routine expenses and any class-specific expenses (including Shareholder Servicing Fees) (collectively, “excluded expenses”)) from exceeding 0.25% of the average daily net assets of each of the Fund’s share classes until February 28, 2025 (the “contractual expense limit”). In addition, the Adviser may receive from the Fund the difference between the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) and the contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) are below the contractual expense limit (i) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (ii) at the time of the recoupment. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III (the “Trust”), for any reason at any time; or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2025.

 

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Example

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

 

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses (including one year of capped expenses in each period) remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

I Shares

$26

$157

$300

$717

Class S Shares

$46

$220

$410

$957

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 8% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities included in the Knights of Columbus U.S. All Cap Index® (the “Index”) and other instruments with economic characteristics similar to such securities. This investment policy can be changed by the Fund upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.

 

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The Index consists of all common stocks and real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) in the Solactive US Broad Market Index (the “Parent Index”), excluding companies that are determined by Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) to be involved with abortion, contraception, pornography, stem cell research/human cloning, weapons of mass destruction, or other enterprises that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. The Parent Index includes the 3,000 U.S. companies with the largest free-float market capitalizations. The Index is the exclusive property of the Adviser. The Index is calculated and administered by Solactive AG (“Solactive”). Neither ISS nor Solactive is affiliated with the Fund, the Adviser or L2 Asset Management, LLC (“L2 Asset Management” or the “Sub-Adviser”), the Fund’s sub-adviser. Solactive will deem a company to be a U.S. company if its securities are primarily listed in the United States, its country of risk is the United States, and it meets certain requirements with respect to its jurisdiction of incorporation and domicile. A company’s “country of risk” is determined based on a number of criteria, including its country of domicile, the primary stock exchange on which it trades, the location from which the majority of its revenue comes, and its reporting currency. The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced on a semi-annual basis in May and November to reflect changes in the constituents of the Parent Index. New securities from initial public offerings are also added to the Index on a semi-annual basis in February and August, subject to fulfillment of certain eligibility criteria. Any companies in the Index whose policies and practices are determined by ISS to be inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines are removed from the Index on a monthly basis.

 

The Fund attempts to replicate the Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the companies that make up the Index, holding each company in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.

 

The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is so concentrated.

 

Principal Risks

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. A Fund share is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency. The principal risk factors affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.

 

Equity Risk – Since it purchases equity securities, the Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time.

 

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Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. In addition, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund.

 

Indexing Strategy/Index Tracking Risk – The Fund is managed with an indexing investment strategy, attempting to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities, regardless of the current or projected performance of the Index or of the actual securities comprising the Index. This differs from an actively-managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be less favorable than that of a portfolio managed using an active investment strategy. The structure and composition of the Index will affect the performance, volatility, and risk of the Index and, consequently, the performance, volatility, and risk of the Fund. While the Sub-Adviser seeks to track the performance of the Index (i.e., achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index), the Fund’s return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the Index. The Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested at times, generally as a result of cash flows into or out of the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions.

 

Catholic Values Investing Risk – The Fund considers the USCCB Guidelines in its investment process and may choose not to purchase, or may sell, including at inopportune times which would result in losses to the Fund, otherwise profitable investments in companies which have been identified as being in conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. This means that the Fund may underperform other similar mutual funds that do not consider the USCCB Guidelines when making investment decisions. In addition, there can be no guarantee that the activities of the companies identified by the Fund’s investment process will align (or be perceived to align) fully with all of the principles contained in

 

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the USCCB Guidelines. The process of screening out companies and maintaining the Restricted Securities List that is based on criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines relies in part on third-party information or data that may be inaccurate, unavailable or outdated, which could cause the Fund to inadvertently hold securities of companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. For example, to the extent there are changes to the USCCB Guidelines, there could be a significant delay before the changes are fully incorporated into the screening process and reflected in the Restricted Securities List. This may cause the Fund to be invested for a period of time in companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. Although the Fund’s investment approach seeks to identify and screen out companies that are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, investors may differ in their views of what companies fit within this category of investments. As a result, to the extent an investor intends to invest in a manner consistent with the investor’s interpretation of the USCCB Guidelines, an investment in the Fund may fail to achieve such objective.

 

Small- and Mid- Capitalization Company Risk – The small- and mid-capitalization companies in which the Fund invests may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies. In particular, investments in these small- and mid-sized companies may pose additional risks, including liquidity risk, because these companies tend to have limited product lines, markets and financial resources, and may depend upon a relatively small management group. Therefore, small- and mid-capitalization stocks may be more volatile than those of larger companies. These securities may be traded over-the-counter or listed on an exchange.

 

Large-Capitalization Company Risk – The large-capitalization companies in which the Fund invests may not respond as quickly as smaller companies to competitive challenges, and their growth rates may lag the growth rates of well-managed smaller companies during strong economic periods.

 

Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk – REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and usually operate, income-producing real estate. REITs are susceptible to the risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, such as the following: declines in property values; increases in property taxes, operating expenses, interest rates or competition; overbuilding; zoning changes; and losses from casualty or condemnation. REITs typically incur fees that are separate from those of the Fund. Accordingly, the Fund’s investments in REITs will result in the layering of expenses such that shareholders will indirectly bear a proportionate share of the REITs’ operating expenses, in addition to

 

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paying Fund expenses. REIT operating expenses are not reflected in the fee table and example in this prospectus.

 

Industry Concentration Risk – The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is so concentrated. Concentrating Fund investments in companies conducting business in the same industry will subject the Fund to a greater risk of loss as a result of adverse economic, business or other developments affecting that industry than if its investments were not so concentrated.

 

Large Purchase and Redemption Risk – Large purchases or redemptions of the Fund’s shares may force the Fund to purchase or sell securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, and may cause the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Fund’s performance and have adverse tax consequences for Fund shareholders.

 

Performance Information

 

The bar chart and the performance table below illustrate the risks and volatility of an investment in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s I Shares’ performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns for 1 year and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Of course, the Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.

 

Class S Shares had not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. Therefore, performance information for Class S Shares is not presented. Class S Shares would have substantially similar performance as I Shares because the shares are invested in the same portfolio of securities and the returns would generally differ only to the extent that expenses of Class S Shares are higher than the expenses of I Shares, in which case the returns for Class S Shares would be lower than those of I Shares.

 

Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.kofcassetadvisors.org or by calling toll-free to 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).

 

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BEST QUARTER

WORST QUARTER

22.57%

(21.38)%

(06/30/2020)

(03/31/2020)

 

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2023

 

This table compares the Fund’s average annual total returns for the periods ended December 31, 2023 to those of an appropriate broad-based index.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns will depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”).

 

Knights of Columbus U.S. All Cap Index Fund

1 Year

Since Inception
(12/31/2019)

Fund Returns Before Taxes

   

I Shares

29.04%

11.98%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions

   

I Shares

28.36%

11.51%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

   

I Shares

17.50%

9.37%

Knights of Columbus U.S. All Cap Index® (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

29.14%

12.32%

 

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Investment Advisers

 

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund. L2 Asset Management, LLC serves as investment sub-adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dr. Sanjeev Bhojraj, Co-Founder and Portfolio Manager at L2 Asset Management, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2019.

 

Mr. Matthew Malgari, Co-Founder, Managing Member and Portfolio Manager at L2 Asset Management, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2019.

 

Mr. Nathan Przybylo, Partner, Head of Quantitative Programming and Portfolio Manager at L2 Asset Management, has managed the Fund since 2021.

 

For important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, taxes and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Summary Information about the Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Taxes and Financial Intermediary Compensation” on page 75 of the prospectus.

 

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KCRIX I Shares

KCRSX Class S Shares

FTSE NAREIT Equity REITs Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Bloomberg US 3000 REIT Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

Knights of Columbus Real Estate Fund

 

Investment Objective

 

The Knights of Columbus Real Estate Fund (the “Real Estate Fund” or the “Fund”) seeks total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation.

 

Fund Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a broker for transactions in I Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

     

Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if shares redeemed have been held for less than 30 days)

2.00%

2.00%

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

 

I Shares

Class S Shares

Management Fees

0.85%

0.85%

Other Expenses

0.20%

0.40%

Shareholder Servicing Fees

None

0.20%

Other Operating Expenses

0.20%

0.20%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.05%

1.25%

Less Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements1

(0.05)%

(0.05)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements

1.00%

1.20%

 

1

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC (“Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or to reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other costs and expenses relating to the securities that are purchased and sold by the Fund, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, non-routine expenses and any class-specific expenses (including Shareholder Servicing Fees) (collectively, “excluded expenses”)) from exceeding 1.00% of the average daily net assets of each of the Fund’s share classes until February 28, 2025 (the “contractual expense limit”). In addition, the Adviser may receive from the Fund the difference between the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) and the contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) are below the contractual expense limit (i) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (ii) at the time of the recoupment. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III (the “Trust”), for any reason at any time; or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2025.

 

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Example

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

 

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses (including one year of capped expenses in each period) remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

I Shares

$102

$329

$575

$1,278

Class S Shares

$122

$392

$682

$1,507

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 88% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in real estate securities. This investment policy can be changed by the Fund upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.

 

For purposes of the Fund’s 80% investment policy, real estate securities include common stocks, preferred stocks and other equity securities issued by real estate companies, including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and real estate operating companies (“REOCs”), as well as derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities. REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and usually operate, income-producing real estate, or finance real estate. REOCs are publicly traded corporations that engage in

 

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the development, management or financing of real estate. The Fund considers a company to be a real estate company if the company derives the majority of its earnings before interest, depreciation and amortization from the ownership, management and development of income-producing real estate, or the financing of real estate. The Fund may invest in securities of companies with any market capitalization.

 

The Fund may seek to enhance current income by writing (selling) covered call options.

 

The Fund seeks to make investment decisions consistent with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Socially Responsible Investing Guidelines (the “USCCB Guidelines”), and therefore, the Fund is designed to avoid investments in companies that are believed to be involved with abortion, contraception, pornography, stem cell research/human cloning, weapons of mass destruction, or other enterprises that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. As part of the screening process for the Fund, the Adviser uses information from a third-party environmental, social, and governance research firm and consults with experts to assess the policies and practices of companies based on the criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines. Based on such assessments, the Adviser compiles and maintains a list of companies that it determines to be inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines (the “Restricted Securities List”). The Fund seeks to avoid investments in companies identified through this process. The policies and practices of the companies selected for the Fund are monitored for various issues contemplated by the USCCB Guidelines. If Ranger Global Real Estate Advisors, LLC (“Ranger” or the “Sub-Adviser”), the Fund’s sub-adviser, becomes aware that the Fund is invested in a company whose policies and practices are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, the Sub-Adviser may sell the company’s securities or otherwise exclude future investments in such company. The criteria used to screen out companies for the Fund may be modified from time to time to seek to maintain alignment with any changes to the USCCB Guidelines.

 

In selecting investments to buy for the Fund, the Sub-Adviser combines a quantitative screening process with a qualitative stock selection process. The Sub-Adviser first screens companies based on quantitative metrics that the Sub-Adviser believes are highly correlated to long-term creation of shareholder value, including, but not limited to, insider ownership, management tenure, cash flow growth rate and balance sheet leverage. The Sub-Adviser then assesses the companies that meet the screening criterion based on certain qualitative factors, including management quality, external growth potential, corporate governance, quality and location of assets, lease terms, tenant credit

 

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quality, debt structure and financial flexibility. The Sub-Adviser may sell an investment held by the Fund when there is a change in the factors supporting the investment or the Sub-Adviser identifies a more attractive investment opportunity.

 

Due to its investment strategy, the Fund may buy and sell securities frequently.

 

Principal Risks

 

As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. A Fund share is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency. The principal risk factors affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.

 

Equity Risk – Since it purchases equity securities, the Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. In addition, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund.

 

Active Management Risk – The Fund is subject to the risk that the Adviser’s or the Sub-Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the Fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform in comparison to its benchmark index or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.

 

Sector Emphasis Risk – The securities of companies in the same business sector, if comprising a significant portion of the Fund’s portfolio, may in some circumstances react negatively to market conditions, interest rates and economic, regulatory or financial

 

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developments and adversely affect the value of the portfolio to a greater extent than if such securities comprised a lesser portion of the Fund’s portfolio or the Fund’s portfolio was diversified across a greater number of industry sectors.

 

Real Estate Sector Risk – Securities of companies principally engaged in the real estate sector may be subject to the risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate. Risks commonly associated with the direct ownership of real estate include (i) changes in general economic and market conditions; (ii) changes in the value of real estate properties; (iii) risks related to local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition; (iv) increases in property taxes and operating expenses; (v) changes in zoning laws; (vi) casualty and condemnation losses; (vii) variations in rental income, neighborhood values or the appeal of property to tenants; (viii) the availability of financing; and (ix) changes in interest rates and quality of credit extended.

 

Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and usually operate, income-producing real estate or finance real estate. REITs are susceptible to the risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, as discussed elsewhere in this section. REITs typically incur fees that are separate from those of the Fund. Accordingly, the Fund’s investments in REITs will result in the layering of expenses such that shareholders will indirectly bear a proportionate share of the REITs’ operating expenses, in addition to paying Fund expenses. REIT operating expenses are not reflected in the fee table and example in this prospectus.

 

Covered Call Risk Covered call risk is the risk that the issuer of the call option will forgo any profit from increases in the market value of the underlying security covering the call option above the sum of the premium and the strike price of the call but retain the risk of loss if the underlying security declines in value. The Fund will have no control over the exercise of the option by the option holder and may lose the benefit from any capital appreciation on the underlying security. A number of factors may influence the option holder’s decision to exercise the option, including the value of the underlying security, price volatility, dividend yield and interest rates. To the extent that these factors increase the value of the call option, the option holder is more likely to exercise the option, which may negatively affect the Fund.

 

Preferred Stock Risk Preferred stocks are nonvoting equity securities that pay a stated fixed or variable rate of return. Preferred

 

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stocks are subject to issuer-specific risks (such as credit risk) and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. The market value of preferred stocks generally decreases when interest rates rise. Preferred stocks generally are subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure in terms of priority to corporate income and liquidation payments and, therefore, will be subject to greater credit risk than the company’s bonds and other debt instruments.

 

Catholic Values Investing Risk The Fund considers the USCCB Guidelines in its investment process and may choose not to purchase, or may sell, including at inopportune times which would result in losses to the Fund, otherwise profitable investments in companies which have been identified as being in conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. This means that the Fund may underperform other similar mutual funds that do not consider the USCCB Guidelines when making investment decisions. In addition, there can be no guarantee that the activities of the companies identified by the Fund’s investment process will align (or be perceived to align) fully with all of the principles contained in the USCCB Guidelines. The process of screening out companies and maintaining the Restricted Securities List that is based on criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines relies in part on third-party information or data that may be inaccurate, unavailable or outdated, which could cause the Fund to inadvertently hold securities of companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. For example, to the extent there are changes to the USCCB Guidelines, there could be a significant delay before the changes are fully incorporated into the screening process and reflected in the Restricted Securities List. This may cause the Fund to be invested for a period of time in companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. Although the Fund’s investment approach seeks to identify and screen out companies that are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, investors may differ in their views of what companies fit within this category of investments. As a result, to the extent an investor intends to invest in a manner consistent with the investor’s interpretation of the USCCB Guidelines, an investment in the Fund may fail to achieve such objective.

 

Small- and Mid- Capitalization Company Risk – The small- and mid-capitalization companies in which the Fund invests may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies. In particular, investments in these small- and mid-sized companies may pose additional risks, including liquidity risk, because these companies tend to have limited product lines, markets and financial resources, and may depend upon a relatively

 

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small management group. Therefore, small- and mid-capitalization stocks may be more volatile than those of larger companies. These securities may be traded over-the-counter or listed on an exchange.

 

Large-Capitalization Company Risk – The large-capitalization companies in which the Fund invests may not respond as quickly as smaller companies to competitive challenges, and their growth rates may lag the growth rates of well-managed smaller companies during strong economic periods.

 

Portfolio Turnover Risk – Due to its investment strategy, the Fund may buy and sell securities frequently. This may result in higher transaction costs and additional capital gains tax liabilities, which may affect the Fund’s performance.

 

Large Purchase and Redemption Risk – Large purchases or redemptions of the Fund’s shares may force the Fund to purchase or sell securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, and may cause the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Fund’s performance and have adverse tax consequences for Fund shareholders.

 

Performance Information

 

The bar chart and the performance table below illustrate the risks and volatility of an investment in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s I Shares’ performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns for 1 year and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Of course, the Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.

 

Class S Shares had not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. Therefore, performance information for Class S Shares is not presented. Class S Shares would have substantially similar performance as I Shares because the shares are invested in the same portfolio of securities and the returns would generally differ only to the extent that expenses of Class S Shares are higher than the expenses of I Shares, in which case the returns for Class S Shares would be lower than those of I Shares.

 

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Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.kofcassetadvisors.org or by calling toll-free to 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).

 

 

 

BEST QUARTER

WORST QUARTER

16.00%

(25.71)%

(06/30/2020)

(03/31/2020)

 

Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2023

 

This table compares the Fund’s average annual total returns for the periods ended December 31, 2023 to those of an appropriate broad-based index.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns will depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”).

 

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Knights of Columbus Real Estate Fund

1 Year

Since Inception
(09/30/2019)

Fund Returns Before Taxes

   

I Shares

8.09%

3.78%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions

   

I Shares

7.11%

0.45%

Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

   

I Shares

4.76%

1.67%

Bloomberg US 3000 REIT Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)1

11.34%

2.83%

FTSE NAREIT Equity REITs Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)1

13.73%

2.81%

 

1

On February 29, 2024, the Fund’s benchmark changed from the FTSE NAREIT Equity REITs Index to the Bloomberg US 3000 REIT Total Return Index because the Adviser believes that the Bloomberg US 3000 REIT Total Return Index better reflects the Fund’s investment strategies.

 

 

Investment Advisers

 

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Ranger Global Real Estate Advisors, LLC serves as investment sub-adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Manager

 

Andrew J. Duffy, CFA, Managing Partner, Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager at Ranger, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2019.

 

For important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, taxes and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Summary Information about the Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Taxes and Financial Intermediary Compensation” on page 75 of the prospectus.

 

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Summary Information about the Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares, Taxes and Financial Intermediary Compensation

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

You may generally purchase or redeem shares on any day that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for business.

 

To purchase I Shares of the Funds for the first time, you must invest, in the aggregate, at least $25,000 in one or more Knights of Columbus Funds. If you hold I Shares of a Knights of Columbus Fund, you may purchase I Shares of the same Fund, or purchase I Shares of any other Knights of Columbus Fund, in amounts of at least $250. However, these minimum initial and subsequent investment requirements for I Shares of the Funds do not apply to clients of the Adviser who participate in, and purchase I Shares through, a fee-based investment advisory program sponsored by the Adviser or its affiliates. The Adviser currently sponsors a fee-based investment advisory program through which I Shares is the only class of shares of the Funds available for purchase by participating clients. For additional information about this program, please contact the Adviser.

 

There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment amount for Class S Shares of the Funds.

 

The Funds may accept investments of smaller amounts in their sole discretion.

 

If you own your shares directly, you may redeem your shares by contacting the Funds directly by mail at Knights of Columbus Funds, P.O. Box 219009, Kansas City, MO 64121-9009 (Express Mail Address: Knights of Columbus Funds, c/o SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc., 430 West 7th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105) or telephone at 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).

 

If you own your shares through an account with a broker or other financial intermediary, contact that broker or financial intermediary to redeem your shares. Your broker or financial intermediary may charge a fee for its services in addition to the fees charged by the Funds.

 

Tax Information

 

Each Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as qualified dividend income, ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan

 

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or IRA, in which case your distributions will be taxed when withdrawn from the tax-deferred account.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase shares of a Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend a Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s web site for more information.

 

More Information about the Funds’ Investment Objectives and Strategies

 

The investment objective of the Core Bond Fund and Limited Duration Fund is to seek current income and capital preservation.

 

The investment objective of the Large Cap Growth Fund, Large Cap Value Fund, Small Cap Fund, International Equity Fund and Long/Short Equity Fund is to seek long-term capital appreciation.

 

The investment objective of the U.S. All Cap Index Fund is to seek investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the performance of an index that measures the investment return of the broad U.S. stock market, excluding companies whose policies and practices are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines.

 

The investment objective of the Real Estate Fund is to seek total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation.

 

The investment objective of each Fund is not a fundamental policy and may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval.

 

The investments and strategies described in this prospectus are those that the Funds use under normal conditions. During unusual economic or market conditions, or for temporary defensive or liquidity purposes, each Fund may, but is not obligated to, invest up to 100% of its assets in money market instruments and other cash equivalents that would not ordinarily be consistent with its investment objective. If a Fund invests in this manner, it may cause the Fund to forgo greater investment returns for the safety of principal and the Fund may therefore not achieve its investment objective. A Fund will only do so if the Adviser

 

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or a Sub-Adviser (as defined below) believes that the risk of loss outweighs the opportunity for capital appreciation or current income.

 

This prospectus describes the Funds’ principal investment strategies, and the Funds will normally invest in the types of securities and other investments described in this prospectus. In addition to the securities and other investments and strategies described in this prospectus, each Fund also may invest to a lesser extent in other securities, use other strategies and engage in other investment practices that are not part of its principal investment strategies. These investments and strategies, as well as those described in this prospectus, are described in detail in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) (for information on how to obtain a copy of the SAI see the back cover of this prospectus). Of course, there is no guarantee that a Fund will achieve its investment goals.

 

More Information about Risk

 

Investing in each Fund involves risk and there is no guarantee that any Fund will achieve its goals. The Adviser’s and the Sub-Advisers’ judgments about the markets, the economy, or companies may not anticipate actual market movements, economic conditions or company performance, and these judgments may affect the return on your investment. In fact, no matter how good of a job the Adviser or a Sub-Adviser does, you could lose money on your investment in a Fund, just as you could with similar investments.

 

The value of your investment in a Fund is based on the value of the securities the Fund holds. These prices change daily due to economic and other events that affect particular companies and other issuers. These price movements, sometimes called volatility, may be greater or lesser depending on the types of securities a Fund owns and the markets in which it trades. The effect on a Fund of a change in the value of a single security will depend on how widely the Fund diversifies its holdings. The Large Cap Growth Fund is non-diversified, meaning that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in a single issuer or a relatively small number of issuers. Accordingly, the Large Cap Growth Fund will be more susceptible to negative events affecting a small number of holdings than a diversified fund.

 

Active Management Risk (Core Bond Fund, Limited Duration Fund, Large Cap Growth Fund, Large Cap Value Fund, Small Cap Fund, International Equity Fund, Long/Short Equity Fund, Real Estate Fund) – The Funds are actively managed, which means that investment decisions are made based on investment views. There

 

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is no guarantee that the investment views will produce the desired results or expected returns, causing a Fund to lose value or fail to meet its investment objective or underperform its benchmark index or funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. Furthermore, active and frequent trading that can accompany active management, also called “high turnover,” may have a negative impact on performance. Active and frequent trading may result in higher brokerage costs or mark-up charges and tax costs, which are ultimately passed on to shareholders of a Fund. Active and frequent trading may also result in adverse tax consequences.

 

Catholic Values Investing Risk (All Funds) – Each Fund considers the USCCB Guidelines in its investment process and may choose not to purchase, or may sell, including at inopportune times which would result in losses to the Fund, otherwise profitable investments in companies which have been identified as being in conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. This means that a Fund may underperform other similar mutual funds that do not consider the USCCB Guidelines when making investment decisions. In addition, there can be no guarantee that the activities of the companies identified by any Fund’s investment process will align (or be perceived to align) fully with all of the principles contained in the USCCB Guidelines. The process of screening out companies and maintaining the Restricted Securities List that is based on criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines relies in part on third-party information or data that may be inaccurate, unavailable or outdated, which could cause a Fund to inadvertently hold securities of companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. For example, to the extent there are changes to the USCCB Guidelines, there could be a significant delay before the changes are fully incorporated into the screening process and reflected in the Restricted Securities List. This may cause a Fund to be invested for a period of time in companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. Although each Fund’s investment approach seeks to identify and screen out companies that are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, investors may differ in their views of what companies fit within this category of investments. As a result, to the extent an investor intends to invest in a manner consistent with the investor’s interpretation of the USCCB Guidelines, an investment in a Fund may fail to achieve such objective.

 

Covered Call Risk (Real Estate Fund) – The Fund may write (i.e., sell) covered call options, a type of derivative instrument. A covered call option is an option in which the Fund, in return for a premium, gives another party a right to buy specified securities owned by the Fund at a specified future date and price set at the time of the contract.

 

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Covered call risk is the risk that the issuer of the call option will forgo any profit from increases in the market value of the underlying security covering the call option above the sum of the premium and the strike price of the call but retain the risk of loss if the underlying security declines in value. The Fund will have no control over the exercise of the option by the option holder and may lose the benefit from any capital appreciation on the underlying security. A number of factors may influence the option holder’s decision to exercise the option, including the value of the underlying security, price volatility, dividend yield and interest rates. To the extent that these factors increase the value of the call option, the option holder is more likely to exercise the option, which may negatively affect the Fund.

 

Derivatives Risk (Long/Short Equity Fund) – The Fund’s use of options and swaps is subject to derivatives risk. Derivatives are often more volatile than other investments and may magnify the Fund’s gains or losses. There are various factors that affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its objective with derivatives. Successful use of a derivative depends upon the degree to which prices of the underlying assets correlate with price movements in the derivatives the Fund buys or sells. The Fund could be negatively affected if the change in market value of its securities fails to correlate perfectly with the values of the derivatives it purchased or sold. The lack of a liquid secondary market for a derivative may prevent the Fund from closing its derivative positions and could adversely impact its ability to achieve its objective and to realize profits or limit losses. Since derivatives may be purchased for a fraction of their value, a relatively small price movement in a derivative may result in an immediate and substantial loss or gain to the Fund. Derivatives are often more volatile than other investments and the Fund may lose more in a derivative than it originally invested in it. Additionally, some derivative instruments are subject to counterparty risk, meaning that the party that issues the derivative may experience a significant credit event and may be unwilling or unable to make timely settlement payments or otherwise honor its obligations. Moreover, regulation relating to the Fund’s use of derivatives and related instruments, including Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), could potentially limit or impact the Fund’s ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund’s ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the Fund’s performance.

 

Options. Options involve the payment or receipt of a premium by the investor and the corresponding right or obligation, as the

 

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case may be, to either purchase or sell the underlying security for a specific price at a certain time or during a certain period. Purchasing options involves the risk that the underlying instrument will not change price in the manner expected, so that the investor loses its premium. Selling options involves potentially greater risk because the investor is exposed to the extent of the actual price movement in the underlying security rather than only the premium payment received (which could result in a potentially unlimited loss). If the Fund writes a “covered” call option (i.e., a call option on a security in which the Fund holds a long position), the Fund may not participate fully in a rise in market value of the underlying security. Over-the-counter options also involve counterparty solvency risk.

 

Swaps. In a swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on the “notional amount” of predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. Swaps can involve greater risks than direct investment in securities, because swaps may be leveraged and are subject to counterparty risk and valuation risk. Swaps may also be classified as illiquid. It may not be possible for the Fund to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.

 

Equity Risk (Large Cap Growth Fund, Large Cap Value Fund, Small Cap Fund, International Equity Fund, Long/Short Equity Fund, U.S. All Cap Index Fund and Real Estate Fund) – Equity securities include public and privately issued equity securities, common and preferred stocks, warrants, rights to subscribe to common stock, convertible securities, depositary receipts and shares of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). Common stock represents an equity or ownership interest in an issuer. Preferred stock provides a fixed dividend that is paid before any dividends are paid to common stockholders, and which takes precedence over common stock in the event of a liquidation. Like common stock, preferred stocks represent partial ownership in a company, although preferred stock shareholders do not enjoy any of the voting rights of common stockholders. Also, unlike common stock, a preferred stock pays a fixed dividend that does not fluctuate, although the company does not have to pay this dividend if it lacks the financial ability to do so. Investments in equity securities in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time, sometimes rapidly or unpredictability. The value of securities convertible into equity securities, such as warrants

 

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or convertible debt, is also affected by prevailing interest rates, the credit quality of the issuer and any call provision. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which a Fund invests will cause the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) to fluctuate. An investment in a portfolio of equity securities may be more suitable for long-term investors who can bear the risk of these share price fluctuations. Depositary receipts and REITs are discussed elsewhere in this section.

 

Fixed Income Risk (Core Bond Fund and Limited Duration Fund) The market values of fixed income investments change in response to interest rate changes and other factors. Interest rates may change as a result of a variety of factors, and the change may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable impacts on the financial markets and a Fund’s investments. During periods of rising interest rates, the values of outstanding fixed income securities generally decrease. Moreover, while securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher yields, the prices of longer maturity securities are also subject to greater market value fluctuations as a result of changes in interest rates. During periods of falling interest rates, certain debt obligations with high interest rates may be prepaid (or “called”) by the issuer prior to maturity, and during periods of rising interest rates, certain debt obligations with low interest rates may be extended beyond maturity. A rise in interest rates may also increase volatility and reduce liquidity in the fixed income markets, and result in a decline in the value of the fixed income investments held by the Funds. In addition, reductions in dealer market-making capacity as a result of structural or regulatory changes could further decrease liquidity and/or increase volatility in the fixed income markets. As a result of these market conditions, a Fund’s value may fluctuate and/or a Fund may experience increased redemptions from shareholders, which may impact a Fund’s liquidity or force a Fund to sell securities at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions, therefore reducing the value of the Fund. Very low or negative interest rates may prevent a Fund from generating positive returns and may increase the risk that if followed by rising interest rates the Fund’s performance will be negatively impacted.

 

In addition to these risks, fixed income securities may be subject to credit risk, which is the possibility that an issuer will be unable or unwilling to make timely payments of either principal or interest.

 

Foreign/Emerging Markets Securities Risk (International Equity Fund) – Investments in securities of foreign companies (including direct investments as well as investments through depositary receipts) can be more volatile than investments in U.S. companies. Diplomatic, political, or economic developments, including nationalization or

 

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appropriation, could affect investments in foreign companies. Foreign securities markets generally have less trading volume and less liquidity than U.S. markets. In addition, the value of securities denominated in foreign currencies, and of dividends from such securities, can change significantly when foreign currencies strengthen or weaken relative to the U.S. dollar. Financial statements of foreign issuers are governed by different accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards than the financial statements of U.S. issuers and may be less transparent and uniform than in the United States. Thus, there may be less information publicly available about foreign issuers than about most U.S. issuers. Transaction costs are generally higher than those in the United States and expenses for custodial arrangements of foreign securities may be somewhat greater than typical expenses for custodial arrangements of similar U.S. securities. Some foreign governments levy withholding taxes against dividend and interest income. Although in some countries a portion of these taxes are recoverable, the non-recovered portion will reduce the income received from the securities comprising the Fund’s portfolio. Additionally, periodic U.S. Government restrictions on investments in issuers from certain foreign countries may result in the Fund having to sell such prohibited securities at inopportune times. Such prohibited securities may have less liquidity as a result of such U.S. Government designation and the market price of such prohibited securities may decline, which may cause the Fund to incur losses. These risks may be heightened with respect to emerging market countries since political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions are more likely to occur in these countries.

 

The Fund may invest in unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), which are issued by one or more depositaries without a formal agreement with the company that issues the underlying securities. Holders of unsponsored ADRs generally bear all the costs thereof, and the depositaries of unsponsored ADRs frequently are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuers of the underlying securities or to pass through voting rights with respect to the underlying securities. In addition, the issuers of the securities underlying unsponsored ADRs are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States and, therefore, there may be less information available regarding such issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the ADRs.

 

High Yield Bond Risk (Core Bond Fund and Limited Duration Fund) – High yield, or “junk,” bonds are highly speculative securities that are usually issued by smaller, less creditworthy and/or highly

 

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leveraged (indebted) companies. Compared with investment-grade bonds, high yield bonds are considered to carry a greater degree of risk and are considered to be less likely to make payments of interest and principal. In particular, lower-quality high yield bonds (rated CCC, CC, C, or unrated securities judged to be of comparable quality) are subject to a greater degree of credit risk than higher-quality high yield bonds and may be near default. High yield bonds rated D are in default. Market developments and the financial and business conditions of the issuers of these securities generally influence their price and liquidity more than changes in interest rates, when compared to investment-grade debt securities.

 

Indexing Strategy/Index Tracking Risk (U.S. All Cap Index Fund) – The Fund is managed with an indexing investment strategy, attempting to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities. The Fund will seek to replicate the Knights of Columbus U.S. All Cap Index® (the “Index”) returns, regardless of the current or projected performance of the Index or of the actual securities comprising the Index. This differs from an actively-managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. The Fund generally will buy and will not sell a security included in the Index as long as the security is part of the Index regardless of any sudden or material decline in value or foreseeable material decline in value of the security, even though the Sub-Adviser may make a different investment decision for other actively managed accounts or portfolios that hold the security. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be less favorable than that of a portfolio managed using an active investment strategy. The structure and composition of the Index will affect the performance, volatility, and risk of the Index (in absolute terms and by comparison with other indices) and, consequently, the performance, volatility, and risk of the Fund. While the Sub-Adviser seeks to track the performance of the Index (i.e., achieve a high degree of correlation with the Index), the Fund’s return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the Index. The Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested at times, either as a result of cash flows into or out of the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions. Changes in the composition of the Index and regulatory requirements also may impact the Fund’s ability to match the return of the Index. Index tracking risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions.

 

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Information Technology Sector Risk (Large Cap Growth Fund)Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like other technology companies, information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the information technology sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.

 

Large Purchase and Redemption Risk (All Funds) – Large purchases or redemptions of a Fund’s shares may affect such Fund, since the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities if it experiences redemptions, and the Fund will need to invest additional cash that it receives. While it is impossible to predict the overall impact of these transactions over time, there could be adverse effects on Fund management or performance to the extent a Fund may be required to sell securities or invest cash at times when it would not otherwise do so. These transactions could also have tax consequences if sales of securities result in gains, and could also increase transaction costs or portfolio turnover. The investment managers are committed to minimizing the impact of such transactions on a Fund, and may seek to effect the transactions in-kind, to the extent consistent with pursuing the investment objective of such Fund.

 

Market Risk (All Funds) – The risk that the market value of an investment may move up and down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. A Fund’s NAV per share will fluctuate with the market prices of its portfolio securities. Market risk may affect a single issuer, an industry, a sector or the equity or bond market as a whole. Markets for securities in which the Fund invests may decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, political, social, regulatory, market, economic or other developments that may cause broad changes in

 

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market value, public perceptions concerning these developments, and adverse investor sentiment or publicity. Similarly, the impact of any public health emergencies (such as the spread of infectious diseases, epidemics, and pandemics), natural disasters and other similar events, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which a Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund. Recent examples include pandemic risks related to COVID-19 and aggressive measures taken worldwide in response by governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines of large populations, and by businesses, including changes to operations and reducing staff.

 

Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities Risk (Core Bond Fund and Limited Duration Fund) – Mortgage-backed securities are fixed income securities representing an interest in a pool of underlying mortgage loans. Mortgage-backed securities are sensitive to changes in interest rates, but may respond to these changes differently from other fixed income securities due to the possibility of prepayment of the underlying mortgage loans. As a result, it may not be possible to determine in advance the actual maturity date or average life of a mortgage-backed security. Rising interest rates tend to discourage re-financings, with the result that the average life and volatility of the security will increase, exacerbating its decrease in market price. When interest rates fall, however, mortgage-backed securities may not gain as much in market value because of the expectation of additional mortgage prepayments, which must be reinvested at lower interest rates.

 

Asset-backed securities are securities backed by non-mortgage assets such as company receivables, truck and auto loans, leases and credit card receivables. Asset-backed securities may be issued as pass-through certificates, which represent undivided fractional ownership interests in the underlying pools of assets. Therefore, repayment depends largely on the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities. Asset-backed securities entail prepayment risk, which may vary depending on the type of asset, but is generally less than the prepayment risk associated with mortgage-backed securities. Asset-backed securities present credit risks that are not presented by mortgage-backed

 

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securities because asset-backed securities generally do not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral that is comparable in quality to mortgage assets. If the issuer of an asset-backed security defaults on its payment obligations, there is the possibility that, in some cases, a Fund will be unable to possess and sell the underlying collateral and that the Fund’s recoveries on repossessed collateral may not be available to support payments on the security. In the event of a default, a Fund may suffer a loss if it cannot sell collateral quickly and receive the amount it is owed.

 

Municipal Bonds Risk (Core Bond Fund and Limited Duration Fund) – Municipal bonds are fixed income securities issued by state or local governments or their agencies to finance capital expenditures and operations. The obligation to pay principal and interest on municipal bonds may be a general obligation of the state or local government or may be supported only by an agency or a particular source of revenues. Therefore, municipal bonds vary in credit quality. Municipal bonds, like other fixed income securities, rise and fall in value in response to economic and market factors, primarily changes in interest rates, and actual or perceived credit quality. State and local governments rely on taxes and, to some extent, revenues from private projects financed by municipal bonds, to pay interest and principal on municipal bonds. Poor statewide or local economic results or changing political sentiments may reduce tax revenues and increase the expenses of municipal issuers, making it more difficult for them to meet their obligations. Also, there may be economic or political changes that impact the ability of issuers of municipal bonds to repay principal and to make interest payments. Any changes in the financial condition of municipal issuers may also adversely affect the value of a Fund’s securities.

 

Non-Diversified Risk (Large Cap Growth Fund) – The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest in the securities of relatively few issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or political occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers and may experience increased volatility due to its investments in those securities.

 

Quantitative Investing Risk (Large Cap Growth Fund, Large Cap Value Fund, Small Cap Fund and International Equity Fund) – There is no guarantee that the use of quantitative models, algorithms, methods or other similar techniques, and the investments selected based on such techniques, will perform as expected, produce the desired results or enable a Fund to achieve its investment objective. A Fund may be adversely affected by imperfections, errors or limitations in

 

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construction and implementation (for example, limitations in a model, proprietary or third-party data imprecision or unavailability, software or other technology malfunctions, or programming inaccuracies) and the Adviser’s ability to monitor and timely adjust the metrics or update the data or features underlying the model, algorithm or other similar analytical tools (“quantitative tools”). A Fund may also be adversely affected by the Adviser’s ability to make accurate qualitative judgments regarding the quantitative tool’s output or operational complications relating to any quantitative tool. Thus, a Fund is subject to the risk that any quantitative tools used by the Adviser will not be successful as to, for example, selecting or weighting investment positions, and that these tools may not perform as expected.

 

Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk (U.S. All Cap Index Fund and Real Estate Fund) – REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and usually operate, income-producing real estate. REITs are susceptible to the risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, as discussed elsewhere in this section. REITs typically incur fees that are separate from those of the Fund. Accordingly, the Fund’s investments in REITs will result in the layering of expenses such that shareholders will indirectly bear a proportionate share of the REITs’ operating expenses, in addition to paying Fund expenses. REIT operating expenses are not reflected in the fee table and example in this prospectus.

 

Some REITs may have limited diversification and may be subject to risks inherent in financing a limited number of properties. REITs depend generally on their ability to generate cash flow to make distributions, and may be subject to defaults by borrowers and to self-liquidations. In addition, a U.S. REIT may be affected by its failure to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), or its failure to maintain exemption from registration under the 1940 Act.

 

Real Estate Sector Risk (Real Estate Fund) – Securities of companies principally engaged in the real estate sector may be subject to the risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate. Risks commonly associated with the direct ownership of real estate include (i) changes in general economic and market conditions; (ii) changes in the value of real estate properties; (iii) risks related to local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition; (iv) increases in property taxes and operating expenses; (v) changes in zoning laws; (vi) casualty and condemnation losses; (vii) variations in rental income, neighborhood values or the appeal of property to tenants; (viii) the availability of financing; and (ix) changes in interest rates and quality

 

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of credit extended. In addition, the performance of the economy in each of the regions and countries in which the real estate owned by a company is located affects occupancy, market rental rates and expenses and, consequently, has an impact on the income from such properties and their underlying values. In addition to these risks, some REITs and real estate operating companies (“REOCs”) have limited diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property. Moreover, certain real estate investments may be illiquid and, therefore, the ability of REITs and REOCs to reposition their portfolios promptly in response to changes in economic or other conditions is limited. These factors may increase the volatility of the Fund’s investments in REITs or REOCs.

 

Short Sales Risk (Long/Short Equity Fund) – The Fund is subject to short sales risk. Short sales are transactions in which the Fund sells a security it does not own. The Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund is then obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing the security at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be higher or lower than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. If the underlying security goes down in price between the time the Fund sells the security and buys it back, the Fund will realize a gain on the transaction. Conversely, if the underlying security goes up in price during the period, the Fund will realize a loss on the transaction. Because the market price of the security sold short could increase without limit, the Fund could be subject to a theoretically unlimited loss. The risk of such price increases is the principal risk of engaging in short sales. Reinvesting proceeds received from short selling may create leverage. These transactions may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. As an open-end investment company registered with the SEC, the Fund is subject to the federal securities laws, including the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder. Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act requires, among other things, that the Fund either use derivatives in a limited manner or comply with an outer limit on fund leverage risk based on value-at-risk. The use of leverage can amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund’s share price and make the Fund’s returns more volatile. This is because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. The use of leverage may also cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations.

 

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In addition, the Fund’s investment performance may suffer if the Fund is required to close out a short position earlier than it had intended. This would occur if the securities lender required the Fund to deliver the securities the Fund borrowed at the commencement of the short sale and the Fund was unable to borrow the securities from another securities lender or otherwise obtain the security by other means. Moreover, the Fund may be subject to expenses related to short sales that are not typically associated with investing in securities directly, such as costs of borrowing and margin account maintenance costs associated with the Fund’s open short positions. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. For example, when the Fund short sells an equity security that pays a dividend, it is obligated to pay the dividend on the security it has sold. However, a dividend paid on a security sold short generally reduces the market value of the shorted security and thus, increases the Fund’s unrealized gain or reduces the Fund’s unrealized loss on its short sale transaction. To the extent that the dividend that the Fund is obligated to pay is greater than the return earned by the Fund on investments, the performance of the Fund will be negatively impacted. Furthermore, the Fund may be required to pay a premium or interest to the lender of the security. The foregoing types of short sale expenses are sometimes referred to as the “negative cost of carry,” and will tend to cause the Fund to lose money on a short sale even in instances where the price of the underlying security sold short does not change over the duration of the short sale.

 

Information about Portfolio Holdings

 

A description of the Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the circumstances under which the Funds disclose their portfolio holdings is available in the SAI. Each Fund publishes a list of its ten largest portfolio holdings, and the percentage of the Fund’s assets that each of these holdings represents, on a monthly basis, within thirty (30) days after the end of the month. For example, the Funds’ investments as of the end of January would ordinarily be published at the end of February. The portfolio information described above can be found on the internet at www.kofcassetadvisors.org. The Adviser may exclude any portion of a Fund’s portfolio holdings from such publication when deemed in the best interest of the Fund. The portfolio holdings information placed on the Funds’ website generally will remain there until such information is included in a filing with the SEC.

 

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Investment Adviser

 

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC, a Delaware limited liability company organized in 2014, serves as the investment adviser to the Funds. The Adviser’s principal place of business is located at One Columbus Plaza, New Haven, Connecticut 06510. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Knights of Columbus, a fraternal benefit society organized under the laws of the State of Connecticut. As of December 31, 2023, the Adviser had $27 billion in assets under management.

 

The Adviser makes investment decisions for the Funds and continuously reviews, supervises and administers each Fund’s investment program. In addition, the Adviser oversees L2 Asset Management, LLC (“L2 Asset Management”) and Ranger Global Real Estate Advisors, LLC (“Ranger,” and, together with L2 Asset Management, the “Sub-Advisers”) to ensure their compliance with the investment policies and guidelines of the Long/Short Equity Fund, U.S. All Cap Index Fund and Real Estate Fund (the “Sub-Advised Funds”), and monitors the Sub-Advisers’ adherence to their investment styles. The Board oversees the Adviser and the Sub-Advisers and establishes policies that the Adviser and the Sub-Advisers must follow in their management activities. The Adviser pays the Sub-Advisers out of the advisory fees it receives from the Sub-Advised Funds.

 

For its services to the Funds, the Adviser is entitled to a fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at the following annual rates based on the average daily net assets of each Fund.

 

Fund

Advisory Fee Rate

Core Bond Fund

0.40%

Limited Duration Fund

0.40%

Large Cap Growth Fund

0.60%

Large Cap Value Fund

0.60%

Small Cap Fund

0.725%

International Equity Fund

0.90%

Long/Short Equity Fund

1.25%

U.S. All Cap Index Fund

0.20%

Real Estate Fund

0.85%

 

For each Fund, the Adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and/or reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep total

 

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annual Fund operating expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other costs and expenses relating to the securities that are purchased and sold by the Fund, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, dividend and interest expenses on securities sold short, non-routine expenses and any class-specific expenses (including shareholder servicing fees) (collectively, “excluded expenses”)) for I Shares and Class S Shares from exceeding certain levels as set forth below until February 28, 2025 (each, a “contractual expense limit”). This agreement may be terminated by: (i) the Board, for any reason at any time; or (ii) the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2025.

 

Fund

Contractual
Expense Limit

Core Bond Fund

0.50%

Limited Duration Fund

0.50%

Large Cap Growth Fund

0.90%

Large Cap Value Fund

0.90%

Small Cap Fund

1.05%

International Equity Fund

1.10%

Long/Short Equity Fund

1.50%

U.S. All Cap Index Fund

0.25%

Real Estate Fund

1.00%

 

In addition, the Adviser may receive from a Fund the difference between the total annual Fund operating expenses (not including excluded expenses) and the contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point total annual Fund operating expenses (not including excluded expenses) are below the contractual expense limit (i) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (ii) at the time of the recoupment.

 

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For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023, the Adviser received advisory fees (after fee reductions or recoveries) as a percentage of the average daily net assets of each Fund as follows:

 

Fund

Advisory Fees Paid

Core Bond Fund

0.28%

Limited Duration Fund

0.28%

Large Cap Growth Fund

0.69%

Large Cap Value Fund

0.69%

Small Cap Fund

0.77%

International Equity Fund

0.87%

Long/Short Equity Fund

1.23%

U.S. All Cap Index Fund

0%

Real Estate Fund

0.80%

 

Investment Sub-Advisers

 

L2 Asset Management, LLC

 

L2 Asset Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, serves as the investment sub-adviser to the Long/Short Equity Fund and the U.S. All Cap Index Fund. L2 Asset Management is 100% employee-owned. L2 Asset Management’s principal place of business is located at 66 Glezen Lane, Wayland, Massachusetts 01778. As of December 31, 2023, L2 Asset Management had approximately $449 million in regulatory assets under management.

 

Ranger Global Real Estate Advisors, LLC

 

Ranger Global Real Estate Advisors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, serves as the investment sub-adviser to the Real Estate Fund. Ranger is majority owned by its employees. QR Ranger Holdco, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of QuadReal Property Group Limited Partnership (“QuadReal”), a global real estate investment, operating and development company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, is a minority shareholder of Ranger. Ranger is controlled by a Board of Managers, which is comprised of two members of Ranger’s executive management team, two members of QuadReal’s executive management team and an independent member who serves as the Board’s Chairman. Ranger’s principal place of business is located at 405 Lexington Avenue, Suite 3401, New York, New York 10174. As of

 

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December 31, 2023, Ranger had approximately $1.33 billion in assets under management.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Funds’ investment advisory agreement and investment sub-advisory agreements will be available in the Funds’ Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders dated April 30, 2024, which will cover the period from November 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024.

 

Dormant Multi-Manager Arrangement

 

The Board has approved a “multi-manager” arrangement for the Funds. Under this arrangement, the Funds and the Adviser may engage one or more sub-advisers to make day-to-day investment decisions for the Funds’ assets. The Adviser retains ultimate responsibility (subject to the oversight of the Board) for overseeing the sub-advisers and may, at times, recommend to the Board that a Fund: (1) change, add or terminate one or more sub-advisers; (2) continue to retain a sub-adviser even though the sub-adviser’s ownership or corporate structure has changed; or (3) materially change a sub-advisory agreement with a sub-adviser.

 

Applicable law generally requires a Fund to obtain shareholder approval for most of these types of recommendations, even if the Board approves the proposed action. Under the “multi-manager” arrangement approved by the Board, the Funds may seek exemptive relief, if necessary, from the SEC to (i) permit the Adviser (subject to the Board’s oversight and approval) to make decisions about a Fund’s sub-advisory arrangements without obtaining shareholder approval, and (ii) permit a Fund to not disclose the fees paid to individual sub-advisers. There is no guarantee the SEC would grant such exemptive relief. The Funds will continue to submit matters to shareholders for their approval and disclose sub-advisory fees to the extent required by applicable law. Meanwhile, this multi-manager arrangement will remain dormant and will not be implemented until shareholders are further notified.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors

 

Mr. Anthony V. Minopoli, President and Chief Investment Officer, joined Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors in 2015 when it began operations as an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Knights of Columbus. Mr. Minopoli joined Knights of Columbus in 2005 and

 

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is responsible for the day to day management of the Knights of Columbus’ General Account investment portfolio, and oversight of the third-party investment managers of the Knights of Columbus’ defined benefit pension plan, defined contribution plan and charitable assets. Prior to joining Knights of Columbus, Mr. Minopoli spent 18 years at Evaluation Associates with the last 10 years in the role of Senior Consultant. Mr. Minopoli earned a B.S. in Finance and Banking and an M.B.A. from the University of Bridgeport.

 

Mr. Gilles A. Marchand Jr., CFA, Portfolio Manager, joined Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors in 2015 when it began operations as an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Knights of Columbus. Mr. Marchand is the credit portfolio manager for Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors. Prior to joining Knights of Columbus in 2010, he was Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager of Global Plus Investment Management. In 2001, Mr. Marchand founded the high yield group at Aladdin Capital and was the senior portfolio manager responsible for managing nine CLO funds and three open ended funds. From 1996-2000 Mr. Marchand co-managed 10 high yield mutual funds and a CLO for Merrill Lynch Asset Management. From 1990-1996, he was a credit analyst at Babson and worked on private offerings and corporate, mezzanine and high yield securities. Mr. Marchand received his M.B.A. from Cornell University and is a member of the Hartford CFA Society.

 

Mr. Nicholas Gentile, CFA, Senior Structured Trader and Portfolio Manager, joined Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors in 2013. Mr. Gentile is a member of the Fixed Income Investment Team and the lead on investing and trading in residential mortgage and asset backed securities, collateralized debt obligation, and in government sectors. Prior to his role as a Senior Structured Trader and Portfolio Manager, Mr. Gentile served as an analyst from 2013 to 2019 covering the asset-backed sector. In addition to his work in fixed income trading, Mr. Gentile is also responsible for managing the fixed income analytics process as well as client asset allocation and modeling. Mr. Gentile earned a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Bryant University graduating Summa Cum Laude and is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. Mr. Gentile holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the Hartford CFA Society.

 

Mr. Douglas Riley, CFA, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, joined Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors through its acquisition of Boston Advisors, LLC’s institutional client business in 2019. Prior to joining Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors, Mr. Riley was Senior Vice

 

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President and Director of Growth Equity Investing at Boston Advisors, LLC from 2002 to 2019 and a Portfolio Manager with Babson-United Investment Advisors, Inc. from 1991 to 2002. Mr. Riley earned a B.A. from Emory University in 1988 and an M.B.A. from Northeastern University in 1996.

 

Mr. David Hanna, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, joined Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors through its acquisition of Boston Advisors, LLC’s institutional client business in 2019. Prior to joining Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors, Mr. Hanna was Senior Vice President and the Director of Institutional Portfolio Management at Boston Advisors, LLC from 2006 to 2019 and was a senior Portfolio Manager in the Global Hedge Fund Strategies Group of State Street Global Advisors (“SSgA”) and was with SSgA in various roles from 1997 to 2005. Prior to joining SSgA, he was Vice President, Quantitative Analysis at Standish, Ayer & Wood from 1992-1997. Mr. Hanna earned a B.S. in Finance from the Pennsylvania State University in 1987.

 

Mr. James W. Gaul, CFA, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, joined Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors through its acquisition of Boston Advisors, LLC’s institutional client business in 2019. Prior to joining joined Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors, Mr. Gaul was Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Boston Advisors, LLC from 2005 to 2019. Prior to joining Boston Advisors, LLC, Mr. Gaul was an institutional fixed income sales professional with Commerce Capital Markets, Inc. and Advest, Inc. Mr. Gaul earned a B.S. in Investments from Babson College and a M.S. in Investment Management from Boston University and is a member of the Boston Security Analyst Society.

 

Mr. Eric Eaton, CFA, Portfolio Manager and Equity Analyst, joined Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors through its acquisition of Boston Advisors, LLC’s institutional client business in 2019. Prior to joining Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors, Mr. Eaton was a Portfolio Manager and Equity Analyst at Boston Advisors, LLC from 2016 to 2019. Mr. Eaton had previously been employed by Boston Advisors, LLC from 2011 to 2014, and was a student at Harvard Business School from 2014 to 2016. Mr. Eaton earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, a M.S. in Finance from Bentley University and a B.A. in Economics and Accounting from Gordon College. He also holds a CPA license in the state of Massachusetts.

 

L2 Asset Management

 

Dr. Sanjeev Bhojraj is a Portfolio Manager at L2 Asset Management, which he co-founded in 2014. Dr. Bhojraj is also a Chaired Professor

 

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in Asset Management and the Co-Director of the Parker Center for Investment Research at Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University. Since 2010, he also has served as Managing Member of Kailash Capital, LLC. Dr. Bhojraj has a Ph.D. from the University of Florida, a B.Com. from the University of Madras, an ACA designation from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and an ACMA designation from the Institute of Cost Accountants of India.

 

Mr. Matthew Malgari is a Managing Member and Portfolio Manager at L2 Asset Management, which he co-founded in 2014. Since 2013, he also has served as Managing Member of Kailash Capital, LLC. Previously, Mr. Malgari was a portfolio manager of the Baird LargeCap Fund from 2013 to 2017. He also spent 14 years at Fidelity Management & Research Company working as an assistant portfolio manager, sector analyst, diversified analyst and trader, before becoming a Managing Director of Equity Research for Knight Capital Group in 2010. Mr. Malgari received a B.A. from Middlebury College and an M.B.A. from Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University.

 

Mr. Nathan Przybylo is a Portfolio Manager and the Head of Quantitative Programming at L2 Asset Management. Prior to joining L2 Asset Management in 2014, he worked as an associate at Beghou Consulting, a healthcare consulting company, and as an intern at O’Shaughnessy Asset Management. He received a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. from Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University.

 

Ranger

 

Mr. Andrew J. Duffy, CFA, is a Managing Member, Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager at Ranger. Prior to joining Ranger in 2016, Mr. Duffy was President of Ascent Investment Advisors, LLC (“Ascent”) from February 2009 to May 2016 and Senior Portfolio Manager of Ascent from February 2009 to November 2016. From January 2008 through February 2009, Mr. Duffy was a Managing Director with Citigroup Principal Strategies, where he managed a long/short portfolio of global real estate securities. From February 2006 until December 2007, he was with Hunter Global Investors, L.P where he was the Co-Portfolio Manager of the Hunter Global Real Estate Fund. From 1999 to 2006, he was a Portfolio Manager at TIAA-CREF, during which time he was directly responsible for managing over $3 billion in global real estate equity and debt securities held in pension portfolios, college savings plans, open-end mutual funds and the firm’s proprietary general account. Between 1993 and 1999, Mr. Duffy was

 

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a Senior Research Analyst at Eagle Asset Management, where he launched and managed a dedicated real estate securities investment program in which he was responsible for fundamental analysis, security selection, portfolio construction and the covered call option writing strategy. His other professional experience includes being a Partner at Raymond James & Associates where, as an investment banker, he managed public offerings and advised on mergers and acquisitions. Prior to his career in investments, Mr. Duffy served for five years as an officer in the United States Army. Mr. Duffy received a B.S. in electrical engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1979 as a Distinguished Graduate (top 5% of class) and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1986. He earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (“CFA”) designation in 1997.

 

The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed, and ownership of Fund shares.

 

Related Performance Data of L2 Asset Management, LLC (Long/Short Equity Fund)

 

The following tables give the related performance of all accounts (each, an “Account”), referred to as a “Composite,” managed by L2 Asset Management other than the Fund that have investment objectives, policies and strategies substantially similar to those of the Fund. The data illustrates the past performance of L2 Asset Management in managing substantially similar accounts. The data does not represent the performance of the Fund. Performance is historical and does not represent the future performance of the Fund or of L2 Asset Management.

 

The manner in which the performance was calculated for the Composite differs from that of registered mutual funds such as the Fund. If the performance was calculated in accordance with SEC standardized performance methodology, the performance results may have been different. The Composite performance has been calculated in accordance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (“GIPS®”), but differs from the Composite performance with respect to which L2 Asset Management has claimed GIPS compliance because, for the period from July 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015, “net of fees” returns reflect the deduction of management fees that were voluntarily waived for the Accounts for that period. The Composite performance information is calculated in and expressed in United States dollars.

 

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All returns presented were calculated on a total return basis and include all dividends and interest, accrued income, and realized and unrealized gains and losses. Investment transactions are accounted for on a trade date basis. “Net of fees” returns reflect the deduction of investment management fees and performance fees, as well as the deduction of any brokerage commissions, execution costs, withholding taxes, sales loads and account fees paid by the Accounts, without taking into account federal or state income taxes, while “gross of fees” returns do not reflect the deduction of investment management fees or performance fees. All fees and expenses, except custodial fees, if any, were included in the calculations. For the period from July 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015, “net of fees” returns reflect the deduction of management fees that were voluntarily waived for the Accounts for that period.

 

Because of variation in fee levels, the Composite returns may not be reflective of performance in any one particular Account. Therefore, the performance information shown below is not necessarily representative of the performance information that typically would be shown for a registered mutual fund.

 

The Fund’s fees and expenses are generally expected to be higher than those of the Composite. If the Fund’s fees and expenses had been imposed on the Composite, the performance shown below would have been lower. The Accounts are also not subject to the diversification requirements, specific tax restrictions, and investment limitations imposed on the Fund by the federal securities and tax laws. Consequently, the performance results for the Composite could have been adversely affected if the Accounts were subject to the same federal securities and tax laws as the Fund.

 

The investment results for the Composite presented below are not intended to predict or suggest the future returns of the Fund. The performance data shown below should not be considered a substitute for the Fund’s own performance information. Investors should be aware that the use of a methodology different than that used below to calculate performance could result in different performance data.

 

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THE FOLLOWING DATA DOES NOT REPRESENT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND.

 

Performance Information for the Substantially Similar Strategy Composite

 

Calendar Year Total Pre-Tax Returns

Year

Total
Pre-Tax
Return
(Net of Fees)

Total
Pre-Tax
Return
(Gross of Fees)

HFRX EH:
Equity Market
Neutral
Index
1

Number of
Accounts at
End of Period

Total Assets at
End of Period
($ millions)

2023

2.81%

4.00%

4.15%

2

$83.8

2022

9.48%

12.15%

0.08%

2

$85.3

2021

18.36%

19.65%

0.96%

2

$77.0

2020

-12.63%

-11.76%

-3.91%

2

$66.1

2019

-0.64%

0.37%

-1.86%

2

$106.81

2018

-2.18%

-1.17%

-3.49%

2

$102.79

2017

6.90%

8.79%

1.73%

1

$56.93

2016

10.03%

11.40%

-5.08%

1

$39.13

2015

-5.60%

-5.08%

5.46%

1

$35.84

20142

8.15%

9.75%

2.33%

1

$33.56

 

Average Annual Total Pre-Tax Returns (as of 12/31/2023)

Time Period

Total
Pre-Tax Return
(Net of Fees)

Total
Pre-Tax Return
(Gross of Fees)

HFRX EH:
Equity Market
Neutral Index
1

1 Year

6.83%

5.03%

4.15%

5 Years

4.57%

2.91%

-0.79%

Since Inception3

4.70%

3.33%

0.02%

 

1

The HFRX EH: Equity Market Neutral Index is designed to capture the performance of hedge funds that employ equity market neutral strategies.

2

Represents the period from March 17, 2014 to December 31, 2014.

3

The inception date of the Composite is March 17, 2014.

 

Purchasing, Selling and Exchanging Fund Shares

 

This section tells you how to purchase, sell (sometimes called “redeem”) and exchange shares of the Funds.

 

For information regarding the federal income tax consequences of transactions in shares of the Funds, including information about cost basis reporting, see “Taxes.”

 

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How to Choose a Share Class

 

Each Fund offers two classes of shares to investors, I Shares and Class S Shares. Each share class has its own shareholder eligibility criteria, investment minimums, cost structure and other features. The following summarizes the primary features of I Shares and Class S Shares. Contact your financial intermediary or the Funds for more information about the Funds’ share classes and how to choose between them.

 

Class Name

Eligible Investors

Investment
Minimums

Fees

I Shares

Investors who:

 

•  meet the initial minimum investment; or

 

•  are clients of the Adviser who participate in, and purchase I Shares through, a fee-based investment advisory program sponsored by the Adviser or its affiliates.

Initial: $25,000

 

Subsequent: $250

 

However, these minimum initial and subsequent investment requirements for I Shares of the Funds do not apply to clients of the Adviser who participate in, and purchase I Shares through, a fee-based investment advisory program sponsored by the Adviser or its affiliates.

No Rule 12b-1 fee

 

No Shareholder Servicing Fee

Class S Shares

Generally available through qualified employer-sponsored retirement plans and other types of retirement accounts held through platforms maintained by selling agents approved by SEI Investments Distribution Co., the Funds’ distributor

Initial: None

 

Subsequent: None

No Rule 12b-1 fee

 

Shareholder Servicing Fee of up to 0.20%

 

I Shares and Class S Shares are offered to investors who purchase shares directly from the Funds or through certain financial intermediaries such as financial planners, investment advisors, broker-dealers or other financial institutions. An investor may be eligible to purchase more than one share class. However, if you purchase shares through a financial intermediary, you may only purchase that class of shares which your financial intermediary sells or services. As such, the share class you or your intermediary select may have higher fees than other classes of shares available directly from the Funds or through other financial intermediaries. Your financial intermediary can tell you which class of shares is available through the intermediary.

 

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The Funds reserve the right to change the criteria for eligible investors and, as disclosed in the “Minimum Purchases” section of the prospectus, accept investments of smaller amounts in their sole discretion.

 

How to Purchase Fund Shares

 

To purchase shares directly from the Funds through their transfer agent, complete and send in the application. If you need an application or have questions, please call 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).

 

All investments must be made by check, Automated Clearing House (“ACH”), or wire. All checks must be made payable in U.S. dollars and drawn on U.S. financial institutions. The Funds do not accept purchases made by third-party checks, credit cards, credit card checks, cash, traveler’s checks, money orders or cashier’s checks.

 

The Funds reserve the right to reject any specific purchase order, including exchange purchases, for any reason. The Funds are not intended for short-term trading by shareholders in response to short-term market fluctuations. For more information about the Funds’ policy on short-term trading, see “Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures.”

 

The Funds do not generally accept investments by non-U.S. persons. Non-U.S. persons may be permitted to invest in the Funds subject to the satisfaction of enhanced due diligence. Please contact the Funds for more information.

 

By Mail

 

You can open an account with the Funds by sending a check and your account application to the address below. You can add to an existing account by sending the Funds a check and, if possible, the “Invest by Mail” stub that accompanies your confirmation statement. Be sure your check identifies clearly your name, your account number, the Fund name and the share class.

 

Regular Mail Address

 

Knights of Columbus Funds
P.O. Box 219009
Kansas City, MO 64121-9009

 

Express Mail Address

 

Knights of Columbus Funds
c/o SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc.
430 West 7th Street
Kansas City, MO 64105

 

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The Funds do not consider the U.S. Postal Service or other independent delivery services to be their agents. Therefore, deposit in the mail or with such services of purchase orders does not constitute receipt by the Funds’ transfer agent. The share price used to fill the purchase order is the next price calculated by a Fund after the Funds’ transfer agent receives and accepts the order in good order at the P.O. Box provided for regular mail delivery or the office address provided for express mail delivery.

 

By Wire

 

To open an account by wire, call 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637) for details. To add to an existing account by wire, wire your money using the wiring instructions set forth below (be sure to include the Fund name, the share class and your account number). The share price used to fill the purchase order is the next price calculated by a Fund after the Funds’ transfer agent receives and accepts the wire in good order.

 

Wiring Instructions

 

UMB Bank, N.A.
ABA # 101000695
Knights of Columbus Funds
DDA # 9872013085
Ref: Fund name/share class/account number/account name

 

By Systematic Investment Plan (via ACH)

 

You may not open an account via ACH. However, once you have established a direct account with the Funds, you can set up an automatic investment plan via ACH by mailing a completed application to the Funds. These purchases can be made monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually in amounts of at least $250. To cancel or change a plan, contact the Funds by mail at: Knights of Columbus Funds, P.O. Box 219009, Kansas City, MO 64121-9009 (Express Mail Address: Knights of Columbus Funds, c/o SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc., 430 West 7th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105). Please allow up to 15 days to create the plan and 3 days to cancel or change it.

 

Purchases In-Kind

 

Subject to the approval of the Funds, an investor may purchase shares of each Fund with liquid securities and other assets that are eligible for purchase by that Fund (consistent with the Fund’s investment policies

 

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and restrictions) and that have a value that is readily ascertainable in accordance with the valuation procedures used by the Funds. These transactions will be effected only if the Adviser or a Sub-Adviser deems the security to be an appropriate investment for a Fund. Assets purchased by a Fund in such transactions will be valued in accordance with the valuation procedures used by the Funds. The Funds reserve the right to amend or terminate this practice at any time.

 

Minimum Purchases

 

To purchase I Shares of the Funds for the first time, you must invest, in the aggregate, at least $25,000 in one or more Knights of Columbus Funds. If you hold I Shares of a Knights of Columbus Fund, you may purchase I Shares of the same Fund, or purchase I Shares of any other Knights of Columbus Fund, in amounts of at least $250. However, these minimum initial and subsequent investment requirements for I Shares of the Funds do not apply to clients of the Adviser who participate in, and purchase I Shares through, a fee-based investment advisory program sponsored by the Adviser or its affiliates. The Adviser currently sponsors a fee-based investment advisory program through which I Shares is the only class of shares of the Funds available for purchase by participating clients. For additional information about this program, please contact the Adviser.

 

There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment amount for Class S Shares of the Funds.

 

The Funds may accept investments of smaller amounts in their sole discretion.

 

Fund Codes

 

The Funds’ reference information, which is listed below, will be helpful to you when you contact a Fund to purchase or exchange shares, check daily NAV, or obtain additional information.

 

Fund Name

Share Class

Ticker
Symbol

CUSIP

Fund
Code

Core Bond Fund

I Shares

KCCIX

00771X815

6400

 

Class S Shares

KCCSX

00771X740

6410

Limited Duration Fund

I Shares

KCLIX

00771X799

6401

 

Class S Shares

KCLSX

00771X724

6411

Large Cap Growth Fund

I Shares

KCGIX

00771X781

6402

 

Class S Shares

KCGSX

00771X625

6412

 

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Fund Name

Share Class

Ticker
Symbol

CUSIP

Fund
Code

Large Cap Value Fund

I Shares

KCVIX

00771X773

6403

 

Class S Shares

KCVSX

00771X658

6413

Small Cap Fund

I Shares

KCSIX

00771X765

6404

 

Class S Shares

KCSSX

00771X674

6414

International Equity Fund

I Shares

KCIIX

00771X757

6405

 

Class S Shares

KCISX

00771X690

6415

Long/Short Equity Fund

I Shares

KCEIX

00774Q577

6406

 

Class S Shares

KCESX

00774Q569

6416

U.S. All Cap Index Fund

I Shares

KCXIX

00774Q544

6407

 

Class S Shares

KCXSX

00774Q536

6417

Real Estate Fund

I Shares

KCRIX

00774Q510

6408

 

Class S Shares

KCRSX

00774Q494

6418

 

General Information

 

You may generally purchase shares on any day that the NYSE is open for business (a “Business Day”). Shares cannot be purchased by Federal Reserve wire on days that either the NYSE or the Federal Reserve is closed.

 

A Fund’s price per share will be the next determined NAV per share after the Fund or an authorized institution (as defined below) receives and accepts your purchase order in good order. “Good order” means that the Fund was provided with a complete and signed account application, including the investor’s social security number or tax identification number, and other identification required by law or regulation, as well as sufficient purchase proceeds. Purchase orders that are not in good order cannot be accepted and processed even if money to purchase shares has been submitted by wire, check or ACH.

 

Each Fund calculates its NAV once each Business Day as of the close of normal trading on the NYSE (normally, 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time). To receive the current Business Day’s NAV, a Fund or an authorized institution must receive and accept your purchase order in good order before the close of normal trading on the NYSE. If your purchase order is not received and accepted in good order before the close of normal trading on the NYSE, you will receive the NAV calculated on the subsequent Business Day on which your order is received and accepted in good order. If the NYSE closes early, as in the case of scheduled half-day trading or unscheduled suspensions of trading, the

 

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Funds reserve the right to calculate NAV as of the earlier closing time. The Funds will not accept orders that request a particular day or price for the transaction or any other special conditions. Shares will only be priced on Business Days. Since securities that are traded on foreign exchanges may trade on days that are not Business Days, the value of a Fund’s assets may change on days when you are unable to purchase or redeem shares.

 

Buying or Selling Shares through a Financial Intermediary

 

In addition to being able to buy and sell Fund shares directly from the Funds through their transfer agent, you may also buy or sell shares of a Fund through accounts with financial intermediaries, such as brokers and other institutions that are authorized to place trades in Fund shares for their customers. When you purchase or sell Fund shares through a financial intermediary (rather than directly from a Fund), you may have to transmit your purchase and sale requests to the financial intermediary at an earlier time for your transaction to become effective that day. This allows the financial intermediary time to process your requests and transmit them to a Fund prior to the time the Fund calculates its NAV that day. Your financial intermediary is responsible for transmitting all purchase and redemption requests, investment information, documentation and money to a Fund on time. If your financial intermediary fails to do so, it may be responsible for any resulting fees or losses. Unless your financial intermediary is an authorized institution, orders transmitted by the financial intermediary and received by a Fund after the time NAV is calculated for a particular day will receive the following day’s NAV.

 

Certain financial intermediaries, including certain broker-dealers and shareholder organizations, are authorized to act as agent on behalf of the Funds with respect to the receipt of purchase and redemption orders for Fund shares (“authorized institutions”). Authorized institutions are also authorized to designate other intermediaries to receive purchase and redemption orders on a Fund’s behalf. A Fund will be deemed to have received a purchase or redemption order when an authorized institution or, if applicable, an authorized institution’s designee, receives the order. Orders will be priced at a Fund’s next computed NAV after they are received by an authorized institution or an authorized institution’s designee. To determine whether your financial intermediary is an authorized institution or an authorized institution’s designee such that it may act as agent on behalf of a Fund with respect to purchase and redemption orders for Fund shares, you should contact your financial intermediary directly.

 

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If you deal directly with a financial intermediary, you will have to follow its policies and procedures for transacting with a Fund. Your financial intermediary may charge a fee for your purchase and/or redemption transactions. Your financial intermediary also may have its own rules about minimum initial investment amounts, minimum account balances, share transactions and limits on the number of share transactions you are permitted to make in a given time period. When purchasing shares through a financial intermediary, you may not benefit from certain policies and procedures of the Funds as your eligibility may be dependent upon the policies and procedures of your financial intermediary. For more information about how to purchase or sell Fund shares through a financial intermediary, you should contact your financial intermediary directly and review carefully any disclosure your financial intermediary provides regarding its services and compensation.

 

How the Funds Calculate NAV

 

The NAV of a class of a Fund’s shares is determined by dividing the total value of the Fund’s portfolio investments and other assets attributable to the class, less any liabilities attributable to the class, by the total number of shares outstanding of the class.

 

In calculating NAV, each Fund generally values its investment portfolio at market price. If market prices are not readily available or they are unreliable, such as in the case of a security value that has been materially affected by events occurring after the relevant market closes, securities are valued at fair value. The Board has designated the Adviser as the Funds’ valuation designee to make all fair value determinations with respect to the Funds’ portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight. The Adviser has adopted and implemented policies and procedures to be followed when making fair value determinations, and it has established a Valuation Committee through which the Adviser makes fair value determinations. The Adviser’s determination of a security’s fair value price often involves the consideration of a number of subjective factors, and is therefore subject to the unavoidable risk that the value that is assigned to a security may be higher or lower than the security’s value would be if a reliable market quotation for the security was readily available. The respective prospectuses for the open-end investment companies in which a Fund invests explain the circumstances in which the advisers to those investment companies will use fair value pricing and the effect of fair value pricing.

 

There may be limited circumstances in which the Adviser would price securities at fair value for stocks of U.S. companies that are traded on

 

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U.S. exchanges – for example, if the exchange on which a portfolio security is principally traded closed early or if trading in a particular security was halted during the day and did not resume prior to the time a Fund calculated its NAV.

 

With respect to non-U.S. securities held by a Fund, the Adviser may take factors influencing specific markets or issuers into consideration in determining the fair value of a non-U.S. security. International securities markets may be open on days when the U.S. markets are closed. In such cases, the value of any international securities owned by a Fund may be significantly affected on days when investors cannot buy or sell shares. In addition, due to the difference in times between the close of the international markets and the time as of which a Fund prices its shares, the value the Adviser assigns to securities may not be the same as the quoted or published prices of those securities on their primary markets or exchanges. In determining fair value prices, the Adviser may consider the performance of securities on their primary exchanges, foreign currency appreciation/depreciation, securities market movements in the United States, or other relevant information related to the securities.

 

When valuing fixed income securities with remaining maturities of more than 60 days, the Adviser may use the value of the security provided by pricing services. The values provided by a pricing service may be based upon market quotations for the same security, securities expected to trade in a similar manner or a pricing matrix. When valuing fixed income securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less, the Adviser may use the security’s amortized cost. Amortized cost and the use of a pricing matrix in valuing fixed income securities are forms of fair value pricing.

 

Redeemable securities issued by open-end investment companies in which a Fund invests are valued at the investment company’s applicable NAV.

 

Other assets for which market quotations are not readily available will be valued at their fair value as determined in good faith by the Adviser, subject to Board oversight.

 

How to Sell Your Fund Shares

 

If you own your shares directly, you may sell your shares on any Business Day by contacting the Funds directly by mail or telephone at 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).

 

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If you own your shares through an account with a broker or other institution, contact that broker or institution to sell your shares. Your broker or institution may charge a fee for its services in addition to the fees charged by the Funds.

 

If you would like to have your redemption proceeds, including proceeds generated as a result of closing your account, sent to a third party or an address other than your own, please notify the Funds in writing.

 

Certain redemption requests will require a signature guarantee by an eligible guarantor institution. Eligible guarantors include commercial banks, savings and loans, savings banks, trust companies, credit unions, member firms of a national stock exchange, or any other member or participant of an approved signature guarantor program. For example, signature guarantees may be required if your address of record has changed in the last 30 days, if you want the proceeds sent to a bank other than the bank of record on your account, or if you ask that the proceeds be sent to a different person or address. Please note that a notary public is not an acceptable provider of a signature guarantee and that the Funds must be provided with the original guarantee. Signature guarantees are for the protection of Fund shareholders. Before granting a redemption request, the Funds may require a shareholder to furnish additional legal documents to ensure proper authorization.

 

Accounts held by a corporation, trust, fiduciary or partnership, may require additional documentation along with a signature guaranteed letter of instruction. The Funds participate in the Paperless Legal Program (the “Program”), which eliminates the need for accompanying paper documentation on legal securities transfers. Requests received with a Medallion Signature Guarantee will be reviewed for the proper criteria to meet the guidelines of the Program and may not require additional documentation. Please contact Shareholder Services at 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637) for more information.

 

The sale price of each share will be the next determined NAV after a Fund (or an authorized institution) receives and accepts your request in good order.

 

By Mail

 

To redeem shares by mail, please send a letter to the Funds signed by all registered parties on the account specifying:

 

 

The Fund name;

 

 

The share class;

 

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The account number;

 

 

The dollar amount or number of shares you wish to redeem;

 

 

The account name(s); and

 

 

The address to which redemption (sale) proceeds should be sent.

 

All registered shareholders must sign the letter in the exact name(s) and must designate any special capacity in which they are registered.

 

Regular Mail Address

 

Knights of Columbus Funds
P.O. Box 219009
Kansas City, MO 64121-9009

 

Express Mail Address

 

Knights of Columbus Funds
c/o SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc.
430 West 7th Street
Kansas City, MO 64105

 

The Funds do not consider the U.S. Postal Service or other independent delivery services to be their agents. Therefore, deposit in the mail or with such services of sell orders does not constitute receipt by the Funds’ transfer agent. The share price used to fill the sell order is the next price calculated by a Fund after the Funds’ transfer agent receives and accepts the order in good order at the P.O. Box provided for regular mail delivery or the office address provided for express mail delivery.

 

By Telephone

 

To redeem shares by telephone, you must first establish the telephone redemption privilege (and, if desired, the wire and/or ACH redemption privilege) by completing the appropriate sections of the account application. Call 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637) to redeem your shares. Based on your instructions, the Funds will mail your proceeds to you, or send them to your bank via wire or ACH.

 

By Systematic Withdrawal Plan (via ACH)

 

If you have a direct account with the Funds and your account balance is at least $50,000 for I Shares or $100,000 for Class S Shares, you may transfer as little as $250 per month from your account to another financial institution through a Systematic Withdrawal Plan (via ACH). The minimum balance requirements may be modified by the Funds in

 

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their sole discretion. To participate in this service, you must complete the appropriate sections of the account application and mail it to the Funds.

 

Receiving Your Money

 

Normally, a Fund will send your sale proceeds within two Business Days after it receives your redemption request. A Fund, however, may take up to seven days to pay redemption proceeds. Your proceeds can be wired to your bank account (may be subject to a $10 fee), sent to you by check or sent via ACH to your bank account if you have established banking instructions on your account. If you purchase shares using a check or via ACH, and soon after request a redemption, if the check has not cleared the Funds will not consider the request to be in “good order” and will not honor the redemption request.

 

A Fund typically expects to sell portfolio assets and/or hold cash or cash equivalents to meet redemption requests. On a less regular basis, a Fund may also meet redemption requests by using short-term borrowings from its custodian and/or redeeming shares in-kind (as described below). These methods may be used during both normal and stressed market conditions.

 

Redemptions In-Kind

 

The Funds generally pay sale (redemption) proceeds in cash. However, under unusual conditions that make the payment of cash unwise and for the protection of the Funds’ remaining shareholders, the Funds might pay all or part of your redemption proceeds in securities with a market value equal to the redemption price (redemption in-kind). It is highly unlikely that your shares would ever be redeemed in-kind, but if they were, you would have to pay transaction costs to sell the securities distributed to you, as well as taxes on any capital gains from the sale as with any redemption. In addition, you would continue to be subject to the risks of any market fluctuation in the value of the securities you receive in-kind until they are sold.

 

Involuntary Redemptions of Your Shares

 

If your aggregate Knights of Columbus Fund holdings drop below $25,000 for I Shares (unless you are a client of the Adviser who participates in, and purchases I Shares through, a fee-based investment advisory program sponsored by the Adviser or its affiliates), you may be required to sell your shares. The Funds generally will provide you at least 30 days’ written notice to give you time to add to your account and avoid the involuntary redemption of your shares. The Funds reserve the right to waive the minimum account value requirement in their

 

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sole discretion. If your Fund shares are redeemed for this reason within 30 days of their purchase, the redemption fee will not be applied.

 

Suspension of Your Right to Sell Your Shares

 

The Funds may suspend your right to sell your shares or delay payment of redemption proceeds for more than seven days during times when the NYSE is closed, other than during customary weekends or holidays, or as otherwise permitted by the SEC. More information about this is in the SAI.

 

How to Exchange Your Fund Shares

 

At no charge, you or your financial intermediary may exchange I Shares or Class S Shares of one Fund for I Shares or Class S Shares, respectively, of another Fund by writing to or calling the Funds. Exchanges are subject to the eligibility requirements and the fees and expenses of the Fund you exchange into.

 

The exchange privilege is not intended as a vehicle for short-term or excessive trading. A Fund may suspend or terminate your exchange privilege if you engage in a pattern of exchanges that is excessive, as determined in the sole discretion of the Funds. For more information about the Funds’ policy on excessive trading, see “Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures.”

 

From time to time, the Funds may authorize or permit the conversion of shares of one class of shares for another class of shares of the same Fund, provided that certain conditions are met (such as the shareholder is eligible for the new share class or such other terms and conditions as the Funds may determine). The Funds reserve the right to modify, suspend or eliminate any share class conversion feature at any time, including to permit conversions to occur without requiring any investment minimum to be met. Following a share class conversion (or other similar shareholder transaction event), the ongoing fees and expenses of the new share class will differ from and may be higher or lower than those of the share class that you previously held.

 

Although the Funds expect that a conversion between share classes of the same Fund should ordinarily not result in the recognition of a gain or loss for federal income tax purposes, you should consult with your own tax adviser with respect to the federal, state and local tax treatment of your investment in a Fund and any share class conversions.

 

You may only exchange or convert shares between accounts with identical registrations (i.e., the same names and addresses). If you purchase shares through a financial intermediary, you may only

 

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exchange or convert into a Fund or share class which your financial intermediary sells or services. Your financial intermediary can tell you which Funds and share classes are available through the intermediary.

 

Telephone Transactions

 

Purchasing, selling and exchanging Fund shares over the telephone is extremely convenient, but not without risk. Although the Funds have certain safeguards and procedures to confirm the identity of callers and the authenticity of instructions, the Funds are not responsible for any losses or costs incurred by following telephone instructions they reasonably believe to be genuine. If you or your financial institution transact with the Funds over the telephone, you will generally bear the risk of any loss.

 

Payments to Financial Intermediaries

 

The Funds and/or the Adviser may compensate financial intermediaries for providing a variety of services to the Funds and/or their shareholders. Financial intermediaries include affiliated or unaffiliated brokers, dealers, banks (including bank trust departments), trust companies, registered investment advisers, financial planners, retirement plan administrators, insurance companies, and any other institution having a service, administration, or any similar arrangement with the Funds, their service providers or their respective affiliates. This section briefly describes how financial intermediaries may be paid for providing these services. For more information, please see “Payments to Financial Intermediaries” in the SAI.

 

Shareholder Servicing Plan

 

The Funds have adopted a shareholder servicing plan that provides that the Funds may pay financial intermediaries for shareholder services in an annual amount not to exceed 0.20% based on the average daily net assets of the Funds’ Class S Shares. The services for which financial intermediaries are compensated may include record-keeping, transaction processing for shareholders’ accounts and other shareholder services.

 

Payments by the Adviser

 

From time to time, the Adviser and/or its affiliates, in their discretion, may make payments to certain affiliated or unaffiliated financial intermediaries to compensate them for the costs associated with distribution, marketing, administration and shareholder servicing support for the Funds. These payments are sometimes characterized

 

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as “revenue sharing” payments and are made out of the Adviser’s and/or its affiliates’ own legitimate profits or other resources, and may be in addition to any payments made to financial intermediaries by the Funds. A financial intermediary may provide these services with respect to Fund shares sold or held through programs such as retirement plans, qualified tuition programs, fund supermarkets, fee-based advisory or wrap fee programs, bank trust programs, and insurance (e.g., individual or group annuity) programs. In addition, financial intermediaries may receive payments for making shares of the Funds available to their customers or registered representatives, including providing the Funds with “shelf space,” placing them on a preferred or recommended fund list, or promoting the Funds in certain sales programs that are sponsored by financial intermediaries. To the extent permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) rules and other applicable laws and regulations, the Adviser and/or its affiliates may pay or allow other promotional incentives or payments to financial intermediaries.

 

The level of payments made by the Adviser and/or its affiliates to individual financial intermediaries varies in any given year and may be negotiated on the basis of sales of Fund shares, the amount of Fund assets serviced by the financial intermediary or the quality of the financial intermediary’s relationship with the Adviser and/or its affiliates. These payments may be more or less than the payments received by the financial intermediaries from other mutual funds and may influence a financial intermediary to favor the sales of certain funds or share classes over others. In certain instances, the payments could be significant and may cause a conflict of interest for your financial intermediary. Any such payments will not change the NAV or price of a Fund’s shares. Please contact your financial intermediary for information about any payments it may receive in connection with the sale of Fund shares or the provision of services to Fund shareholders.

 

In addition to these payments, your financial intermediary may charge you account fees, commissions or transaction fees for buying or redeeming shares of the Funds, or other fees for servicing your account. Your financial intermediary should provide a schedule of its fees and services to you upon request.

 

Other Policies

 

Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures

 

The Funds are intended for long-term investment purposes only and discourage shareholders from engaging in “market timing” or other

 

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types of excessive short-term trading. This frequent trading into and out of a Fund may present risks to the Fund’s long-term shareholders and could adversely affect shareholder returns. The risks posed by frequent trading include interfering with the efficient implementation of a Fund’s investment strategies, triggering the recognition of taxable gains and losses on the sale of Fund investments, requiring the Fund to maintain higher cash balances to meet redemption requests, and experiencing increased transaction costs.

 

Because certain Funds may invest in foreign securities traded primarily on markets that close prior to the time such Funds determine their NAV, the risks posed by frequent trading may have a greater potential to dilute the value of Fund shares held by long-term shareholders than funds investing exclusively in U.S. securities. In instances where a significant event that affects the value of one or more foreign securities held by a Fund takes place after the close of the primary foreign market, but before the time that the Fund determines its NAV, certain investors may seek to take advantage of the fact that there will be a delay in the adjustment of the market price for a security caused by this event until the foreign market reopens (sometimes referred to as “price” or “time zone” arbitrage). Shareholders who attempt this type of arbitrage may dilute the value of a Fund’s shares if the prices of the Fund’s foreign securities do not reflect their fair value. Although the Adviser has procedures designed to determine the fair value of foreign securities for purposes of calculating the Funds’ NAV when such an event has occurred, fair value pricing, because it involves judgments which are inherently subjective, may not always eliminate the risk of price arbitrage.

 

In addition, because certain Funds invest in small- and mid-cap securities, which often trade in lower volumes and may be less liquid, these Funds may be more susceptible to the risks posed by frequent trading because frequent transactions in the Funds’ shares may have a greater impact on the market prices of these types of securities.

 

The Funds’ service providers will take steps reasonably designed to detect and deter frequent trading by shareholders pursuant to the Funds’ policies and procedures described in this prospectus and approved by the Board. For purposes of applying these policies, the Funds’ service providers may consider the trading history of accounts under common ownership or control. The Funds’ policies and procedures include:

 

 

Shareholders are restricted from making more than 4 “round trips,” into or out of a Fund within any rolling 12 month period.

 

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The Funds define a “round trip” as a purchase or exchange into a Fund by a shareholder, followed by a subsequent redemption out of the Fund, of an amount the Adviser reasonably believes would be harmful or disruptive to the Fund.

 

 

A redemption fee of 2.00% of the value of the shares sold will be imposed on shares redeemed within 30 days or less after their date of purchase (subject to certain exceptions as discussed below in “Redemption Fees”).

 

 

Each Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase or exchange request by any investor or group of investors for any reason without prior notice, including, in particular, if the Fund or the Adviser reasonably believes that the trading activity would be harmful or disruptive to the Fund.

 

The Funds and/or their service providers seek to apply these policies to the best of their abilities uniformly and in a manner they believe is consistent with the interests of the Funds’ long-term shareholders. The Funds do not knowingly accommodate frequent purchases and redemptions by Fund shareholders. Although these policies are designed to deter frequent trading, none of these measures alone nor all of them taken together eliminate the possibility that frequent trading in a Fund will occur. Systematic purchases and redemptions are exempt from these policies.

 

Financial intermediaries (such as investment advisers and broker-dealers) often establish omnibus accounts in the Funds for their customers through which transactions are placed. The Funds have entered into “information sharing agreements” with these financial intermediaries, which permit the Funds to obtain, upon request, information about the trading activity of the intermediary’s customers that invest in the Funds. If the Funds or their service providers identify omnibus account level trading patterns that have the potential to be detrimental to the Funds, the Funds or their service providers may, in their sole discretion, request from the financial intermediary information concerning the trading activity of its customers. Based upon a review of that information, if the Funds or their service providers determine that the trading activity of any customer may be detrimental to the Funds, they may, in their sole discretion, request the financial intermediary to restrict or limit further trading in the Funds by that customer. If the Funds are not satisfied that the intermediary has taken appropriate action, the Funds may terminate the intermediary’s ability to transact in Fund shares. When information regarding transactions in the Funds’ shares is requested

 

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by the Funds and such information is in the possession of a person that is itself a financial intermediary to a financial intermediary (an “indirect intermediary”), any financial intermediary with whom the Funds have an information sharing agreement is obligated to obtain transaction information from the indirect intermediary or, if directed by the Funds, to restrict or prohibit the indirect intermediary from purchasing shares of the Funds on behalf of other persons.

 

The Funds and their service providers will use reasonable efforts to work with financial intermediaries to identify excessive short-term trading in omnibus accounts that may be detrimental to the Funds. However, there can be no assurance that the monitoring of omnibus account level trading will enable the Funds to identify or prevent all such trading by a financial intermediary’s customers. Please contact your financial intermediary for more information.

 

Redemption Fee

 

In an effort to discourage short-term trading and defray costs incurred by shareholders as a result of short-term trading, each Fund charges a 2.00% redemption fee on redemptions (including exchanges) of shares that have been held for less than 30 days. The redemption fee is deducted from a Fund’s sale proceeds and cannot be paid separately, and any proceeds of the fee are credited to the assets of the Fund from which the redemption was made. The fee does not apply to shares purchased with reinvested dividends or distributions. In determining how long shares of a Fund have been held, the Fund assumes that shares held by the investor the longest period of time will be sold first.

 

The redemption fee is applicable to Fund shares purchased either directly from a Fund or through a financial intermediary, such as a broker-dealer. Transactions through financial intermediaries typically are placed with the Fund on an omnibus basis and include both purchase and sale transactions placed on behalf of multiple investors. The Funds request that financial intermediaries assess the redemption fee on customer accounts and collect and remit the proceeds to the Funds. However, the Funds recognize that due to operational and systems limitations, intermediaries’ methods for tracking and calculating the fee may be inadequate or differ in some respects from the Funds’. Therefore, to the extent that financial intermediaries are unable to collect the redemption fee, a Fund may not be able to defray the expenses associated with those short-term trades made by that financial intermediary’s customers.

 

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Each Fund reserves the right to waive its redemption fee at its discretion when it believes such waiver is in the best interests of the Fund, including with respect to certain categories of redemptions that the Fund reasonably believes may not raise frequent trading or market timing concerns. These categories currently include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) participants in certain group retirement plans whose processing systems are incapable of properly applying the redemption fee to underlying shareholders; (ii) redemptions resulting from certain transfers upon the death of a shareholder; (iii) redemptions by certain pension plans as required by law or by regulatory authorities; (iv) systematic withdrawals; and (v) retirement loans and withdrawals.

 

Customer Identification and Verification

 

To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account.

 

What this means to you: When you open an account, a Fund will ask your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow the Fund to identify you. This information is subject to verification to ensure the identity of all persons opening a mutual fund account.

 

The Funds are required by law to reject your new account application if the required identifying information is not provided.

 

In certain instances, the Funds are required to collect documents to fulfill their legal obligation. Documents provided in connection with your application will be used solely to establish and verify your identity.

 

Attempts to collect the missing information required on the application will be performed by either contacting you or, if applicable, your broker or financial intermediary. If this information cannot be obtained within a reasonable timeframe established in the sole discretion of the Funds, your application will be rejected.

 

Upon receipt of your application in good order (or upon receipt of all identifying information required on the application), your investment will be accepted and your order will be processed at the next-determined NAV per share.

 

The Funds reserve the right to close or liquidate your account at the next-determined NAV and remit proceeds to you via check if they are unable to verify your identity. Attempts to verify your identity will be performed within a reasonable timeframe established in the sole

 

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discretion of the Funds. Further, the Funds reserve the right to hold your proceeds until your original check clears the bank, which may take up to 15 days from the date of purchase. In such an instance, you may be subject to a gain or loss on Fund shares and will be subject to corresponding tax implications.

 

Anti-Money Laundering Program

 

Customer identification and verification is part of the Funds’ overall obligation to deter money laundering under federal law. The Funds have adopted an anti-money laundering compliance program designed to prevent the Funds from being used for money laundering or the financing of illegal activities. In this regard, the Funds reserve the right to: (i) refuse, cancel or rescind any purchase or exchange order; (ii) freeze any account and/or suspend account services; or (iii) involuntarily close your account in cases of threatening conduct or suspected fraudulent or illegal activity. These actions will be taken when, in the sole discretion of Fund management, they are deemed to be in the best interest of a Fund or in cases when a Fund is requested or compelled to do so by governmental or law enforcement authority. If your account is closed at the request of governmental or law enforcement authority, you may not receive proceeds of the redemption if the Fund is required to withhold such proceeds.

 

Unclaimed Property

 

Each state has unclaimed property rules that generally provide for escheatment (or transfer) to the state of unclaimed property under various circumstances. Such circumstances include inactivity (e.g., no owner-initiated contact for a certain period), returned mail (e.g., when mail sent to a shareholder is returned by the post office, or “RPO,” as undeliverable), or a combination of both inactivity and returned mail. Once it flags property as unclaimed, the applicable Fund will attempt to contact the shareholder, but if that attempt is unsuccessful, the account may be considered abandoned and escheated to the state.

 

Shareholders that reside in the state of Texas may designate a representative to receive escheatment notifications by completing and submitting a designation form that can be found on the website of the Texas Comptroller. While the designated representative does not have any rights to claim or access the shareholder’s account or assets, the escheatment period will cease if the representative communicates knowledge of the shareholder’s location and confirms that the shareholder has not abandoned his or her property. A completed designation form may be mailed to the Funds (if shares are held

 

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directly with the Funds) or to the shareholder’s financial intermediary (if shares are not held directly with the Funds).

 

More information on unclaimed property and how to maintain an active account is available through your state or by calling 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).

 

Dividends and Distributions

 

Generally, the Funds distribute their net investment income quarterly and make distributions of their net realized capital gains, if any, at least annually. If you own Fund shares on a Fund’s record date, you will be entitled to receive the distribution.

 

You will receive dividends and distributions in the form of additional Fund shares unless you elect to receive payment in cash. To elect cash payment, you must notify a Fund in writing prior to the date of the distribution. Your election will be effective for dividends and distributions paid after a Fund receives your written notice. To cancel your election, simply send the applicable Fund written notice.

 

Taxes

 

Please consult your tax advisor regarding your specific questions about the U.S. federal, state and local tax effects of your investment in the Funds. Below is a summary of certain important U.S. federal income tax consequences of investing in the Funds. This summary is based on current tax laws, which may change. This summary does not apply to shares held in an IRA or other tax-qualified plans, which are generally not subject to current tax. Transactions relating to shares held in such accounts may, however, be taxable at some time in the future.

 

Each Fund has elected and intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) within the meaning of Subchapter M of the Code. If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a RIC is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, a Fund’s failure to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.

 

Each Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any. The dividends and distributions you receive may be subject to federal, state, and local

 

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taxation, depending upon your tax situation. Distributions you receive from each Fund may be taxable whether you receive them in cash or you reinvest them in additional shares of the Funds. Income distributions, including distributions of net short-term capital gains but excluding distributions of qualified dividend income, are generally taxable at ordinary income tax rates. Distributions that are reported by the Funds as long term capital gains and as qualified dividend income are generally taxable at the rates applicable to long-term capital gains currently set at a maximum tax rate for individuals at 20% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets). It is not anticipated that any distributions by the Core Bond Fund or Limited Duration Fund will be eligible for the reduced tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income. In addition, certain of the Funds’ investment strategies may limit their ability to make distributions eligible for the reduced rates applicable to qualified dividend income. Once a year the Funds (or their administrative agent) will send you a statement showing the types and total amount of distributions you received during the previous year.

 

The Core Bond Fund and Limited Duration Fund may invest in certain municipal securities. Certain municipal securities may generate interest exempt from U.S. federal income tax. If at least 50% of the value of a Fund’s total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable years consists of debt obligations that generate interest exempt from U.S. federal income tax, then such Fund may qualify to pass through to its shareholders the tax-exempt character of its income from such debt obligations by paying tax-exempt interest dividends. The Core Bond Fund and Limited Duration Fund are not expected to qualify to invest in sufficient tax-exempt municipal securities to pass through the tax-exempt character, if any, of its income from such securities.

 

A RIC that receives business interest income may pass through its net business interest income for purposes of the tax rules applicable to the interest expense limitations under Section 163(j) of the Code. A RIC’s total “Section 163(j) Interest Dividend” for a tax year is limited to the excess of the RIC’s business interest income over the sum of its business interest expense and its other deductions properly allocable to its business interest income. A RIC may, in its discretion, designate all or a portion of ordinary dividends as Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, which would allow the recipient shareholder to treat the designated portion of such dividends as interest income for purposes of determining such shareholder’s interest expense deduction limitation under Section 163(j) of the Code. This can potentially increase the amount of a shareholder’s interest expense deductible

 

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under Section 163(j) of the Code. In general, to be eligible to treat a Section 163(j) Interest Dividend as interest income, you must have held your shares in a Fund for more than 180 days during the 361-day period beginning on the date that is 180 days before the date on which the share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend. Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, if so designated by a Fund, will be reported to your financial intermediary or otherwise in accordance with the requirements specified by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).

 

You should note that if you purchase shares just before a distribution, the purchase price would reflect the amount of the upcoming distribution. In this case, you would be taxed on the entire amount of the distribution received, even though, as an economic matter, the distribution simply constitutes a return of your investment. This is known as “buying a dividend” and generally should be avoided by taxable investors.

 

Each sale of Fund shares may be a taxable event. For tax purposes, an exchange of your Fund shares for shares of a different fund is the same as a sale. Assuming a shareholder holds a Fund’s shares as capital assets, the gain or loss on the sale of such Fund shares generally will be treated as a short-term capital gain or loss if the shareholder held the shares for 12 months or less or as long-term capital gain or loss if the shareholder held the shares for longer. Any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of a Fund’s shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received (or deemed received) by you with respect to such Fund’s shares. All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Fund shares will be disallowed if you purchase other substantially identical shares within 30 days before or after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.

 

U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly) are subject to a 3.8% tax on their “net investment income,” including interest, dividends, and capital gains (including capital gains realized on the sale or exchange of shares of a Fund).

 

The Funds (or their administrative agent) must report to the IRS and furnish to Fund shareholders cost basis information for Fund shares. In addition to reporting the gross proceeds from the sale of Fund shares, the Funds (or their administrative agent) are also required to report the cost basis information for such shares and indicate whether these shares had a short-term or long-term holding period. For each sale of Fund shares, the Funds will permit shareholders to elect from

 

121

 

 

 

among several IRS-accepted cost basis methods, including the average cost basis method. In the absence of an election, the Funds will use the average cost basis method as the default cost basis method. The cost basis method elected by a Fund’s shareholder (or the cost basis method applied by default) for each sale of Fund shares may not be changed after the settlement date of each such sale of Fund shares. Fund shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the best IRS-accepted cost basis method for their tax situation and to obtain more information about how cost basis reporting applies to them. Shareholders also should carefully review the cost basis information provided to them and make any additional basis, holding period or other adjustments that are required when reporting these amounts on their federal income tax returns.

 

To the extent a Fund invests in foreign securities, it may be subject to foreign withholding taxes with respect to dividends or interest the Fund receives from sources in foreign countries. If more than 50% of the total assets of a Fund consists of foreign securities, such Fund will be eligible to elect to treat some of those taxes as a distribution to shareholders, which would allow shareholders to offset some of their U.S. federal income tax. A Fund (or its administrative agent) will notify you if it makes such an election and provide you with the information necessary to reflect foreign taxes paid on your income tax return.

 

The Real Estate Fund and the U.S. All Cap Index Fund may each invest in U.S. REITs. “Qualified REIT dividends” (i.e., ordinary REIT dividends other than capital gain dividends and portions of REIT dividends designated as qualified dividend income eligible for capital gain tax rates) are eligible for a 20% deduction by non-corporate taxpayers. This deduction, if allowed in full, equates to a maximum effective tax rate of 29.6% (37% top rate applied to income after 20% deduction). Distributions by the Real Estate Fund or the U.S. All Cap Index Fund to their shareholders that are attributable to qualified REIT dividends received by the Real Estate Fund or the U.S. All Cap Index Fund and which the Real Estate Fund or the U.S. All Cap Index Fund properly report as “section 199A dividends,” are treated as “qualified REIT dividends” in the hands of non-corporate shareholders. A section 199A dividend is treated as a qualified REIT dividend only if the shareholder receiving such dividend holds the dividend-paying shares for at least 46 days of the 91-day period beginning 45 days before the shares become ex-dividend, and is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to a position in substantially similar or related property. The Real Estate Fund and the U.S. All Cap Index Fund are permitted to report such part of their dividends

 

122

 

 

 

as section 199A dividends as are eligible, but they are not required to do so. Unless later extended or made permanent, this 20% deduction will no longer be available for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.

 

REITs in which the Real Estate Fund or the U.S. All Cap Index Fund invest often do not provide complete and final tax information to the Real Estate Fund and the U.S. All Cap Index Fund until after the time that the Real Estate Fund and the U.S. All Cap Index Fund issue a tax reporting statement. As a result, the Real Estate Fund and the U.S. All Cap Index Fund may at times find it necessary to reclassify the amount and character of their distributions to you after they issue your tax reporting statement. When such reclassification is necessary, the Real Estate Fund and the U.S. All Cap Index Fund (or their administrative agents) will send you a corrected, final Form 1099-DIV to reflect the reclassified information. If you receive a corrected Form 1099-DIV, use the information on this corrected form, and not the information on the previously issued tax reporting statement, in completing your tax returns.

 

Certain of the Funds’ investments may be subject to complex provisions of the Code (including provisions relating to hedging transactions, straddles, integrated transactions, and notional principal contracts) that, among other things, may affect a Fund’s ability to qualify as a RIC, affect the character of gains and losses realized by a Fund (e.g., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to a Fund and defer losses and, in limited cases, subject a Fund to U.S. federal income tax on income from certain of its foreign securities.

 

The Real Estate Fund may write covered call options. Covered call options are subject to complex federal tax rules that: (1) limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions by the Real Estate Fund; (2) convert the Real Estate Fund’s long-term capital gains into short-term capital gains or ordinary income taxed at higher rates; (3) convert the Real Estate Fund’s ordinary losses or deductions into capital losses, the deductibility of which are more limited; and/or (4) cause the Real Estate Fund to recognize income or gains without a corresponding receipt of cash.

 

Because each shareholder’s tax situation is different, you should consult your tax advisor about the tax implications of an investment in the Funds.

 

More information about taxes is included in the SAI.

 

123

 

 

 

Additional Information

 

The Trust enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, including, among others, the Funds’ investment adviser, custodian, transfer agent, accountants, administrator and distributor, who provide services to the Funds. Shareholders are not parties to, or intended (or “third-party”) beneficiaries of, any of those contractual arrangements, and those contractual arrangements are not intended to create in any individual shareholder or group of shareholders any right to enforce the terms of the contractual arrangements against the service providers or to seek any remedy under the contractual arrangements against the service providers, either directly or on behalf of the Trust.

 

This prospectus and the SAI provide information concerning the Trust and the Funds that you should consider in determining whether to purchase shares of the Funds. The Funds may make changes to this information from time to time. Neither this prospectus, the SAI or any document filed as an exhibit to the Trust’s registration statement, is intended to, nor does it, give rise to an agreement or contract between the Trust or the Funds and any shareholder, or give rise to any contract or other rights in any individual shareholder, group of shareholders or other person other than any rights conferred explicitly by federal or state securities laws that may not be waived.

 

Each Fund reserves the right to discontinue offering shares at any time or to cease operations and liquidate at any time.

 

The Funds are not authorized or sponsored by the Roman Catholic Church or the USCCB.

 

The U.S. All Cap Index Fund is not sponsored, promoted, sold or supported in any other manner by Solactive nor does Solactive offer any express or implicit guarantee or assurance either with regard to the results of using the Index and/or Index trade mark or the Index price at any time or in any other respect. The Index is calculated and published by Solactive. Solactive uses its best efforts to ensure that the Index is calculated correctly. Irrespective of its obligations towards the U.S. All Cap Index Fund, Solactive has no obligation to point out errors in the Index to third parties including but not limited to investors and/or financial intermediaries of the U.S. All Cap Index Fund. Neither publication of the Index by Solactive nor the licensing of the Index or Index trade mark for the purpose of use in connection with the U.S. All Cap Index Fund constitutes a recommendation by Solactive to invest capital in the U.S. All Cap Index Fund nor does it in any way represent

 

124

 

 

 

an assurance or opinion of Solactive with regard to any investment in the U.S. All Cap Index Fund.

 

Financial Highlights

 

The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand each Fund’s financial performance for the past five fiscal years or the period of the Fund’s operations, as applicable. Some of this information reflects financial information for a single Fund share. The total returns in the tables represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). The information provided below has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm of the Funds. The financial statements and the unqualified opinion of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP are included in the 2023 Annual Report of the Funds, which is available upon request by calling the Funds at 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).

 

Because Class S Shares of the Long/Short Equity Fund, U.S. All Cap Index Fund and Real Estate Fund had not commenced operations during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023, financial highlights are not available.

 

125

 

 

 

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Year or Period

 

 

Net Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Period

   

Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)*

   

Net Realized
and
Unrealized
Gain
(Loss) on
Investments

   

Total from
Operations

    Distributions

from Net
Investment
Income

   

Distributions
from Net
Realized
Capital
Gains

   

Return of
Capital

   

Total
Distributions

   

Redemption
Fees

   

Net Asset
Value, End
of Period

   

Total
Return

   

Net Assets
End of
Period
(000)

   

Ratio of
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets (including
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio of
Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
(excluding
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio
of Net
Investment
Income
(Loss) to
Average
Net Assets

   

Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

 

Core Bond Fund

I Shares^(1)

2023

  $ 8.48     $ 0.28     $ (0.27 )   $ 0.01     $ (0.27 )   $     $     $ (0.27 )   $ #    $ 8.22       0.04 %   $ 182,735       0.50 %     0.62 %     3.27 %     19 %

2022

  $ 10.43     $ 0.23     $ (1.95 )   $ (1.72 )   $ (0.23 )   $     $     $ (0.23 )   $ #    $ 8.48       (16.68 )%   $ 145,334       0.50 %     0.66 %     2.48 %     50 %

2021

  $ 10.61     $ 0.23     $ (0.11 )   $ 0.12     $ (0.24 )   $ (0.06 )   $     $ (0.30 )   $ #    $ 10.43       1.12 %   $ 136,400       0.50 %     0.71 %     2.17 %     24 %

2020

  $ 10.34     $ 0.26     $ 0.30     $ 0.56     $ (0.29 )   $     $     $ (0.29 )   $     $ 10.61       5.50 %   $ 107,887       0.50 %     0.80 %     2.49 %     39 %

2019

  $ 9.55     $ 0.30     $ 0.80     $ 1.10     $ (0.31 )   $     $     $ (0.31 )   $     $ 10.34       11.68 %   $ 91,451       0.50 %     0.84 %     3.05 %     47 %

Class S Shares

2023

  $ 8.48     $ 0.27     $ (0.28 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (0.26 )   $     $     $ (0.26 )   $     $ 8.21       (0.18 )%   $ 842       0.60 %     0.72 %     3.15 %     19 %

2022

  $ 10.41     $ 0.22     $ (1.93 )   $ (1.71 )   $ (0.22 )   $     $     $ (0.22 )   $     $ 8.48       (16.60 )%   $ 883       0.60 %     0.76 %     2.35 %     50 %

2021

  $ 10.60     $ 0.22     $ (0.12 )   $ 0.10     $ (0.23 )   $ (0.06 )   $     $ (0.29 )   $     $ 10.41       0.92 %   $ 1,155       0.60 %     0.82 %     2.07 %     24 %

2020

  $ 10.33     $ 0.25     $ 0.30     $ 0.55     $ (0.28 )   $     $     $ (0.28 )   $     $ 10.60       5.40 %   $ 1,093       0.60 %     0.90 %     2.39 %     39 %

2019

  $ 9.55     $ 0.29     $ 0.79     $ 1.08     $ (0.30 )   $     $     $ (0.30 )   $     $ 10.33       11.46 %   $ 1,128       0.60 %     0.94 %     2.95 %     47 %

 

 

 

126

 

 

 

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Year or Period

 

 

Net Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Period

   

Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)*

   

Net Realized
and
Unrealized
Gain
(Loss) on
Investments

   

Total from
Operations

   

Distributions
from Net
Investment
Income

   

Distributions
from Net
Realized
Capital
Gains

   

Return of
Capital

   

Total
Distributions

   

Redemption
Fees

   

Net Asset
Value, End
of Period

   

Total
Return

   

Net Assets
End of
Period
(000)

   

Ratio of
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets (including
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio of
Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
(excluding
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio
of Net
Investment
Income
(Loss) to
Average
Net Assets

   

Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

 

Limited Duration Fund

I Shares^(1)

2023

  $ 9.41     $ 0.26     $ 0.06     $ 0.32     $ (0.23 )   $     $     $ (0.23 )   $ #    $ 9.50       3.46 %   $ 183,690       0.50 %     0.62 %     2.69 %     50 %

2022

  $ 10.02     $ 0.12     $ (0.61 )   $ (0.49 )   $ (0.11 )   $ (0.01 )   $     $ (0.12 )   $ #    $ 9.41       (4.94 )%   $ 142,559       0.50 %     0.66 %     1.22 %     46 %

2021

  $ 10.09     $ 0.11     $ (0.07 )   $ 0.04     $ (0.11 )   $     $     $ (0.11 )   $ #    $ 10.02       0.43 %   $ 139,004       0.50 %     0.71 %     1.05 %     59 %

2020

  $ 10.00     $ 0.20     $ 0.10     $ 0.30     $ (0.21 )   $     $     $ (0.21 )   $     $ 10.09       3.00 %   $ 118,637       0.50 %     0.80 %     1.96 %     49 %

2019

  $ 9.79     $ 0.25     $ 0.21     $ 0.46     $ (0.25 )   $     $     $ (0.25 )   $     $ 10.00       4.76 %   $ 100,482       0.50 %     0.82 %     2.48 %     76 %

Class S Shares

2023

  $ 9.41     $ 0.24     $ 0.07     $ 0.31     $ (0.22 )   $     $     $ (0.22 )   $     $ 9.50       3.36 %   $ 230       0.60 %     0.72 %     2.55 %     50 %

2022

  $ 10.02     $ 0.11     $ (0.61 )   $ (0.50 )   $ (0.10 )   $ (0.01 )   $     $ (0.11 )   $     $ 9.41       (5.03 )%   $ 213       0.60 %     0.76 %     1.13 %     46 %

2021

  $ 10.09     $ 0.10     $ (0.07 )   $ 0.03     $ (0.10 )   $     $     $ (0.10 )   $     $ 10.02       0.33 %   $ 79       0.60 %     0.81 %     0.97 %     59 %

2020

  $ 10.00     $ 0.18     $ 0.11     $ 0.29     $ (0.20 )   $     $     $ (0.20 )   $     $ 10.09       2.91 %   $ 77       0.60 %     0.91 %     1.76 %     49 %

2019

  $ 9.79     $ 0.24     $ 0.21     $ 0.45     $ (0.24 )   $     $     $ (0.24 )   $     $ 10.00       4.66 %   $ 14       0.60 %     0.92 %     2.38 %     76 %

 

 

 

127

 

 

 

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Year or Period

 

 

Net Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Period

   

Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)*

   

Net Realized
and
Unrealized
Gain
(Loss) on
Investments

   

Total from
Operations

   

Distributions
from Net
Investment
Income

   

Distributions
from Net
Realized
Capital
Gains

   

Return of
Capital

   

Total
Distributions

   

Redemption
Fees

   

Net Asset
Value, End
of Period

   

Total
Return

   

Net Assets
End of
Period
(000)

   

Ratio of
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets (including
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio of
Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
(excluding
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio
of Net
Investment
Income
(Loss) to
Average
Net Assets

   

Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

 

Large Cap Growth Fund

I Shares^(1)

2023

  $ 12.29     $ 0.03     $ 2.01     $ 2.04     $ (0.01 )   $     $ (0.01 )   $ (0.02 )   $ #    $ 14.31       16.63 %   $ 155,288       0.90 %(3)     0.81 %     0.19 %     44 %

2022

  $ 19.58     $ (0.02 )   $ (4.85 )   $ (4.87 )   $     $ (2.42 )   $ #    $ (2.42 )   $ #    $ 12.29       (28.36 )%   $ 116,416       0.90 %(3)     0.87 %     (0.15 )%     38 %

2021

  $ 15.42     $ (0.05 )   $ 5.14     $ 5.09     $     $ (0.93 )   $     $ (0.93 )   $ #    $ 19.58       34.10 %   $ 138,704       0.90 %     0.89 %     (0.28 )%     78 %

2020

  $ 12.89     $ (0.01 )   $ 3.22     $ 3.21     $ #    $ (0.68 )   $     $ (0.68 )   $     $ 15.42       25.83 %   $ 88,825       0.90 %     1.00 %     (0.09 )%     93 %

2019

  $ 13.23     $ 0.01     $ 1.09     $ 1.10     $ (0.01 )   $ (1.43 )   $     $ (1.44 )   $     $ 12.89       10.94 %   $ 71,182       0.90 %     1.05 %     0.06 %     113 %

Class S Shares

2023

  $ 12.23     $ 0.01     $ 2.01     $ 2.02     $ (0.02 )   $     $ #    $ (0.02 )   $     $ 14.23       16.49 %   $ 1,513       1.00 %(3)     0.91 %     0.09 %     44 %

2022

  $ 19.50     $ (0.04 )   $ (4.81 )   $ (4.85 )   $     $ (2.42 )   $ #    $ (2.42 )   $     $ 12.23       (28.39 )%   $ 1,163       1.00 %(3)     0.97 %     (0.26 )%     38 %

2021

  $ 15.38     $ (0.07 )   $ 5.12     $ 5.05     $     $ (0.93 )   $     $ (0.93 )   $     $ 19.50       33.93 %   $ 1,625       1.00 %     0.99 %     (0.37 )%     78 %

2020

  $ 12.87     $ (0.03 )   $ 3.22     $ 3.19     $     $ (0.68 )   $     $ (0.68 )   $     $ 15.38       25.71 %   $ 1,470       1.00 %     1.10 %     (0.20 )%     93 %

2019

  $ 13.22     $     $ 1.09     $ 1.09     $ (0.01 )   $ (1.43 )   $     $ (1.44 )   $     $ 12.87       10.82 %   $ 1,073       1.00 %     1.15 %     (0.04 )%     113 %

 

 

 

128

 

 

 

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Year or Period

 

 

Net Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Period

   

Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)*

   

Net Realized
and
Unrealized
Gain
(Loss) on
Investments

   

Total from
Operations

   

Distributions
from Net
Investment
Income

   

Distributions
from Net
Realized
Capital
Gains

   

Return of
Capital

   

Total
Distributions

   

Redemption
Fees

   

Net Asset
Value, End
of Period

   

Total
Return

   

Net Assets
End of
Period
(000)

   

Ratio of
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets (including
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio of
Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
(excluding
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio
of Net
Investment
Income
(Loss) to
Average
Net Assets

   

Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

 

Large Cap Value Fund

I Shares^(1)

2023

  $ 14.29     $ 0.19     $ 0.26     $ 0.45     $ (0.19 )   $ (0.62 )   $     $ (0.81 )   $ #    $ 13.93       3.30 %   $ 155,484       0.90 %(3)     0.81 %     1.34 %     37 %

2022

  $ 16.26     $ 0.17     $ (1.21 )   $ (1.04 )   $ (0.16 )   $ (0.77 )   $     $ (0.93 )   $ #    $ 14.29       (6.73 )%   $ 137,408       0.90 %(3)     0.84 %     1.15 %     36 %

2021

  $ 11.22     $ 0.11     $ 5.06     $ 5.17     $ (0.13 )   $     $     $ (0.13 )   $ #    $ 16.26       46.23 %   $ 125,076       0.90 %     0.90 %     0.75 %     24 %

2020

  $ 12.63     $ 0.17     $ (1.17 )   $ (1.00 )   $ (0.17 )   $ (0.24 )   $     $ (0.41 )   $     $ 11.22       (8.19 )%   $ 70,842       0.90 %     1.03 %     1.49 %     68 %

2019

  $ 11.74     $ 0.20     $ 1.09     $ 1.29     $ (0.20 )   $ (0.20 )   $     $ (0.40 )   $     $ 12.63       11.50 %   $ 71,968       0.90 %     1.06 %     1.66 %     41 %

Class S Shares

2023

  $ 14.29     $ 0.18     $ 0.25     $ 0.43     $ (0.17 )   $ (0.62 )   $     $ (0.79 )   $     $ 13.93       3.20 %   $ 428       1.00 %(3)     0.91 %     1.25 %     37 %

2022

  $ 16.26     $ 0.16     $ (1.22 )   $ (1.06 )   $ (0.14 )   $ (0.77 )   $     $ (0.91 )   $     $ 14.29       (6.83 )%   $ 419       1.00 %(3)     0.94 %     1.05 %     36 %

2021

  $ 11.22     $ 0.10     $ 5.06     $ 5.16     $ (0.12 )   $     $     $ (0.12 )   $     $ 16.26       46.09 %   $ 478       1.00 %     1.00 %     0.67 %     24 %

2020

  $ 12.63     $ 0.16     $ (1.17 )   $ (1.01 )   $ (0.16 )   $ (0.24 )   $     $ (0.40 )   $     $ 11.22       (8.28 )%   $ 312       1.00 %     1.13 %     1.38 %     68 %

2019

  $ 11.74     $ 0.19     $ 1.08     $ 1.27     $ (0.18 )   $ (0.20 )   $     $ (0.38 )   $     $ 12.63       11.40 %   $ 288       1.00 %     1.16 %     1.56 %     41 %

 

 

 

129

 

 

 

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Year or Period

 

 

Net Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Period

   

Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)*

   

Net Realized
and
Unrealized
Gain
(Loss) on
Investments

   

Total from
Operations

   

Distributions
from Net
Investment
Income

   

Distributions
from Net
Realized
Capital
Gains

   

Return of
Capital

   

Total
Distributions

   

Redemption
Fees

   

Net Asset
Value, End
of Period

   

Total
Return

   

Net Assets
End of
Period
(000)

   

Ratio of
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets (including
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio of
Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
(excluding
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio
of Net
Investment
Income
(Loss) to
Average
Net Assets

   

Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

 

Small Cap Fund††

I Shares^(1)

2023

  $ 11.30     $ 0.07     $ (0.36 )   $ (0.29 )   $ (0.10 )   $ (0.09 )   $     $ (0.19 )   $ #    $ 10.82       (2.58 )%   $ 123,126       0.98 %(3)     0.94 %     0.64 %     49 %

2022

  $ 15.54     $ 0.03     $ (2.65 )   $ (2.62 )   $ (0.03 )   $ (1.59 )   $     $ (1.62 )   $ #    $ 11.30       (18.59 )%   $ 122,389       1.05 %(3)     0.97 %     0.23 %     38 %

2021

  $ 10.04     $ (0.05 )   $ 5.55     $ 5.50     $     $     $     $     $ #    $ 15.54       54.78 %   $ 129,178       1.05 %     1.02 %     (0.32 )%     61 %

2020

  $ 10.49     $ (0.02 )   $ (0.43 )   $ (0.45 )   $     $     $     $     $     $ 10.04       (4.29 )%   $ 81,052       1.05 %     1.14 %     (0.16 )%     107 %

2019

  $ 11.39     $ (0.02 )   $ 0.29     $ 0.27     $     $ (1.16 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (1.17 )   $     $ 10.49       4.41 %   $ 88,944       1.05 %     1.14 %     (0.19 )%     65 %

Class S Shares

2023

  $ 11.25     $ 0.06     $ (0.36 )   $ (0.30 )   $ (0.09 )   $ (0.09 )   $     $ (0.18 )   $     $ 10.77       (2.69 )%   $ 60       1.08 %(3)     1.04 %     0.54 %     49 %

2022

  $ 15.47     $ 0.01     $ (2.62 )   $ (2.61 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (1.59 )   $     $ (1.61 )   $ #    $ 11.25       (18.61 )%   $ 61       1.13 %(3)     1.05 %     0.06 %     38 %

2021

  $ 10.01     $ (0.06 )   $ 5.52     $ 5.46     $     $     $     $     $     $ 15.47       54.55 %   $ 740       1.15 %     1.12 %     (0.43 )%     61 %

2020

  $ 10.47     $ (0.03 )   $ (0.43 )   $ (0.46 )   $     $     $     $     $     $ 10.01       (4.39 )%   $ 403       1.15 %     1.25 %     (0.29 )%     107 %

2019

  $ 11.37     $ (0.03 )   $ 0.29     $ 0.26     $     $ (1.16 )   $ #    $ (1.16 )   $     $ 10.47       4.36 %   $ 231       1.15 %     1.24 %     (0.26 )%     65 %

 

 

 

130

 

 

 

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Year or Period

 

 

Net Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Period

   

Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)*

   

Net Realized
and
Unrealized
Gain
(Loss) on
Investments

   

Total from
Operations

   

Distributions
from Net
Investment
Income

   

Distributions
from Net
Realized
Capital
Gains

   

Return of
Capital

   

Total
Distributions

   

Redemption
Fees

   

Net Asset
Value, End
of Period

   

Total
Return

   

Net Assets
End of
Period
(000)

   

Ratio of
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets (including
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio of
Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
(excluding
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio
of Net
Investment
Income
(Loss) to
Average
Net Assets

   

Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

 

International Equity Fund

I Shares^(1)

2023

  $ 9.58     $ 0.22     $ 0.89     $ 1.11     $ (0.19 )   $     $     $ (0.19 )   $ #    $ 10.50       11.49 %   $ 149,143       1.10 %     1.13 %     1.95 %     47 %

2022

  $ 14.58     $ 0.27     $ (3.85 )   $ (3.58 )   $ (0.27 )   $ (1.15 )   $ #    $ (1.42 )   $     $ 9.58       (26.80 )%   $ 122,313       1.10 %     1.16 %     2.34 %     50 %

2021

  $ 11.05     $ 0.17     $ 3.50     $ 3.67     $ (0.14 )   $     $     $ (0.14 )   $ #    $ 14.58       33.26 %   $ 150,545       1.10 %     1.21 %     1.21 %     55 %

2020

  $ 11.20     $ 0.15     $ (0.14 )   $ 0.01     $ (0.12 )   $     $ (0.04 )   $ (0.16 )   $     $ 11.05       0.20 %   $ 87,281       1.10 %     1.33 %     1.37 %     47 %

2019

  $ 10.85     $ 0.21     $ 0.62     $ 0.83     $ (0.21 )   $ (0.27 )   $     $ (0.48 )   $     $ 11.20       7.94 %   $ 81,517       1.10 %     1.36 %     1.93 %     49 %

Class S Shares

2023

  $ 9.55     $ 0.20     $ 0.89     $ 1.09     $ (0.18 )   $     $     $ (0.18 )   $     $ 10.46       11.32 %   $ 163       1.20 %     1.23 %     1.84 %     47 %

2022

  $ 14.54     $ 0.27     $ (3.85 )   $ (3.58 )   $ (0.26 )   $ (1.15 )   $ #    $ (1.41 )   $     $ 9.55       (26.88 )%   $ 143       1.20 %     1.26 %     2.32 %     50 %

2021

  $ 11.02     $ 0.16     $ 3.49     $ 3.65     $ (0.13 )   $     $     $ (0.13 )   $     $ 14.54       33.16 %   $ 108       1.20 %     1.31 %     1.14 %     55 %

2020

  $ 11.18     $ 0.15     $ (0.16 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (0.11 )   $     $ (0.04 )   $ (0.15 )   $     $ 11.02       %   $ 62       1.20 %     1.42 %     1.39 %     47 %

2019

  $ 10.84     $ 0.20     $ 0.61     $ 0.81     $ (0.20 )   $ (0.27 )   $     $ (0.47 )   $     $ 11.18       7.75 %   $ 157       1.20 %     1.46 %     1.86 %     49 %

 

 

 

131

 

 

 

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Year or Period

 

 

Net Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Period

   

Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)*

   

Net Realized
and
Unrealized
Gain
(Loss) on
Investments

   

Total from
Operations

   

Distributions
from Net
Investment
Income

   

Distributions
from Net
Realized
Capital
Gains

   

Return of
Capital

   

Total
Distributions

   

Redemption
Fees

   

Net Asset
Value, End
of Period

   

Total
Return

   

Net Assets
End of
Period
(000)

   

Ratio of
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets (including
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio of
Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
(excluding
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio
of Net
Investment
Income
(Loss) to
Average
Net Assets

   

Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

 

Long/Short Equity Fund

I Shares

2023

  $ 11.33     $ 0.25     $ (0.09 )   $ 0.16     $ (0.23 )   $ (0.72 )   $     $ (0.95 )   $ #    $ 10.54       1.52 %   $ 88,624       2.03 %(2)(3)     2.05 %     2.38 %     119 %

2022

  $ 9.66     $ 0.05     $ 1.64     $ 1.69     $ (0.02 )   $     $     $ (0.02 )   $ #    $ 11.33       17.55 %   $ 66,502       2.06 %(2)     2.15 %     0.45 %     128 %

2021

  $ 8.61     $ (0.10 )   $ 1.15     $ 1.05     $     $     $     $     $ #    $ 9.66       12.20 %   $ 33,305       2.28 %(4)     2.65 %(4)     (1.06 )%(4)     97 %

2020(5)

  $ 10.00     $ (0.03 )   $ (1.35 )   $ (1.38 )   $     $     $ (0.01 )   $ (0.01 )   $     $ 8.61       (13.78 )%   $ 20,942       1.73 %(6)     2.40 %(6)     (0.35 )%(6)     114 %

 

 

 

132

 

 

 

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Year or Period

 

 

Net Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Period

   

Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)*

   

Net Realized
and
Unrealized
Gain
(Loss) on
Investments

   

Total from
Operations

   

Distributions
from Net
Investment
Income

   

Distributions
from Net
Realized
Capital
Gains

   

Return of
Capital

   

Total
Distributions

   

Redemption
Fees

   

Net Asset
Value, End
of Period

   

Total
Return

   

Net Assets
End of
Period
(000)

   

Ratio of
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets (including
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio of
Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
(excluding
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio
of Net
Investment
Income
(Loss) to
Average
Net Assets

   

Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

 

U.S. All Cap Index Fund

I Shares

2023

  $ 11.84     $ 0.18     $ 0.97     $ 1.15     $ (0.18 )   $ (0.01 )   $     $ (0.19 )   $ #    $ 12.80       9.68 %   $ 104,049       0.25 %     0.60 %     1.42 %     8 %

2022

  $ 14.76     $ 0.16     $ (2.85 )   $ (2.69 )   $ (0.15 )   $ (0.08 )   $     $ (0.23 )   $ #    $ 11.84       (18.39 )%   $ 64,355       0.25 %     0.60 %     1.24 %     4 %

2021

  $ 10.18     $ 0.15     $ 4.57     $ 4.72     $ (0.14 )   $     $     $ (0.14 )   $     $ 14.76       46.61 %   $ 40,493       0.25 %     0.96 %     1.12 %     5 %

2020(7)

  $ 10.00     $ 0.12     $ 0.17     $ 0.29     $ (0.11 )   $     $     $ (0.11 )   $     $ 10.18       3.08 %   $ 15,989       0.25 %     1.78 %     1.52 %     8 %

 

 

 

133

 

 

 

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios
For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Year or Period

 

 

Net Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Period

   

Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)*

   

Net Realized
and
Unrealized
Gain
(Loss) on
Investments

   

Total from
Operations

   

Distributions
from Net
Investment
Income

   

Distributions
from Net
Realized
Capital
Gains

   

Return of
Capital

   

Total
Distributions

   

Redemption
Fees

   

Net Asset
Value, End
of Period

   

Total
Return

   

Net Assets
End of
Period
(000)

   

Ratio of
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets (including
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio of
Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
(excluding
waivers and
reimbursements)

   

Ratio
of Net
Investment
Income
(Loss) to
Average
Net Assets

   

Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

 

Real Estate Fund##

I Shares

2023

  $ 8.29     $ 0.14     $ (0.80 )   $ (0.66 )   $ (0.18 )   $ (0.65 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (0.85 )   $     $ 6.78       (8.90 )%   $ 118,750       1.00 %     1.05 %     1.75 %     88 %

2022

  $ 11.97     $ 0.09     $ (1.49 )   $ (1.40 )   $ (0.15 )   $ (2.13 )   $     $ (2.28 )   $ #    $ 8.29       (15.77 )%   $ 120,537       1.00 %     1.07 %     0.94 %     132 %

2021

  $ 8.88     $ 0.10     $ 3.35     $ 3.45     $ (0.17 )   $ (0.19 )   $     $ (0.36 )   $     $ 11.97       39.65 %   $ 119,877       1.00 %     1.16 %     0.94 %     231 %

2020

  $ 10.33     $ 0.13     $ (1.34 )   $ (1.21 )   $ (0.19 )   $ (0.05 )   $     $ (0.24 )   $     $ 8.88       (11.74 )%   $ 80,527       1.00 %     1.45 %     1.42 %     232 %

2019(8)

  $ 10.00     $ 0.01     $ 0.32     $ 0.33     $     $     $     $     $     $ 10.33       3.30 %   $ 49,010       1.00 %     1.96 %     0.61 %     10 %

 

*

Per share data calculated using the average shares method.

Total return and portfolio turnover rate are for the period indicated and have not been annualized. Total return would have been lower had the Adviser not waived a portion of its fee. Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

^

Effective March 1, 2018, Institutional Shares were renamed as I Shares.

#

Amount is less than $0.005.

##

Effective July 20, 2020, Global Real Estate Fund was renamed as Real Estate Fund.

Effective March 1, 2018, Limited Duration Bond Fund was renamed as Limited Duration Fund.

††

Effective March 1, 2018, Small Cap Equity Fund was renamed as Small Cap Fund.

(1)

Effective February 25, 2021, Investor Shares Class were converted to I Shares Class of the Fund.

(2)

The expense ratio includes dividend expense. Had this expense been excluded the ratios would have been 1.50%.

(3)

Ratios include previously waived investment advisory fees recovered.

(4)

The expense ratio includes dividend and interest expense. Had this expense been excluded the ratios would have been 1.50%, 1.86%, and (1.85)%.

(5)

Commenced operations on December 2, 2019. All ratios for the period have been annualized.

(6)

The expense ratio includes dividend expense. Had this expense been excluded the ratios would have been 1.50%, 2.17%, and (0.58)%.

(7)

Commenced operations on December 31, 2019. All ratios for the period have been annualized.

(8)

Commenced operations on September 30, 2019. All ratios for the period have been annualized.

 

Amounts designated as “—” are $0 or have been rounded to $0.

 

134

 

 

 

The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III

Knights of Columbus Funds

 

Investment Adviser

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC
One Columbus Plaza
New Haven, Connecticut 06510

 

Sub-Adviser

(Long/Short Equity Fund and U.S. All Cap Index Fund)
L2 Asset Management, LLC
66 Glezen Lane
Wayland, Massachusetts 01778

 

Sub-Adviser

(Real Estate Fund)
Ranger Global Real Estate Advisors, LLC
405 Lexington Avenue, Suite 3401
New York, New York 10174

Distributor

SEI Investments Distribution Co.
One Freedom Valley Drive
Oaks, Pennsylvania 19456

 

Legal Counsel

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
2222 Market Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103

 

More information about the Funds is available, without charge, through the following:

 

Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”): The SAI, dated March 1, 2024, as it may be amended from time to time, includes detailed information about the Funds and The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III. The SAI is on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. This means that the SAI, for legal purposes, is a part of this prospectus.

 

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports: These reports list the Funds’ holdings and contain information from the Adviser about investment strategies, and recent market conditions and trends and their impact on Fund performance. The reports also contain detailed financial information about the Funds.

 

To Obtain an SAI, Annual or Semi-Annual Report, or More Information:

 

By Telephone:

1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637)

By Mail:

Knights of Columbus Funds
P.O. Box 219009
Kansas City, Missouri 64121-9009

By Internet:

www.kofcassetadvisors.org

 

From the SEC: You can also obtain the SAI or the Annual and Semi-Annual Reports, as well as other information about The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III, from the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at: https://www.sec.gov. You may also obtain this information, upon payment of a duplicating fee, by e-mailing the SEC at the following address: [email protected].

 

The Trust’s Investment Company Act registration number is 811-22920.

 

KOC-PS-001-1000