Table of Contents

 

 

MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

NORTHERN INSTITUTIONAL FUNDS

 

TREASURY PORTFOLIO

SHARES (NITXX)

SERVICE SHARES

PREMIER SHARES (NTPXX)

TREASURY INSTRUMENTS PORTFOLIO

SHARES (NTYXX)

SERVICE SHARES

PREMIER SHARES

U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO

SHARES (BNGXX)

SERVICE SHARES (BGCXX)

PREMIER SHARES (BGDXX)

U.S. GOVERNMENT SELECT PORTFOLIO

SHARES (BGSXX)

SERVICE SHARES (BSCXX)

PREMIER SHARES (BSDXX)

Prospectus dated April 1, 2024

 

You could lose money by investing in the Portfolios.

Although each of the Portfolios seek to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so.

An investment in a Portfolio is not a bank account and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), any other government agency, or The Northern Trust Company, its affiliates, subsidiaries or any other bank. The Portfolios’ sponsor is not required to reimburse the Portfolios for losses, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Portfolios at any time, including during periods of market stress.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Service Shares of Treasury Portfolio and U.S. Government Portfolio, and Premier Shares of U.S. Government Portfolio and U.S. Government Select Portfolio shares are not currently for sale or available for purchase.

 

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Table of Contents

MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  3      

PORTFOLIO SUMMARIES

    3    

TREASURY PORTFOLIO

    11    

TREASURY INSTRUMENTS PORTFOLIO

    19    

U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO

    27    

U.S. GOVERNMENT SELECT PORTFOLIO

  36      

INVESTMENT ADVISER

  37      

MANAGEMENT FEES

  38      

OTHER PORTFOLIO SERVICES

  39      
PURCHASING AND SELLING SHARES, SERVICE SHARES AND
PREMIER SHARES
    39    

INVESTORS

    39    

SHARE CLASSES

    39     PURCHASING SHARES, SERVICE SHARES AND PREMIER SHARES
    40    

OPENING AN ACCOUNT

    41    

SELLING SHARES, SERVICE SHARES AND PREMIER SHARES

  42      

ACCOUNT POLICIES AND OTHER INFORMATION

  49      

DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAX CONSIDERATIONS

  51      

SECURITIES, TECHNIQUES AND RISKS

    51     ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RELATED RISKS, DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES AND COMMON INVESTMENT TECHNIQUES
  59      

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

  68      

FOR MORE INFORMATION

 

MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS   2   NORTHERN INSTITUTIONAL FUNDS PROSPECTUS


Table of Contents

MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

PORTFOLIO SUMMARIES

TREASURY PORTFOLIO—SHARES

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Portfolio seeks to maximize current income to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity by investing its net assets, under normal market conditions, exclusively in U.S. Treasury securities and related repurchase agreements and other securities that limit their investments to, or are backed by, U.S. Treasury securities.

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Shares of the Portfolio. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a financial intermediary for transactions in Shares, which are not reflected in the tables or the examples below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)  

None

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

Management Fees

    0.13% 

Other Expenses

    0.02% 

Transfer Agent Fees

    0.02%     

Service Fees

    None     

Other Operating Expenses

    0.00%     

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

    0.15% 

Expense Reimbursement(1)

    0.00% 

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement

    0.15% 

 

(1) 

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. (“NTI”) has contractually agreed to reimburse a portion of the operating expenses of the Portfolio so that after such reimbursement the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses of the Portfolio (excluding (i) acquired fund fees and expenses; (ii) service fees; (iii) the compensation paid to each Independent Trustee of the Trust; (iv) expenses of third party consultants engaged by the Board of Trustees; (v) membership dues paid to the Investment Company Institute and Mutual Fund Directors Forum; (vi) expenses in connection with the negotiation and renewal of the revolving credit facility; and (vii) extraordinary expenses and interest) do not exceed 0.15%. This contractual limitation may not be terminated before April 1, 2025 without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

EXAMPLE

The following Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Shares of the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio 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 Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same (taking into account the expense reimbursement arrangement for one year). 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  

Shares

     $15        $48        $85        $192  

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, its total assets exclusively in:

 

 

Cash;

 

 

Short-term bills, notes, including floating rate notes, and other obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury (“Treasury Obligations”); and

 

 

Repurchase agreements collateralized fully by cash or Treasury Obligations.

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in Treasury Obligations and repurchase agreements collateralized solely by Treasury Obligations.

The Portfolio operates as a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. As a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7, the Portfolio (1) is permitted to use the amortized cost method of valuation to seek to maintain a stable net asset value (“NAV”) of $1.00 share price, and (2) is not required to impose a liquidity fee on Portfolio redemptions that might apply to other types of money market funds. The Portfolio may invest in shares of other government money market funds.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) imposes strict requirements on the investment quality, maturity, diversification and liquidity of the Portfolio’s investments. Accordingly, the Portfolio invests in U.S. dollar-denominated securities with a remaining maturity of no more than 397 days (with certain exceptions permitted by applicable regulations). The Portfolio maintains a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of no more than 60 calendar days, and a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity as determined without exceptions regarding certain interest rate adjustments under Rule 2a-7 of no more than 120 calendar days. The Portfolio will

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

TREASURY PORTFOLIO—SHARES

limit its investments to “eligible securities,” as defined by applicable regulations, at the time of acquisition (e.g., government securities, shares of other money market funds, and securities that present minimal credit risks as determined by NTI, pursuant to guidelines approved by the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees). The Portfolio may invest in variable and floating rate instruments. The Portfolio’s investment adviser may consider, among other things, credit and interest rate risks as well as general market conditions when deciding whether to buy or sell investments for the Portfolio. The Portfolio will generally hold a portion of its assets in cash to accommodate anticipated redemptions.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Portfolio, and the Portfolio’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Portfolio is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s NAV, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Each risk noted below is considered a principal risk of investing in the Portfolio, regardless of the order in which it appears. The significance of each risk factor below may change over time and you should review each risk factor carefully.

STABLE NAV RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will not be able to maintain a NAV per share of $1.00 at all times. A significant enough market disruption or drop in market prices of securities held by the Portfolio, especially at a time when the Portfolio needs to sell securities to meet shareholder redemption requests, could cause the value of the Portfolio’s shares to decrease to a price less than $1.00 per share. If the Portfolio fails to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure) the Portfolio could be subject to increased redemption activity, which could adversely affect its NAV.

INTEREST RATE RISK is the risk that during periods of rising interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be lower than prevailing market rates and in periods of falling interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be higher. A Portfolio’s yield will vary as short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. In general, securities with longer maturities or durations are more sensitive to interest rate changes. A general rise in interest rates may cause investors to move out of fixed income securities on a large scale, which could adversely affect the price and liquidity of fixed income securities and could also result in increased redemptions for the Portfolio. During periods when inflation rates are high or rising, or during periods of low interest rates, the Portfolio may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets and the Portfolio’s investment, may result in heightened market volatility, may impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and of the Portfolio, and may detract from Portfolio performance.

CREDIT (OR DEFAULT) RISK is the risk that the inability or unwillingness of an issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or a counterparty to a repurchase or other transaction, to meet its principal or interest payments or other financial obligations will adversely affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments and its returns. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength, the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness, or in the credit rating of the issuer or the security may also affect the value of the Portfolio’s investment in that issuer.

DEBT EXTENSION RISK is the risk that when interest rates rise an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on certain debt securities held by the Portfolio later than expected. This will cause the value of the security to decrease and the Portfolio may lose opportunities to invest in higher yielding securities.

VARIABLE OR FLOATING RATE INSTRUMENTS RISK is the risk that securities with variable or floating rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, but may decline in value and negatively impact the Portfolio, particularly if changes in prevailing interest rates are more frequent or sudden than the rate changes for the variable or floating rate securities, which only occur periodically. Although variable and floating rate securities are less sensitive to interest rate risk than fixed-rate securities, they are subject to greater liquidity risk, which could impede their value.

INCOME RISK is the risk that the Portfolio’s ability to distribute income to shareholders depends on the yield available from the Portfolio’s investments. Falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline. Income risk is generally higher for short-term debt securities.

REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS RISK is the risk that the counterparty may default on its obligation to repurchase the underlying instruments collateralizing the repurchase agreement, which may cause the Portfolio to lose money.

INVESTMENT COMPANY RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will be subject to the risks associated with investments in registered investment companies (“Underlying Funds”), such as the possibility that the value of the securities or instruments held by the Underlying Funds could decrease. Investments in Underlying Funds may involve duplication of management fees and certain other expenses, as the Portfolio indirectly bears its proportionate share of any expenses paid by the Underlying Funds in which it invests.

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

TREASURY PORTFOLIO—SHARES

 

MARKET RISK is the risk that the value of the Portfolio’s investments may increase or decrease in response to expected, real or perceived economic, political or financial events in the U.S. or global markets. The frequency and magnitude of such changes in value cannot be predicted. Certain securities and other investments held by the Portfolio may experience increased volatility, illiquidity, or other potentially adverse effects in response to changing market conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the bond or equity markets or volatility in the equity markets. Market disruptions caused by local or regional events such as financial institution failures, war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness (including epidemics and pandemics) or other public health issues, recessions or other events or adverse investor sentiment or other political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. During periods of market disruption or other abnormal market conditions, the Portfolio’s exposure to risks described elsewhere in this summary will likely increase.

CASH POSITIONS RISK is the risk that maintaining cash positions may negatively affect the Portfolio’s performance and subject the Portfolio to additional risks, such as increased counterparty risk exposure to the custodian bank.

MANAGEMENT RISK is the risk that a strategy used by the Portfolio’s investment adviser may fail to produce the intended results or that imperfections, errors or limitations in the tools and data used by the investment adviser may cause unintended results.

LARGE SHAREHOLDER RISK is the risk that the Portfolio may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders, including funds or accounts over which the Portfolio’s investment adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser has investment discretion, purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Portfolio. Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly and unexpectedly, may cause the Portfolio to sell its securities at times it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact its liquidity and/or NAV. Such sales may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if these sales result in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, large redemptions could lead to an increase in the Portfolio’s expense ratio due to expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base. Large purchases of the Portfolio’s shares may also adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance to the extent that the Portfolio is delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would.

You could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. Although the Portfolio seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, the Portfolio cannot guarantee it will do so.

An investment in the Portfolio is not a bank account and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, any other government agency, or The Northern Trust Company, its affiliates, subsidiaries or any other bank.

The Portfolio’s sponsor is not required to reimburse the Portfolio for losses, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Portfolio at any time, including during periods of market stress.

PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE

The bar chart and table that follow provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the performance of the Portfolio’s Shares from year to year.

The Portfolio’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Updated performance information for the Portfolio is available and may be obtained on the Portfolio’s website at www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional or by calling 800-637-1380.

CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURNS (SHARES)*

 

 

LOGO

* For the periods shown in the bar chart above:

 

highest quarterly return

    1.33   fourth quarter of 2023

lowest quarterly return

    0.00   second quarter of 2015

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS

(For the periods ended December 31, 2023)

 

    1 Year     5 Years     10 Years  

Shares

    4.99     1.77     1.16

The 7-day yield for Shares of the Portfolio as of December 31, 2023: 5.27%. For the current 7-day yield call 800-637-1380 or visit www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional.

 

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Table of Contents

MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

TREASURY PORTFOLIO—SHARES

 

MANAGEMENT

INVESTMENT ADVISER. NTI, an indirect subsidiary of Northern Trust Corporation, serves as the investment adviser of the Portfolio. The Northern Trust Company, an affiliate of NTI, serves as transfer agent, custodian and sub-administrator to the Portfolio.

PURCHASE AND SALE OF PORTFOLIO SHARES

You may purchase Shares of the Portfolio through an account directly with Northern Institutional Funds (the “Trust”) generally with a minimum initial investment of $5 million in one or more of the Trust’s portfolios. There is no minimum for subsequent investments. The Trust reserves the right to waive the minimum investment requirement in connection with the purchase of Portfolio Shares.

You may also purchase Shares of the Portfolio through an institutional account at Northern Trust (or an affiliate) or an authorized intermediary with no minimum initial or subsequent investment minimum. The Shares class of the Portfolio is not offered for purchase through Northern Trust custody sweep.

If you purchase, sell (redeem) or exchange Shares through an authorized intermediary, you may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the intermediary. In addition, an authorized intermediary may impose different investment minimums than those set forth above. The Portfolio is not responsible for any investment minimums imposed by authorized intermediaries or for notifying shareholders of any changes to them.

On any business day, you may sell (redeem) or exchange Portfolio shares through your institutional account by contacting your Northern Trust account representative or authorized intermediary. If you purchase Portfolio shares directly from the Trust, you may sell (redeem) or exchange your shares in one of the following ways:

 

 

By Mail – Send a written request to: Northern Institutional Funds, P.O. Box 75986, Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986.

 

 

By Telephone – Call the Northern Institutional Funds Center at 800-637-1380 for instructions.

 

 

By Wire – Authorize wire redemptions on your New Account Application and have proceeds sent by federal wire transfer to a previously designated bank account (the minimum redemption amount by this method is $10,000).

TAX INFORMATION

The Portfolio’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, unless you are investing through a tax-exempt or tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-advantaged accounts.

PAYMENTS TO BROKERS DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase the Portfolio through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Portfolio and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Portfolio 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 the Portfolio over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

TREASURY PORTFOLIO—SERVICE SHARES AND PREMIER SHARES

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Portfolio seeks to maximize current income to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity by investing its net assets, under normal market conditions, exclusively in U.S. Treasury securities and related repurchase agreements and other securities that limit their investments to, or are backed by, U.S. Treasury securities.

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Service Shares and Premier Shares of the Portfolio. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a financial intermediary for transactions in Service Shares, which are not reflected in the tables or the examples below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)  

None

               
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year
as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
    Service
Shares
    Premier
Shares
 

Management Fees

    0.13%        0.13%   

Other Expenses

    0.02% (1)       0.07%   

Transfer Agent Fees

    0.02%            0.02%       

Service Fees

    None            0.05%       

Other Operating Expenses

    0.00%            0.00%       

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

    0.15%        0.20%   

Expense Reimbursement(2)

    0.00%        0.00%   

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement

    0.15%        0.20%   

 

(1) 

“Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

(2) 

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. (“NTI”) has contractually agreed to reimburse a portion of the operating expenses of the Portfolio so that after such reimbursement the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses of the Portfolio (excluding (i) acquired fund fees and expenses; (ii) service fees; (iii) the compensation paid to each Independent Trustee of the Trust; (iv) expenses of third party consultants engaged by the Board of Trustees; (v) membership dues paid to the Investment Company Institute and Mutual Fund Directors Forum; (vi) expenses in connection with the negotiation and renewal of the revolving credit facility; and (vii) extraordinary expenses and interest) do not exceed 0.15%. The “Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement” may be higher than the contractual limitation as a result of certain Portfolio expenses, including but not limited to service fees, that are not reimbursed. This contractual limitation may not be terminated before April 1, 2025 without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

EXAMPLE

The following Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Service Shares and Premier Shares of the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio 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 Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same (taking into account the expense reimbursement arrangement for one year). 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  

Service Shares

     $15        $48        $85        $192  

Premier Shares

     $20        $64        $113        $255  

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, its total assets exclusively in:

 

 

Cash;

 

 

Short-term bills, notes, including floating rate notes, and other obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury (“Treasury Obligations”); and

 

 

Repurchase agreements collateralized fully by cash or Treasury Obligations.

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in Treasury Obligations and repurchase agreements collateralized solely by Treasury Obligations.

The Portfolio operates as a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. As a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7, the Portfolio (1) is permitted to use the amortized cost method of valuation to seek to maintain a stable net asset value (“NAV”) of $1.00 share price, and (2) is not required to impose a liquidity fee on Portfolio redemptions that might apply to other types of money market funds. The Portfolio may invest in shares of other government money market funds.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) imposes strict requirements on the investment quality, maturity, diversification and liquidity of the Portfolio’s investments. Accordingly, the Portfolio invests in U.S. dollar-denominated securities with a remaining maturity of no more than 397 days (with certain exceptions permitted by applicable regulations). The Portfolio maintains a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of no more than 60 calendar days, and a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity as determined without exceptions regarding certain interest rate adjustments under Rule 2a-7 of no more than 120 calendar days. The Portfolio will limit its investments to “eligible securities,” as defined by

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

TREASURY PORTFOLIO—SERVICE SHARES AND PREMIER SHARES

applicable regulations, at the time of acquisition (e.g., government securities, shares of other money market funds, and securities that present minimal credit risks as determined by NTI, pursuant to guidelines approved by the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees). The Portfolio may invest in variable and floating rate instruments. The Portfolio’s investment adviser may consider, among other things, credit and interest rate risks as well as general market conditions when deciding whether to buy or sell investments for the Portfolio. The Portfolio will generally hold a portion of its assets in cash to accommodate anticipated redemptions.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Portfolio, and the Portfolio’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Portfolio is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s NAV, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Each risk noted below is considered a principal risk of investing in the Portfolio, regardless of the order in which it appears. The significance of each risk factor below may change over time and you should review each risk factor carefully.

STABLE NAV RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will not be able to maintain a NAV per share of $1.00 at all times. A significant enough market disruption or drop in market prices of securities held by the Portfolio, especially at a time when the Portfolio needs to sell securities to meet shareholder redemption requests, could cause the value of the Portfolio’s shares to decrease to a price less than $1.00 per share. If the Portfolio fails to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure) the Portfolio could be subject to increased redemption activity, which could adversely affect its NAV.

INTEREST RATE RISK is the risk that during periods of rising interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be lower than prevailing market rates and in periods of falling interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be higher. A Portfolio’s yield will vary as short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. In general, securities with longer maturities or durations are more sensitive to interest rate changes. A general rise in interest rates may cause investors to move out of fixed income securities on a large scale, which could adversely affect the price and liquidity of fixed income securities and could also result in increased redemptions for the Portfolio. During periods when inflation rates are high or rising, or during periods of low interest rates, the Portfolio may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets and the Portfolio’s investment, may result in heightened market volatility, may impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and of the Portfolio, and may detract from Portfolio performance.

CREDIT (OR DEFAULT) RISK is the risk that the inability or unwillingness of an issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or a counterparty to a repurchase or other transaction, to meet its principal or interest payments or other financial obligations will adversely affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments and its returns. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength, the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness, or in the credit rating of the issuer or the security may also affect the value of the Portfolio’s investment in that issuer.

DEBT EXTENSION RISK is the risk that when interest rates rise an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on certain debt securities held by the Portfolio later than expected. This will cause the value of the security to decrease and the Portfolio may lose opportunities to invest in higher yielding securities.

VARIABLE OR FLOATING RATE INSTRUMENTS RISK is the risk that securities with variable or floating rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, but may decline in value and negatively impact the Portfolio, particularly if changes in prevailing interest rates are more frequent or sudden than the rate changes for the variable or floating rate securities, which only occur periodically. Although variable and floating rate securities are less sensitive to interest rate risk than fixed-rate securities, they are subject to greater liquidity risk, which could impede their value.

INCOME RISK is the risk that the Portfolio’s ability to distribute income to shareholders depends on the yield available from the Portfolio’s investments. Falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline. Income risk is generally higher for short-term debt securities.

REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS RISK is the risk that the counterparty may default on its obligation to repurchase the underlying instruments collateralizing the repurchase agreement, which may cause the Portfolio to lose money.

INVESTMENT COMPANY RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will be subject to the risks associated with investments in registered investment companies (“Underlying Funds”), such as the possibility that the value of the securities or instruments held by the Underlying Funds could decrease. Investments in Underlying Funds may involve duplication of management fees and certain other expenses, as the Portfolio indirectly bears its proportionate share of any expenses paid by the Underlying Funds in which it invests.

MARKET RISK is the risk that the value of the Portfolio’s investments may increase or decrease in response to expected, real or perceived economic, political or financial events in the

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

TREASURY PORTFOLIO—SERVICE SHARES AND PREMIER SHARES

U.S. or global markets. The frequency and magnitude of such changes in value cannot be predicted. Certain securities and other investments held by the Portfolio may experience increased volatility, illiquidity, or other potentially adverse effects in response to changing market conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the bond or equity markets or volatility in the equity markets Market disruptions caused by local or regional events such as financial institution failures, war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness (including epidemics and pandemics) or other public health issues, recessions or other events or adverse investor sentiment or other political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. During periods of market disruption or other abnormal market conditions, the Portfolio’s exposure to risks described elsewhere in this summary will likely increase.

CASH POSITIONS RISK is the risk that maintaining cash positions may negatively affect the Portfolio’s performance and subject the Portfolio to additional risks, such as increased counterparty risk exposure to the custodian bank holding the assets held in cash.

MANAGEMENT RISK is the risk that a strategy used by the Portfolio’s investment adviser may fail to produce the intended results or that imperfections, errors or limitations in the tools and data used by the investment adviser may cause unintended results.

LARGE SHAREHOLDER RISK is the risk that the Portfolio may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders, including funds or accounts over which the Portfolio’s investment adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser has investment discretion, purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Portfolio. Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly and unexpectedly, may cause the Portfolio to sell its securities at times it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact its liquidity and/or NAV. Such sales may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if these sales result in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, large redemptions could lead to an increase in the Portfolio’s expense ratio due to expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base. Large purchases of the Portfolio’s shares may also adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance to the extent that the Portfolio is delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would.

You could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. Although the Portfolio seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, the Portfolio cannot guarantee it will do so.

An investment in the Portfolio is not a bank account and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, any other government agency, or The Northern Trust Company, its affiliates, subsidiaries or any other bank.

The Portfolio’s sponsor is not required to reimburse the Portfolio for losses, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Portfolio at any time, including during periods of market stress.

PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE

The bar chart and table that follow provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the performance of the Portfolio from year to year. As of December 31, 2023, there were no Service Shares outstanding for the Portfolio. Service Shares would have similar annual returns when compared with Premier Shares because each class is invested in the same portfolio of securities. The annual return of Premier Shares would differ from those of Service Shares only to the extent that the classes do not have the same expenses.

The Portfolio’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Updated performance information for the Portfolio is available and may be obtained on the Portfolio’s website at www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional or by calling 800-637-1380.

CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURNS (PREMIER SHARES)*

 

 

LOGO

* For the periods shown in the bar chart above:

 

highest quarterly return

    1.32   fourth quarter of 2023

lowest quarterly return

    0.00   fourth quarter of 2020

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS

(For the periods ended December 31, 2023)

 

    Inception
Date
    1 Year     5 Years     Since
Inception
 

Premier Shares

    08/01/2016       4.94     1.73     1.50

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

TREASURY PORTFOLIO—SERVICE SHARES AND PREMIER SHARES

 

The 7-day yield for Premier Shares of the Portfolio as of December 31, 2023: 5.22%. For the current 7-day yield call 800-637-1380 or visit www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional.

MANAGEMENT

INVESTMENT ADVISER. NTI, an indirect subsidiary of Northern Trust Corporation, serves as the investment adviser of the Portfolio. The Northern Trust Company, an affiliate of NTI, serves as transfer agent, custodian and sub-administrator to the Portfolio.

Under the Service Plan for Premier Shares, Northern Institutional Funds (the “Trust”) has entered into a servicing agreement with The Northern Trust Company (“TNTC”) under which TNTC has agreed to provide certain shareholder account, administrative and other service functions to its customers who are shareholders of the Premier Shares. In exchange for these services, TNTC, as servicing agent, receives an annual fee of 0.05% of the average daily net assets of the Premier Shares of the Portfolio.

PURCHASE AND SALE OF PORTFOLIO SHARES

There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment required for purchases of Service Shares through an authorized intermediary. Premier Shares of the Portfolio are currently offered only through Northern Trust custody sweep. There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment required for purchases of Premier Shares. Service Shares of the Portfolio are not currently offered for sale or available for purchase.

If you purchase, sell (redeem) or exchange Service Shares through an authorized intermediary, you may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the intermediary. In addition, an authorized intermediary may impose different investment minimums than those set forth above. The Portfolio is not responsible for any investment minimums imposed by authorized intermediaries or for notifying shareholders of any changes to them.

On any business day, you may sell (redeem) or exchange Service Shares of the Portfolio through your institutional account by contacting your authorized intermediary. If you purchase Service Shares of the Portfolio directly from the Trust, you may sell (redeem) or exchange your shares in one of the following ways:

 

 

By Mail – Send a written request to: Northern Institutional Funds, P.O. Box 75986, Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986.

 

 

By Telephone – Call the Northern Institutional Funds Center at 800-637-1380 for instructions.

 

 

By Wire – Authorize wire redemptions on your New Account Application and have proceeds sent by federal wire transfer to a previously designated bank account (the minimum redemption amount by this method is $10,000).

On any business day, you may sell (redeem) or exchange Premier Shares of the Portfolio through your custody sweep account by contacting your Northern Trust account representative.

TAX INFORMATION

The Portfolio’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, unless you are investing through a tax-exempt or tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-advantaged accounts.

PAYMENTS TO BROKERS DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase the Portfolio through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Portfolio and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Portfolio 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 the Portfolio over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Portfolio seeks to maximize current income to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity by investing its net assets, under normal conditions, exclusively in U.S. Treasury securities.

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Shares of the Portfolio. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a financial intermediary for transactions in Shares, which are not reflected in the tables or the examples below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)      

None

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

Management Fees

    0.18% 

Other Expenses(1)

    0.06% 

Transfer Agent Fees

    0.02%       

Service Fees

    None       

Other Operating Expenses

    0.04%       

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

    0.24% 

Expense Reimbursement(2)

    (0.04)%  

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement

    0.20% 

 

(1) 

“Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

(2) 

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. (“NTI”) has contractually agreed to reimburse a portion of the operating expenses of the Portfolio so that after such reimbursement the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses of the Portfolio (excluding (i) acquired fund fees and expenses; (ii) service fees; (iii) the compensation paid to each Independent Trustee of the Trust; (iv) expenses of third party consultants engaged by the Board of Trustees; (v) membership dues paid to the Investment Company Institute and Mutual Fund Directors Forum; (vi) expenses in connection with the negotiation and renewal of the revolving credit facility; and (vii) extraordinary expenses and interest) do not exceed 0.20%. This contractual limitation may not be terminated before April 1, 2025 without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

EXAMPLE

The following Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Shares of the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio 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 Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same (taking into account the expense reimbursement arrangement for one year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

     1 Year      3 Years  

Shares

     $20        $73  

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, its total assets exclusively in:

 

 

Cash; and

 

 

Short-term bills, notes and other obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury (“Treasury Obligations”).

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in Treasury Obligations.

The Portfolio operates as a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. As a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7, the Portfolio (1) is permitted to use the amortized cost method of valuation to seek to maintain a stable net asset value (“NAV”) of $1.00 share price, and (2) is not required to impose a liquidity fee on Portfolio redemptions that might apply to other types of money market funds. The Portfolio may invest in shares of other government money market funds.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) imposes strict requirements on the investment quality, maturity, diversification and liquidity of the Portfolio’s investments. Accordingly, the Portfolio invests in U.S. dollar-denominated securities with a remaining maturity of no more than 397 days (with certain exceptions permitted by applicable regulations). The Portfolio maintains a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of no more than 60 calendar days, and a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity as determined without exceptions regarding certain interest rate adjustments under Rule 2a-7 of no more than 120 calendar days. The Portfolio will limit its investments to “eligible securities,” as defined by applicable regulations, at the time of acquisition (e.g., government securities, shares of other money market funds, and securities that present minimal credit risks as determined by NTI, pursuant to guidelines approved by the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees). The Portfolio may invest in variable and floating rate instruments. The Portfolio’s investment adviser may consider, among other things, credit and interest rate risks as well as general market conditions when deciding whether to buy or sell investments for the Portfolio. The Portfolio will generally hold a portion of its assets in cash to accommodate anticipated redemptions.

 

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PRINCIPAL RISKS

As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Portfolio, and the Portfolio’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Portfolio is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s NAV, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Each risk noted below is considered a principal risk of investing in the Portfolio, regardless of the order in which it appears. The significance of each risk factor below may change over time and you should review each risk factor carefully.

STABLE NAV RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will not be able to maintain a NAV per share of $1.00 at all times. A significant enough market disruption or drop in market prices of securities held by the Portfolio, especially at a time when the Portfolio needs to sell securities to meet shareholder redemption requests, could cause the value of the Portfolio’s shares to decrease to a price less than $1.00 per share. If the Portfolio fails to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure) the Portfolio could be subject to increased redemption activity, which could adversely affect its NAV.

INTEREST RATE RISK is the risk that during periods of rising interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be lower than prevailing market rates and in periods of falling interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be higher. A Portfolio’s yield will vary as short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. In general, securities with longer maturities or durations are more sensitive to interest rate changes. A general rise in interest rates may cause investors to move out of fixed income securities on a large scale, which could adversely affect the price and liquidity of fixed income securities and could also result in increased redemptions for the Portfolio. During periods when inflation rates are high or rising, or during periods of low interest rates, the Portfolio may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets and the Portfolio’s investment, may result in heightened market volatility, may impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and of the Portfolio, and may detract from Portfolio performance.

CREDIT (OR DEFAULT) RISK is the risk that the inability or unwillingness of an issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or a counterparty to a repurchase or other transaction, to meet its principal or interest payments or other financial obligations will adversely affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments and its returns. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength, the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness, or in the credit rating of the issuer or the security may also affect the value of the Portfolio’s investment in that issuer.

DEBT EXTENSION RISK is the risk that when interest rates rise an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on certain debt securities held by the Portfolio later than expected. This will cause the value of the security to decrease and the Portfolio may lose opportunities to invest in higher yielding securities.

VARIABLE OR FLOATING RATE INSTRUMENTS RISK is the risk that securities with variable or floating rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, but may decline in value and negatively impact the Portfolio, particularly if changes in prevailing interest rates are more frequent or sudden than the rate changes for the variable or floating rate securities, which only occur periodically. Although variable and floating rate securities are less sensitive to interest rate risk than fixed-rate securities, they are subject to greater liquidity risk, which could impede their value.

INCOME RISK is the risk that the Portfolio’s ability to distribute income to shareholders depends on the yield available from the Portfolio’s investments. Falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline. Income risk is generally higher for short-term debt securities.

INVESTMENT COMPANY RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will be subject to the risks associated with investments in registered investment companies (“Underlying Funds”), such as the possibility that the value of the securities or instruments held by the Underlying Funds could decrease. Investments in Underlying Funds may involve duplication of management fees and certain other expenses, as the Portfolio indirectly bears its proportionate share of any expenses paid by the Underlying Funds in which it invests.

MARKET RISK is the risk that the value of the Portfolio’s investments may increase or decrease in response to expected, real or perceived economic, political or financial events in the U.S. or global markets. The frequency and magnitude of such changes in value cannot be predicted. Certain securities and other investments held by the Portfolio may experience increased volatility, illiquidity, or other potentially adverse effects in response to changing market conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the bond or equity markets or volatility in the equity markets. Market disruptions caused by local or regional events such as financial institution failures, war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness (including epidemics and pandemics) or other public health issues, recessions or other events or adverse investor sentiment or other political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. During periods of market disruption or other abnormal market conditions, the

 

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Portfolio’s exposure to risks described elsewhere in this summary will likely increase.

CASH POSITIONS RISK is the risk that maintaining cash positions may negatively affect the Portfolio’s performance and subject the Portfolio to additional risks, such as increased counterparty risk exposure to the custodian bank.

MANAGEMENT RISK is the risk that a strategy used by the Portfolio’s investment adviser may fail to produce the intended results or that imperfections, errors or limitations in the tools and data used by the investment adviser may cause unintended results.

LARGE SHAREHOLDER RISK is the risk that the Portfolio may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders, including funds or accounts over which the Portfolio’s investment adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser has investment discretion, purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Portfolio. Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly and unexpectedly, may cause the Portfolio to sell its securities at times it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact its liquidity and/or NAV. Such sales may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if these sales result in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, large redemptions could lead to an increase in the Portfolio’s expense ratio due to expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base. Large purchases of the Portfolio’s shares may also adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance to the extent that the Portfolio is delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would.

You could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. Although the Portfolio seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, the Portfolio cannot guarantee it will do so.

An investment in the Portfolio is not a bank account and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, any other government agency, or The Northern Trust Company, its affiliates, subsidiaries or any other bank.

The Portfolio’s sponsor is not required to reimburse the Portfolio for losses, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Portfolio at any time, including during periods of market stress.

PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE

The Portfolio has not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, and does not have a full calendar year of performance. After the Portfolio has been in operation for a full calendar year, total return information will be presented. Once available, the Portfolio’s performance information will be accessible on the Portfolio’s web site at www.northerntrust.com/ united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional or by calling 800-637-1380, and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

 

MANAGEMENT

INVESTMENT ADVISER. NTI, an indirect subsidiary of Northern Trust Corporation, serves as the investment adviser of the Portfolio. The Northern Trust Company, an affiliate of NTI, serves as transfer agent, custodian and sub-administrator to the Portfolio.

PURCHASE AND SALE OF PORTFOLIO SHARES

You may purchase Shares of the Portfolio through an account directly with Northern Institutional Funds (the “Trust”) generally with a minimum initial investment of $5 million in one or more of the Trust’s portfolios. There is no minimum or subsequent investments. The Trust reserves the right to waive the minimum investment requirement in connection with the purchase of Portfolio Shares. As of December 31, 2023, there were no Shares outstanding for the Portfolio.

You may also purchase Shares of the Portfolio through an institutional account at Northern Trust (or an affiliate) or an authorized intermediary with no minimum initial or subsequent investment minimum.

If you purchase, sell (redeem) or exchange Shares through an authorized intermediary, you may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the intermediary. In addition, an authorized intermediary may impose different investment minimums than those set forth above. The Portfolio is not responsible for any investment minimums imposed by authorized intermediaries or for notifying shareholders of any changes to them.

On any business day, you may sell (redeem) or exchange Portfolio shares through your institutional account by contacting your Northern Trust account representative or authorized intermediary. If you purchase Portfolio shares directly from the Trust, you may sell (redeem) or exchange your shares in one of the following ways:

 

 

By Mail – Send a written request to: Northern Institutional Funds, P.O. Box 75986, Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986.

 

 

By Telephone – Call the Northern Institutional Funds Center at 800-637-1380 for instructions.

 

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By Wire – Authorize wire redemptions on your New Account Application and have proceeds sent by federal wire transfer to a previously designated bank account (the minimum redemption amount by this method is $10,000).

TAX INFORMATION

The Portfolio’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, unless you are investing through a tax-exempt or tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-advantaged accounts.

PAYMENTS TO BROKERS-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase the Portfolio through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Portfolio and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Portfolio 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 the Portfolio over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

TREASURY INSTRUMENTS PORTFOLIO—SERVICE SHARES AND PREMIER SHARES

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Portfolio seeks to maximize current income to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity by investing its net assets, under normal conditions, exclusively in U.S. Treasury securities.

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Service Shares and Premier Shares of the Portfolio. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a financial intermediary for transactions in Service Shares, which are not reflected in the tables or the examples below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)  

None

                
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as
a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
    Service
Shares
     Premier
Shares
 

Management Fees

    0.18%       0.18% 

Other Expenses(1)

    0.06%      0.06% 

Transfer Agent Fees

    0.02%             0.02%       

Service Fees

    None             None       

Other Operating Expenses

    0.04%             0.04%       

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

    0.24%       0.24% 

Expense Reimbursement(2)

    (0.04)%        (0.04)%  

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement

    0.20%       0.20% 

 

(1) 

“Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

(2) 

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. (“NTI”) has contractually agreed to reimburse a portion of the operating expenses of the Portfolio so that after such reimbursement the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses of the Portfolio (excluding (i) acquired fund fees and expenses; (ii) service fees; (iii) the compensation paid to each Independent Trustee of the Trust; (iv) expenses of third party consultants engaged by the Board of Trustees; (v) membership dues paid to the Investment Company Institute and Mutual Fund Directors Forum; (vi) expenses in connection with the negotiation and renewal of the revolving credit facility; and (vii) extraordinary expenses and interest) do not exceed 0.20%. This contractual limitation may not be terminated before April 1, 2025 without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

EXAMPLE

The following Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Service Shares and Premier Shares of the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio 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 Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same (taking into account the expense reimbursement arrangement for one year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

     1 Year      3 Years  

Service Shares

     $20        $73  

Premier Shares

     $20        $73  

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, its total assets exclusively in:

 

 

Cash; and

 

 

Short-term bills, notes and other obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury (“Treasury Obligations”).

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in Treasury Obligations.

The Portfolio operates as a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. As a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7, the Portfolio (1) is permitted to use the amortized cost method of valuation to seek to maintain a stable net asset value (“NAV”) of $1.00 share price, and (2) is not required to impose a liquidity fee on Portfolio redemptions that might apply to other types of money market funds. The Portfolio may invest in shares of other government money market funds.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) imposes strict requirements on the investment quality, maturity, diversification and liquidity of the Portfolio’s investments. Accordingly, the Portfolio invests in U.S. dollar-denominated securities with a remaining maturity of no more than 397 days (with certain exceptions permitted by applicable regulations). The Portfolio maintains a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of no more than 60 calendar days, and a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity as determined without exceptions regarding certain interest rate adjustments under Rule 2a-7 of no more than 120 calendar days. The Portfolio will limit its investments to “eligible securities,” as defined by applicable regulations, at the time of acquisition (e.g., government securities, shares of other money market funds, and securities that present minimal credit risks as determined by NTI, pursuant to guidelines approved by the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees). The Portfolio may invest in variable and floating rate instruments. The Portfolio’s investment adviser may consider, among other things, credit and interest rate risks

 

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TREASURY INSTRUMENTS PORTFOLIO—SERVICE SHARES AND PREMIER SHARES

as well as general market conditions when deciding whether to buy or sell investments for the Portfolio. The Portfolio will generally hold a portion of its assets in cash to accommodate anticipated redemptions.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Portfolio, and the Portfolio’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Portfolio is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s NAV, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Each risk noted below is considered a principal risk of investing in the Portfolio, regardless of the order in which it appears. The significance of each risk factor below may change over time and you should review each risk factor carefully.

STABLE NAV RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will not be able to maintain a NAV per share of $1.00 at all times. A significant enough market disruption or drop in market prices of securities held by the Portfolio, especially at a time when the Portfolio needs to sell securities to meet shareholder redemption requests, could cause the value of the Portfolio’s shares to decrease to a price less than $1.00 per share. If the Portfolio fails to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure) the Portfolio could be subject to increased redemption activity, which could adversely affect its NAV.

INTEREST RATE RISK is the risk that during periods of rising interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be lower than prevailing market rates and in periods of falling interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be higher. A Portfolio’s yield will vary as short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. In general, securities with longer maturities or durations are more sensitive to interest rate changes. A general rise in interest rates may cause investors to move out of fixed income securities on a large scale, which could adversely affect the price and liquidity of fixed income securities and could also result in increased redemptions for the Portfolio. During periods when inflation rates are high or rising, or during periods of low interest rates, the Portfolio may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets and the Portfolio’s investment, may result in heightened market volatility, may impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and of the Portfolio, and may detract from Portfolio performance. .

CREDIT (OR DEFAULT) RISK is the risk that the inability or unwillingness of an issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or a counterparty to a repurchase or other transaction, to meet its principal or interest payments or other financial obligations will adversely affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments and its returns. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength, the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness, or in the credit rating of the issuer or the security may also affect the value of the Portfolio’s investment in that issuer.

DEBT EXTENSION RISK is the risk that when interest rates rise an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on certain debt securities held by the Portfolio later than expected. This will cause the value of the security to decrease and the Portfolio may lose opportunities to invest in higher yielding securities.

VARIABLE OR FLOATING RATE INSTRUMENTS RISK is the risk that securities with variable or floating rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, but may decline in value and negatively impact the Portfolio, particularly if changes in prevailing interest rates are more frequent or sudden than the rate changes for the variable or floating rate securities, which only occur periodically. Although variable and floating rate securities are less sensitive to interest rate risk than fixed-rate securities, they are subject to greater liquidity risk, which could impede their value.

INCOME RISK is the risk that the Portfolio’s ability to distribute income to shareholders depends on the yield available from the Portfolio’s investments. Falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline. Income risk is generally higher for short-term debt securities.

INVESTMENT COMPANY RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will be subject to the risks associated with investments in registered investment companies (“Underlying Funds”), such as the possibility that the value of the securities or instruments held by the Underlying Funds could decrease. Investments in Underlying Funds may involve duplication of management fees and certain other expenses, as the Portfolio indirectly bears its proportionate share of any expenses paid by the Underlying Funds in which it invests.

MARKET RISK is the risk that the value of the Portfolio’s investments may increase or decrease in response to expected, real or perceived economic, political or financial events in the U.S. or global markets. The frequency and magnitude of such changes in value cannot be predicted. Certain securities and other investments held by the Portfolio may experience increased volatility, illiquidity, or other potentially adverse effects in response to changing market conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the bond or equity markets or volatility in the equity markets. Market disruptions caused by local or regional events such as financial institution failures, war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness (including epidemics and pandemics) or other public health issues, recessions or other events or adverse investor sentiment or other

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

TREASURY INSTRUMENTS PORTFOLIO—SERVICE SHARES AND PREMIER SHARES

political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. During periods of market disruption or other abnormal market conditions, the Portfolio’s exposure to risks described elsewhere in this summary will likely increase.

CASH POSITIONS RISK is the risk that maintaining cash positions may negatively affect the Portfolio’s performance and subject the Portfolio to additional risks, such as increased counterparty risk exposure to the custodian bank.

MANAGEMENT RISK is the risk that a strategy used by the Portfolio’s investment adviser may fail to produce the intended results or that imperfections, errors or limitations in the tools and data used by the investment adviser may cause unintended results.

LARGE SHAREHOLDER RISK is the risk that the Portfolio may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders, including funds or accounts over which the Portfolio’s investment adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser has investment discretion, purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Portfolio. Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly and unexpectedly, may cause the Portfolio to sell its securities at times it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact its liquidity and/or NAV. Such sales may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if these sales result in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, large redemptions could lead to an increase in the Portfolio’s expense ratio due to expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base. Large purchases of the Portfolio’s shares may also adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance to the extent that the Portfolio is delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would.

You could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. Although the Portfolio seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, the Portfolio cannot guarantee it will do so. An investment in the Portfolio is not a bank account and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, any other government agency, or The Northern Trust Company, its affiliates, subsidiaries or any other bank.

The Portfolio’s sponsor is not required to reimburse the Portfolio for losses, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Portfolio at any time, including during periods of market stress.

PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE

The Portfolio has not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, and does not have a full calendar year of performance. After the Portfolio has been in operation for a full calendar year, total return information will be presented. Once available, the Portfolio’s performance information will be accessible on the Portfolio’s web site at www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional or by calling 800-637-1380, and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio.

 

MANAGEMENT

INVESTMENT ADVISER. NTI, an indirect subsidiary of Northern Trust Corporation, serves as the investment adviser of the Portfolio. The Northern Trust Company, an affiliate of NTI, serves as transfer agent, custodian and sub-administrator to the Portfolio.

PURCHASE AND SALE OF PORTFOLIO SHARES

You may purchase Service Shares of the Portfolio through an authorized intermediary generally with no minimum initial or subsequent investment. There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment required for purchases of Premier Shares. As of December 31, 2023, there were no Service Shares or Premier Shares outstanding for the Portfolio.

If you purchase, sell (redeem) or exchange Service Shares through an authorized intermediary, you may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the intermediary. In addition, an authorized intermediary may impose different investment minimums than those set forth above. The Portfolio is not responsible for any investment minimums imposed by authorized intermediaries or for notifying shareholders of any changes to them.

On any business day, you may sell (redeem) or exchange Service Shares of the Portfolio through your institutional account by contacting your authorized intermediary. If you purchase Service Shares of the Portfolio directly from the Trust, you may sell (redeem) or exchange your shares in one of the following ways:

 

 

By Mail – Send a written request to: Northern Institutional Funds, P.O. Box 75986, Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986.

 

 

By Telephone – Call the Northern Institutional Funds Center at 800-637-1380 for instructions.

 

 

By Wire – Authorize wire redemptions on your New Account Application and have proceeds sent by federal wire transfer to a previously designated bank account (the minimum redemption amount by this method is $10,000).

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

TREASURY INSTRUMENTS PORTFOLIO—SERVICE SHARES AND PREMIER SHARES

 

On any business day, you may sell (redeem) or exchange Premier Shares of the Portfolio through your custody sweep account by contacting your Northern Trust account representative.

TAX INFORMATION

The Portfolio’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, unless you are investing through a tax-exempt or tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-advantaged accounts.

PAYMENTS TO BROKERS-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase the Portfolio through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Portfolio and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Portfolio 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 the Portfolio over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO—SHARES

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Portfolio seeks to maximize current income to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity by investing exclusively in high quality money market instruments.

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Shares of the Portfolio. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a financial intermediary for transactions in Shares, which are not reflected in the tables or the examples below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)  

None

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

Management Fees

    0.23% 

Other Expenses

    0.02% 

Transfer Agent Fees

    0.02%       

Service Fees

    None       

Other Operating Expenses

    0.00%       

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

    0.25% 

Expense Reimbursement(1)

    0.00%   

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement

    0.25% 

 

(1) 

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. (“NTI”) has contractually agreed to reimburse a portion of the operating expenses of the Portfolio so that after such reimbursement the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses of the Portfolio (excluding (i) acquired fund fees and expenses; (ii) service fees; (iii) the compensation paid to each Independent Trustee of the Trust; (iv) expenses of third party consultants engaged by the Board of Trustees; (v) membership dues paid to the Investment Company Institute and Mutual Fund Directors Forum; (vi) expenses in connection with the negotiation and renewal of the revolving credit facility; and (vii) extraordinary expenses and interest) do not exceed 0.25%. This contractual limitation may not be terminated before April 1, 2025 without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

EXAMPLE

The following Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Shares of the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio 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 Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same (taking into account the expense reimbursement arrangement for one year). 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  

Shares

     $26        $80        $141        $318  

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, substantially all (and at least 99.5%) of its total assets in cash, securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. government or by a person controlled or supervised by and acting as an instrumentality of the U.S. government pursuant to authority granted by the Congress of the United States or any certificate of deposit of any of the foregoing, and repurchase agreements that are fully collateralized by cash or such securities. The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements collateralized solely by U.S. government securities.

The Portfolio operates as a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. As a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7, the Portfolio (1) is permitted to use the amortized cost method of valuation to seek to maintain a stable net asset value (“NAV”) of $1.00 share price, and (2) is not required to impose a liquidity fee on Portfolio redemptions that might apply to other types of money market funds. The Portfolio may invest in shares of other government money market funds.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) imposes strict requirements on the investment quality, maturity, diversification and liquidity of the Portfolio’s investments. Accordingly, the Portfolio invests in U.S. dollar-denominated securities with a remaining maturity of no more than 397 days (with certain exceptions permitted by applicable regulations). The Portfolio maintains a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of no more than 60 calendar days, and a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity as determined without exceptions regarding certain interest rate adjustments under Rule 2a-7 of no more than 120 calendar days. The Portfolio will limit its investments to “eligible securities,” as defined by applicable regulations, at the time of acquisition (e.g., government securities, shares of other money market funds, and securities that present minimal credit risks as determined by NTI, pursuant to guidelines approved by the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees). The Portfolio may invest in variable and floating rate instruments. The Portfolio’s investment adviser may consider, among other things, credit, interest rate and

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO—SHARES

prepayment risks as well as general market conditions when deciding whether to buy or sell investments for the Portfolio. The Portfolio will generally hold a portion of its assets in cash to accommodate anticipated redemptions.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Portfolio, and the Portfolio’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Portfolio is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s NAV, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Each risk noted below is considered a principal risk of investing in the Portfolio, regardless of the order in which it appears. The significance of each risk factor below may change over time and you should review each risk factor carefully.

STABLE NAV RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will not be able to maintain a NAV per share of $1.00 at all times. A significant enough market disruption or drop in market prices of securities held by the Portfolio, especially at a time when the Portfolio needs to sell securities to meet shareholder redemption requests, could cause the value of the Portfolio’s shares to decrease to a price less than $1.00 per share. If the Portfolio fails to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure) the Portfolio could be subject to increased redemption activity, which could adversely affect its NAV.

INTEREST RATE RISK is the risk that during periods of rising interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be lower than prevailing market rates and in periods of falling interest rates, the market value of the Portfolio’s securities will tend to be higher. A Portfolio’s yield will vary as short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. In general, securities with longer maturities or durations are more sensitive to interest rate changes. A general rise in interest rates may cause investors to move out of fixed income securities on a large scale, which could adversely affect the price and liquidity of fixed income securities and could also result in increased redemptions for the Portfolio. During periods when inflation rates are high or rising, or during periods of low interest rates, the Portfolio may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets and the Portfolio’s investment, may result in heightened market volatility, may impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and of the Portfolio, and may detract from Portfolio performance.

CREDIT (OR DEFAULT) RISK is the risk that the inability or unwillingness of an issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or a counterparty to a repurchase or other transaction, to meet its principal or interest payments or other financial obligations will adversely affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments and its returns. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength, the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness, or in the credit rating of the issuer or the security may also affect the value of the Portfolio’s investment in that issuer.

DEBT EXTENSION RISK is the risk that when interest rates rise an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on certain debt securities held by the Portfolio later than expected. This will cause the value of the security to decrease and the Portfolio may lose opportunities to invest in higher yielding securities.

PREPAYMENT (OR CALL) RISK is the risk that an issuer could exercise its right to pay principal on callable debt securities held by the Portfolio earlier than expected. Issuers may be more likely to prepay their securities if interest rates fall. If this happens, the Portfolio will not benefit from the rise in the market price of the securities that normally accompanies a decline in interest rates, and will be forced to reinvest prepayment proceeds in lower yielding securities, which may reduce the Portfolio’s returns. The Portfolio may also lose any premium it paid to purchase the securities.

VARIABLE OR FLOATING RATE INSTRUMENTS RISK is the risk that securities with variable or floating rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, but may decline in value and negatively impact the Portfolio, particularly if changes in prevailing interest rates are more frequent or sudden than the rate changes for the variable or floating rate securities, which only occur periodically. Although variable and floating rate securities are less sensitive to interest rate risk than fixed-rate securities, they are subject to greater liquidity risk, which could impede their value.

INCOME RISK is the risk that the Portfolio’s ability to distribute income to shareholders depends on the yield available from the Portfolio’s investments. Falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline. Income risk is generally higher for short-term debt securities.

U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES RISK is the risk that the U.S. government will not provide financial support to its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. Certain U.S. government securities purchased by the Portfolio are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. government securities may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that the issuers of such securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. U.S. government securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO—SHARES

 

REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS RISK is the risk that the counterparty may default on its obligation to repurchase the underlying instruments collateralizing the repurchase agreement, which may cause the Portfolio to lose money.

INVESTMENT COMPANY RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will be subject to the risks associated with investments in registered investment companies (“Underlying Funds”), such as the possibility that the value of the securities or instruments held by the Underlying Funds could decrease. Investments in Underlying Funds may involve duplication of management fees and certain other expenses, as the Portfolio indirectly bears its proportionate share of any expenses paid by the Underlying Funds in which it invests.

MARKET RISK is the risk that the value of the Portfolio’s investments may increase or decrease in response to expected, real or perceived economic, political or financial events in the U.S. or global markets. The frequency and magnitude of such changes in value cannot be predicted. Certain securities and other investments held by the Portfolio may experience increased volatility, illiquidity, or other potentially adverse effects in response to changing market conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the bond or equity markets or volatility in the equity markets. Market disruptions caused by local or regional events such as financial institution failures, war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness (including epidemics and pandemics) or other public health issues, recessions or other events or adverse investor sentiment or other political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. During periods of market disruption or other abnormal market conditions, the Portfolio’s exposure to risks described elsewhere in this summary will likely increase.

CASH POSITIONS RISK is the risk that maintaining cash positions may negatively affect the Portfolio’s performance and subject the Portfolio to additional risks, such as increased counterparty risk exposure to the custodian bank.

MANAGEMENT RISK is the risk that a strategy used by the Portfolio’s investment adviser may fail to produce the intended results or that imperfections, errors or limitations in the tools and data used by the investment adviser may cause unintended results.

LARGE SHAREHOLDER RISK is the risk that the Portfolio may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders, including funds or accounts over which the Portfolio’s investment adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser has investment discretion, purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Portfolio. Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly and unexpectedly, may cause the Portfolio to sell its securities at times it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact its liquidity and/or NAV. Such sales may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if these sales result in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, large redemptions could lead to an increase in the Portfolio’s expense ratio due to expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base. Large purchases of the Portfolio’s shares may also adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance to the extent that the Portfolio is delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would.

You could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. Although the Portfolio seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, the Portfolio cannot guarantee it will do so.

An investment in the Portfolio is not a bank account and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, any other government agency, or The Northern Trust Company, its affiliates, subsidiaries or any other bank.

The Portfolio’s sponsor is not required to reimburse the Portfolio for losses, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Portfolio at any time, including during periods of market stress.

PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE

The bar chart and table that follow provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the performance of the Portfolio’s Shares from year to year.

The Portfolio’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Updated performance information for the Portfolio is available and may be obtained on the Portfolio’s website at www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional or by calling 800-637-1380.

CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURNS (SHARES)*

 

 

LOGO

* For the periods shown in the bar chart above:

 

highest quarterly return

    1.31%     fourth quarter of 2023

lowest quarterly return

    0.00%     second quarter of 2021

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO—SHARES

 

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS

(For the periods ended December 31, 2023)

 

    1 Year     5 Years     10 Years  

Shares

    4.92     1.71     1.10

The 7-day yield for Shares of the Portfolio as of December 31, 2023: 5.17%. For the current 7-day yield call 800-637-1380 or visit www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional.

MANAGEMENT

INVESTMENT ADVISER. NTI, an indirect subsidiary of Northern Trust Corporation, serves as the investment adviser of the Portfolio. The Northern Trust Company, an affiliate of NTI, serves as transfer agent, custodian and sub-administrator to the Portfolio.

PURCHASE AND SALE OF PORTFOLIO SHARES

You may purchase Shares of the Portfolio through an account directly with Northern Institutional Funds (the “Trust”) generally with a minimum initial investment of $5 million in one or more of the Trust’s portfolios. There is no minimum for subsequent investments. The Trust reserves the right to waive the minimum investment requirement in connection with the purchase of Portfolio Shares.

You may also purchase Shares of the Portfolio through an institutional account at Northern Trust (or an affiliate) or an authorized intermediary with no minimum initial or subsequent investment minimum.

If you purchase, sell (redeem) or exchange Shares through an authorized intermediary, you may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the intermediary. In addition, an authorized intermediary may impose different investment minimums than those set forth above. The Portfolio is not responsible for any investment minimums imposed by authorized intermediaries or for notifying shareholders of any changes to them.

On any business day, you may sell (redeem) or exchange Portfolio shares through your institutional account by contacting your Northern Trust account representative or authorized intermediary. If you purchase Portfolio shares directly from the Trust, you may sell (redeem) or exchange your shares in one of the following ways:

 

 

By Mail – Send a written request to: Northern Institutional Funds, P.O. Box 75986, Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986.

 

 

By Telephone – Call the Northern Institutional Funds Center at 800-637-1380 for instructions.

 

 

By Wire – Authorize wire redemptions on your New Account Application and have proceeds sent by federal wire transfer to a previously designated bank account (the minimum redemption amount by this method is $10,000).

TAX INFORMATION

The Portfolio’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, unless you are investing through a tax-exempt or tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-advantaged accounts.

PAYMENTS TO BROKERS-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase the Portfolio through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Portfolio and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Portfolio 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 the Portfolio over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO—SERVICE AND PREMIER SHARES

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Portfolio seeks to maximize current income to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity by investing exclusively in high quality money market instruments.

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Service Shares and Premier Shares of the Portfolio. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a financial intermediary for transactions in Service Shares, which are not reflected in the tables or the examples below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)  

None

                
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as
a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
    Service
Shares
     Premier
Shares
 

Management Fees

    0.23%       0.23% 

Other Expenses(1)

    0.02%       0.02% 

Transfer Agent Fees

    0.02%             0.02%       

Service Fees

    None             None       

Other Operating Expenses

    0.00%             0.00%       

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

    0.25%       0.25% 

Expense Reimbursement(2)

    0.00%         0.00%   

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement

    0.25%       0.25% 

 

(1) 

“Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

(2) 

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. (“NTI”) has contractually agreed to reimburse a portion of the operating expenses of the Portfolio so that after such reimbursement the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses of the Portfolio (excluding (i) acquired fund fees and expenses; (ii) service fees; (iii) the compensation paid to each Independent Trustee of the Trust; (iv) expenses of third party consultants engaged by the Board of Trustees; (v) membership dues paid to the Investment Company Institute and Mutual Fund Directors Forum; (vi) expenses in connection with the negotiation and renewal of the revolving credit facility; and (vii) extraordinary expenses and interest) do not exceed 0.25%. This contractual limitation may not be terminated before April 1,2025 without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

EXAMPLE

The following Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Service Shares and Premier Shares of the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio 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 Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same (taking into account the expense reimbursement arrangement for one year). 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  

Service Shares

     $26        $80        $141        $318  

Premier Shares

     $26        $80        $141        $318  

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, substantially all (and at least 99.5%) of its total assets in cash, securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. government or by a person controlled or supervised by and acting as an instrumentality of the U.S. government pursuant to authority granted by the Congress of the United States or any certificate of deposit of any of the foregoing, and repurchase agreements that are fully collateralized by cash or such securities. The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements collateralized solely by U.S. government securities.

The Portfolio operates as a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. As a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7, the Portfolio (1) is permitted to use the amortized cost method of valuation to seek to maintain a stable net asset value (“NAV”) of $1.00 share price, and (2) is not required to impose a liquidity fee on Portfolio redemptions that might apply to other types of money market funds. The Portfolio may invest in shares of other government money market funds.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) imposes strict requirements on the investment quality, maturity, diversification and liquidity of the Portfolio’s investments. Accordingly, the Portfolio invests in U.S. dollar-denominated securities with a remaining maturity of no more than 397 days (with certain exceptions permitted by applicable regulations). The Portfolio maintains a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of no more than 60 calendar days, and a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity as determined without exceptions regarding certain interest rate adjustments under Rule 2a-7 of no more than 120 calendar days. The Portfolio will limit its investments to “eligible securities,” as defined by applicable regulations, at the time of acquisition (e.g., government securities, shares of other money market funds, and securities that present minimal credit risks as determined by NTI, pursuant to guidelines approved by the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees). The Portfolio may invest in variable and

 

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U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO—SERVICE AND PREMIER SHARES

floating rate instruments. The Portfolio’s investment adviser may consider, among other things, credit, interest rate and prepayment risks as well as general market conditions when deciding whether to buy or sell investments for the Portfolio. The Portfolio will generally hold a portion of its assets in cash to accommodate anticipated redemptions.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Portfolio, and the Portfolio’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Portfolio is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s NAV, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Each risk noted below is considered a principal risk of investing in the Portfolio, regardless of the order in which it appears. The significance of each risk factor below may change over time and you should review each risk factor carefully.

STABLE NAV RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will not be able to maintain a NAV per share of $1.00 at all times. A significant enough market disruption or drop in market prices of securities held by the Portfolio, especially at a time when the Portfolio needs to sell securities to meet shareholder redemption requests, could cause the value of the Portfolio’s shares to decrease to a price less than $1.00 per share. If the Portfolio fails to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure) the Portfolio could be subject to increased redemption activity, which could adversely affect its NAV.

INTEREST RATE RISK is the risk that during periods of rising interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be lower than prevailing market rates and in periods of falling interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be higher. A Portfolio’s yield will vary as short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. In general, securities with longer maturities or durations are more sensitive to interest rate changes. A general rise in interest rates may cause investors to move out of fixed income securities on a large scale, which could adversely affect the price and liquidity of fixed income securities and could also result in increased redemptions for the Portfolio. During periods when inflation rates are high or rising, or during periods of low interest rates, the Portfolio may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets and the Portfolio’s investment, may result in heightened market volatility, may impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and of the Portfolio, and may detract from Portfolio performance.

CREDIT (OR DEFAULT) RISK is the risk that the inability or unwillingness of an issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or a counterparty to a repurchase or other transaction, to meet its principal or interest payments or other financial obligations will adversely affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments and its returns. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength, the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness, or in the credit rating of the issuer or the security may also affect the value of the Portfolio’s investment in that issuer.

DEBT EXTENSION RISK is the risk that when interest rates rise an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on certain debt securities held by the Portfolio later than expected. This will cause the value of the security to decrease and the Portfolio may lose opportunities to invest in higher yielding securities.

PREPAYMENT (OR CALL) RISK is the risk that an issuer could exercise its right to pay principal on callable debt securities held by the Portfolio earlier than expected. Issuers may be more likely to prepay their securities if interest rates fall. If this happens, the Portfolio will not benefit from the rise in the market price of the securities that normally accompanies a decline in interest rates, and will be forced to reinvest prepayment proceeds in lower yielding securities, which may reduce the Portfolio’s returns. The Portfolio may also lose any premium it paid to purchase the securities.

VARIABLE OR FLOATING RATE INSTRUMENTS RISK is the risk that securities with variable or floating rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, but may decline in value and negatively impact the Portfolio, particularly if changes in prevailing interest rates are more frequent or sudden than the rate changes for the variable or floating rate securities, which only occur periodically. Although variable and floating rate securities are less sensitive to interest rate risk than fixed-rate securities, they are subject to greater liquidity risk, which could impede their value.

INCOME RISK is the risk that the Portfolio’s ability to distribute income to shareholders depends on the yield available from the Portfolio’s investments. Falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline. Income risk is generally higher for short-term debt securities.

U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES RISK is the risk that the U.S. government will not provide financial support to its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. Certain U.S. government securities purchased by the Portfolio are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. government securities may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that the issuers of such securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. U.S. government securities include

 

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zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS RISK is the risk that the counterparty may default on its obligation to repurchase the underlying instruments collateralizing the repurchase agreement, which may cause the Portfolio to lose money.

INVESTMENT COMPANY RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will be subject to the risks associated with investments in registered investment companies (“Underlying Funds”), such as the possibility that the value of the securities or instruments held by the Underlying Funds could decrease. Investments in Underlying Funds may involve duplication of management fees and certain other expenses, as the Portfolio indirectly bears its proportionate share of any expenses paid by the Underlying Funds in which it invests.

MARKET RISK is the risk that the value of the Portfolio’s investments may increase or decrease in response to expected, real or perceived economic, political or financial events in the U.S. or global markets. The frequency and magnitude of such changes in value cannot be predicted. Certain securities and other investments held by the Portfolio may experience increased volatility, illiquidity, or other potentially adverse effects in response to changing market conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the bond or equity markets or volatility in the equity markets. Market disruptions caused by local or regional events such as financial institution failures, war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness (including epidemics and pandemics) or other public health issues, recessions or other events or adverse investor sentiment or other political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. During periods of market disruption or other abnormal market conditions, the Portfolio’s exposure to risks described elsewhere in this summary will likely increase.

CASH POSITIONS RISK is the risk that maintaining cash positions may negatively affect the Portfolio’s performance and subject the Portfolio to additional risks, such as increased counterparty risk exposure to the custodian bank.

MANAGEMENT RISK is the risk that a strategy used by the Portfolio’s investment adviser may fail to produce the intended results or that imperfections, errors or limitations in the tools and data used by the investment adviser may cause unintended results.

LARGE SHAREHOLDER RISK is the risk that the Portfolio may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders, including funds or accounts over which the Portfolio’s investment adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser has investment discretion, purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Portfolio. Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly and unexpectedly, may cause the Portfolio to sell its securities at times it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact its liquidity and/or NAV. Such sales may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if these sales result in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, large redemptions could lead to an increase in the Portfolio’s expense ratio due to expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base. Large purchases of the Portfolio’s shares may also adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance to the extent that the Portfolio is delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would.

You could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. Although the Portfolio seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, the Portfolio cannot guarantee it will do so.

An investment in the Portfolio is not a bank account and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, any other government agency, or The Northern Trust Company, its affiliates, subsidiaries or any other bank.

The Portfolio’s sponsor is not required to reimburse the Portfolio for losses, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Portfolio at any time, including during periods of market stress.

PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE

The bar chart and table that follow provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the performance of the Portfolio from year to year. As of December 31, 2023, there were no Service Shares or Premier Shares outstanding for the Portfolio. The total return for periods prior to November 23, 2021, reflects the performance of the Portfolio’s Service Shares. On November 23, 2021, the Portfolio’s Service Shares ceased operations. Performance information from that date through December 31, 2023, reflects that of the Portfolio’s Shares. Service Shares and Premier Shares would have similar annual returns when compared with Shares because each class is invested in the same portfolio of securities. The annual return of the Shares class would differ from those of Service Shares and Premier Shares only to the extent that the classes do not have the same expenses.

The Portfolio’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Updated performance information for the Portfolio is available and may be obtained on the Portfolio’s website at www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional or by calling 800-637-1380.

 

 

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CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURNS (SERVICE SHARES)*

 

 

LOGO

* For the periods shown in the bar chart above:

 

highest quarterly return

    1.31   fourth quarter of 2023

lowest quarterly return

    0.00   second quarter of 2021

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS

(For the periods ended December 31, 2023)

 

    1 Year     5 Years     10 Years  

Service Shares

    4.92     1.71     1.10

The 7-day yield for Shares of the Portfolio as of December 31, 2023: 5.17%. For the current 7-day yield call 800-637-1380 or visit www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional.

MANAGEMENT

INVESTMENT ADVISER. NTI, an indirect subsidiary of Northern Trust Corporation, serves as the investment adviser of the Portfolio. The Northern Trust Company, an affiliate of NTI, serves as transfer agent, custodian and sub-administrator to the Portfolio.

PURCHASE AND SALE OF PORTFOLIO SHARES

There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment required for purchases of Service Shares through an authorized intermediary and there is no minimum initial or subsequent investment required for purchases of Premier Shares. Service Shares and Premier Shares of the Portfolio are not currently offered for sale or available for purchase.

If you purchase, sell (redeem) or exchange Service Shares through an authorized intermediary, you may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the intermediary. In addition, an authorized intermediary may impose different investment minimums than those set forth above. The Portfolio is not responsible for any investment minimums imposed by authorized intermediaries or for notifying shareholders of any changes to them.

On any business day, you may sell (redeem) or exchange Service Shares of the Portfolio through your institutional account by contacting your authorized intermediary. If you purchase Service Shares of the Portfolio directly from the Trust, you may sell (redeem) or exchange your shares in one of the following ways:

 

 

By Mail – Send a written request to: Northern Institutional Funds, P.O. Box 75986, Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986.

 

 

By Telephone – Call the Northern Institutional Funds Center at 800-637-1380 for instructions.

 

 

By Wire – Authorize wire redemptions on your New Account Application and have proceeds sent by federal wire transfer to a previously designated bank account (the minimum redemption amount by this method is $10,000).

On any business day, you may sell (redeem) or exchange Premier Shares of the Portfolio through your custody sweep account by contacting your Northern Trust account representative.

TAX INFORMATION

The Portfolio’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, unless you are investing through a tax-exempt or tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-advantaged accounts.

PAYMENTS TO BROKERS-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase the Portfolio through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Portfolio and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Portfolio 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 the Portfolio over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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U.S. GOVERNMENT SELECT PORTFOLIO—SHARES

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Portfolio seeks to maximize current income to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity by investing exclusively in high quality money market instruments.

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Shares of the Portfolio. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a financial intermediary for transactions in Shares, which are not reflected in the tables or the examples below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)  

None

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

Management Fees

    0.18% 

Other Expenses

    0.03% 

Transfer Agent Fees

    0.02%       

Service Fees

    None       

Other Operating Expenses

    0.01%       

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

    0.21% 

Expense Reimbursement(1)

    (0.01)%  

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement(2)

    0.20% 

 

(1) 

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. (“NTI”) has contractually agreed to reimburse a portion of the operating expenses of the Portfolio so that after such reimbursement the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses of the Portfolio (excluding (i) acquired fund fees and expenses; (ii) service fees; (iii) the compensation paid to each Independent Trustee of the Trust; (iv) expenses of third party consultants engaged by the Board of Trustees; (v) membership dues paid to the Investment Company Institute and Mutual Fund Directors Forum; (vi) expenses in connection with the negotiation and renewal of the revolving credit facility; and (vii) extraordinary expenses and interest) do not exceed 0.20%. This contractual limitation may not be terminated before April 1, 2025 without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

 

(2) 

The Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement will not correlate to the Portfolio’s ratio of average net assets to expenses, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits, included in the Portfolio’s Financial Highlights in the Portfolio’s complete Prospectus, which reflect voluntary expense reimbursements made by NTI to the Portfolio. Such voluntary reimbursements may be discontinued at any time.

EXAMPLE

The following Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Shares of the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio 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 Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same (taking into account the expense reimbursement arrangement for one year). 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  

Shares

     $20        $67        $117        $267  

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, substantially all (and at least 99.5%) of its total assets in cash, securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. government or by a person controlled or supervised by and acting as an instrumentality of the U.S. government pursuant to authority granted by the Congress of the United States or any certificate of deposit of any of the foregoing, and repurchase agreements that are fully collateralized by cash or such securities. Subject to the foregoing 99.5% investment strategy requirement, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will seek to invest at least 50% of its net assets in the following securities that pay interest that generally is exempt from state income taxation:

 

 

U.S. Treasury bills;

 

 

U.S. Treasury notes;

 

 

U.S. Treasury STRIPS;

 

 

securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB);

 

 

securities issued by the Federal Farm Credit Bank (FFCB); and

 

 

securities issued by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements collateralized solely by U.S. government securities.

The Portfolio operates as a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. As a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7, the Portfolio (1) is permitted to use the amortized cost method of valuation to seek to maintain a stable net asset value (“NAV”) of $1.00 share price, and (2) is not required to impose a liquidity fee on Portfolio redemptions that might apply to other types of money market funds. The Portfolio may invest in shares of other government money market funds.

 

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) imposes strict requirements on the investment quality, maturity, diversification and liquidity of the Portfolio’s investments. Accordingly, the Portfolio invests in U.S. dollar-denominated securities with a remaining maturity of no more than 397 days (with certain exceptions permitted by applicable regulations). The Portfolio maintains a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of no more than 60 calendar days, and a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity as determined without exceptions regarding certain interest rate adjustments under Rule 2a-7 of no more than 120 calendar days. The Portfolio will limit its investments to “eligible securities,” as defined by applicable regulations, at the time of acquisition (e.g., government securities, shares of other money market funds, and securities that present minimal credit risks as determined by NTI, pursuant to guidelines approved by the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees). The Portfolio may invest in variable and floating rate instruments. The Portfolio’s investment adviser may consider, among other things, credit, interest rate and prepayment risks as well as general market conditions when deciding whether to buy or sell investments for the Portfolio. The Portfolio will generally hold a portion of its assets in cash to accommodate anticipated redemptions.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Portfolio, and the Portfolio’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Portfolio is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s NAV, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Each risk noted below is considered a principal risk of investing in the Portfolio, regardless of the order in which it appears. The significance of each risk factor below may change over time and you should review each risk factor carefully.

STABLE NAV RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will not be able to maintain a NAV per share of $1.00 at all times. A significant enough market disruption or drop in market prices of securities held by the Portfolio, especially at a time when the Portfolio needs to sell securities to meet shareholder redemption requests, could cause the value of the Portfolio’s shares to decrease to a price less than $1.00 per share. If the Portfolio fails to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure) the Portfolio could be subject to increased redemption activity, which could adversely affect its NAV.

INTEREST RATE RISK is the risk that during periods of rising interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be lower than prevailing market rates and in periods of falling interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities

will tend to be higher. A Portfolio’s yield will vary as short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. In general, securities with longer maturities or durations are more sensitive to interest rate changes. A general rise in interest rates may cause investors to move out of fixed income securities on a large scale, which could adversely affect the price and liquidity of fixed income securities and could also result in increased redemptions for the Portfolio. During periods when inflation rates are high or rising, or during periods of low interest rates, the Portfolio may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets and the Portfolio’s investment, may result in heightened market volatility, may impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and of the Portfolio, and may detract from Portfolio performance.

CREDIT (OR DEFAULT) RISK is the risk that the inability or unwillingness of an issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or a counterparty to a repurchase or other transaction, to meet its principal or interest payments or other financial obligations will adversely affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments and its returns. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength, the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness, or in the credit rating of the issuer or the security may also affect the value of the Portfolio’s investment in that issuer.

DEBT EXTENSION RISK is the risk that when interest rates rise an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on certain debt securities held by the Portfolio later than expected. This will cause the value of the security to decrease and the Portfolio may lose opportunities to invest in higher yielding securities.

PREPAYMENT (OR CALL) RISK is the risk that an issuer could exercise its right to pay principal on callable debt securities held by the Portfolio earlier than expected. Issuers may be more likely to prepay their securities if interest rates fall. If this happens, the Portfolio will not benefit from the rise in the market price of the securities that normally accompanies a decline in interest rates, and will be forced to reinvest prepayment proceeds in lower yielding securities, which may reduce the Portfolio’s returns. The Portfolio may also lose any premium it paid to purchase the securities.

VARIABLE OR FLOATING RATE INSTRUMENTS RISK is the risk that securities with variable or floating rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, but may decline in value and negatively impact the Portfolio, particularly if changes in prevailing interest rates are more frequent or sudden than the rate changes for the variable or floating rate securities, which only occur periodically. Although variable and floating rate securities are less sensitive to interest rate risk than fixed-rate securities, they are subject to greater liquidity risk, which could impede their value.

 

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INCOME RISK is the risk that the Portfolio’s ability to distribute income to shareholders depends on the yield available from the Portfolio’s investments. Falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline. Income risk is generally higher for short-term debt securities.

U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES RISK is the risk that the U.S. government will not provide financial support to its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. Certain U.S. government securities purchased by the Portfolio are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. government securities may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that the issuers of such securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. U.S. government securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS RISK is the risk that the counterparty may default on its obligation to repurchase the underlying instruments collateralizing the repurchase agreement, which may cause the Portfolio to lose money.

INVESTMENT COMPANY RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will be subject to the risks associated with investments in registered investment companies (“Underlying Funds”), such as the possibility that the value of the securities or instruments held by the Underlying Funds could decrease. Investments in Underlying Funds may involve duplication of management fees and certain other expenses, as the Portfolio indirectly bears its proportionate share of any expenses paid by the Underlying Funds in which it invests.

MARKET RISK is the risk that the value of the Portfolio’s investments may increase or decrease in response to expected, real or perceived economic, political or financial events in the U.S. or global markets. The frequency and magnitude of such changes in value cannot be predicted. Certain securities and other investments held by the Portfolio may experience increased volatility, illiquidity, or other potentially adverse effects in response to changing market conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the bond or equity markets or volatility in the equity markets. Market disruptions caused by local or regional events such as financial institution failures, war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness (including epidemics and pandemics) or other public health issues, recessions or other events or adverse investor sentiment or other political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. During periods of market disruption or other abnormal market conditions, the Portfolio’s exposure to risks described elsewhere in this summary will likely increase.

CASH POSITIONS RISK is the risk that maintaining cash positions may negatively affect the Portfolio’s performance and subject the Portfolio to additional risks, such as increased counterparty risk exposure to the custodian bank.

MANAGEMENT RISK is the risk that a strategy used by the Portfolio’s investment adviser may fail to produce the intended results or that imperfections, errors or limitations in the tools and data used by the investment adviser may cause unintended results.

LARGE SHAREHOLDER RISK is the risk that the Portfolio may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders, including funds or accounts over which the Portfolio’s investment adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser has investment discretion, purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Portfolio. Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly and unexpectedly, may cause the Portfolio to sell its securities at times it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact its liquidity and/or NAV. Such sales may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if these sales result in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, large redemptions could lead to an increase in the Portfolio’s expense ratio due to expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base. Large purchases of the Portfolio’s shares may also adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance to the extent that the Portfolio is delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would.

You could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. Although the Portfolio seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, the Portfolio cannot guarantee it will do so.

An investment in the Portfolio is not a bank account and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, any other government agency, or The Northern Trust Company, its affiliates, subsidiaries or any other bank.

The Portfolio’s sponsor is not required to reimburse the Portfolio for losses, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Portfolio at any time, including during periods of market stress.

PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE

The bar chart and table that follow provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the performance of the Portfolio’s Shares from year to year.

The Portfolio’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

 

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Updated performance information for the Portfolio is available and may be obtained on the Portfolio’s website at www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional or by calling 800-637-1380.

CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURNS (SHARES)*

 

 

LOGO

* For the periods shown in the bar chart above:

 

highest quarterly return

    1.32   fourth quarter of 2023

lowest quarterly return

    0.00   third quarter of 2015

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS

(For the periods ended December 31, 2023)

 

    1 Year     5 Years     10 Years  

Shares

    4.99     1.74     1.13

The 7-day yield for Shares of the Portfolio as of December 31, 2023: 5.24%. For the current 7-day yield call 800-637-1380 or visit www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional.

MANAGEMENT

INVESTMENT ADVISER. NTI, an indirect subsidiary of Northern Trust Corporation, serves as the investment adviser of the Portfolio. The Northern Trust Company, an affiliate of NTI, serves as transfer agent, custodian and sub-administrator to the Portfolio.

PURCHASE AND SALE OF PORTFOLIO SHARES

You may purchase Shares of the Portfolio through an account directly with Northern Institutional Funds (the “Trust”) generally with a minimum initial investment of $5 million in one or more of the Trust’s portfolios. There is no minimum for subsequent investments. The Trust reserves the right to waive the minimum investment requirement in connection with the purchase of Portfolio Shares.

You may also purchase Shares of the Portfolio through an institutional account at Northern Trust (or an affiliate) or an authorized intermediary with no minimum initial or subsequent investment minimum.

If you purchase, sell (redeem) or exchange Shares through an authorized intermediary, you may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the intermediary. In addition, an authorized intermediary may impose different investment minimums than those set forth above. The Portfolio is not responsible for any investment minimums imposed by authorized intermediaries or for notifying shareholders of any changes to them.

On any business day, you may sell (redeem) or exchange Portfolio shares through your institutional account by contacting your Northern Trust account representative or authorized intermediary. If you purchase Portfolio shares directly from the Trust, you may sell (redeem) or exchange your shares in one of the following ways:

 

 

By Mail – Send a written request to: Northern Institutional Funds, P.O. Box 75986, Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986.

 

 

By Telephone – Call the Northern Institutional Funds Center at 800-637-1380 for instructions.

 

 

By Wire – Authorize wire redemptions on your New Account Application and have proceeds sent by federal wire transfer to a previously designated bank account (the minimum redemption amount by this method is $10,000).

TAX INFORMATION

The Portfolio’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, unless you are investing through a tax-exempt or tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-advantaged accounts.

PAYMENTS TO BROKERS-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase the Portfolio through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Portfolio and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Portfolio 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 the Portfolio over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Portfolio seeks to maximize current income to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity by investing exclusively in high quality money market instruments.

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell Service Shares and Premier Shares of the Portfolio. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a financial intermediary for transactions in Service Shares, which are not reflected in the tables or the examples below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)  

None

               
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as
a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
    Service
Shares
    Premier
Shares
 

Management Fees

    0.18%      0.18% 

Other Expenses

    0.03%      0.03% (1)  
     

Transfer Agent Fees

    0.02%            0.02%       

Service Fees

    None            None       

Other Operating Expenses

    0.01%            0.01%       

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

    0.21%      0.21% 

Expense Reimbursement(2)

    (0.01)%       (0.01)%  

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement

    0.20% (3)       0.20% 

 

(1) 

“Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

(2) 

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. (“NTI”) has contractually agreed to reimburse a portion of the operating expenses of the Portfolio so that after such reimbursement the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses of the Portfolio (excluding (i) acquired fund fees and expenses; (ii) service fees; (iii) the compensation paid to each Independent Trustee of the Trust; (iv) expenses of third party consultants engaged by the Board of Trustees; (v) membership dues paid to the Investment Company Institute and Mutual Fund Directors Forum; (vi) expenses in connection with the negotiation and renewal of the revolving credit facility; and (vii) extraordinary expenses and interest) do not exceed 0.20%. This contractual limitation may not be terminated before April 1, 2025 without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

 

(3) 

The Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement will not correlate to the Portfolio’s ratio of average net assets to expenses, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits, included in the Portfolio’s Financial Highlights in the Portfolio’s complete Prospectus, which reflect voluntary expense reimbursements made by NTI to the Portfolio. Such voluntary reimbursements may be discontinued at any time.

EXAMPLE

The following Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Service Shares and Premier Shares of the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio 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 Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same (taking into account the expense reimbursement arrangement for one year). 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  

Service Shares

     $20        $67        $117        $267  

Premier Shares

     $20        $67        $117        $267  

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

The Portfolio seeks to achieve its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, substantially all (and at least 99.5%) of its total assets in cash, securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. government or by a person controlled or supervised by and acting as an instrumentality of the U.S. government pursuant to authority granted by the Congress of the United States or any certificate of deposit of any of the foregoing, and repurchase agreements that are fully collateralized by cash or such securities. Subject to the foregoing 99.5% investment strategy requirement, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will seek to invest at least 50% of its net assets in the following securities that pay interest that generally is exempt from state income taxation:

 

 

U.S. Treasury bills;

 

 

U.S. Treasury notes;

 

 

U.S. Treasury STRIPS;

 

 

securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB);

 

 

securities issued by the Federal Farm Credit Bank (FFCB); and

 

 

securities issued by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The Portfolio, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements collateralized solely by U.S. government securities.

The Portfolio operates as a “government money market fund” under Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. As a “government money market fund” under

 

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Rule 2a-7, the Portfolio (1) is permitted to use the amortized cost method of valuation to seek to maintain a stable net asset value (“NAV”) of $1.00 share price, and (2) is not required to impose a liquidity fee on Portfolio redemptions that might apply to other types of money market funds. The Portfolio may invest in shares of other government money market funds.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) imposes strict requirements on the investment quality, maturity, diversification and liquidity of the Portfolio’s investments. Accordingly, the Portfolio invests in U.S. dollar-denominated securities with a remaining maturity of no more than 397 days (with certain exceptions permitted by applicable regulations). The Portfolio maintains a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of no more than 60 calendar days, and a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity as determined without exceptions regarding certain interest rate adjustments under Rule 2a-7 of no more than 120 calendar days. The Portfolio will limit its investments to “eligible securities,” as defined by applicable regulations, at the time of acquisition (e.g., government securities, shares of other money market funds, and securities that present minimal credit risks as determined by NTI, pursuant to guidelines approved by the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees). The Portfolio may invest in variable and floating rate instruments. The Portfolio’s investment adviser may consider, among other things, credit, interest rate and prepayment risks as well as general market conditions when deciding whether to buy or sell investments for the Portfolio. The Portfolio will generally hold a portion of its assets in cash to accommodate anticipated redemptions.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Portfolio, and the Portfolio’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Portfolio is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s NAV, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Each risk noted below is considered a principal risk of investing in the Portfolio, regardless of the order in which it appears. The significance of each risk factor below may change over time and you should review each risk factor carefully.

STABLE NAV RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will not be able to maintain a NAV per share of $1.00 at all times. A significant enough market disruption or drop in market prices of securities held by the Portfolio, especially at a time when the Portfolio needs to sell securities to meet shareholder redemption requests, could cause the value of the Portfolio’s shares to decrease to a price less than $1.00 per share. If the Portfolio fails to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure) the Portfolio could be subject to increased redemption activity, which could adversely affect its NAV.

INTEREST RATE RISK is the risk that during periods of rising interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be lower than prevailing market rates and in periods of falling interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be higher. A Portfolio’s yield will vary as short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. In general, securities with longer maturities or durations are more sensitive to interest rate changes. A general rise in interest rates may cause investors to move out of fixed income securities on a large scale, which could adversely affect the price and liquidity of fixed income securities and could also result in increased redemptions for the Portfolio. During periods when inflation rates are high or rising, or during periods of low interest rates, the Portfolio may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets and the Portfolio’s investment, may result in heightened market volatility, may impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and of the Portfolio, and may detract from Portfolio performance.

CREDIT (OR DEFAULT) RISK is the risk that the inability or unwillingness of an issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or a counterparty to a repurchase or other transaction, to meet its principal or interest payments or other financial obligations will adversely affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments and its returns. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength, the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness, or in the credit rating of the issuer or the security may also affect the value of the Portfolio’s investment in that issuer.

DEBT EXTENSION RISK is the risk that when interest rates rise an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on certain debt securities held by the Portfolio later than expected. This will cause the value of the security to decrease and the Portfolio may lose opportunities to invest in higher yielding securities.

PREPAYMENT (OR CALL) RISK is the risk that an issuer could exercise its right to pay principal on callable debt securities held by the Portfolio earlier than expected. Issuers may be more likely to prepay their securities if interest rates fall. If this happens, the Portfolio will not benefit from the rise in the market price of the securities that normally accompanies a decline in interest rates, and will be forced to reinvest prepayment proceeds in lower yielding securities, which may reduce the Portfolio’s returns. The Portfolio may also lose any premium it paid to purchase the securities.

VARIABLE OR FLOATING RATE INSTRUMENTS RISK is the risk that securities with variable or floating rates can be less sensitive

 

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to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, but may decline in value and negatively impact the Portfolio, particularly if changes in prevailing interest rates are more frequent or sudden than the rate changes for the variable or floating rate securities, which only occur periodically. Although variable and floating rate securities are less sensitive to interest rate risk than fixed-rate securities, they are subject to greater liquidity risk, which could impede their value.

INCOME RISK is the risk that the Portfolio’s ability to distribute income to shareholders depends on the yield available from the Portfolio’s investments. Falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline. Income risk is generally higher for short-term debt securities.

U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES RISK is the risk that the U.S. government will not provide financial support to its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. Certain U.S. government securities purchased by the Portfolio are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. government securities may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that the issuers of such securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. U.S. government securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS RISK is the risk that the counterparty may default on its obligation to repurchase the underlying instruments collateralizing the repurchase agreement, which may cause the Portfolio to lose money.

INVESTMENT COMPANY RISK is the risk that the Portfolio will be subject to the risks associated with investments in registered investment companies (“Underlying Funds”), such as the possibility that the value of the securities or instruments held by the Underlying Funds could decrease. Investments in Underlying Funds may involve duplication of management fees and certain other expenses, as the Portfolio indirectly bears its proportionate share of any expenses paid by the Underlying Funds in which it invests.

MARKET RISK is the risk that the value of the Portfolio’s investments may increase or decrease in response to expected, real or perceived economic, political or financial events in the U.S. or global markets. The frequency and magnitude of such changes in value cannot be predicted. Certain securities and other investments held by the Portfolio may experience increased volatility, illiquidity, or other potentially adverse effects in response to changing market conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the bond or equity markets or volatility in the equity markets. Market disruptions caused by local or regional events such as financial institution failures, war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness (including epidemics and pandemics) or other public health issues, recessions or other events or adverse investor sentiment or other political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. During periods of market disruption or other abnormal market conditions, the Portfolio’s exposure to risks described elsewhere in this summary will likely increase.

CASH POSITIONS RISK is the risk that maintaining cash positions may negatively affect the Portfolio’s performance and subject the Portfolio to additional risks, such as increased counterparty risk exposure to the custodian bank.

MANAGEMENT RISK is the risk that a strategy used by the Portfolio’s investment adviser may fail to produce the intended results or that imperfections, errors or limitations in the tools and data used by the investment adviser may cause unintended results.

LARGE SHAREHOLDER RISK is the risk that the Portfolio may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders, including funds or accounts over which the Portfolio’s investment adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser has investment discretion, purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Portfolio. Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly and unexpectedly, may cause the Portfolio to sell its securities at times it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact its liquidity and/or NAV. Such sales may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if these sales result in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, large redemptions could lead to an increase in the Portfolio’s expense ratio due to expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base. Large purchases of the Portfolio’s shares may also adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance to the extent that the Portfolio is delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would.

You could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. Although the Portfolio seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, the Portfolio cannot guarantee it will do so.

An investment in the Portfolio is not a bank account and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, any other government agency, or The Northern Trust Company, its affiliates, subsidiaries or any other bank.

The Portfolio’s sponsor is not required to reimburse the Portfolio for losses, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Portfolio at any time, including during periods of market stress.

 

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PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE

The bar chart and table that follow provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the performance of the Portfolio from year to year. As of December 31, 2023, there were no Premier Shares outstanding for the Portfolio. Premier Shares would have similar annual returns when compared with Service Shares because each class is invested in the same portfolio of securities. The annual return of Service Shares would differ from those of Premier Shares only to the extent that the classes do not have the same expenses.

The Portfolio’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

Updated performance information for the Portfolio is available and may be obtained on the Portfolio’s website at www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional or by calling 800-637-1380.

CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURNS (SERVICE SHARES)*

 

 

LOGO

* For the periods shown in the bar chart above:

 

highest quarterly return

    1.32   fourth quarter of 2023

lowest quarterly return

    0.00   third quarter of 2015

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS

(For the periods ended December 31, 2023)

 

    1 Year     5 Years     10 Years  

Service Shares

    4.99     1.74     1.13

The 7-day yield for Service Shares of the Portfolio as of December 31, 2023: 5.24%. For the current 7-day yield call 800-637-1380 or visit www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional.

MANAGEMENT

INVESTMENT ADVISER. NTI, an indirect subsidiary of Northern Trust Corporation, serves as the investment adviser of the Portfolio. The Northern Trust Company, an affiliate of NTI, serves as transfer agent, custodian and sub-administrator to the Portfolio.

PURCHASE AND SALE OF PORTFOLIO SHARES

You may purchase Service Shares of the Portfolio through an authorized intermediary generally with no minimum initial or subsequent investment. There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment required for purchases of Premier Shares. Premier Shares of the Portfolio are not currently offered for sale or available for purchase.

If you purchase, sell (redeem) or exchange Service Shares through an authorized intermediary, you may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the intermediary. In addition, an authorized intermediary may impose different investment minimums than those set forth above. The Portfolio is not responsible for any investment minimums imposed by authorized intermediaries or for notifying shareholders of any changes to them.

On any business day, you may sell (redeem) or exchange Service Shares of the Portfolio through your institutional account by contacting your authorized intermediary. If you purchase Service Shares of the Portfolio directly from the Trust, you may sell (redeem) or exchange your shares in one of the following ways:

 

 

By Mail – Send a written request to: Northern Institutional Funds, P.O. Box 75986, Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986.

 

 

By Telephone – Call the Northern Institutional Funds Center at 800-637-1380 for instructions.

 

 

By Wire – Authorize wire redemptions on your New Account Application and have proceeds sent by federal wire transfer to a previously designated bank account (the minimum redemption amount by this method is $10,000).

On any business day, you may sell (redeem) or exchange Premier Shares of the Portfolio through your custody sweep account by contacting your Northern Trust account representative.

TAX INFORMATION

The Portfolio’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, unless you are investing through a tax-exempt or tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan

 

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or an individual retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-advantaged accounts.

PAYMENTS TO BROKERS-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase the Portfolio through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Portfolio and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Portfolio 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 the Portfolio over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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INVESTMENT ADVISER

This Prospectus describes four money market portfolios (each a “Portfolio,” collectively the “Portfolios”) which are currently offered by Northern Institutional Funds (the “Trust”).

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. (“NTI” or the “Investment Adviser”), an indirect subsidiary of Northern Trust Corporation, serves as the Investment Adviser of the Portfolios and is responsible for their overall administration. NTI is located at 50 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603.

NTI is an Illinois State Banking Corporation and an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. It primarily manages assets for institutional and individual separately managed accounts, investment companies and bank common and collective funds.

Northern Trust Corporation is regulated by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as a financial holding company under the U.S. Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended. Unless otherwise indicated, NTI and The Northern Trust Company (“TNTC”) are referred to collectively in this Prospectus as “Northern Trust.”

As of December 31, 2023, Northern Trust Corporation, through its affiliates, had assets under investment management of approximately $1.4 trillion and assets under custody of approximately $11.9 trillion.

Under the Management Agreements with the Trust, the Investment Adviser, subject to the general supervision of the Trust’s Board of Trustees, is responsible for making investment decisions for the Portfolios and for placing purchase and sale orders for portfolio securities, as well as for providing administration services to the Portfolios.

 

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MANAGEMENT FEES

As compensation for advisory services and administration services and the assumption of related expenses, NTI is entitled to a management fee, computed daily and payable monthly, at annual rates. The table below reflects the aggregate management fees paid by each of the Portfolios for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023, after waivers and/or reimbursements, if any (expressed as a percentage of each Portfolio’s respective average daily net assets).

NTI has contractually agreed to reimburse a portion of the operating expenses of each Portfolio (other than certain fees and expenses shown in the table under the caption “Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio” in each Portfolio’s Portfolio Summary) so that “Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement” do not exceed the amount shown in the footnote to the table under the caption “Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio” in each Portfolio’s Portfolio Summary. The “Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement” for the Portfolios may be higher than the contractual limitation for the Portfolios as a result of certain excepted expenses that are not reimbursed. The contractual expense reimbursement arrangement is expected to continue until at least April 1, 2025. The contractual expense

reimbursement arrangement will continue automatically thereafter for periods of one year (each such one-year period, a “Renewal Year”). The arrangement may be terminated, as to any succeeding Renewal Year, by NTI or a Portfolio upon 60 days’ written notice prior to the end of the current Renewal Year. The Board of Trustees may terminate the arrangement at any time with respect to a Portfolio if it determines that it is in the best interest of the Portfolio and its shareholders.

Service providers to a Portfolio, including the Portfolio’s adviser and/or its affiliates may, from time to time, voluntarily waive all or a portion of any fees to which they are entitled and/or reimburse certain expenses, including to avoid a negative yield. Any such additional expense reimbursement or fee waiver would be voluntary and could be implemented, increased or decreased, or discontinued at any time without notice. There is no guarantee that a Portfolio will be able to avoid a negative yield or maintain a specified minimum yield.

A discussion regarding the Board of Trustees’ basis for its most recent approval of the Portfolios’ Management Agreements is available in the Portfolios’ semi-annual report to shareholders for the six-month period ended May 31, 2023.

     Aggregate Management Fees Paid
for Fiscal Year Ended 11/30/2023
after waivers and/or reimbursements,
if any
 

TREASURY PORTFOLIO

     0.13%  

TREASURY INSTRUMENTS PORTFOLIO

     0.18%

U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO

     0.23%  

U.S. GOVERNMENT SELECT PORTFOLIO

     0.15%  

 

*

The Treasury Instruments Portfolio had not commenced operations as of November 30, 2023. Rate shown is contractual management fee rate.

 

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OTHER PORTFOLIO SERVICES

TNTC serves as Transfer Agent and Custodian for each Portfolio. The Transfer Agent performs various shareholder servicing functions, and any shareholder inquiries should be directed to it. TNTC also performs certain administrative services for the Portfolios pursuant to a sub-administration agreement with NTI. NTI pays TNTC for its sub-administration services out of its management fees, which do not represent additional expenses to the Portfolios.

TNTC, as Transfer Agent, is entitled to transfer agent fees at an annual rate of 0.015% of the average daily net assets of each Portfolio. TNTC, as Custodian, receives an amount based on a pre-determined schedule of charges approved by the Trust’s Board of Trustees.

TNTC, NTI and other Northern Trust affiliates may provide other services to the Portfolios and receive compensation for such services if consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) and the rules, exemptive orders and no-action letters issued by the SEC thereunder. Unless required, investors in a Portfolio may or may not receive specific notice of such additional services and fees.

Shares of the Trust are distributed by Northern Funds Distributors, LLC (“NFD”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Foreside Financial Group, LLC (dba ACA Group), Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine, 04101. NFD is not affiliated with TNTC, NTI or any other Northern Trust affiliate.

 

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PURCHASING AND SELLING SHARES, SERVICE SHARES AND PREMIER SHARES

 

THE TRUST OFFERS FOUR MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS TO INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS IN THIS PROSPECTUS.

 

The descriptions in the Portfolio Summaries may help you decide whether a Portfolio or Portfolios fit your investment needs. Keep in mind, however, that no guarantee can be made that a Portfolio will meet its investment objective and no Portfolio should be relied upon as a complete investment program.

INVESTORS

Institutional investors (“Institutions”), acting on their own behalf or on behalf of customers and other beneficial owners (“Customers”), may invest in the Shares class of each Portfolio.

Institutions, acting on their own behalf or on behalf of Customers and entering into servicing agreements with the Trust (“Servicing Agreements”), may invest in the Service Shares class and Premier Shares class of each Portfolio.

Institutions are:

 

 

Authorized third party financial intermediaries (including retirement plans and plan sponsors, banks, trust companies, brokers, investment advisers, cash portal providers, and other money managers), acting on their own behalf or on behalf of Customers; and

 

 

Clients of Northern Trust Corporate and Institutional Services, Northern Trust Foundation and Institutional Advisors and Northern Trust Global Family Office who are corporations, partnerships, business trusts and other institutions and organizations, and clients of Northern Trust Wealth Management having at least $500 million in total assets at Northern Trust.

SHARE CLASSES

Each Portfolio is authorized to offer three classes of shares: Shares, Service Shares, and Premier. The Treasury Portfolio and U.S. Government Select Portfolio are also authorized to offer an additional share class, Siebert Williams Shank Shares, which are described in a separate prospectus. Except for the U.S. Government Select Portfolio, Service Shares for each Portfolio are not currently offered to investors. With the exception of the Treasury Portfolio, Premier Shares of each Portfolio are not currently offered to investors. The Premier Shares of the Treasury Portfolio are currently offered only through a Northern Trust custody sweep account.

 

 

Shares do not provide for payments by the Portfolio to Institutions for administrative support or shareholder liaison services.

 

 

Service Shares are designed for certain Institutions that agree with the Portfolio to provide (or arrange for the provision of) administrative support services to Customers.

 

 

Premier Shares are designed for certain Institutions that agree with the Portfolio to provide (or arrange for the provision of) administrative support and shareholder liaison services to Customers. With the exception of the Treasury Portfolio, Premier Shares of each Portfolio are not currently offered to investors.

Shares of each class bear their pro rata portion of all operating expenses paid by a Portfolio, except service fee amounts payable under the Service Plan that has been adopted for the Portfolio’s Service Shares and Premier Shares. The Service Plan provides for payments at an annual rate of 0.00% of the average daily net asset value (“NAV”) of Service Shares of the each of the Portfolios and 0.00% of the average daily NAV of Premier Shares of the Treasury Instruments, U.S. Government, and U.S. Government Select Portfolios.

Under the Service Plan for Premier Shares of the Treasury Portfolio, the Trust has entered into a servicing agreement with The Northern Trust Company (“TNTC”) under which TNTC has agreed to provide certain shareholder account, administrative and other service functions to its customers who are shareholders of the Premier Shares. In exchange for these services, TNTC, as servicing agent, receives an annual fee of 0.05% of the average daily net assets of the Premier Shares of the Treasury Portfolio.

Please note that the fee and expense information shown under “Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio” in the Portfolio Summaries does not reflect any charges that may be imposed by TNTC, its affiliates, financial intermediaries and other institutions on their Customers (as defined above). (For more information, please see “Account Policies and Other Information—Financial Intermediaries.”)

PURCHASING SHARES, SERVICE SHARES AND PREMIER SHARES

Institutions who do not have accounts with Northern Trust may open an account directly with the Trust generally with a minimum initial investment of $5 million in one or more of the Shares classes of the investment portfolios of the Trust.

 

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There is no minimum for subsequent investments. The Trust reserves the right to waive the minimum investment requirement in connection with the purchase of the Shares class of a Portfolio. There is no minimum initial investment for purchases of Portfolio shares through an account at Northern Trust (or an affiliate) or an authorized third party financial intermediary.

The Shares class of the Treasury Portfolio is not offered for purchase through Northern Trust custody sweep. Except for the U.S. Government Select Portfolio, Service Shares for each Portfolio are not currently offered. There is no minimum initial investment required for purchases of Service Shares through an authorized intermediary.

Except for the Treasury Portfolio, Premier Shares for each Portfolio are not currently offered. Premier Shares of Treasury Portfolio are currently offered only through Northern Trust custody sweep. There is no minimum investment required for purchase of Premier Shares of Treasury Portfolio.

OPENING AN ACCOUNT

THROUGH AN INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNT. If you are opening an institutional account at Northern Trust, a Northern Trust representative can assist you with all phases of your investment. To purchase Shares, Service Shares or Premier Shares through an account, contact your Northern Trust representative for further information.

THROUGH AN AUTHORIZED INTERMEDIARY. The Trust may authorize certain Institutions acting as financial intermediaries (including banks, trust companies, brokers and investment advisers) to accept purchase orders from their Customers on behalf of the Portfolios. See “Account Policies and Other Information—Financial Intermediaries” for additional information regarding purchases of Shares, Service Shares and Premier Shares through authorized intermediaries. If you purchase shares through an authorized intermediary, that intermediary may impose different investment minimums than those set forth by the Portfolios as described in this Prospectus. The Portfolios are not responsible for any investment minimums imposed by authorized intermediaries or for notifying shareholders of any changes to them.

DIRECTLY FROM THE TRUST. An Institution may open a shareholder account and purchase Shares, Service Shares and Premier Shares directly from the Trust as described above under “Purchasing Shares, Service Shares and Premier Shares.”

For your convenience, there are a number of ways to invest directly in the Portfolios:

BY MAIL

 

 

Read this Prospectus carefully.

 

 

Complete and sign the New Account Application.

 

 

Include acceptable evidence of authority (if applicable).

 

 

Enclose a check or Federal Reserve draft payable to Northern Institutional Funds.

 

 

Mail your check, acceptable evidence of authority (if applicable) and completed New Account Application to:

Northern Institutional Funds

P.O. Box 75986

Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986

 

 

Additional documentation may be required to fulfill the requirements of the “Customer Identification Program.”

All checks must be payable in U.S. dollars and drawn on a bank located in the United States. Cash and third party checks are not acceptable.

 

 

For overnight delivery, use the following address:

Northern Institutional Funds

c/o The Northern Trust Company 333 South Wabash Ave Chicago, Illinois 60604

BY TELEPHONE

TO OPEN A NEW ACCOUNT:

 

 

For more information or instructions regarding the purchase of Shares, Service Shares or Premier Shares, call the Northern Institutional Funds Center at 800-637-1380.

TO ADD TO AN EXISTING ACCOUNT, PLEASE PROVIDE:

 

 

The Institution’s name

 

 

Your account number

BY WIRE OR AUTOMATED CLEARING HOUSE (“ACH”) TRANSFER

TO OPEN A NEW ACCOUNT:

 

 

For more information or instructions regarding the purchase of Shares, Service Shares or Premier Shares, call the Northern Institutional Funds Center at 800-637-1380.

 

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TO ADD TO AN EXISTING ACCOUNT:

 

 

Have your bank wire federal funds or effect an ACH transfer to:

The Northern Trust Company

Chicago, Illinois

ABA Routing No. 0710-00152

(Reference 10-Digit Portfolio account number, with no spaces (e.g., ##########))

(Reference Shareholder’s Name)

SELLING SHARES, SERVICE SHARES AND PREMIER SHARES

THROUGH AN INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNT. Institutions may sell (redeem) Shares, Service Shares and Premier Shares through their institutional account by contacting their Northern Trust account representative.

THROUGH AN AUTHORIZED INTERMEDIARY. Institutions that purchase Shares, Service Shares and Premier Shares from an authorized intermediary may sell (redeem) their Shares, Service Shares and Premier Shares by contacting their financial intermediary. See “Account Policies and Other Information— Financial Intermediaries” for additional information regarding sales (redemptions) of Shares, Service Shares and Premier Shares through authorized intermediaries.

DIRECTLY THROUGH THE TRUST. Institutions that purchase Shares, Service Shares and Premier Shares directly from the Trust may redeem their Shares, Service Shares or Premier Shares through the Transfer Agent in one of the following ways:

BY MAIL

SEND A WRITTEN REQUEST TO:

Northern Institutional Funds

P.O. Box 75986

Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986

For overnight delivery, use the following address:

Northern Institutional Funds

c/o The Northern Trust Company

333 South Wabash Ave

Chicago, Illinois 60604

THE LETTER OF INSTRUCTION MUST INCLUDE:

 

 

The signature of a duly authorized person (A signature guarantee from an institution participating in the Stock Transfer Agency Medallion Program (“STAMP”) also may be required.)

 

 

Your account number

 

 

The name of the Portfolio

 

 

The number of Shares, Service Shares or Premier Shares and the dollar amount to be redeemed

BY TELEPHONE

 

 

Call the Northern Institutional Funds Center at 800-637-1380 for instructions.

 

 

During periods of unusual economic or market activity, telephone redemptions may be difficult to implement. In such event, shareholders should follow the procedures outlined above under “Selling Shares, Service Shares and Premier Shares—By Mail.”

BY WIRE

If you authorize wire redemptions on your New Account Application, you can redeem shares and have the proceeds sent by federal wire transfer to a previously designated bank account.

 

 

Call the Northern Institutional Funds Center at 800-637-1380 for instructions.

 

 

The minimum amount that may be redeemed by this method is $10,000.

 

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ACCOUNT POLICIES AND OTHER INFORMATION

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION MINIMUMS. There is generally a minimum initial investment of $5 million in the Shares classes of the Portfolios of the Trust when purchasing shares directly with the Trust. This minimum does not apply, however, to Portfolio shares purchased through a Northern Trust cash sweep program, or any Portfolio shares purchased through a Northern Trust account or an authorized intermediary. There is no minimum for subsequent investments. A $10,000 minimum applies for redemptions by wire. The Trust reserves the right to waive purchase and redemption minimums and to determine the manner in which a minimum is satisfied.

CALCULATING SHARE PRICE. The Trust issues Shares, Service Shares and Premier Shares and redeems Shares, Service Shares and Premier Shares at NAV. The NAV for each class of shares of a Portfolio is calculated by dividing the value of the Portfolio’s net assets attributed to that class by the number of the Portfolio’s outstanding shares of the class. For each class of shares of the Treasury Instruments Portfolio, the NAV is calculated on each Business Day as of 12:00 p.m. (noon) Central time. For each class of shares of the U.S. Government Portfolio, Treasury Portfolio, and U.S. Government Select Portfolio, the NAV is calculated on each Business Day as of 4:00 p.m. Central time. Portfolio shares may be priced on days when the New York Stock Exchange (the “Exchange”) is closed if the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (“SIFMA”) recommends that the bond markets remain open for all or part of the day or on days when the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (the “New York Fed”) is open. The NAV used in determining the price of your shares is the one calculated after your purchase, exchange or redemption order is received in good order. See “Good Order.”

Each of the Portfolios seeks to maintain a stable NAV of $1.00 per share by valuing the obligations held by it at amortized cost in accordance with SEC regulations. Amortized cost will normally approximate fair value.

TIMING OF PURCHASE REQUESTS. Purchase requests received in good order and accepted by the Transfer Agent or other authorized intermediary on any Business Day by 12:00 p.m. (noon) Central time with respect to the Treasury Instruments Portfolio, and by 4:00 p.m. Central time with respect to the Treasury Portfolio, U.S. Government Portfolio, and the U.S. Government Select Portfolio, will be executed the day they are received by either the Transfer Agent or other authorized intermediary, at the NAV next calculated after receipt of your purchase order in good order, provided that one of the following occurs:

 

 

The Transfer Agent receives the payment in federal or other immediately available funds on the same Business Day by 12:00 p.m. (noon) Central time with respect to the Treasury Instruments Portfolio, , and by the close of the Federal Reserve wire transfer system (normally, 5:00 p.m. Central time) with respect to the Treasury Portfolio, U.S. Government Portfolio, and the U.S. Government Select Portfolio;

 

 

The requests are placed by a financial or authorized intermediary that has entered into a Servicing Agreement or other agreement with the Trust or its agent and payment in federal or other immediately available funds is received by the Transfer Agent in accordance with the terms of the Trust’s or its agent’s agreement with the intermediary;

 

 

Payment in federal or other immediately available funds is received by the close of the same Business Day in an institutional account maintained with Northern Trust or an affiliate; or

 

 

The purchase requests are placed through TNTC’s electronic fund trading platform and payment in federal or other immediately available funds is received by the Transfer Agent by the close of the Federal Reserve wire transfer system (normally, 5:00 p.m. Central time).

Purchase requests received in good order by the Transfer Agent or other authorized intermediary on a non-Business Day or after the deadlines described above on a Business Day will be executed on the next Business Day, at that day’s closing share price for the applicable Portfolio(s), provided that payment is made as noted above.

IN-KIND PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS. The Trust reserves the right to accept payment for Shares, Service Shares and Premier Shares in the form of securities that are permissible investments for a Portfolio. The Trust also reserves the right to pay redemptions by a distribution “in-kind” of securities (instead of cash) from a Portfolio. See the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) for further information about the terms of these purchases and redemptions.

MISCELLANEOUS PURCHASE INFORMATION.

 

 

Institutions are responsible for transmitting purchase orders and delivering required funds on a timely basis.

 

 

For shares purchased through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary is responsible for transmitting purchase orders and delivering required funds on a timely basis. Your financial intermediary may have earlier trading deadlines than those described in this prospectus. Please contact your financial intermediary for more information.

 

 

Institutions are responsible for all losses and expenses of a Portfolio, and purchase orders may be cancelled, in the event of any failure to make payment according to the procedures outlined in this Prospectus. In addition, a $20 charge will be imposed if a check does not clear.

 

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Exchanges into the Portfolios from another investment portfolio in the Trust may be subject to any redemption fee imposed by the other investment portfolio.

 

 

Shares, Service Shares and Premier Shares of a Portfolio are entitled to the dividends declared by the Portfolio beginning on the Business Day the purchase order is executed, provided payment in federal or other immediately available funds is received by the Transfer Agent by the time designated in “Timing of Purchase Requests.”

 

 

The Trust and its agents, each reserve the right, in the Trust’s sole discretion to reject or restrict any purchase order or exchange order, in whole or in part. The Trust also reserves the right to change or discontinue any of its purchase procedures.

 

 

The Trust and its agents, each reserve the right to suspend the offering of shares of a Portfolio when, in the judgment of management, such suspension is in the best interests of a Portfolio.

 

 

In certain circumstances, the Trust may advance the time by which purchase orders must be received. See “Early Closings.”

 

 

If the Transfer Agent cannot locate an investor for a period of time specified by appropriate state law, the investor’s account may be deemed legally abandoned and then escheated (transferred) to such state’s unclaimed property administrator in accordance with statutory requirements.

TIMING OF REDEMPTION AND EXCHANGE REQUESTS. Redemption and exchange requests received in good order by the Transfer Agent or other authorized intermediary on any Business Day by 12:00 p.m. (noon) Central time with respect to the Treasury Instruments Portfolio, and by 4:00 p.m. Central time with respect to the U.S. Government Portfolio, Treasury Portfolio, and the U.S. Government Select Portfolio, will be executed on the same day at the NAV next calculated after receipt of your redemption order in good order.

Redemption and exchange requests received in good order by the Transfer Agent or other authorized intermediary on a non-Business Day or after the deadline described above on a Business Day will be executed the next Business Day at that day’s closing share price for the applicable Portfolio(s).

PAYMENT OF REDEMPTION PROCEEDS. If your account is held directly with a Portfolio, it is expected that under normal circumstances the Portfolio will typically pay out redemption proceeds to shareholders by the next Business Day following a receipt of a redemption request in good order.

If your account is held through an intermediary, the length of time to pay redemption proceeds typically depends, in part, on the terms of the agreement in place between the intermediary and a Portfolio. For redemption proceeds that are paid either directly to you from a Portfolio or to your intermediary for transmittal to you, it is expected that under normal circumstances payments will typically be made by wire, by ACH or by issuing check by the next Business Day following receipt of a redemption request in good order from the intermediary by a Portfolio. Intermediaries are responsible for the timely transmittal of redemption requests by their customers to the Portfolios’ transfer agent. Redemption requests that are processed through investment professionals that utilize the National Securities Clearing Corporation will generally settle one to three Business Days following receipt of a redemption request in good order.

However, if you have recently purchased Shares, Service Shares or Premier Shares with a check or through an electronic transaction, payment may be delayed as discussed below under “Miscellaneous Redemption Information.”

It is expected that payment of redemption proceeds will normally be made from uninvested cash or short-term investments, proceeds from the sale of portfolio securities, or borrowing from banks, including through the Trust’s committed, unsecured credit facility (see “Credit Facility and Borrowing”). It is possible that stressed market conditions or large shareholder redemptions may result in the need for utilization of a Portfolio’s ability to redeem in-kind in order to meet shareholder redemption requests. A Portfolio reserves the right to pay all or part of your redemption proceeds in readily marketable securities instead of cash (redemption in-kind). Redemption in-kind proceeds will typically be made by delivering the selected securities to the redeeming shareholder within seven days after the receipt of the redemption request in good order by a Portfolio.

Large unexpected redemptions to a Portfolio can disrupt portfolio management and increase trading costs by causing the Portfolio to liquidate a substantial portion of its assets in a short period of time. When experiencing a redemption by a large shareholder, the Portfolio may delay payment of the redemption request for up to seven days to provide NTI with time to determine if the Portfolio can redeem the request-in-kind or to consider other alternatives to lessen the harm to remaining shareholders. Under certain circumstances, however, the Portfolio may be unable to delay a redemption request, which could result in the automatic processing of a large redemption that is detrimental to the Portfolio and its remaining shareholders.

The Portfolios do not intend to avail themselves of the ability to impose liquidity fees. However, the Board of Trustees reserves the right, with notice to shareholders, to change this policy with respect to a Portfolio, thereby permitting that Portfolio to impose discretionary liquidity fees in the future.

 

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MISCELLANEOUS REDEMPTION INFORMATION. All redemption proceeds will be sent by check unless the Transfer Agent is directed otherwise. Redemption proceeds also may be wired. Redemptions are subject to the following restrictions:

 

 

The Trust reserves the right to defer crediting, sending or wiring redemption proceeds for up to 7 days (or such longer period permitted by the SEC) after receiving the redemption order if, in its judgment, an earlier payment could adversely affect a Portfolio. The processing of redemptions may be suspended, and the delivery of redemption proceeds may be delayed beyond seven days, depending on the circumstances, for any period: (i) during which the Exchange is closed (other than on holidays or weekends), or during which trading on the Exchange is restricted; (ii) when, in accordance with SEC rules and regulations, an emergency exists that makes the disposal of securities owned by a Portfolio or the determination of the fair value of a Portfolio’s net assets not reasonably practicable; (iii) as permitted by order of the SEC for the protection of Portfolio shareholders; or (iv) the Portfolio as part of a liquidation of the Portfolio, has suspended redemption of shares in accordance with SEC rules and regulations. Redemption payments may also be delayed in the event of a non-routine closure of the Federal Reserve wire payment system or applicable Federal Reserve Banks.

 

 

If you are redeeming recently purchased Shares, Service Shares or Premier Shares by check or electronic transaction, your redemption request may not be paid until your check or electronic transaction has cleared. This may delay your payment for up to 10 days.

 

 

Institutions are responsible for transmitting redemption orders and crediting their Customers’ accounts with redemption proceeds on a timely basis.

 

 

For shares redeemed through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary is responsible for transmitting redemption orders and crediting your account with redemption proceeds on a timely basis. Your financial intermediary may have earlier trading deadlines than those described in this prospectus. Please contact your financial intermediary for more information.

 

 

Redemption requests made to the Transfer Agent by mail must be signed by a person authorized by acceptable documentation on file with the Transfer Agent.

 

 

Dividends on Shares, Service Shares and Premier Shares are earned through and including the day prior to the day on which they are redeemed.

 

 

Subject to applicable law, the Trust and the Transfer Agent reserve the right to redeem shares held by any shareholder who provides incorrect or incomplete account information or when such involuntary redemptions are necessary to avoid adverse consequences to the Trust and its shareholders or the Transfer Agent.

 

 

Subject to applicable law, the Trust, Northern Trust and their agents reserve the right to involuntarily redeem or suspend an account at a Portfolio’s then current NAV, in cases of disruptive conduct, suspected fraudulent or illegal activity, inability to verify the identity of an investor, or other circumstances determined by the Trust and Northern Trust to be in the best interest of the Trust and its shareholders.

 

 

The Trust, Northern Trust and their agents reserve the right, without notice, to freeze any account and/or suspend account services when: (i) notice has been received of a dispute regarding the assets in an account, or a legal claim against an account; (ii) upon initial notification to Northern Trust of a shareholder’s or authorized agent’s death until Northern Trust receives required documentation in correct form; or (iii) if there is reason to believe a fraudulent transaction may occur or has occurred.

 

 

The Trust may require any information from the shareholder reasonably necessary to ensure that a redemption request has been duly authorized.

 

 

The Trust reserves the right to change or discontinue any of its redemption procedures.

 

 

The Trust does not permit redemption proceeds to be sent by outgoing International ACH Transaction (“IAT”). An IAT is a payment transaction involving a financial institution’s office located outside U.S. territorial jurisdiction.

 

 

In certain circumstances, the Trust may advance the time by which redemption and exchange orders must be received. See “Early Closings.”

EXCHANGE PRIVILEGES. Institutions and their Customers (to the extent permitted by their account agreements) may exchange shares of a Portfolio for the same class of shares of another investment portfolio of the Trust only if the registration of both accounts is identical. Both accounts must have the same owner’s name and title, if applicable. A $1,000 minimum applies to exchanges. An exchange is a redemption of shares of one Portfolio and the purchase of the same class of shares of another investment portfolio in the Trust. If the shares redeemed are held in a taxable account, an exchange is considered a taxable event and may result in a gain or loss. The Trust reserves the right to waive or modify minimum investment requirements in connection with exchanges.

 

The Trust reserves the right to change or discontinue the exchange privilege at any time upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders and to reject any exchange request. Exchanges are

 

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only available in states where an exchange can legally be made. Before making an exchange, you should read the Prospectus for the shares you are acquiring.

EXCESSIVE TRADING IN PORTFOLIO SHARES. The Board of Trustees of the Trust has not adopted, on behalf of the Portfolios, policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Portfolio shares in light of the nature and high quality of the Portfolios’ investments. Each Portfolio reserves the right to refuse a purchase order if management of the Portfolio determines that the purchase may not be in the best interests of the Portfolio.

TELEPHONE TRANSACTIONS. All calls may be recorded or monitored. The Transfer Agent has adopted procedures in an effort to establish reasonable safeguards against fraudulent telephone transactions. If reasonable measures are taken to verify that telephone instructions are genuine, the Trust and its service providers will not be responsible for any loss resulting from fraudulent or unauthorized instructions received over the telephone. In these circumstances, shareholders will bear the risk of loss. During periods of unusual market activity, you may have trouble placing a request by telephone.

The proceeds of redemption orders received by telephone will be sent by check, wire or transfer according to proper instructions. All checks will be made payable to the shareholder of record and mailed only to the shareholder’s address of record.

The Trust reserves the right to refuse a telephone redemption, subject to applicable law.

ADVANCE NOTIFICATION OF LARGE TRANSACTIONS. The Trust requests that an Institution give advance notice to the Transfer Agent by 11:00 a.m. Central time if it intends to place a purchase or redemption order of $5 million or more on a Business Day. For other large purchase or redemption orders below $5 million, the Trust requests that an Institution give advance notice to the Transfer Agent as early as possible in the day.

MAKING CHANGES TO YOUR ACCOUNT INFORMATION. You may make changes to wiring instructions only in writing. You may make changes to an address of record or certain other account information in writing or by telephone. Written instructions must be accompanied by acceptable evidence of authority (if applicable). A signature guarantee also may be required from an institution participating in STAMP. Additional requirements may be imposed. In accordance with SEC regulations, the Trust and Transfer Agent may charge a shareholder reasonable costs in locating a shareholder’s current address.

SIGNATURE GUARANTEES. If a signature guarantee is required, it must be from an institution participating in STAMP, or other acceptable evidence of authority (if applicable) must be provided. Additional requirements may be imposed by the Trust. In addition to the situations described in this Prospectus, the Trust may require signature guarantees in other circumstances based on the amount of a redemption request or other factors.

BUSINESS DAY. A “Business Day” is each Monday through Friday that the New York Fed is open for business, except as noted below. The New York Fed is closed on the following national holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The Portfolios may also close on days when the New York Fed is open but the Exchange is closed, such as Good Friday.

GOOD ORDER. A purchase, redemption or exchange request is considered to be “in good order” when all necessary information is provided and all required documents are properly completed, signed and delivered, including acceptable evidence of authority (if applicable). Additionally, a purchase order initiating the opening of an account will not be considered to be “in good order” unless the investor has provided all information required by the Trust’s “Customer Identification Program” described below.

CUSTOMER IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM. Federal law requires the Trust to obtain, verify and record identifying information, which may include the name, business street address, taxpayer identification number or other identifying information for each investor who opens or reopens an account with the Trust. Applications without this information, or without an indication that a taxpayer identification number has been applied for, may not be accepted. After acceptance, to the extent permitted by applicable law or the Trust’s customer identification program, the Trust reserves the right to: (a) place limits on account transactions until an investor’s identity is verified; (b) refuse an investment in the Trust; or (c) involuntarily redeem an investor’s shares and close an account in the event that an investor’s identity is not verified. The Trust and its agents will not be responsible for any loss in an investor’s account resulting from an investor’s delay in providing all required identifying information or from closing an account and redeeming an investor’s shares when an investor’s identity is not verified.

EARLY CLOSINGS. The Portfolios reserve the right to advance the time for accepting purchase, redemption or exchange orders for same Business Day credit when the Exchange and/or the bond market close early, trading on the Exchange is restricted, an emergency arises or as otherwise permitted by the

 

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SEC. In addition, on any Business Day when SIFMA recommends that the bond markets close early, each Portfolio reserves the right to close at or prior to the SIFMA recommended closing time. If a Portfolio does so, it will cease granting same Business Day credit for purchase and redemption orders received at the Portfolio’s closing time and credit will be given on the next Business Day. In addition, the Board of Trustees of the Trust also may, for any Business Day, decide to change the time as of which a Portfolio’s NAV is calculated in response to new developments such as altered trading hours, or as otherwise permitted by the SEC.

EMERGENCY OR UNUSUAL EVENTS. In the event the Exchange does not open for business because of an emergency or unusual event, the Trust may, but is not required to, open one or more Portfolios for purchase, redemption and exchange transactions if the Federal Reserve wire payment system is open. To learn whether a Portfolio is open for business during an emergency situation or unusual event, please call 800-637-1380 or visit www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional.

FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES. The Trust may authorize certain Institutions acting as financial intermediaries (including banks, trust companies, brokers and investment advisers) to accept purchase, redemption and exchange orders from their Customers on behalf of the Portfolios. These authorized intermediaries also may designate other intermediaries to accept such orders, if approved by the Trust. A Portfolio will be deemed to have received an order when the order is accepted by the authorized intermediary, and the order will be priced at the Portfolio’s per share NAV next determined, provided that the authorized intermediary forwards the order (and payment for any purchase order) to the Transfer Agent on behalf of the Trust within agreed-upon time periods. If the order (or payment for any purchase order) is not received by the Transfer Agent within such time periods, the authorized intermediary may be liable for fees and losses and the transaction may be cancelled. Orders submitted through a financial intermediary that has not received authorization to accept orders on a Portfolio’s behalf are priced at the Portfolio’s NAV next calculated by the Portfolio after it receives the order from the financial intermediary and accepts it, which may not occur on the day submitted to the financial intermediary.

Certain financial intermediaries, including affiliates of Northern Trust, may perform (or arrange to have performed) various administrative support services for Customers who are the beneficial owners of either Service Shares or Premier Shares through Servicing Agreements with the Trust (“Service Organizations”). In addition, Service Organizations perform (or arrange to have performed) personal and account maintenance services under their Servicing Agreements for Premier Shares. These Servicing Agreements are permitted under the Trust’s Service Plan (“Service Plan”).

For both Service Shares and Premier Shares, administrative support services may include:

 

 

acting, directly or through another, as a shareholder of record;

 

 

establishing and maintaining individual accounts and records;

 

 

processing purchase, redemption and exchange orders; and

 

 

placing net purchase and redemption orders with the Trust’s Transfer Agent.

Service Organizations will receive fees from the Portfolios for these services at an annual rate of 0.00% of the average daily NAV of the Service Shares of each of the Portfolios and Premier Shares of the Treasury Instruments, U.S. Government and U.S. Government Select Portfolios beneficially owned by their Customers.

The Board of Trustees of Northern Institutional Funds has approved the suspension of the Portfolios’ Service Share service fee payments, but such payments could be reinstated in the future upon approval by the Board of Trustees.

Personal and account maintenance services provided under the Service Plan for Premier Shares may include:

 

 

providing information to investors regarding the Portfolios or relating to the status of their accounts; and

 

 

acting as liaison between investors and the Trust.

Service Organizations will receive additional fees from the Treasury Instruments, U.S. Government and U.S. Government Select Portfolios for these services at an annual rate of up to 0.00% of the average daily NAV of the Premier Shares beneficially owned by their Customers.

TNTC will receive fees from the Treasury Portfolio for these services at an annual rate of up to 0.05% of the average daily NAV of the Premier Shares beneficially owned by their Customers.

All fees payable under the Service Plan are borne solely by the classes of shares to which the services are provided and not by the Portfolios’ other classes of shares. Because these fees are paid out of the Portfolios’ assets on an on-going basis, they will increase the cost of an investment in the Portfolios.

The Portfolios’ arrangements with Service Organizations under the agreements are governed by a Service Plan, which has been adopted by the Board of Trustees.

In addition, Northern Trust may enter into agreements with financial intermediaries through which Customers own shares

 

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of the Shares class of the Portfolios, pursuant to which Northern Trust pays these financial intermediaries for providing certain shareholder services. For the Shares class only, the payments made by Northern Trust to financial intermediaries will be paid by Northern Trust and will not represent an additional expense to the Portfolios or their shareholders.

Northern Trust also may provide compensation to certain dealers and Service Organizations, for marketing and distribution in connection with the Northern Institutional Funds. Northern Trust may also sponsor informational meetings, seminars and other similar programs designed to market the Northern Institutional Funds. The amount of such compensation and payments may be made on a one-time and/ or periodic basis, and may represent all or a portion of the annual fees earned by the Investment Adviser (after adjustments). The additional compensation and payments will be paid by Northern Trust or its affiliates and will not represent an additional expense to the Trust or its shareholders. Such payments may provide incentives for financial intermediaries to make shares of the Portfolios available to their Customers, and may allow the Portfolios greater access to such parties and their Customers than would be the case if no payments were paid.

Customers purchasing Shares, Service Shares or Premier Shares of a Portfolio through a financial intermediary should read their account agreements with the financial intermediary carefully. A financial intermediary’s requirements may differ from those listed in this Prospectus. A financial intermediary also may impose account charges, such as asset allocation fees, account maintenance fees, and other charges that will reduce the net return on an investment in a Portfolio. If a Customer has agreed with a particular financial intermediary to maintain a minimum balance and the balance falls below this minimum, the Customer may be required to redeem all or a portion of the Customer’s investment in a Portfolio.

Conflict of interest restrictions may apply to the receipt of compensation by a Service Organization or other financial intermediary in connection with the investment of fiduciary funds in Shares, Service Shares or Premier Shares of a Portfolio. Institutions, including banks regulated by the Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Reserve Board and state banking commissions, and investment advisers and other money managers subject to the jurisdiction of the SEC, the Department of Labor or state securities commissions, are urged to consult their legal counsel.

State securities laws regarding the registration of dealers may differ from federal law. As a result, Service Organizations and other financial intermediaries investing in the Portfolios on behalf of their Customers may be required to register as dealers.

PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS. The Portfolios, or their duly authorized service providers, may publicly disclose holdings of all Northern Institutional Funds in accordance with regulatory requirements, such as periodic portfolio disclosure in filings with the SEC.

The Trust publishes on its website at www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional no later than the fifth business day of each month and for a period of not less than six months, a complete schedule of a Portfolio’s holdings and certain other information regarding portfolio holdings of each Portfolio as of the last business day of the prior month or subsequent calendar day of the preceding month. A Portfolio may publish on the Trust’s website a complete schedule of its portfolio holdings and certain other information regarding portfolio holdings more frequently in accordance with the Trust’s policy. Certain portfolio information concerning the Portfolios will be provided in monthly holdings reports to the SEC on Form N-MFP2. Form N-MFP2 will be made available to the public on the SEC’s EDGAR database immediately upon filing after the end of the month to which the information pertains, and a link to each of the most recent 12 months of filings on Form N-MFP2 will be provided on the Trust’s website. A further description of the Trust’s Policy on Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings is available in the SAI.

SHAREHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS. Shareholders of record will be provided each year with a semiannual report showing portfolio investments and other information as of May 31 and with an annual report containing audited financial statements as of November 30. The reports will be made available on the Portfolios’ website at www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional/literature. Unless you have elected to receive the reports in paper, you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided a website link to access the report. You may elect to receive future reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you may contact your financial intermediary to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports. If you invest directly with the Trust, you can inform the Trust that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports by calling the Northern Institutional Funds Center at 800-637-1380 or by sending an e-mail request to [email protected]. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Northern Institutional Funds you hold in your account at the financial intermediary or through an account with the Trust.

If we have received appropriate written consent, we send a single copy of all materials, including, prospectuses, financial reports, proxy statements or information statements and other

 

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notices to all shareholders who share the same mailing address, even if more than one person in a household holds shares of a Portfolio.

If you do not want your mailings combined with those of other members of your household, you may opt-out at any time by contacting the Northern Institutional Funds Center by telephone at 800-637-1380 or by mail at Northern Institutional Funds, P.O. Box 75986, Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986. You also may send an e-mail to: [email protected]. The Portfolios will begin sending individual copies to you within 30 days after receipt of your opt-out notice.

The Trust may reproduce this Prospectus in electronic format that may be available on the Internet. If you have received this Prospectus in electronic format you, or your representative, may contact the Transfer Agent for a free paper copy of this Prospectus by writing to the Northern Institutional Funds Center at P.O. Box 75986, Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986, calling 800-637-1380 or by sending an e-mail to: [email protected].

 

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DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAX CONSIDERATIONS

DISTRIBUTIONS

Dividends from net income are declared daily and paid monthly by each Portfolio to its shareholders. Net income includes the interest accrued on a Portfolio’s assets less estimated expenses. Each Portfolio’s net realized short-term capital gains, if any, are distributed at least annually. The Portfolios do not expect to realize net long-term capital gains.

Dividends are paid as soon as practicable following the end of each month, except in the case of a total redemption of Shares, Service Shares or Premier Shares in an account that is not subject to a standing order for the purchase of additional shares of the same class. In that event, dividends will be paid promptly along with the redemption proceeds.

All distributions are reinvested automatically (without any sales charge) in additional shares of the same class of the Portfolio, unless you elect to receive distributions in cash by notifying the Transfer Agent in writing. You may make arrangements to credit these distributions to your account with Northern Trust, its affiliates or financial intermediaries.

There are no fees or sales charges on reinvestments.

TAX CONSIDERATIONS

The following is a summary of certain tax considerations that may be relevant to a shareholder in a Portfolio. The discussions of the federal income tax consequences in this Prospectus and the SAI are based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) and the regulations issued under it, and court decisions and administrative interpretations, as in effect on the date of this Prospectus. Future legislative or administrative changes or court decisions may significantly alter the statements included herein, and any such changes or decisions may be retroactive. Except where otherwise indicated, the discussion relates to shareholders who are individual U.S. citizens or residents and is based on current tax law. You should consult your tax professional for further information regarding federal, state, local and/or foreign tax consequences relevant to your specific situation.

DISTRIBUTIONS. Each Portfolio has elected and intends to qualify as a regulated investment company for federal income tax purposes and to distribute to shareholders substantially all of its net investment income each year. Except as otherwise noted below, you will generally be subject to federal income tax at ordinary rates on a Portfolio’s distributions to you, regardless of whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in Shares, Service Shares or Premier Shares. U.S. individuals with “modified adjusted gross income” exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly) and trusts and estates with income above certain thresholds are subject to the Medicare contribution tax on their “net investment income,” which includes non-exempt interest, dividends and capital gains at a rate of 3.8%. You will be notified annually of the tax status of distributions to you.

The Portfolios generally will be invested in debt instruments and not in shares of stock on which dividend income will be received. As a result, the Portfolios do not expect to pay dividends that are eligible for the reduced tax rate on corporate dividends or that will qualify for the dividends-received deduction for corporations.

IRAS AND OTHER TAX-QUALIFIED PLANS. One major exception to the preceding tax principles is that distributions on shares held in an IRA (or other tax-qualified plan) will not be currently taxable unless shares are acquired with borrowed funds.

REDEMPTIONS. Redemptions are treated as sales for tax purposes and generally are taxable events for shareholders that are subject to tax. In general, if Portfolio shares are sold, a shareholder will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized on the sale and the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in the shares. For the Treasury Portfolio, Treasury Instruments Portfolio, U.S. Government Portfolio and U.S. Government Select Portfolio, as long as each such Portfolio maintains a constant NAV of $1.00 per share, generally no gain or loss should be recognized upon the sale of shares of such Portfolio.

BACKUP WITHHOLDING. The Trust will be required in certain cases to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury 24% of the dividends and gross sales proceeds paid to any shareholder (i) who had provided either an incorrect tax identification number or no number at all, (ii) who is subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure to report the receipt of taxable interest or dividend income properly, or (iii) who has failed to certify to the Trust, when required to do so, that he or she is not subject to backup withholding or that he or she is an “exempt recipient.”

U.S. TAX TREATMENT OF FOREIGN SHAREHOLDERS. Portfolio distributions attributable to Portfolio income such as interest will generally be subject to a 30% withholding tax when paid to foreign shareholders. The withholding tax may, however be reduced (and in some cases eliminated) under an applicable tax treaty between the United States and a shareholder’s country of residence or incorporation, provided that the shareholder furnishes the Portfolios with a properly completed Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable, to establish entitlement for these treaty benefits. Dividends reported as short-term capital gain dividends or interest-related dividends are not subject to U.S. withholding tax. The exemption may not

 

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apply, however, if the recipient’s investment in a Portfolio is effectively connected to a trade or business of the recipient in the United States or if the recipient is present in the United States for 183 days or more in a taxable year and certain other conditions are met.

However, dividends reported as exempt-interest dividends are generally not subject to U.S. withholding tax. In addition, the Portfolios are required to withhold 30% tax on certain payments to certain foreign entities that do not meet specified information reporting requirements under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act.

All foreign investors should consult their own tax professionals regarding the tax consequences in their country of residence of an investment in a Portfolio.

STATE AND LOCAL TAXES. You may also be subject to state and local taxes on income and gain attributable to your ownership of Portfolio shares.

State income taxes may not apply, however, to the portions of a Portfolio’s distributions, if any, that are attributable to interest earned by the Portfolio on U.S. government securities. You should consult your tax professional regarding the tax status of distributions in your state and locality.

CONSULT YOUR TAX PROFESSIONAL. Your investment in the Portfolios could have additional tax consequences. You should consult your tax professional for information regarding all tax consequences applicable to your investments in a Portfolio. More tax information relating to the Portfolios is also provided in the SAI. This short summary is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning.

 

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SECURITIES, TECHNIQUES AND RISKS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RELATED RISKS, DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES AND COMMON INVESTMENT TECHNIQUES

The following provides additional information regarding each Portfolio’s investment objective, principal investment strategies and related risks discussed in the Portfolio Summaries— Principal Investment Strategies section, as well as information about additional investment strategies and techniques that a Portfolio may employ in pursuing its investment objective. Principal investment strategies and risks apply to each Portfolio, unless otherwise noted. The Portfolios also may make other types of investments to the extent permitted by applicable law. Additional information about the Portfolios, their investment strategies and risks can also be found in the Portfolios’ SAI. Future legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investments or investment strategies available to NTI in connection with managing the Portfolios, which may also adversely affect the Portfolios’ return potential and ability of the Portfolios to achieve their investment objective. The SEC has recently adopted amendments to money market fund regulations that, when implemented, could impact a Portfolio’s operations, performance, yields, and operating expenses.

All investments carry some degree of risk that will affect the value of a Portfolio, its yield and investment performance and the price of its shares. An investment in each of the Portfolios is not a bank account and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC, any other government agency or Northern Trust, its affiliates, subsidiaries or any other bank.

The Portfolios seek to maintain a stable NAV of $1.00 per share. Although each Portfolio seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Portfolios.

The securities purchased by the Portfolios are subject to the maturity, quality, liquidity, diversification, and other requirements of Rule 2a-7. Consistent with Rule 2a-7, each of the Portfolios:

 

 

Limits its dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity to 60 days or less;

 

 

Limits its dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity without regard to maturity shortening provisions regarding interest rate readjustments under Rule 2a-7 (also known as dollar-weighted average portfolio life) to 120 days or less;

 

 

Buys securities with remaining maturities of 397 days or less or securities otherwise permitted to be purchased because of maturity shortening provisions under Rule 2a-7; and

 

 

Invests only in U.S. dollar-denominated securities.

In addition, each Portfolio limits its investments to “Eligible securities,” as defined by the SEC, at the time of acquisition. Securities in which such Portfolios may invest may not earn as high a level of income as long-term or lower quality securities, which generally have greater market risk and more fluctuation in market value.

An “Eligible Security” means a security (i) that has been determined by NTI, subject to guidelines approved by the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees, to present minimal credit risks to the fund; (ii) that is issued by other investment companies that are money market funds; or (iii) that is a U.S. government security.

In making minimal credit risk determinations, NTI includes an analysis of the capacity of each security’s issuer or guarantor to meet its financial obligations.

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES. The investment objectives of the Treasury Portfolio, U.S. Government Portfolio and U.S. Government Select Portfolio, may not be changed without shareholder approval. The investment objective of the Treasury Instruments Portfolio may be changed by the Trust’s Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. Shareholders will, however, be notified of any changes.

During extraordinary market conditions and interest rate environments, all or any portion of the assets of each of the Portfolios may be uninvested. The Portfolios may not achieve their investment objectives during this time.

Under unusual circumstances, the U.S. Government Select Portfolio may invest less than 50% of its net assets in U.S. government securities that pay interest exempt from state income taxation.

CREDIT (OR DEFAULT) RISK Credit (or default) risk is the risk that an issuer of fixed-income securities held by a Portfolio may default on its obligation to pay interest and repay principal. Generally, the lower the credit rating of a security, the greater the risk that the issuer of the security will default on its obligation. High quality securities are generally believed to have relatively low degrees of credit risk. There is always the risk that the Investment Adviser’s analysis of creditworthiness is incorrect or may change due to market conditions. Concerns over an issuer’s ability to make principal or interest payments may cause the value of a fixed income security to decline. The credit quality of a debt security or of the issuer of a debt security held by a Portfolio could deteriorate rapidly, which may impair a Portfolio’s liquidity or cause a deterioration in the market value of a Portfolio’s securities. To the extent that a Portfolio focuses its transactions with a limited number of counterparties, it will be more susceptible to the risks associated with one or more counterparties. In addition, the Portfolios may incur expenses in an effort to protect the Portfolio’s

 

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interests or enforce its rights against an issuer, guarantor or counterparty or may be hindered or delayed in exercising these rights.

INCOME RISK is the risk that a Portfolio’s ability to distribute income to shareholders depends on the yield available from a Portfolio’s investments. Falling interest rates will cause a Portfolio’s income to decline. In addition, changes in the dividend policies of companies held by a Portfolio could make it difficult for the Portfolio to provide a predictable level of income. Income risk is generally higher for short-term debt securities.

INTEREST RATE RISK A Portfolio’s yield will vary with changes in interest rates. During periods of rising interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be lower than prevailing market rates and in periods of falling interest rates, the market value of a Portfolio’s securities will tend to be higher. A Portfolio’s yield will vary as short-term securities in its portfolio mature and the proceeds are reinvested in securities with different interest rates. In a period of rising interest rates, a Portfolio’s yield may not increase proportionately or rise as quickly as the yields of certain other short-term investments. Investments held by a Portfolio with longer maturities will tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than investments with shorter maturities.

During periods when inflation rates are high or rising, or during periods of low interest rates, the Portfolio may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets and the Portfolios’ investments, may result in heightened market volatility, may impact the liquidity of fixed-income securities and of the Portfolio, and may detract from Portfolio performance. A low or negative interest rate environment may cause a Portfolio’s earnings to fall below the Portfolio’s expense ratio, resulting in a low or negative yield and may impair a Portfolio’s ability to maintain a stable NAV per share. Additionally, securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities held by a Portfolio may vary.

LARGE SHAREHOLDER RISK To the extent a significant percentage of the shares of a Portfolio are owned or controlled by a small number of account shareholders (or a single account shareholder), including funds or accounts over which the Investment Adviser or an affiliate of the Investment Adviser has investment discretion, the Portfolio is subject to the risk that those shareholders may purchase or redeem Portfolio shares in significant amounts rapidly or unexpectedly, including as a result of an asset allocation decision made by the Investment Adviser or an affiliate of the Investment Adviser and may adversely affect a Portfolio’s performance if the Investment Adviser is forced to sell portfolio securities or invest cash when the Investment Adviser would not otherwise choose to do so. Redemptions of a large number of shares may affect the liquidity of a Portfolio, increase the Portfolio’s transaction costs, and accelerate the realization of taxable income and/or gains. Such sales may also accelerate the increase of taxable income to shareholders if these sales result in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in each Portfolio’s current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in each such Portfolio’s expense ratio. Large purchases of a Portfolio’s shares may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance to the extent that the Portfolios are delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintain a larger cash position than they ordinarily would.

MARKET EVENTS RISK. Market events risk relates to the increased volatility, depressed valuations, decreased liquidity and heightened uncertainty in the financial markets throughout the world during the past decade. These conditions may recur.

The U.S. government and the Federal Reserve, as well as certain foreign governments and central banks, have taken steps to support financial markets, including through interest rate changes. This and other government intervention may not work as intended, particularly if the efforts are perceived by investors as being unlikely to achieve the desired results. Governmental or central bank actions, including interest rate increases, measures to address budget deficits, or contrary actions by different governments, as well as downgrades of sovereign debt, fluctuations in oil and commodity prices, dramatic changes in currency exchange rates and geopolitical events (including war and terror attacks) could negatively affect financial markets generally, increase market volatility and reduce the value and liquidity of securities in which a Portfolio invests.

Policy and legislative changes in the United States and in other countries may also contribute to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the financial markets. Political turmoil within the U.S. and abroad may also impact the Portfolios. Although the U.S. government has historically honored its credit obligations, it remains possible that the U.S. could default on its obligations. While it is impossible to predict the consequences of such an unprecedented event, it is likely that a default by the U.S. would be highly disruptive to the U.S. and global securities markets and could significantly impair the value of the Portfolios’ investments. Similarly, political events within the United States at times have resulted, and may in the future result, in a shutdown of government services, which could negatively affect the U.S. economy, decrease the value of

 

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many Portfolio investments, and increase uncertainty in or impair the operation of the U.S. or other securities markets.

Economies and financial markets throughout the world are increasingly interconnected. Economic, financial or political events, trading and tariff arrangements, terrorism, natural disasters, public health emergencies (including pandemics and epidemics) and other circumstances in one country or region could have profound impacts on global economies or markets. As a result, whether or not a Portfolio directly invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to the countries directly affected, the value and liquidity of a Portfolio’s investments may be negatively affected.

RECENT MARKET EVENTS. Geopolitical and other risks, including environmental and public health risks, may add to instability in the world economy and markets generally. As a result of increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets, the value and liquidity of a Portfolio’s investments may be negatively affected by events impacting a country or region, regardless of whether the Portfolio invests in issuers located in or with significant exposure to such country or region.

Governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, have in the past responded to major economic disruptions with changes to fiscal and monetary policy, including but not limited to, direct capital infusions, new monetary programs, and dramatically lower interest rates. Such policy changes may adversely affect the value, volatility and liquidity of dividend and interest paying securities. You should also review this prospectus and the SAI to understand each Portfolio’s discretion to implement temporary defensive measures, as well as the circumstances in which a Portfolio may satisfy redemption requests in-kind.

PREPAYMENT (OR CALL) RISK is the risk that an issuer could exercise its right to pay principal on certain debt securities held by the Portfolio earlier than expected. Issuers may be more likely to prepay when interest rates fall, when credit spreads change, or when an issuer’s credit quality improves. If this happens, the Portfolio will not benefit from the rise in the market price of the securities that normally accompanies a decline in interest rates, and will be forced to reinvest prepayment proceeds in lower yielding securities, which may reduce the Portfolio’s returns. The Portfolio may also lose any premium it paid to purchase the securities.

REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS (principal strategy for Treasury Portfolio, U.S. Government Portfolio and U.S. Government Select Portfolio). Repurchase agreements involve the purchase of securities by a Portfolio subject to the seller’s agreement to repurchase them at a mutually agreed upon date and price.

INVESTMENT STRATEGY. To the extent consistent with its respective investment objective and principal investment strategies, each Portfolio may enter into repurchase agreements with domestic and foreign financial institutions such as banks and broker-dealers that are deemed to present minimal credit risk by the Investment Adviser. The Portfolios consider repurchase agreements with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to be U.S. Government securities for purposes of the Portfolio’s investment policies. Although the securities subject to a repurchase agreement may have maturities exceeding one year, settlement of the agreement generally will not occur more than one year after a Portfolio acquires the securities.

SPECIAL RISKS. In the event of a default, a Portfolio will suffer a loss to the extent that the proceeds from the sale of the underlying securities and other collateral are less than the repurchase price and the Portfolio’s costs associated with delay and enforcement of the repurchase agreement. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy, a Portfolio could suffer additional losses if a court determines that the Portfolio’s interest in the collateral is unenforceable by the Portfolio. If a Portfolio enters into a repurchase agreement with a foreign financial institution, it may be subject to the same risks associated with foreign investments. Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers, and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. International trade barriers or economic sanctions against foreign countries, organizations, entities and/or individuals may adversely affect the credit worthiness of a foreign financial institution. Additionally, foreign banks and foreign branches of domestic banks may be subject to less stringent reserve requirements and to different accounting, auditing and recordkeeping requirements.

The Portfolios intend to enter into transactions with counterparties that present minimal credit risks at the time of the transactions. There is always the risk that the Investment Adviser’s analysis of creditworthiness is incorrect or may change due to market conditions. To the extent that a Portfolio focuses its transactions with a limited number of counterparties, it will be more susceptible to the risks associated with one or more counterparties.

STABLE NAV RISK. is the risk that a Portfolio will not be able to maintain a NAV per share of $1.00 at all times. If the Portfolios fail to maintain a stable NAV (or if there is a perceived threat of such a failure), the Portfolios could be subject to increased redemption activity, which could adversely affect their NAV. A significant enough market disruption or drop in market prices

 

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of securities held by a Portfolio, especially at a time when the Portfolio needs to sell securities to meet shareholder redemption requests, could cause the value of the Portfolio’s shares to decrease to a price less than $1.00 per share.

STRIPPED SECURITIES (principal strategy for the U.S. Government Select Portfolio) These securities are issued by the U.S. government (or an agency, instrumentality or a sponsored enterprise). They entitle the holder to receive either interest payments or principal payments that have been “stripped” from a debt obligation.

The Treasury Department has facilitated transfers of ownership of zero coupon securities by accounting separately for the beneficial ownership of particular interest coupon and principal payments on Treasury securities through the Federal Reserve book-entry record-keeping system. The Federal Reserve program as established by the Treasury Department is known as “Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities” or “STRIPS.” Under the STRIPS program, a Portfolio will be able to have its beneficial ownership of zero coupon securities recorded directly in the book-entry record-keeping system in lieu of having to hold certificates or other evidences of ownership of the underlying U.S. Treasury securities.

INVESTMENT STRATEGY. To the extent consistent with its investment objectives and strategies, the Portfolio may purchase stripped securities, including securities registered in the STRIPS program.

SPECIAL RISKS. Stripped securities are very sensitive to changes in interest rates and to the rate of principal prepayments. A rapid or unexpected change in either interest rates or principal prepayments could depress the price of stripped securities held by the Portfolio and adversely affect the Portfolio’s investment performance.

U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES These instruments include U.S. Treasury obligations, such as bills, notes and bonds, which generally differ only in terms of their interest rates, maturities and time of issuance. They also include obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or by its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. Securities guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government or by its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises are deemed to include (a) securities for which the payment of principal and interest is backed by an irrevocable letter of credit issued by the U.S. government or by an agency, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise thereof and (b) participations in loans made to foreign governments or their agencies that are so guaranteed. U.S. Treasury obligations also include floating rate public obligations of the U.S. Treasury.

INVESTMENT STRATEGY. To the extent consistent with their investment objective and strategies, the Portfolios may invest in a variety of U.S. Treasury obligations and in other obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or by its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises (including zero coupon securities).

SPECIAL RISKS. Not all U.S. government obligations carry the same credit support. Although many U.S. government securities are issued by entities chartered or sponsored by Acts of Congress, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) and the Federal Home Loan Banks, such securities are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Some, such as those of the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury, although this guarantee applies only to principal and interest payments and does not apply to losses resulting from declines in the market value of these securities. Other obligations, such as those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; and others are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agency’s obligations. Still others are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality or sponsored enterprise. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. government securities may greatly exceed their current resources, including their legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that these issuers will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. No assurance can be given that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. In addition, the secondary market for certain participations in loans made to foreign governments or their agencies may be limited.

An agency of the U.S. government has placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship, a statutory process with the objective of returning the entities to normal business operations. As a result, these securities are subject to more credit risk than U.S. government securities that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (e.g., U.S. Treasury bonds).

To the extent a Portfolio invests in debt instruments or securities of non-U.S. government entities that are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, pursuant to the FDIC Debt Guarantee Program (the “Debt Guarantee Program”) or other similar programs, there is a possibility that the guarantee provided under the Debt Guarantee Program or other similar programs may be discontinued or modified at a later date.

 

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Floating rate public obligations of the U.S. Treasury (“Floating Rate Notes” or “FRNs”) have interest rates that adjust periodically. FRNs’ floating interest rates may be higher or lower than the interest rates of fixed-rate bonds of comparable quality with similar maturities. Securities with floating rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, but may decline in value and negatively impact the Portfolio, particularly if changes in prevailing interest rates are more frequent or sudden than the rate changes for the FRNs, which only occur periodically (see “Variable and Floating Rate Instruments” below). U.S. government securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

VARIABLE AND FLOATING RATE INSTRUMENTS Variable and floating rate instruments have interest rates that periodically are adjusted either at set intervals or that float at a margin tied to a specified index rate. These instruments include floating rate Treasury obligations and short- and long-term variable and floating rate bonds (sometimes referred to as “Put Bonds”) where the Portfolio obtains at the time of purchase the right to put the bond back to the issuer or a third party at par at a specified date.

INVESTMENT STRATEGY. Each of the Portfolios may invest in variable or floating rate instruments to the extent consistent with its investment objective and strategies.

SPECIAL RISKS. Variable and floating rate instruments are subject to many of the same risks as fixed rate instruments which could impede their value. Because there is no active secondary market for certain variable and floating rate instruments, they may be more difficult to sell if the issuer defaults on its payment obligations or during periods when the Portfolio is not entitled to exercise its demand rights. As a result, the Portfolios could suffer a loss with respect to these instruments. In addition, variable and floating rate instruments are subject to changes in value based on changes in market interest rates or changes in the issuer’s or guarantor’s creditworthiness. In addition, there may be a lag between an actual change in the underlying interest rate benchmark and the reset time for an interest payment of a variable or floating instrument, which could harm or benefit a Portfolio, depending on the interest rate environment or other circumstances. In a rising interest rate environment, for example, a floating or variable rate instrument that does not reset immediately would prevent a Portfolio from taking full advantage of rising interest rates in a timely manner.

CASH POSITIONS As government money market funds, a portion of the Portfolios’ assets will likely be held in cash, primarily to meet redemptions.

SPECIAL RISKS. Maintaining cash positions may negatively affect the Portfolios’ performance and subject the Portfolios to additional risks, such as increased counterparty risk exposure to the custodian bank.

OTHER SECURITIES AND RISKS. Additionally, the Portfolios may purchase other types of securities or instruments similar to those described in these sections if otherwise consistent with the Portfolios’ investment objectives and strategies. You should carefully consider the risks discussed in these sections before investing in a Portfolio.

Each Portfolio can also use the investment techniques and strategies described below. The Portfolio might not use all of these techniques or strategies or might only use them from time to time.

BORROWINGS. The Portfolios may borrow money from banks.

Each Portfolio may borrow money from banks in amounts up to 33-1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed).

Borrowing involves leveraging.

CREDIT FACILITY AND BORROWING. The Portfolios, the other portfolios of the Trust, and affiliated funds of Northern Funds for purposes of this discussion, (the “Borrowing Funds”) have jointly entered into a revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) whereby the Borrowing Funds may borrow for the temporary funding of shareholder redemptions or for other temporary or emergency purposes. Pursuant to the Credit Facility, the participating Borrowing Funds may borrow up to an aggregate commitment amount of $250 million (the “Commitment Limit”) at any time, subject to asset coverage and other legal, regulatory or contractual limitations as specified in the Credit Facility and under the 1940 Act. Borrowing results in interest expense and other fees and expenses for the Borrowing Funds that may impact a Portfolio’s expenses, including any net expense ratios. The costs of borrowing may reduce a Borrowing Fund’s yield. If a Borrowing Fund borrows pursuant to the Credit Facility, it is charged interest at a variable rate. Each Borrowing Fund also pays a commitment fee equal to its pro rata share of the unused portion of the Credit Facility. The availability of funds under the Credit Facility can be affected by other participating Borrowing Funds’ borrowings under the Credit Facility. As such, a Borrowing Fund may be unable to borrow (or borrow further) under the Credit Facility if the Commitment Limit has been reached.

INTERFUND BORROWING AND LENDING. The SEC has granted an exemption permitting the Portfolios to participate in an interfund borrowing and lending program. This interfund borrowing and lending program allows the Portfolios to

 

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borrow money from other portfolios in the Trust and other affiliated funds of Northern Funds (each a “Fund” and together the “Funds”) advised by NTI, and to lend money to other portfolios in the Trust, for temporary or emergency purposes. The interfund borrowing and lending program is currently not operational. The interfund borrowing and lending program is subject to a number of conditions, including, among other things, the requirements that (1) a Portfolio may not borrow or lend money through the program unless it receives a more favorable interest rate than is available from a bank loan rate or investment yield rate, respectively; (2) loans will be secured on an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding bank loan that requires collateral; (3) loans will have a maturity no longer than that of any outstanding bank loan (and in any event not over seven days); (4) if an event of default occurs under any agreement evidencing an outstanding bank loan to a Portfolio, the event of default will automatically (without need for action or notice by the lending Portfolio or Fund) constitute an immediate event of default under the Interfund Lending Agreement entitling the lending Portfolio or Fund to call the interfund loan (and exercise all rights with respect to any collateral) and that such call will be made if the bank exercises its right to call its loan under its agreement with a Portfolio; (5) a Portfolio may not borrow money if the loan would cause its outstanding borrowings from all sources to exceed 10% of its net assets at the time of the loan, except that a Portfolio may borrow up to 33 1/3% of its total assets through the program or from other sources if each interfund loan is secured by the pledge of segregated collateral with a market value of at least 102% of the outstanding principal value of the loan; (6) a Portfolio may not loan money if the loan would cause its aggregate outstanding loans through the program to exceed 15% of its net assets at the time of the loan; (7) a Portfolio’s interfund loans to any one Portfolio shall not exceed 5% of the lending Portfolio’s net assets; and (8) a Portfolio’s borrowings through the program will not exceed the greater of 125% of the Portfolio’s total net cash redemptions or 102% of the Portfolio’s sales fails (when a sale of securities “fails,” due to circumstances beyond the Portfolio’s control) for the preceding seven calendar days as measured at the time of the loan. In addition, a Portfolio may participate in the interfund borrowing and lending program only if and to the extent that such participation is consistent with the Portfolio’s investment objective and policies. The Board of Trustees of the Trust is responsible for overseeing the interfund borrowing and lending program. A delay in repayment to a lending Portfolio could result in a lost investment opportunity or additional lending costs.

INVESTMENT COMPANIES. To the extent consistent with their investment objectives and strategies, the Portfolios may invest in securities issued by other affiliated or unaffiliated investment companies. Investments in other government money market funds are included in a Portfolio’s 99.5% policy.

INVESTMENT STRATEGY. Investments by a Portfolio in other investment companies will be subject to the limitations of the 1940 Act except as permitted by applicable SEC exemptive orders or rules, or no-action relief. Although the Portfolios do not expect to do so in the foreseeable future, each Portfolio is authorized to invest substantially all of its assets in an open-end investment company or a series thereof that has substantially the same investment objective, strategies and fundamental restrictions as the Portfolio.

SPECIAL RISKS. Investments in other investment companies are subject to the risks of investing in the underlying securities or other instruments that such investment companies own. The value of the investments of an investment company in which a Portfolio invests will fluctuate in response to various market and economic factors related to the markets, as well as the financial condition and prospects of issuers in which the underlying investment companies invest. There can be no assurance that the underlying investment companies will achieve their investment objectives, and their performance may be lower than their represented asset classes.

The Portfolio will bear a proportionate share of any fees and expenses paid by the investment companies in which the Portfolio invests. Because other investment companies pay advisory, administrative and/or service fees that are borne indirectly by investors, such as the Portfolio, there may be duplication of investment management and other fees.

TEMPORARY INVESTMENTS. For capital preservation and liquidity, each Portfolio may have a greater concentration in short-term securities, including investing up to all of its assets in overnight securities, which may result in a reduction of a Portfolio’s yield. Although the Investment Adviser has the ability to take temporary positions, it may choose not to do so for a variety of reasons, even during volatile market conditions.

The Portfolios may, from time to time, take temporary defensive positions by holding cash, shortening the Portfolio’s dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity or investing in other securities that are Eligible Securities for purchase by money market funds as described in the Portfolios’ SAI, in anticipation of or in response to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions. In addition, the Treasury Instruments Portfolio may invest in repurchase agreements in anticipation of or in response to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions. If the Portfolios’ portfolio managers do so, different factors could affect the Portfolio’s performance and the Portfolio may not achieve its investment objective.

 

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The following provides additional risk information regarding investing in the Portfolio.

CYBERSECURITY RISK. With the increased use of the Internet and because information technology (“IT”) systems and digital data underlie most of the Portfolios’ operations, the Portfolios and their investment adviser, custodian, transfer agent, distributor and other service providers and the financial intermediaries of each (collectively “Service Providers”) are exposed to the risk that their operations and data may be compromised as a result of internal and external cyber-failures, breaches or attacks (“Cyber Risk”). This could occur as a result of malicious or criminal cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include actions taken to: (i) steal or corrupt data maintained online or digitally, (ii) gain unauthorized access to or release confidential information, (iii) shut down a Portfolio or Service Provider website through denial-of-service attacks, or (iv) otherwise disrupt normal business operations. However, events arising from human error, faulty or inadequately implemented policies and procedures or other systems failures unrelated to any external cyber-threat may have effects similar to those caused by deliberate cyber-attacks.

Successful cyber-attacks or other cyber-failures or events affecting the Portfolios or their Service Providers may adversely impact a Portfolio or its shareholders. For instance, such attacks, failures or other events may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact a Portfolio’s ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential Portfolio information, impede trading, or cause reputational damage. Such attacks, failures or other events could also subject the Portfolios or their Service Providers to regulatory fines, penalties or financial losses, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. Insurance protection and contractual indemnification provisions may be insufficient to cover these losses. The Portfolios or their Service Providers may also incur significant costs to manage and control Cyber Risk. While the Portfolios and their Service Providers have established IT and data security programs and have in place business continuity plans and other systems designed to prevent losses and mitigate Cyber Risk, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that cyber-attacks may be highly sophisticated. Furthermore, the Portfolios have limited ability to prevent or mitigate cybersecurity incidents affecting Service Providers, and such Service Providers may have limited indemnification obligations to the Portfolios or their investment adviser, and the Portfolios cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by the Service Providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect the Portfolios or their shareholders. The Portfolios and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result. Cyber Risks are also present for issuers of securities or other instruments in which the Portfolios invest, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause the Portfolios’ investment in such issuers to lose value.

OPERATIONAL RISK. The Investment Adviser to the Portfolios and other Portfolio service providers may be subject to operational risk and may experience disruptions and operating errors. In particular, these errors or failures in systems and technology, including operational risks associated with reliance on third party service providers, may adversely affect a Portfolio’s ability to calculate its NAVs in a timely manner, including over a potentially extended period. Moreover, disruptions (for example, pandemics and health crises) that cause prolonged periods of remote work or significant employee absences at the Portfolios’ service providers could impact the ability to conduct the Portfolios’ operations. While service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures in place, their methods of operational risk management may differ from those of the Portfolios in the setting of priorities, the personnel and resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. The Investment Adviser, through its monitoring and oversight of service providers, seeks to ensure that service providers take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors.

However, it is not possible for the Investment Adviser or other Portfolio service providers to identify all of the operational risks that may affect a Portfolio or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.

WHEN-ISSUED SECURITIES, DELAYED DELIVERY TRANSACTIONS AND FORWARD COMMITMENTS. A purchase of “when-issued” securities refers to a transaction made conditionally because the securities, although authorized, have not yet been issued.

A delayed delivery or forward commitment transaction involves a contract to purchase or sell securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond the customary settlement period.

INVESTMENT STRATEGY. Each Portfolio may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis. Although the Portfolios generally would purchase securities in these transactions with the intention of acquiring the securities, the Portfolios may dispose of such securities prior to settlement if the Investment Adviser deems it appropriate to do so.

SPECIAL RISKS. Purchasing securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis involves the risk that the value of the securities may decrease by the time they actually

 

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are issued or delivered. Conversely, selling securities in these transactions involves the risk that the value of the securities may increase by the time they actually are issued or delivered. Therefore, these transactions may have a leveraging effect on a Portfolio, making the value of an investment in the Portfolio more volatile and increasing the Portfolio’s overall investment exposure. These transactions also involve the risk that the counterparty may fail to deliver the security or cash on the settlement date. If this occurs, a Portfolio may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price.

The Portfolios may invest in other securities and are subject to further restrictions and risks that are described in the SAI. Additional information about the Portfolios, their investments and related risks can also be found in “Investment Objectives and Strategies” in the SAI.

 

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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

THE FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS TABLES ARE INTENDED TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF A PORTFOLIO’S SHARES, SERVICE SHARES AND PREMIER SHARES FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS (OR, IF SHORTER, THE PERIOD OF THE PORTFOLIO’S OPERATION).

Certain information reflects the financial results for a single share of the Shares, Service Shares or Premier Shares class, as applicable. The total returns in the tables represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in Shares, Service Shares or Premier Shares, as applicable, of a Portfolio held for the entire period (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). The information for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023 has been derived from financial statements that have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Portfolios’ financial statements, is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus and included in the Portfolios’ annual report. As of November 30, 2023, Service Shares of the Treasury Portfolio and Premier Shares of the U.S. Government and U.S. Government Select Portfolio were not operational and therefore no financial highlights are shown for such classes. Service Shares of the U.S. Government Portfolio ceased operations on November 23, 2021. The financial highlights for Service Shares of U.S. Government Portfolio below show the financial performance of Service Shares through the fiscal year ended November 30, 2020 and the financial highlights for Shares Class of U.S. Government Portfolio are shown through the last five fiscal years ended November 30. Financial highlights for Service Shares of U.S. Government Portfolio would differ from the financial highlights shown for Shares Class of U.S. Government Portfolio to the extent that the Shares Class does not have the same expenses. There are no financial highlights for the Treasury Instruments Portfolio because it had not commenced operations as of the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023. Copies of the semiannual and annual report are available upon request and without charge. The Portfolios’ annual reports, which are available upon request and without charge by calling 800-637-1380, are also available on the Trust’s website at www.northerntrust.com/united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional or by following the hyperlink: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/710124/000119312524021777/d660059dncsr.htm

 

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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDED NOVEMBER 30,

 

TREASURY PORTFOLIO    SHARES  
Selected per share data    2023      2022      2021      2020      2019  
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year      $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00  
INCOME FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:               
Net investment income      0.05 (1)       0.01        (2)       0.01        0.02  
Net realized gains (losses)(2)                                   

Total from Investment Operations

     0.05        0.01               0.01        0.02  
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS PAID:               
From net investment income      (0.05      (0.01      (2)       (0.01      (0.02
From net realized gains                                  (2) 

Total Distributions Paid

     (0.05      (0.01             (0.01      (0.02
Net Asset Value, End of Year      $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00  
Total Return(3)      4.84      1.07 %(4)       0.01 %(5)       0.54 %(6)       2.17
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA AND RATIOS:               
Net assets, in thousands, end of year      $12,150,279        $8,607,403        $18,832,670        $25,932,036        $12,929,215  
Ratio of average net assets of:               

Expenses, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits

     0.15      0.13      0.07      0.15      0.15 %(7) 

Expenses, before waivers, reimbursements and credits

     0.15      0.15      0.16      0.16      0.16

Net investment income, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits

     4.84      0.71      0.01      0.35      2.09 %(7) 

Net investment income (loss), before waivers, reimbursements and credits

     4.84      0.69      (0.08 )%       0.34      2.08

 

(1)

The Northern Trust Company reimbursed the Shares class of the Portfolio approximately $21,000. The reimbursement represents less than $0.01 per share and had no effect on the Portfolio’s total return.

 

(2)

Per share amounts from net investment income, net realized gains (losses) and distributions paid from net investment income and net realized gains were less than $0.01 per share.

 

(3)

Assumes investment at net asset value at the beginning of the year, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions, and a complete redemption of the investment at net asset value at the end of the year.

 

(4)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Shares class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $3,098,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been 1.05%.

 

(5)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Shares class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $14,712,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been -0.07%.

 

(6)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Shares class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $124,000 and had no effect on the Portfolio’s total return.

 

(7)

The impact on Net Assets due to any custody credits is less than 0.005%.

 

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TREASURY PORTFOLIO    PREMIER  
Selected per share data    2023      2022      2021      2020      2019  
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year      $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00  
INCOME FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:               
Net investment income      0.05 (1)       0.01 (2)       (3)       (3)       0.02  
Net realized gains (losses)(3)                                   

Total from Investment Operations

     0.05        0.01                      0.02  
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS PAID:               
From net investment income      (0.05      (0.01      (3)       (3)       (0.02
From net realized gains                                  (3) 

Total Distributions Paid

     (0.05      (0.01                    (0.02
Net Asset Value, End of Year      $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00  
Total Return(4)      4.79      1.03 %(2),(5)       0.01 %(6)       0.50 %(7)       2.12
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA AND RATIOS:               
Net assets, in thousands, end of year      $60,108,259        $57,924,909        $69,168,522        $55,021,850        $38,631,700  
Ratio to average net assets of:               

Expenses, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits

     0.20      0.17      0.07      0.20      0.20 %(8) 

Expenses, before waivers, reimbursements and credits

     0.20      0.20      0.21      0.21      0.21

Net investment income, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits

     4.70      0.95      0.01      0.41      2.11 %(8) 

Net investment income (loss), before waivers, reimbursements and credits

     4.70      0.92      (0.13 )%       0.40      2.10

 

(1)

The Northern Trust Company reimbursed the Premier class of the Portfolio approximately $15,000. The reimbursement represents less than $0.01 per share and had no effect on the Portfolio’s total return.

 

(2)

The Northern Trust Company reimbursed the Premier class of the Portfolio approximately $87,000. The reimbursement represents less than $0.01 per share and had no effect on the Portfolio’s total return.

 

(3)

Per share amounts from net investment income, net realized gains (losses) and distributions paid from net investment income and net realized gains were less than $0.01 per share.

 

(4)

Assumes investment at net asset value at the beginning of the year, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions, and a complete redemption of the investment at net asset value at the end of the year.

 

(5)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Premier class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $20,784,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been 1.00%.

 

(6)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Premier class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $79,883,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been -0.12%.

 

(7)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Premier Class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $2,734,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been 0.49%.

 

(8)

The impact on Net Assets due to any custody credits is less than 0.005%.

 

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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDED NOVEMBER 30,

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO    SHARES  
Selected per share data    2023      2022      2021      2020      2019  
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year      $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00  
INCOME FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:               
Net investment income      0.05        0.01        (1)       (1),(2)       0.02  
Net realized gains (losses)(1)                                   

Total from Investment Operations

     0.05        0.01                      0.02  
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS PAID:               
From net investment income      (0.05      (0.01      (1)       (1)       (0.02

Total Distributions Paid

     (0.05      (0.01                    (0.02
Net Asset Value, End of Year      $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00  
Total Return(3)      4.77 %(4)       0.98 %(5)       0.02 %(6),(7)       0.49 %(8)       2.09
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA AND RATIOS:               
Net assets, in thousands, end of year      $18,198,609        $19,219,592        $22,884,098        $17,026,776        $15,138,062  
Ratio of average net assets of:               

Expenses, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits(9)

     0.25      0.20      0.08      0.24      0.25

Expenses, before waivers, reimbursements and credits

     0.25      0.26      0.26      0.26      0.26

Net investment income, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits(9)

     4.68 %(4)       0.88      0.02 %(6)       0.41      2.07

Net investment income (loss), before waivers, reimbursements and credits

     4.68 %(4)       0.82      (0.16 )%(6)       0.39      2.06

 

(1)

Per share amounts from net investment income, net realized gains (losses) and distributions paid from net investment income were less than $0.01 per share.

 

(2)

Net investment income for the fiscal year was calculated using the average shares outstanding method.

 

(3)

Assumes investment at net asset value at the beginning of the year, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions, and a complete redemption of the investment at net asset value at the end of the year.

 

(4)

During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023, the Portfolio received monies related to certain nonrecurring litigation proceeds. The nonrecurring litigation proceeds had no effect on the Portfolio’s total return, net investment income, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits ratio and the net investment income, before waivers, reimbursements and credits ratio.

 

(5)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Shares class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $10,513,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been 0.94%.

 

(6)

During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2021, the Portfolio received monies related to certain nonrecurring litigation proceeds. If these monies were not received, the total return would have been 0.00% and the net investment income net of waivers, reimbursements and credits ratio and net investment income (loss), before waivers, reimbursements and credits ratio would have been 0.01% and -0.17%, respectively.

 

(7)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Shares class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $36,386,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been -0.15%.

 

(8)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Share class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $1,982,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been 0.48%.

 

(9)

The impact on Net Assets due to any custody credits is less than 0.005%.

 

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U.S. GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO    SERVICE  
Selected per share data    2020      2019  
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year      $1.00        $1.00  
INCOME FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:      
Net investment income      (1),(2)       0.02  
Net realized gains (losses)(2)              

Total from Investment Operations

            0.02  
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS PAID:      
From net investment income      (2)       (0.02

Total Distributions Paid

            (0.02
Net Asset Value, End of Year      $1.00        $1.00  
Total Return(3)      0.49 %(4)       2.09
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA AND RATIOS:      
Net assets, in thousands, end of year      $1        $1,976  
Ratio to average net assets of:      

Expenses, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits(5)

     0.24      0.25

Expenses, before waivers, reimbursements and credits

     0.26      0.26

Net investment income, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits(5)

     0.49      2.03

Net investment income, before waivers, reimbursements and credits

     0.47      2.02

 

(1)

Net investment income for the fiscal year was calculated using the average shares outstanding method.

 

(2)

Per share amounts from net investment income, net realized gains (losses) and distributions paid from net investment income were less than $0.01 per share.

 

(3)

Assumes investment at net asset value at the beginning of the year, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions, and a complete redemption of the investment at net asset value at the end of the year.

 

(4)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Service class of the Portfolio in the amount of less than $1,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been 0.48%.

 

(5)

The impact on Net Assets due to any custody credits is less than 0.005%.

 

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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDED NOVEMBER 30,

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT SELECT PORTFOLIO    SHARES  
Selected per share data    2023      2022      2021      2020      2019  
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year      $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00  
INCOME FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:               
Net investment income      0.05 (1)       0.01        (2)       0.01        0.02  
Net realized gains (losses)(2)                                   

Total from Investment Operations

     0.05        0.01               0.01        0.02  
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS PAID:               
From net investment income      (0.05      (0.01      (2)       (0.01      (0.02
From net realized gains                                  (2) 

Total Distributions Paid

     (0.05      (0.01             (0.01      (0.02
Net Asset Value, End of Year      $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00  
Total Return(3)      4.83 %(4),(5)       1.00 %(6)       0.03 %(7)       0.53 %(8)       2.13
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA AND RATIOS:               
Net assets, in thousands, end of year      $24,892,874        $24,182,860        $42,959,633        $40,300,072        $25,891,894  
Ratio of average net assets of:               

Expenses, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits

     0.17      0.12      0.06      0.18      0.20

Expenses, before waivers, reimbursements and credits

     0.21      0.21      0.21      0.21      0.21

Net investment income, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits

     4.74 %(4)       0.82      0.03      0.42      2.10

Net investment income (loss), before waivers, reimbursements and credits

     4.70 %(4)       0.73      (0.12 )%       0.39      2.09

 

(1)

The Northern Trust Company reimbursed the Shares class of the Portfolio approximately $2,000. The reimbursement represents less than $0.01 per share and had no effect on the Portfolio’s total return.

 

(2)

Per share amounts from net investment income, net realized gains (losses) and distributions paid from net investment income and net realized gains were less than $0.01 per share.

 

(3)

Assumes investment at net asset value at the beginning of the year, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions, and a complete redemption of the investment at net asset value at the end of the year.

 

(4)

During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023, the Portfolio received monies related to certain nonrecurring litigation proceeds. The nonrecurring litigation proceeds had no effect on the Portfolio’s total return. If these monies were not received, the net investment income, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits ratio and the net investment income, before waivers, reimbursements and credits ratio would have been 4.73% and 4.69%, respectively.

 

(5)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Shares class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $7,321,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been 4.80%.

 

(6)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Shares class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $27,234,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been 0.94%.

 

(7)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Shares class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $53,611,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been -0.11%.

 

(8)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Shares class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $7,812,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been 0.51%.

 

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MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT SELECT PORTFOLIO    SERVICE  
Selected per share data    2023      2022      2021      2020      2019  
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year      $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00  
INCOME FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:               
Net investment income      0.05 (1)       0.01        (2)       0.01        0.02  
Net realized gains (losses)(2)                                   

Total from Investment Operations

     0.05        0.01               0.01        0.02  
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS PAID:               
From net investment income      (0.05      (0.01      (2)       (0.01      (0.02
From net realized gains                                  (2) 

Total Distributions Paid

     (0.05      (0.01             (0.01      (0.02
Net Asset Value, End of Year      $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00        $1.00  
Total Return(3)      4.83 %(4),(5)       1.00 %(6)       0.03 %(7)       0.53 %(8)       2.13
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA AND RATIOS:               
Net assets, in thousands, end of year      $95,848        $127,220        $213,254        $147,620        $143,163  
Ratio to average net assets of:               

Expenses, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits

     0.17      0.12      0.06      0.18      0.20

Expenses, before waivers, reimbursements and credits

     0.21      0.21      0.21      0.21      0.21

Net investment income, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits

     4.64 %(4)       0.82      0.03      0.51      2.06

Net investment income (loss), before waivers, reimbursements and credits

     4.60 %(4)       0.73      (0.12 )%       0.48      2.05

 

(1)

The Northern Trust Company reimbursed the Service class of the Portfolio less than $1,000. The reimbursement represents less than $0.01 per share and had no effect on the Portfolio’s total return.

 

(2)

Per share amounts from net investment income, net realized gains (losses) and distributions paid from net investment income and net realized gains were less than $0.01 per share.

 

(3)

Assumes investment at net asset value at the beginning of the year, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions, and a complete redemption of the investment at net asset value at the end of the year.

 

(4)

During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2023, the Portfolio received monies related to certain nonrecurring litigation proceeds. The nonrecurring litigation proceeds had no effect on the Portfolio’s total return. If these monies were not received, the net investment income, net of waivers, reimbursements and credits ratio and the net investment income, before waivers, reimbursements and credits ratio would have been 4.63% and 4.59%, respectively.

 

(5)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Service class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $40,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been 4.80%.

 

(6)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Service class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $106,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been 0.95%.

 

(7)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Service class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $220,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been -0.11%.

 

(8)

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. voluntarily reimbursed expenses of the Service class of the Portfolio in the amount of approximately $29,000. Total return excluding the voluntary reimbursement would have been 0.50%.

 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

ANNUAL/SEMIANNUAL REPORTS AND STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Additional information about the Portfolios’ investments is available in the Portfolios’ annual and semiannual reports to shareholders.

Additional information about the Portfolios and their policies is also available in the Portfolios’ SAI. The SAI is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus (and is legally considered part of this Prospectus).

The Portfolios’ annual and semiannual reports and the SAI are available free upon request by calling the Northern Institutional Funds Center at 800-637-1380 or by sending an e-mail request to: [email protected]. The SAI and other information are available from a financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) through which the Portfolios’ shares may be purchased or sold.

TO OBTAIN OTHER INFORMATION AND FOR SHAREHOLDER INQUIRIES:

BY TELEPHONE

Call 800-637-1380

BY MAIL

Northern Institutional Funds

P.O. Box 75986

Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986

ON THE INTERNET

The Portfolios’ documents are available online and may be downloaded from:

 

 

The EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov (text-only).

 

 

Northern Institutional Funds website at www.northerntrust.com/ united-states/what-we-do/investment-management/northern-funds/funds-and-performance-institutional

Reports and other information about Northern Institutional Funds are available on the EDGAR database on the SEC’s internet site at www.sec.gov. You also may obtain copies of Northern Institutional Funds documents, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request to: [email protected].

 

811-03605

 

MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIOS   68   NORTHERN INSTITUTIONAL FUNDS PROSPECTUS   NIF PRO COMBO (4/24)