ck0000768847-20221231

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      PROSPECTUS
May 1, 2023
VanEck Funds
CM Commodity Index Fund
Class A: CMCAX / Class I: COMIX / Class Y: CMCYX
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission have not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
800.826.2333    vaneck.com


TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Summary Information
CM Commodity Index Fund (Class A, I, Y)
II. Investment Objective, Strategies, Policies, Risks and Other Information
1. Investment Objective
2. Additional Information About Principal Investment Strategies and Risks
3. Additional Investment Strategies
4. Other Information and Policies
III. Shareholder Information
1. How to Buy, Sell, Exchange or Transfer Shares
2. How to Choose a Class of Shares
3. Sales Charges
4. Householding of Reports and Prospectuses
5. Retirement Plans
6. Federal Income Taxes
7. Dividends and Capital Gains Distributions
8. Management of the Fund and Service Providers
IV. Financial Highlights
Appendix A: Description of the CMCI
Appendix B: Licensing Agreement and Disclaimer
Appendix C: Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers


I. SUMMARY INFORMATION
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The CM Commodity Index Fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the UBS Constant Maturity Commodity Total Return Index.
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for Class A sales charge discounts if you and your family (includes spouse and children under age 21) invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000, in the aggregate, in Classes A and C of the VanEck Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges” section of this prospectus, in the “Availability of Discounts” section of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) and, with respect to purchases of shares through specific intermediaries, in Appendix C to this prospectus, entitled “Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers.”
Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
Class A Class I Class Y
Maximum Sales Charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)
5.75% 0.00% 0.00%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (load) (as a percentage of the lesser of the net asset value or purchase price)
0.00 0.00% 0.00%
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Class A Class I Class Y
Management Fees2
0.65% 0.65% 0.65%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 0.00% 0.00%
Other Expenses 0.36% 0.17% 0.25%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses3
1.26% 0.82% 0.90%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements3,4
-0.31% -0.17% -0.20%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements
0.95% 0.65% 0.70%
1    A contingent deferred sales charge for Class A shares of 1.00% for one year applies to redemptions of qualified commissionable shares purchased at or above the $1 million breakpoint level.
2     Effective January 1, 2023, the management fee rate is 0.65%.
3     Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses and Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements have been restated to reflect current management fee rate.
4    Van Eck Absolute Return Advisers Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, dividends and interest payments on securities sold short, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.95% for Class A, 0.65% for Class I, and 0.70% for Class Y of the Fund’s average daily net assets per year until May 1, 2024. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to continue until the Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion of such expense limitation.
EXPENSE EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem all of your shares at the end of these periods or continue to hold them. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same, and applies fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, if any, for the periods indicated above under “Annual Fund Operating Expenses.” Although your actual expenses may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
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Share Status 1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
Class A Sold or Held $666  $923  $1,199  $1,984 
Class I Sold or Held $66  $245  $438  $998 
Class Y Sold or Held $72  $267  $479  $1,089 
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate that the Fund pays higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 0% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in instruments that derive their value from the performance of the UBS Constant Maturity Commodity Total Return Index (formerly known as UBS Bloomberg Constant Maturity Commodity Total Return Index) (the “CMCI” or the “Index”), as described below, and in bonds, debt securities and other fixed income instruments (“Fixed Income Instruments”) issued by various U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The Fund invests in commodity-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index- linked notes, swap agreements, commodity futures contracts and options on futures contracts that provide economic exposure to the investment returns of the commodities markets, as represented by the CMCI and its constituents.
Commodities are assets that have tangible properties, such as oil, metals, and agricultural products. A commodity-linked derivative is a derivative instrument whose value is linked to the movement of a commodity, commodity index, commodity option or futures contract. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by overall market movements and other factors affecting the value of a particular industry or commodity, such as weather, disease, embargoes, or political and regulatory developments.
The CMCI is a rules-based, composite benchmark index diversified across 29 commodity components from the following five sectors: energy, precious metals, industrial metals, agriculture and livestock. The CMCI is comprised of futures contracts with maturities ranging from three months up to a maximum of about three years for each commodity, depending on liquidity. The return of the CMCI reflects a combination of (i) the returns on the futures contracts comprising the CMCI; and (ii) the return based on a hypothetical fixed income portfolio representing collateral for the hypothetical investment in futures contracts comprising the CMCI. The selection and relative weightings of the components of the CMCI are designed to reflect the economic significance and market liquidity of each commodity, as determined based on global economic data, consumption data, commodity futures prices, open interest and volume data. The CMCI maintains a predefined target maturity for each commodity component by means of a continuous rolling process, in which a weighted percentage of contracts with less time to maturity for each commodity are replaced with contracts with more time to maturity on a daily basis. The CMCI is rebalanced monthly back to the target weightings of the commodity components of the CMCI and the target weightings of all commodity components are revised once per year. A more detailed description of the CMCI is contained in Appendix A to the prospectus.
The Fund will seek to track the returns of the CMCI by entering into swap contracts and commodity index-linked notes with one or more counterparties, which contracts and notes will rise and fall in value in response to changes in the value of the CMCI. As of the date of this prospectus, UBS AG, London (“UBS”) was the only available counterparty with which the Fund may enter into such swap contracts on the CMCI. The Fund may enter into such contracts and notes directly or indirectly through a wholly owned subsidiary of the Fund (the “Subsidiary”). Commodity index-linked notes are derivative debt instruments with principal and/or coupon payments linked to the performance of commodity indices (such as the CMCI). These commodity index-linked notes are sometimes referred to as “structured notes” because the terms of these notes may be structured by the issuer and the purchaser of the note. The Fund may also seek to gain exposure to the individual commodity components of the CMCI by investing in futures contracts that comprise the CMCI.
The Fund currently expects that it will invest in all commodity-linked derivative instruments through the Subsidiary, an exempted limited company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Subsidiary is wholly owned and controlled by the Fund and is advised by the Adviser. The Fund’s investment in the Subsidiary is not expected to exceed 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at each quarter-end of the Fund's fiscal year. The Fund's investment in the Subsidiary generally provides the Fund with exposure to commodity-linked derivative instruments within the limits of the federal tax laws, which limit the ability of investment companies like the Fund to invest directly in such instruments. The Subsidiary has the same investment objective as the Fund and will follow the same general investment policies and restrictions except that, unlike the Fund, it may invest without limit in commodity-linked derivative instruments.
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The derivative instruments in which the Fund and the Subsidiary primarily intend to invest are instruments linked to commodity indices, such as the CMCI, and instruments linked to the value of a particular commodity or commodity futures contract, or a subset of commodities or commodity futures contracts. These instruments may specify exposure to commodity futures with different roll dates, reset dates or contract months than those specified by a particular commodity index. As a result, the commodity-linked derivatives component of the Fund’s portfolio may deviate from the returns of any particular commodity index. The Fund or the Subsidiary may over-weight or under-weight its exposure to a particular commodity index, or a subset of commodities, such that the Fund has greater or lesser exposure to that index than the value of the Fund’s net assets, or greater or lesser exposure to a subset of commodities than is represented by a particular commodity index.
Assets not invested in commodity-linked derivative instruments or the Subsidiary may be invested in Fixed Income Instruments, including derivative Fixed Income Instruments.
The average duration of the portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments will vary based on interest rates and, under normal market conditions, is not expected to exceed five years. Duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed income security that is used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The Fund will invest primarily in securities of the U.S. Government and its agencies and investment grade bonds of private issuers rated Baa3 or higher by Moody's Investor Service, Inc. or, if unrated, determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy back or dollar rolls, repurchase agreements or reverse repurchase agreements). The Fund may also invest, without limitation, in money market funds.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s share price and return will fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund involves the risk of losing money.
Active Management Risk.  In managing the Fund’s portfolio, the Adviser will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these will produce the desired results. Investment decisions made by the Adviser in seeking to achieve the Fund’s investment objective may cause a decline in the value of the investments held by the Fund and, in turn, cause the Fund’s shares to lose value or underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.
Commodities and Commodity-Linked Derivatives Risk. Exposure to the commodities markets, such as precious metals, industrial metals, gas and other energy products and natural resources, may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The commodities markets may fluctuate widely based on a variety of factors including changes in overall market movements, political and economic events and policies, war, disease, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and changes in interest rates or inflation rates. Because the value of a commodity-linked derivative instrument and structured note typically are based upon the price movements of physical commodities, the value of these securities will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodities or in the related investment index. The tax treatment of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be adversely affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority. If, as a result of any such adverse action, the income of the Fund from certain commodity-linked derivatives were treated as non-qualifying income, the Fund may fail to qualify as a regulated investment company and/or be subject to federal income tax at the Fund level. The uncertainty surrounding the treatment of certain derivative instruments under the qualification tests for a regulated investment company may limit the Fund’s use of such derivative instruments.
Commodity Regulatory Risk. Changes in the laws or regulations of the United States or the Cayman Islands, including any changes to applicable tax laws and regulations, could impair the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective and could increase the operating expenses of the Fund or the Subsidiary. Based on the Fund’s and the Subsidiary’s current investment strategies, the Fund and the Subsidiary are each a “commodity pool” and the Adviser is considered a commodity pool operator with respect to the Fund and the Subsidiary under the Commodity Exchange Act. Accordingly, the Fund and the Adviser are subject to dual regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Compliance with both sets of regulations expose the Fund and the Adviser to increased risk of non-compliance and could increase the Fund’s expenses, adversely affecting the Fund’s total return.
Credit Risk.  Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer or guarantor of a security will be unable and/or unwilling to honor its payment obligations and/or default completely on securities. The Fund’s securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, depending on the issuer’s financial condition and on the terms of the securities, which may be reflected in credit ratings. There is a possibility that the credit rating of a security may be downgraded after purchase or the perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may decline, which may adversely affect the value of the security. Lower credit quality may also affect liquidity and make it difficult for the Fund to sell the security.
Derivatives Counterparty Risk. A loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of another party to a contract (usually referred to as a “counterparty”) to make required payments or otherwise comply with a contract’s terms. The Fund also bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap
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agreement counterparty. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, and as of the date of this prospectus, UBS was the only available counterparty with which the Fund may enter into such swap contracts on the CMCI. The Fund may invest in commodity-linked structured notes issued by a limited number of issuers that will act as counterparties. The Fund’s use of one or a limited number of counterparties and its investments in commodity-linked structured notes issued by only a limited number of issuers increases the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Swap agreements also may be considered to be illiquid. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Derivatives Risk.  Derivatives and other similar instruments (referred to collectively as “derivatives”) are financial instruments whose values are based on the value of one or more reference assets or indicators, such as a security, currency, interest rate, or index. The Fund’s use of derivatives involves risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Moreover, although the value of a derivative is based on an underlying asset or indicator, a derivative typically does not carry the same rights as would be the case if the Fund invested directly in the underlying securities, currencies or other assets.
Derivatives are subject to a number of risks, such as potential changes in value in response to market developments or, in the case of “over-the-counter” derivatives, as a result of a counterparty’s credit quality and the risk that a derivative transaction may not have the effect the Adviser anticipated. Derivatives also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not achieve the desired correlation with the underlying asset or indicator. Derivative transactions can create investment leverage and may be highly volatile, and the Fund could lose more than the amount it invests. The use of derivatives may increase the amount and affect the timing and character of taxes payable by shareholders of the Fund.
Many derivative transactions are entered into “over-the-counter” without a central clearinghouse; as a result, the value of such a derivative transaction will depend on, among other factors, the ability and the willingness of the Fund’s counterparty to perform its obligations under the transaction. If a counterparty were to default on its obligations, the Fund’s contractual remedies against such counterparty may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws, which could affect the Fund’s rights as a creditor (e.g., the Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it is contractually entitled to receive). Counterparty risk also refers to the related risks of having concentrated exposure to such a counterparty. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Fund’s derivative positions at any time, and the Fund may not be able to initiate or liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses. The Fund may also face the risk that it may not be able to meet margin and payment requirements and maintain a derivatives position.
Derivatives are also subject to operational and legal risks. Operational risk generally refers to risk related to potential operational issues, including documentation issues, settlement issues, system failures, inadequate controls, and human errors. Legal risk generally refers to insufficient documentation, insufficient capacity or authority of counterparty, or legality or enforceability of a contract.
Government-Related Bond Risk. The governmental authority or government-related entity that controls the repayment of the bond may be unable or unwilling to honor its payment obligations. If an issuer of government-related bonds defaults on payments of principal and/or interest, the Fund may have limited recourse against the issuer. A government-related debtor’s willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow, the extent of its foreign currency reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange when a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the government-related debtor’s policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which the debtor may be subject. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of government-related bonds, and the Fund’s net asset value, may be more volatile than prices of corporate bonds, which may result in losses.
Index Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to the Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities and entering into derivatives transactions (if applicable), especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index or (if applicable) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with inflows into the Fund. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, may decrease the Fund’s net asset value.
Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. Errors in the Index data, the Index computations and/or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index provider, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should understand that any gains from the Index provider’s or others’ errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the Index provider’s or others’ errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. Additionally, when the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index provider or its agents to the Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund.
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The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to pay expenses or to meet redemptions. In addition, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included in the Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the return of the Index for various reasons, including legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain exchange listing standards (where applicable), a lack of liquidity in markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons (such as diversification requirements). To the extent the Fund utilizes depositary receipts, the purchase of depositary receipts may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to track the performance of the Index and increase tracking error, which may be exacerbated if the issuer of the depositary receipt discontinues issuing new depositary receipts or withdraws existing depositary receipts.
The Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying currencies and/or other assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its net asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s ability to track the Index may be adversely affected. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any), repatriation or economic sanctions may also increase the index tracking risk. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the performance of the Index due to the impact of withholding taxes, late announcements relating to changes to the Index and high turnover of the Index. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Index. Changes to the composition of the Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be heightened.
Industry Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in an industry or group of industries. As such, the Fund may be subject to greater risks and market fluctuations than a fund whose portfolio has exposure to a broader range of industries. The Fund may be susceptible to financial, economic, political or market events, as well as government regulation, impacting a particular industry.
Interest Rate Risk. Debt securities and preferred securities are subject to interest rate risk. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a security resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the prices of most debt securities and certain preferred securities go down. When the general level of interest rates goes down, the prices of most debt securities go up. Many factors can cause interest rates to rise, including central bank monetary policy, rising inflation rates and general economic conditions. Debt securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, usually making them more volatile than debt securities, such as bonds, with shorter durations. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in debt securities with longer-term maturities, rising interest rates may cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline significantly. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates and/or volatility. It is difficult to predict the magnitude, timing or direction of interest rate changes and the impact these changes will have on the markets in which the Fund invests.
LIBOR Replacement Risk. The Fund may invest in certain debt securities, derivatives, or other financial instruments that utilize the LIBOR as a reference rate for various rate calculations. On July 27, 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it would no longer persuade nor require banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. At the end of 2021, certain LIBORs were discontinued, but the most widely used LIBORs may continue to be provided on a representative basis until June 30, 2023. The one, three, and six-month US dollar LIBOR settings will continue to be published under a synthetic methodology for a temporary period until September 30, 2024 for certain legacy contracts. Although the transition process away from LIBOR has become increasingly well-defined, there remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of LIBOR and the nature of any replacement rates. The elimination of LIBOR or changes to other reference rates or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of reference rates could adversely impact (i) volatility and liquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, (ii) the market for, or value of, specific securities or payments linked to those reference rates resulting in a reduction in the value of certain instruments held by the Fund, (iii) availability or terms of borrowing or refinancing, or (iv) the effectiveness of hedging strategies. For these and other reasons, the elimination of LIBOR or changes to other interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s performance and/or net asset value. Alternatives to LIBOR are established or in development in most major currencies including the Secured Overnight Financing Rate that is intended to replace the U.S. dollar LIBOR.
Uncertainty regarding the process for amending existing contracts or instruments to transition away from LIBOR remains a concern for the Fund. The effect of the discontinuation of LIBOR on the Fund will vary depending on, among other things (i) existing fallback or termination provisions in individual contracts and (ii) how and when industry participants develop and adopt new reference rates and fallbacks for both legacy and new products and instruments. For example, certain of the Fund’s investments may involve individual contracts that have (i) no existing fallback provision or language that contemplates the discontinuation of LIBOR or (ii) inadequate fallback provisions or language that does not contemplate a permanent discontinuation of LIBOR, and those investments could experience increased volatility or reduced liquidity as a result of the transition process. In
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addition, interest rate provisions included in such contracts may need to be renegotiated in contemplation of the transition away from LIBOR. In addition, an instrument’s transition to a replacement rate could result in variations in the reported yields for such instrument if held by the Fund. Accordingly, it is difficult to predict the full impact of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund until new reference rates and fallbacks for both legacy and new products, instruments and contracts are commercially accepted.
Market Risk. The prices of securities are subject to the risks associated with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions, sudden and unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and closures and public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the global economy; in these and other circumstances, such events or developments might affect companies world-wide. Overall securities values could decline generally or underperform other investments. An investment may lose money.
Money Market Funds Risk. Although a money market fund is designed to be a relatively low risk investment, it is subject to certain risks. An investment in a money market fund is not insured or guaranteed by a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Although money market funds seek to maintain a net asset value of $1.00 per share, it is possible that the Fund may lose money by investing in a money market fund.
Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Repurchase and Reverse Repurchase Agreements. A repurchase agreement exposes the Fund to the risk that the party that sells the security may default on its obligation to repurchase it. The Fund may lose money if it cannot sell the security at the agreed-upon time and price or the security loses value before it can be sold. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the risk that the market value of the securities the Fund is obligated to repurchase under the agreement may decline below the repurchase price.
Subsidiary Investment Risk. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Fund and the Subsidiary are organized, respectively, could result in the inability of the Fund to operate as intended and could negatively affect the Fund and its shareholders. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is not subject to the investor protections of the Investment Company Act of 1940. Thus, the Fund, as an investor in the Subsidiary, will not have all the protections offered to investors in registered investment companies.
PERFORMANCE
The following chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. For instance, the CMCI is a rules-based, composite benchmark index diversified across 29 commodity components from within five sectors, specifically energy, precious metals, industrial metals, agriculture and livestock. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The annual returns in the bar chart are for the Fund’s Class A shares and do not reflect sales loads. If sales loads were reflected, returns would be lower than those shown.
Additionally, large purchases and/or redemptions of shares of a class, relative to the amount of assets represented by the class, may cause the annual returns for each class to differ. Updated performance information for the Fund is available on the VanEck website at vaneck.com.
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Class A: Annual Total Returns (%) as of 12/31
23301
Best Quarter: +21.58% 1Q 2022
Worst Quarter: -24.73% 1Q 2020
Average Annual Total Returns as of 12/31/2022 1 Year 5 Years 10 Years
Class A Shares (12/31/10)
Before Taxes 8.66% 6.99% -0.52%
After Taxes on Distributions1
-0.57% 3.36% -2.80%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
5.07% 3.84% -1.41%
Class I Shares (12/31/10)
Before Taxes 15.87% 8.59% 0.37%
Class Y Shares (12/31/10)
Before Taxes 15.87% 8.56% 0.33%
UBS Constant Maturity Commodity Total Return Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)2
17.43% 9.82% 1.50%
1    After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. These returns are shown for one class of shares only; after-tax returns for the other classes may vary. Actual after-tax returns depend on your individual tax situation and may differ from those shown in the preceding table. The after-tax return information shown above does not apply to Fund shares held through a tax-advantaged account, such as a 401(k) plan or Investment Retirement Account.
2 Performance of the UBS Constant Maturity Commodity Total Return Index prior to July 18, 2022 reflects the UBS Constant Maturity Commodity Total Return Index’s previous methodology which had a different funding reference rate than the current index methodology.
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
Investment Adviser. Van Eck Absolute Return Advisers Corporation
Portfolio Managers.
Roland Morris, Jr. has been Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2014. Gregory F. Krenzer has been Deputy Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2016 and a member of the investment team since 2010. Mr. Krenzer has also been an investment team member on various funds managed by the Adviser since 1994.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
In general, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed on any business day, primarily through financial representatives such as brokers or advisers, or directly by eligible investors through the Fund’s transfer agent. Purchase minimums for Classes A and Y shares are $1,000 for an initial purchase and $100 for a subsequent purchase, with no purchase minimums for any purchase through a retirement or pension plan account, for any “wrap fee” account and similar programs offered without a sales
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charge by certain financial institutions and third-party recordkeepers and/or administrators, and for any account using the Automatic Investment Plan, or for any other periodic purchase program. Purchase minimums for Class I shares are $1 million for an initial purchase and no minimum for a subsequent purchase; the initial minimum may be reduced or waived at the Adviser’s discretion.
TAX INFORMATION
The Fund normally distributes net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders annually. These distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax advantaged retirement account, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account (IRA), in which case your distributions may be taxed as ordinary income when withdrawn from such account.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your financial professional to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial professional or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

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This section states the Fund’s investment objective and describes certain strategies and policies that the Fund may utilize in pursuit of its investment objective. This section also provides additional information about the principal risks associated with investing in the Fund.
1. INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The CM Commodity Index Fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the UBS Constant Maturity Commodity Total Return Index.
The Fund’s investment objective is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) without shareholder approval. The Fund has adopted a policy that requires the Fund to provide shareholders with 60 days’ prior written notice before its investment objective can be changed (to the extent practicable).
2. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS
Active Management Risk.  In managing the Fund’s portfolio, the Adviser will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these will produce the desired results. Investment decisions made by the Adviser in seeking to achieve the Fund’s investment objective may cause a decline in the value of the investments held by the Fund and, in turn, cause the Fund’s shares to lose value or underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.
Commodities and Commodity-Linked Derivatives Risk. Commodities include precious metals (such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium in the form of bullion and coins), industrial metals, gas and other energy products and natural resources. The value of a commodity-linked derivative investment generally is based upon the price movements of a physical commodity (such as energy, mineral, or agricultural products), a commodity futures contract or commodity index, or other economic variable based upon changes in the value of commodities or the commodities markets. The Fund may seek exposure to the commodity markets through investments in leveraged or unleveraged commodity-linked or index-linked notes, which are derivative debt instruments with principal and/or coupon payments linked to the value of commodities, commodity futures contracts or the performance of commodity indices. These notes are sometimes referred to as “structured notes” because the terms of these notes may be structured by the issuer and the purchaser of the note.
Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The commodities markets may fluctuate widely based on a variety of factors including changes in overall market movements, political and economic events and policies, war, disease, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and changes in interest rates or inflation rates. Prices of various commodities may also be affected by factors such as drought, floods, weather, embargoes, tariffs and other regulatory developments. The prices of commodities can also fluctuate widely due to supply and demand disruptions in major producing or consuming regions. Certain commodities may be produced in a limited number of countries and may be controlled by a small number of producers. As a result, political, economic and supply related events in such countries could have a disproportionate impact on the prices of such commodities.
Commodity-Linked “Structured” Securities Risk. Because the value of a commodity-linked derivative instrument typically is based upon the price movements of a physical commodity, the value of the commodity-linked derivative instrument may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry. The value of these securities will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity or related index of investment.
Structured Notes Risk. Structured notes expose the Fund economically to movements in commodity prices. The performance of a structured note is determined by the price movement of the commodity underlying the note. A highly liquid secondary market may not exist for structured notes, and there can be no assurance that one will develop. These notes are often leveraged, increasing the volatility of each note’s market value relative to changes in the underlying commodity, commodity futures contract or commodity index.
Tax Risk. The tax treatment of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be adversely affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority. If, as a result of any such adverse action, the income of the Fund from certain commodity-linked derivatives was treated as non-qualifying income, the Fund might fail to qualify as a regulated investment company and/or be subject to federal income tax at the Fund level. As a regulated investment company, the Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income for each taxable year from sources treated as qualifying income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), including income from any financial instrument or position that constitutes a security under section 2(a)(36) of the Investment Company Act of 1940. In September 2016 the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) announced that it will no longer issue private letter rulings on questions relating to the treatment of a corporation as a regulated investment company that require a determination of whether a financial instrument or position is a security under section 2(a)(36) of the Investment Company Act of 1940. The IRS also revoked rulings issued to some funds regarding the treatment of commodity-linked notes held directly by such funds. The uncertainty surrounding the treatment of certain derivative instruments under the qualification tests for a regulated investment company may limit the Fund’s use of such derivative instruments. The Fund also may incur transaction and other costs to comply with any new or additional guidance from the IRS.
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Commodity Regulatory Risk. Changes in the laws or regulations of the United States or the Cayman Islands, including any changes to applicable tax laws and regulations, could impair the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective and could increase the operating expenses of the Fund or the Subsidiary. Based on the Fund’s and the Subsidiary’s current investment strategies, the Fund and the Subsidiary are each a “commodity pool” and the Adviser is considered a commodity pool operator with respect to the Fund and the Subsidiary under the Commodity Exchange Act. Accordingly, the Fund and the Adviser are subject to dual regulation by the CFTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Pursuant to certain CFTC regulations, the Fund and the Adviser have elected to meet the requirements of certain CFTC regulations by complying with specific Securities and Exchange Commission rules and regulations relating to disclosure and reporting requirements. The CFTC could deem the Fund or the Adviser in violation of an applicable CFTC regulation if the Fund or the Adviser failed to comply with a related Securities and Exchange Commission regulatory requirement. In addition, the Fund and the Adviser will remain subject to certain CFTC-mandated disclosure, reporting and recordkeeping regulations with respect to the Fund and the Subsidiary. Compliance with the CFTC regulations could increase the Fund’s expenses, adversely affecting the Fund’s total return.
Credit Risk. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer or guarantor of a security will be unable and/or unwilling to honor its payment obligations and/or default completely on securities. The Fund’s securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, depending on the issuer’s financial condition and on the terms of the securities, which may be reflected in credit ratings. There is a possibility that the credit rating of a security may be downgraded after purchase or the perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may decline, which may adversely affect the value of the security. Lower credit quality may also affect liquidity and make it difficult for the Fund to sell the security.
Derivatives Counterparty Risk. The Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties for the purpose of attempting to gain exposure to a particular group of securities, commodities or asset class without actually purchasing those securities or investments, or to hedge a position. Such financial instruments include, but are not limited to total return, index, interest rate, and credit default swap agreements, and structured notes. The Fund will use counterparty agreements to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized in particular predetermined investments or instruments. The Fund will not enter into any agreement involving a counterparty unless the Adviser believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy. A loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of a counterparty to make required payments or otherwise comply with a contract’s terms.
The use of swap agreements and structured notes involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. For example, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. The Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, and as of the date of this prospectus, UBS was the only available counterparty with which the Fund may enter into such swap agreements on the CMCI. The Fund may invest in commodity-linked structured notes issued by a limited number of issuers that will act as counterparties. The Fund’s use of one or a limited number of counterparties and its investments in commodity-linked structured notes issued by only a limited number of issuers increases the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Swap agreements also may be considered to be illiquid. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties are willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Derivatives Risk.  Derivatives and other similar instruments (referred to collectively as “derivatives”) are financial instruments whose values are based on the value of one or more reference assets or indicators, such as a security, currency, interest rate, or index. The Fund’s use of derivatives involves risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Moreover, although the value of a derivative is based on an underlying asset or indicator, a derivative typically does not carry the same rights as would be the case if the Fund invested directly in the underlying securities, currencies or other assets.
Derivatives are subject to a number of risks, such as potential changes in value in response to market developments or, in the case of “over-the-counter” derivatives, as a result of a counterparty’s credit quality and the risk that a derivative transaction may not have the effect the Adviser anticipated. Derivatives also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not achieve the desired correlation with the underlying asset or indicator. Derivative transactions can create investment leverage and may be highly volatile, and the Fund could lose more than the amount it invests. The use of derivatives may increase the amount and affect the timing and character of taxes payable by shareholders of the Fund.
Many derivative transactions are entered into “over-the-counter” without a central clearinghouse; as a result, the value of such a derivative transaction will depend on, among other factors, the ability and the willingness of the Fund’s counterparty to perform its obligations under the transaction. If a counterparty were to default on its obligations, the Fund’s contractual remedies against such counterparty may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws, which could affect the Fund’s rights as a creditor (e.g., the Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it is contractually entitled to receive). Counterparty risk also refers to the related risks of having concentrated exposure to such a counterparty. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Fund’s derivative positions at any time, and the Fund may not be able to initiate or liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or
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price, which may result in significant losses. The Fund may also face the risk that it may not be able to meet margin and payment requirements and maintain a derivatives position.
Derivatives are also subject to operational and legal risks. Operational risk generally refers to risk related to potential operational issues, including documentation issues, settlement issues, system failures, inadequate controls, and human errors. Legal risk generally refers to insufficient documentation, insufficient capacity or authority of counterparty, or legality or enforceability of a contract.
Government-Related Bond Risk. The governmental authority or government-related entity that controls the repayment of the bond may be unable or unwilling to honor its payment obligations. If an issuer of government-related bonds defaults on payments of principal and/or interest, the Fund may have limited recourse against the issuer. A government-related debtor’s willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow, the extent of its foreign currency reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange when a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the government-related debtor’s policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which the debtor may be subject. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of government-related bonds, and the Fund’s net asset value, may be more volatile than prices of corporate bonds, which may result in losses.
Index Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to the Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities and entering into derivatives transactions (if applicable), especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index, or (if applicable) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with inflows into the Fund. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, may decrease the Fund’s net asset value.
Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. There is no assurance that the Index provider or any agents that may act on its behalf will compile the Index accurately, or that the Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data used to compile the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index provider, particularly where the indices are less commonly used as benchmarks by funds or managers. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with errors of the Index provider or its agents will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders.
When the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to pay expenses or to meet redemptions. In addition, the Fund may not invest in certain securities and/or other assets included in the Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the return of the Index for a variety of reasons, including legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain exchange listing standards (where applicable), a lack of liquidity in markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons (such as diversification requirements). A lack of liquidity may be due to various events, including market events, economic conditions or investor perceptions. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value and their value may be lower than the market price of comparable liquid securities, which would negatively affect the Fund’s performance. Moreover, the Fund may be delayed in purchasing or selling securities included in the Index. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or increase the index tracking risk. To the extent the Fund encounters any issues with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any), repatriation or economic sanctions, such issues may also increase index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the performance of the Index due to the impact of withholding taxes, late announcements relating to changes to the Index and high turnover of the Index.
The Fund may fair value certain of its investments, underlying currencies and/or other assets. To the extent the Fund calculates its net asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Index is not based on fair value prices) or if the Fund otherwise calculates its net asset value based on prices that differ from those used in calculating the Index, the Fund’s ability to track the Index may be adversely affected. The need to comply with the tax diversification and other requirements of the Internal Revenue Code may also impact the Fund’s ability to track the performance of the Index. In addition, if the Fund utilizes depositary receipts or other derivative instruments, its return may not correlate as well with the return of the Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all the securities in the Index directly. To the extent the Fund utilizes depositary receipts, the purchase of depositary receipts may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to track the performance of the Index and increase tracking error, which may be exacerbated if the issuer of the depositary receipt
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discontinues issuing new depositary receipts or withdraws existing depositary receipts. Actions taken in response to proposed corporate actions could also result in increased tracking error. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Index.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index provider to the Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund.
Index tracking risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Changes to the composition of the Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be heightened.
Industry Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in an industry or group of industries. As such, the Fund may be subject to greater risks and market fluctuations than a fund whose portfolio has exposure to a broader range of industries. The Fund may be susceptible to financial, economic, political or market events, as well as government regulation, impacting a particular industry.
Interest Rate Risk. Debt securities and preferred securities are subject to interest rate risk. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a security resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the prices of most debt securities and certain preferred securities go down. When the general level of interest rates goes down, the prices of most debt securities go up. Many factors can cause interest rates to rise, including central bank monetary policy, rising inflation rates and general economic conditions. Debt securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, usually making them more volatile than debt securities, such as bonds, with shorter durations. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in debt securities with longer-term maturities, rising interest rates may cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline significantly. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates and/or volatility. It is difficult to predict the magnitude, timing or direction of interest rate changes and the impact these changes will have on the markets in which the Fund invests.
LIBOR Replacement Risk. The Fund may invest in certain debt securities, derivatives, or other financial instruments that utilize the LIBOR as a reference rate for various rate calculations. On July 27, 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it would no longer persuade nor require banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. At the end of 2021, certain LIBORs were discontinued, but the most widely used LIBORs may continue to be provided on a representative basis until June 30, 2023. The one, three, and six-month US dollar LIBOR settings will continue to be published under a synthetic methodology for a temporary period until September 30, 2024 for certain legacy contracts. Although the transition process away from LIBOR has become increasingly well-defined, there remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of LIBOR and the nature of any replacement rates. The elimination of LIBOR or changes to other reference rates or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of reference rates could adversely impact (i) volatility and liquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, (ii) the market for, or value of, specific securities or payments linked to those reference rates resulting in a reduction in the value of certain instruments held by the Fund, (iii) availability or terms of borrowing or refinancing, or (iv) the effectiveness of hedging strategies. For these and other reasons, the elimination of LIBOR or changes to other interest rates may adversely affect the Fund’s performance and/or net asset value. Alternatives to LIBOR are established or in development in most major currencies including the Secured Overnight Financing Rate that is intended to replace the U.S. dollar LIBOR.
Uncertainty regarding the process for amending existing contracts or instruments to transition away from LIBOR remains a concern for the Fund. The effect of the discontinuation of LIBOR on the Fund will vary depending on, among other things (i) existing fallback or termination provisions in individual contracts and (ii) how and when industry participants develop and adopt new reference rates and fallbacks for both legacy and new products and instruments. For example, certain of the Fund’s investments may involve individual contracts that have (i) no existing fallback provision or language that contemplates the discontinuation of LIBOR or (ii) inadequate fallback provisions or language that does not contemplate a permanent discontinuation of LIBOR, and those investments could experience increased volatility or reduced liquidity as a result of the transition process. In addition, interest rate provisions included in such contracts may need to be renegotiated in contemplation of the transition away from LIBOR. In addition, an instrument’s transition to a replacement rate could result in variations in the reported yields for such instrument if held by the Fund. Accordingly, it is difficult to predict the full impact of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund until new reference rates and fallbacks for both legacy and new products, instruments and contracts are commercially accepted.
Market Risk. The prices of securities are subject to the risks associated with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions, sudden and unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and closures and public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the global economy; in these and other
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circumstances, such events or developments might affect companies world-wide. Overall securities values could decline generally or underperform other investments. An investment may lose money.
Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Repurchase and Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk. In a repurchase agreement, the Fund acquires a security for a short time while agreeing to sell it back at a designated price and time. The agreement creates a fixed rate of return not subject to market fluctuations. In a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund sells a security subject to the obligation of a buyer to resell and the Fund to repurchase such security at a fixed time and price The Fund enters into these agreements generally with member banks of the Federal Reserve System or certain non-bank dealers; these counterparties collateralize the transaction.
A repurchase agreement exposes the Fund to the risk that the party that sells the security may default on its obligation to repurchase it. The Fund may lose money if it cannot sell the security at the agreed-upon time and price or the security loses value before it can be sold. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the risk that the market value of the securities the Fund is obligated to repurchase under the agreement may decline below the repurchase price. In the event the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the Fund’s use of proceeds of the agreement may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities.
Subsidiary Investment Risk. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Fund and the Subsidiary are organized, respectively, could result in the inability of the Fund to operate as intended and could negatively affect the Fund and its shareholders. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is not subject to the investor protections of the Investment Company Act of 1940. Thus, the Fund, as an investor in the Subsidiary, will not have all the protections offered to investors in registered investment companies.
3. ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
INVESTING DEFENSIVELY
The Fund may take temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies in anticipation of or in an attempt to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective while it is investing defensively.
SECURITIES LENDING
The Fund may lend its securities as permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), including by participating in securities lending programs managed by broker-dealers or other institutions. Securities lending allows the Fund to retain ownership of the securities loaned and, at the same time, earn additional income. The borrowings must be collateralized in full with cash, U.S. government securities or high-quality letters of credit.
The Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the securities loaned or in gaining access to the securities lending collateral. If the Fund is not able to recover the securities loaned, the Fund may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement investment in the market. The value of the collateral could decrease below the value of the replacement investment by the time the replacement investment is purchased. Cash received as collateral and which is invested is subject to market appreciation and depreciation.
4. OTHER INFORMATION AND POLICIES
BENEFICIARIES OF CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENTS
VanEck Funds (the “Trust”) enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, including, among others, the Fund’s investment adviser, administrator and distributor, who provide services to the Fund. Shareholders of the Fund are not parties to, or intended (or “third-party”) beneficiaries of, any of those contractual arrangements, and those contractual arrangements are not intended to create in any individual shareholder or group of shareholders any right to enforce such contractual arrangements against the service providers or to seek any remedy under such contractual arrangements against the service providers, either directly or on behalf of the Trust.
This prospectus provides information concerning the Trust and the Fund that you should consider in determining whether to purchase shares of the Fund. None of this prospectus, the SAI or any document filed as an exhibit to the Trust’s registration statement, is intended to, nor does it, give rise to an agreement or contract between the Trust or the Fund and any investor, or give rise to any contract or other rights in any individual shareholder, group of shareholders or other person other than any rights conferred explicitly by federal or state securities laws that may not be waived.
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OVERVIEW OF THE CMCI
The CMCI represents a basket of commodity futures contracts with 29 commodity components (as of February 28, 2023). Exposure to each component is allocated across a range of maturities ranging from three months up to a maximum of about three years. Not all commodities have the full range of maturity exposures. In contrast, traditional commodity indices typically invest in front-month futures contracts which have shorter tenors (time to maturity) than the average CMCI tenor.
The CMCI also employs a “constant maturity” approach by relying on a continuous roll methodology in which the CMCI invests in and out of future contracts on a daily basis. This methodology differs from traditional commodity indices, which usually are pre-defined to roll during a fixed window of days on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. The CMCI represents commodities in five primary sectors: Energy, Agriculture, Industrial Metals, Precious Metals and Livestock. The underlying commodities trade on various exchanges.
The return of the Index is generated by two components: (i) uncollateralized returns from holding and rolling of futures contracts comprising the Index and (ii) the fixed income return reflecting the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”)-based interest earned on a hypothetical portfolio theoretically deposited as full collateral for the notional exposure of hypothetical positions in the futures contracts comprising the Index.
CYBER SECURITY
The Fund and its service providers are susceptible to cyber security risks that include, among other things, theft, unauthorized monitoring, release, misuse, loss, destruction or corruption of confidential and highly restricted data; denial of service attacks; unauthorized access to relevant systems; compromises to networks or devices that the Fund and its service providers use to service the Fund’s operations; and operational disruption or failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support the Fund and its service providers. Cyber attacks against or security breakdowns of the Fund or its service providers may adversely impact the Fund and its shareholders, potentially resulting in, among other things, financial losses; the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business and the Fund to process transactions; the inability to calculate the Fund’s net asset value; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs; and/or additional compliance costs. The Fund may incur additional costs for cyber security risk management and remediation purposes. In addition, cyber security risks may also impact issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which may cause the Fund’s investments in such issuers to lose value. There can be no assurance that the Fund or its service providers will not suffer losses relating to cyber attacks or other information security breaches in the future.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
Generally, it is the Fund’s and the Adviser’s policy that no current or potential investor, including any Fund shareholder, shall be provided information about the Fund’s portfolio on a preferential basis in advance of the provision of that information to other investors. A complete description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Fund’s statement of additional information (“SAI”).
Portfolio information for the Fund is available to all investors on the VanEck website at vaneck.com. Information regarding the Fund’s sector weightings, updated as of each month-end, is also located on this website. Generally, this information is posted to the website within 10 business days of the end of the applicable month. This information generally remains available on the website until new information is posted. The Fund reserves the right to exclude any portion of this portfolio information from publication when deemed in the best interest of the Fund, and to discontinue the posting of portfolio information at any time, without prior notice.
PORTFOLIO INVESTMENTS
The percentage limitations relating to the composition of the Fund’s portfolio apply at the time the Fund acquires an investment. A subsequent increase or decrease in percentage resulting from a change in the value of portfolio securities or the total or net assets of the Fund will not be considered a violation of the restriction.
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1. HOW TO BUY, SELL, EXCHANGE OR TRANSFER SHARES
The Fund offers Class A, Class I and Class Y shares. Information related to how to buy, sell, exchange and transfer shares is discussed below. See the “Minimum Purchase” section for information related to initial and subsequent minimum investment amounts. The minimum investment amounts vary by share class.
Through a Financial Intermediary
Primarily, accounts are opened through a financial intermediary (broker, bank, adviser or agent). Please contact your financial intermediary for details.
Through the Transfer Agent, SS&C GIDS, Inc. (SS&C)
You may buy (purchase), sell (redeem), exchange, or transfer ownership of Class A and Class I shares directly through SS&C by mail or telephone, as stated below. For Class Y shares, shareholders must open accounts and transact business through a financial intermediary.
The Fund’s mailing address at SS&C is:
VanEck Funds
P.O. Box 218407
Kansas City, MO 64121-8407
For overnight delivery:
VanEck Funds
430 W 7th St., Suite 218407
Kansas City, MO 64105-1407
Non-resident aliens cannot make a direct investment to establish a new account in the Fund, but may invest through their broker or agent.
To telephone the Fund at SS&C, call VanEck Account Assistance at 800-544-4653.
Purchase by Mail
To make an initial purchase, complete the VanEck Account Application and mail it with your check made payable to VanEck Funds. Subsequent purchases can be made by check with the remittance stub of your account statement. You cannot make a purchase by telephone. We cannot accept third party checks, starter checks, money orders, travelers checks, cashier checks, checks drawn on a foreign bank, or checks not in U.S. dollars. There are separate applications for VanEck retirement accounts (see “Retirement Plans” for details). For further details, see the application or call Account Assistance.
Telephone Redemption-Proceeds by Check 800-544-4653
If your account has the optional Telephone Redemption Privilege, you can redeem up to $50,000 per day. The redemption check must be payable to the registered owner(s) at the address of record (which cannot have been changed within the past 30 days). You automatically get the Telephone Redemption Privilege (for eligible accounts) unless you specifically refuse it on your Account Application, on broker/agent settlement instructions, or by written notice to SS&C. All accounts are eligible for the privilege except those registered in street, nominee, or corporate name and custodial accounts held by a financial institution, including VanEck sponsored retirement plans.
Expedited Redemption—Proceeds by Wire 800-544-4653
If your account has the optional Expedited Redemption Privilege, you can redeem a minimum of $1,000 or more per day by telephone or written request with the proceeds wired to your designated bank account. The Fund reserves the right to waive the minimum amount. This privilege must be established in advance by Application. For further details, see the Application or call Account Assistance.
Written Redemption
Your written redemption (sale) request must include:
    Fund and account number.
    Number of shares or dollar amount to be redeemed, or a request to sell “all shares.”
    Signatures of all registered account holders, exactly as those names appear on the account registration, including any additional documents concerning authority and related matters in the case of estates, trusts, guardianships, custodianships, partnerships and corporations, as requested by SS&C.
    Special instructions, including bank wire information or special payee or address.
A signature guarantee for each account holder will be required if:
    The redemption is for $50,000 or more.
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    The redemption amount is wired.
    The redemption amount is paid to someone other than the registered owner.
    The redemption amount is sent to an address other than the address of record.
    The address of record has been changed within the past 30 days.
Institutions eligible to provide signature guarantees include banks, brokerages, trust companies, and some credit unions.
Telephone Exchange 800-544-4653
If your account has the optional Telephone Exchange Privilege, you can exchange between VanEck Funds of the same Class without any additional sales charge. All accounts are eligible except for omnibus accounts or those registered in street name and certain custodial retirement accounts held by a financial institution other than VanEck. For further details regarding exchanges, please see the application, “Limits and Restrictions” and “Unauthorized Telephone Requests” below, or call Account Assistance.
Written Exchange
Written requests for exchange must include:
    The fund and account number to be exchanged out of.
    The fund to be exchanged into.
    Directions to exchange “all shares” or a specific number of shares or dollar amount.
    Signatures of all registered account holders, exactly as those names appear on the account registration, including any additional documents concerning authority and related matters in the case of estates, trusts, guardianships, custodianships, partnerships and corporations, as requested by SS&C.
For further details regarding exchanges, please see the applicable information in “Telephone Exchange.”
Certificates
Certificates are not issued for new or existing shares.
Transfer of Ownership
Requests must be in writing and provide the same information and legal documentation necessary to redeem and establish an account, including the social security or tax identification number of the new owner.
Redemption Liquidity
The Fund expects to make redemption payments to the shareholder, or shareholder’s financial intermediary, within 1 to 2 business days following the Fund’s receipt of the redemption transaction from the shareholder, or shareholder’s financial intermediary. The financial intermediary acts on behalf of the shareholder and is responsible for transmitting redemption proceeds to the shareholder. Payment of redemption proceeds by the Fund may take longer than the time the Fund typically expects and may take up to 7 days as permitted by the 1940 Act.
Typically, redemption payments of Fund shares will be made in U.S. dollars. The Fund generally expects to satisfy redemption requests from available cash holdings and sale of portfolio securities. On a less regular basis, the Fund also may draw on a bank line of credit to meet redemption requests. In stressed market conditions or for a particularly large redemption, the Fund also reserves the right to meet redemption requests through a “redemption in kind” as described below.
Redemption in Kind
The Fund reserves the right to satisfy redemption requests by making payment in securities (known as a redemption in kind). Redemptions in kind are not routinely used by the Fund. The Fund may, however, use redemptions in kind during particularly stressed market conditions or to manage the impact of a large redemption on the Fund. In such case, the Fund may pay all or part of the redemption in securities of equal value as permitted under the 1940 Act, and the rules thereunder. The redeeming shareholder should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received and will bear any market risks associated with such securities until they are converted into cash. A redemption in kind is treated as a taxable transaction and a sale of the redeemed shares, generally resulting in capital gain or loss to the redeeming shareholder subject to certain loss limitation rules.
Redemptions Initiated by the Fund
The Fund reserves the right to redeem your shares in the Fund if the Fund’s Board determines that the failure to so redeem may have materially adverse consequences to the shareholders of the Fund. For additional information, please see “Additional Purchase and Redemption Information—Redemptions Initiated by the Fund” in the SAI.
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LIMITS AND RESTRICTIONS
Frequent Trading Policy
The Board has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to deter frequent trading in shares of the Fund, commonly referred to as “market timing,” because such activities may be disruptive to the management of the Fund’s portfolio and may increase the Fund’s expenses and negatively impact the Fund’s performance. As such, the Fund may reject a purchase or exchange transaction or restrict an account from investing in the Fund for any reason if the Adviser, in its sole discretion, believes that a shareholder is engaging in market timing activities that may be harmful to the Fund. The Fund discourages and does not accommodate frequent trading of shares by its shareholders.
The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers, and consequently may be subject to an increased risk of frequent trading activities because frequent traders may attempt to take advantage of time zone differences between the foreign markets in which the Fund’s portfolio securities trade and the time as of which the Fund’s net asset value is calculated (“time-zone arbitrage”). The Fund’s investments in other types of securities may also be susceptible to frequent trading strategies. These investments include securities that are, among other things, thinly traded, traded infrequently, or relatively illiquid, which have the risk that the current market price for the securities may not accurately reflect current market values. The Fund has adopted fair valuation policies and procedures intended to reduce the Fund’s exposure to potential price arbitrage. However, there is no guarantee that the Fund’s net asset value will immediately reflect changes in market conditions.
The Fund uses a variety of techniques to monitor and detect abusive trading practices, such as monitoring purchases, redemptions and exchanges that meet certain criteria established by the Fund, and making inquiries with respect to such trades. If a transaction is rejected or an account restricted due to suspected market timing, the investor or his or her financial adviser will be notified.
With respect to trades that occur through omnibus accounts at intermediaries, such as broker-dealers and third party administrators, the Fund requires all such intermediaries to agree to cooperate in identifying and restricting market timers in accordance with the Fund’s policies and will periodically request customer trading activity in the omnibus accounts based on certain criteria established by the Fund. There is no assurance that the Fund will request such information with sufficient frequency to detect or deter excessive trading or that review of such information will be sufficient to detect or deter excessive trading in omnibus accounts effectively.
Although the Fund will use reasonable efforts to prevent market timing activities in the Fund’s shares, there can be no assurances that these efforts will be successful. As some investors may use various strategies to disguise their trading practices, the Fund’s ability to detect frequent trading activities by investors that hold shares through financial intermediaries may be limited by the ability and/or willingness of such intermediaries to monitor for these activities.
For further details, contact Account Assistance.
Unauthorized Telephone Requests
Like most financial organizations, VanEck, the Fund and SS&C may only be liable for losses resulting from unauthorized transactions if reasonable procedures designed to verify the caller’s identity and authority to act on the account are not followed.
If you do not want to authorize the Telephone Exchange or Redemption privilege on your eligible account, you must refuse it on the Account Application, broker/agent settlement instructions, or by written notice to SS&C. VanEck, the Fund, and SS&C reserve the right to reject a telephone redemption, exchange, or other request without prior notice either during or after the call. For further details, contact Account Assistance.
AUTOMATIC SERVICES
Automatic Investment Plan
You may authorize SS&C to periodically withdraw a specified dollar amount from your bank account and buy shares in your Fund account. For further details and to request an Application, contact Account Assistance.
Automatic Exchange Plan
You may authorize SS&C to periodically exchange a specified dollar amount for your account from one Fund to another Fund. For further details and to request an Application, contact Account Assistance.
Automatic Withdrawal Plan
You may authorize SS&C to periodically withdraw (redeem) a specified dollar amount from your Fund account and mail a check to you for the proceeds. Your Fund account must be valued at $10,000 or more at the current offering price to establish the Plan. For further details and to request an Application, contact Account Assistance.
MINIMUM PURCHASE
Each class can set its own transaction minimums and may vary with respect to expenses for distribution, administration and shareholder services.
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For Class A and Class Y shares, an initial purchase of $1,000 and subsequent purchases of $100 or more are required for non-retirement accounts. There are no purchase minimums for any retirement or pension plan account, for any account using the Automatic Investment Plan, or for any other periodic purchase program. Minimums may be waived for initial and subsequent purchases through “wrap fee” and similar programs offered without a sales charge by certain financial institutions and third-party recordkeepers and/or administrators.
For Class I shares, an initial purchase by an eligible investor of $1 million is required. The minimum initial investment requirement may be waived or aggregated among investors, in the Adviser’s discretion, for investors in certain fee-based, wrap or other no-load investment programs, and for an eligible Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan with plan assets of $3 million or more, sponsored by financial intermediaries that have entered into a Class I agreement with VanEck, as well as for other categories of investors. An “Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan” includes (a) an employer sponsored pension or profit sharing plan that qualifies (a “Qualified Plan”) under section 401(a) of the Code, including Code section 401(k), money purchase pension, profit sharing and defined benefit plans; (b) an ERISA-covered 403(b) plan; and (c) certain non-qualified deferred compensation arrangements that operate in a similar manner to a Qualified Plan, such as 457 plans and executive deferred compensation arrangements, but not including employer-sponsored IRAs. In addition, members of the Boards of Trustees of VanEck Funds and VanEck VIP Trust and each officer, director and employee of VanEck may purchase Class I shares without being subject to the $1 million minimum initial investment requirement. There are no minimum investment requirements for subsequent purchases to existing accounts. To be eligible to purchase Class I shares, you must also qualify as specified in “How to Choose a Class of Shares.”
ACCOUNT VALUE AND REDEMPTION
If the value of your account falls below $1,000 for Class A and Class Y shares and below $500,000 for Class I shares after the initial purchase, the Fund reserves the right to redeem your shares after 30 days notice to you. This does not apply to accounts exempt from purchase minimums as described above.
HOW THE FUND SHARES ARE PRICED
The Fund buys or sells its shares at its net asset value, or NAV, per share next determined after receipt of a purchase or redemption plus any applicable sales charge. The Fund calculates its NAV per share class every day the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open, as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, which is normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The Fund's daily NAV is available at vaneck.com.
You may enter a buy or sell order when the NYSE is closed for weekends or holidays. If that happens, your price will be the NAV calculated as of the close of the next regular trading session of the NYSE. The Fund may invest in certain securities which are listed on foreign exchanges that trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the NAV of the Fund’s shares may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem shares.
The Fund’s investments are generally valued based on market quotations which may be based on quotes obtained from a quotation reporting system, established market makers, broker dealers or by an independent pricing service. Short-term debt investments having a maturity of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, which approximates the fair value of the security. Assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted into U.S. dollars at the current market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more sources. When market quotations are not readily available for a portfolio security or other asset, or, in the opinion of the Adviser, are deemed unreliable, the Fund will use the security’s or asset’s “fair value” as determined in good faith in accordance with the Fund’s Fair Value Pricing Policies and Procedures, which have been approved by the Board. As a general principle, the current fair value of a security or other asset is the amount which the Fund might reasonably expect to receive for the security or asset upon its current sale. The Fund’s Pricing Committee, whose members are selected by the senior management of the Adviser and reported to the Board, is responsible for recommending fair value procedures to the Board and for administering the process used to arrive at fair value prices.
Factors that may cause the Fund’s Pricing Committee to fair value a security include, but are not limited to: (1) market quotations are not readily available because a portfolio security is not traded in a public market, trading in the security has been suspended, or the principal market in which the security trades is closed, (2) trading in a portfolio security is limited or suspended and not resumed prior to the time at which the Fund calculates its NAV, (3) the market for the relevant security is thin, or the price for the security is “stale” because its price has not changed for five consecutive business days, (4) the Adviser determines that a market quotation is not reliable, for example, because price movements are highly volatile and cannot be verified by a reliable alternative pricing source, or (5) a significant event affecting the value of a portfolio security is determined to have occurred between the time of the market quotation provided for a portfolio security and the time at which the Fund calculates its NAV.
In determining the fair value of securities, the Pricing Committee will consider, among other factors, the fundamental analytical data relating to the security, the nature and duration of any restrictions on the disposition of the security, and the forces influencing the market in which the security is traded.
Foreign equity securities in which the Fund may invest may be traded in markets that close before the time that the Fund calculates its NAV. Foreign equity securities are normally priced based upon the market quotation of such securities as of the close of their respective principal markets, as adjusted to reflect the Adviser’s determination of the impact of events, such as a
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significant movement in the U.S. markets occurring subsequent to the close of such markets but prior to the time at which the Fund calculates its NAV. In such cases, the Pricing Committee may apply a fair valuation formula to those foreign equity securities based on the Committee’s determination of the effect of the U.S. significant event with respect to each local market.
Certain of the Fund’s portfolio securities are valued by an independent pricing service approved by the Board. The independent pricing service may utilize an automated system incorporating a model based on multiple parameters, including a security’s local closing price (in the case of foreign securities), relevant general and sector indices, currency fluctuations, and trading in depositary receipts and futures, if applicable, and/or research evaluations by its staff, in determining what it believes is the fair valuation of the portfolio securities valued by such independent pricing service.
There can be no assurance that the Fund could purchase or sell a portfolio security or other asset at the price used to calculate the Fund’s NAV. Because of the inherent uncertainty in fair valuations, and the various factors considered in determining value pursuant to the Fund’s fair value procedures, there can be material differences between a fair value price at which a portfolio security or other asset is being carried and the price at which it is purchased or sold. Furthermore, changes in the fair valuation of portfolio securities or other assets may be less frequent, and of greater magnitude, than changes in the price of portfolio securities or other assets valued by an independent pricing service, or based on market quotations.
2. HOW TO CHOOSE A CLASS OF SHARES
The Fund offers three classes of shares with different sales charges and 12b-1 fee schedules, designed to provide you with different purchase options according to your investment needs. Class A shares are offered to the general public. Class I shares are offered to eligible investors primarily through certain financial intermediaries that have entered into a Class I Agreement with VanEck. The Fund reserves the right to accept direct investments by eligible investors. Class Y shares are offered only to investors through “wrap fee” and similar programs offered without a sales charge by certain financial intermediaries and third-party recordkeepers and/or administrators that have entered into a Class Y agreement with VanEck.
Financial intermediaries making Fund shares available to their clients determine which share class(es) to make available. Your financial intermediary may receive different compensation for selling one class of shares than for selling another class, which may depend on, among other things, the type of investor account and the policies, procedures and practices adopted by your financial intermediary. You should review these arrangements with your financial intermediary.
■    CLASS A Shares are offered at net asset value plus an initial sales charge at time of purchase of up to 5.75% of the public offering price. The initial sales charge is reduced for purchases of $25,000 or more. For further information regarding sales charges, breakpoints and other discounts, please see below. The 12b-1 fee is 0.25% annually.
    CLASS I Shares are offered with no sales charges on purchases, no contingent deferred redemption charge (“CDRC”), and no 12b-1 fee. To be eligible to purchase Class I (Institutional) shares, you must be an eligible investor that is making or has made a minimum initial investment of at least $1 million (which may be reduced or waived under certain circumstances) in Class I shares of the Fund. Eligible investors in Class I shares include corporations, foundations, family offices and other institutional organizations; high net worth individuals; persons purchasing through certain financial intermediaries or a bank, trust company or similar institution investing for its own account or for the account of a client when such institution has entered into a Class I agreement with VanEck and makes Class I shares available to the client’s program or plan.
    CLASS Y Shares are offered with no sales charges on purchases, no CDRC, and no 12b-1 fee. To be eligible to purchase Class Y shares, you must be an eligible investor in a “wrap-fee” or other fee-based program, including an Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan, offered through a financial intermediary that has entered into a Class Y Agreement with VanEck, and makes Class Y shares available to that program or plan. An “Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan” includes (a) an employer sponsored pension or profit sharing plan that qualifies (a “Qualified Plan”) under section 401(a) of the Code, including Code section 401(k), money purchase pension, profit sharing and defined benefit plans; (b) an ERISA-covered 403(b) plan; and (c) certain non-qualified deferred compensation arrangements that operate in a similar manner to a Qualified Plan, such as 457 plans and executive deferred compensation arrangements, but not including employer-sponsored IRAs.
Financial intermediaries may offer their clients more than one class of shares of the Fund. Shareholders who own shares of one class of the Fund and who are eligible to invest in another class of the same Fund may be eligible to convert their shares from one class to the other. Shareholders no longer participating in a fee-based program may be subject to conversion of their current class of shares by their financial intermediary to another class of shares of the Fund having expenses that may be higher than the expenses of their current class of shares. The timing and implementation of such conversions are at the discretion of the shareholder’s financial intermediary. For additional information, please contact your financial intermediary or see “Class Conversions” in the SAI. Investors should consider carefully a Fund’s share class expenses and applicable sales charges and fees plus any separate transaction and other fees charged by such intermediaries in connection with investing in each available share class before selecting a share class. It is the responsibility of the financial intermediary and the investor to choose the proper share class and notify SS&C or VanEck of that share class at the time of each purchase. More information regarding share class eligibility is available in the “How to Buy, Sell, Exchange, or Transfer Shares” section of the prospectus and in “Purchase of Shares” in the SAI.
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3. SALES CHARGES
Unless you are eligible for a waiver, the public offering price you pay when you buy Class A shares of the Fund is the net asset value (NAV) of the shares plus an initial sales charge. A sales charge means that a portion of your initial investment goes toward the sales charge and is not invested. The initial sales charge varies depending upon the size of your purchase, as set forth below, and a percentage is paid to the financial intermediary who sells your Class A shares. No sales charge is imposed where Class A shares are issued to you pursuant to the automatic investment of income dividends or capital gains distribution. It is the responsibility of the financial intermediary to ensure that the investor obtains the proper “breakpoint” discount. Class I and Class Y do not have an initial sales charge. Class A does charge a contingent deferred sales charge as set forth below.
Different intermediaries may impose different sales charges (including potential reductions in or waivers of sales charges) other than those listed below. Such intermediary-specific sales charge variations are described in Appendix C to this prospectus, entitled “Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers.” Appendix C is incorporated herein by reference (is legally a part of this prospectus). Such intermediary-specific sales charge discounts and waivers may not be available to purchasers whose accounts are not held at and traded by their intermediary.
In all instances, it is the purchaser’s responsibility to notify the Fund or the purchaser’s financial intermediary at the time of purchase of any facts qualifying the purchaser for sales charge discounts or waivers.
Class A Shares Sales Charges
Sales Charge as a
Percentage of
Dollar Amount of Purchase Offering
Price
Net Amount
Invested
Percentage to Brokers or Agents1
Less than $25,000 5.75% 6.10% 5.00%
$25,000 to less than $50,000 5.00% 5.30% 4.25%
$50,000 to less than $100,000 4.50% 4.70% 3.90%
$100,000 to less than $250,000 3.00% 3.10% 2.60%
$250,000 to less than $500,000 2.50% 2.60% 2.20%
$500,000 to less than $1,000,000 2.00% 2.00% 1.75%
$1,000,000 and over
None2
1    Brokers or Agents who receive substantially all of the sales charge for shares they sell may be deemed to be statutory underwriters.
2    The Distributor may pay a Finder’s Fee of 1.00% to eligible brokers and agents on qualified commissionable shares purchased at or above the $1 million breakpoint level. Such shares may be subject to a 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge if redeemed within one year from the date of purchase. For additional information, see “Contingent Deferred Sales Charge for Class A Shares” below or contact the Distributor or your financial intermediary.
CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE FOR CLASS A SHARES
Class A shares purchased at or above the $1 million breakpoint in accordance with the sales load schedule identified above (referred to as “commissionable” shares) that are redeemed within one year of purchase will be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) in the amount of 1.00% of the lesser of the current value of the shares redeemed or the original purchase price of such shares. The CDSC will be paid to the Distributor as reimbursement for any Finder’s Fee previously paid by the Distributor to an eligible broker or agent at the time the commissionable shares were purchased and may be waived by the Distributor if the original purchase did not result in the payment of a Finder’s Fee. For purposes of calculating the CDSC, shares will be redeemed in the following order: (1) first shares that are not subject to the CDSC (e.g., dividend reinvestment shares and other non-commissionable shares) and (2) then other shares on a first in, first out basis. A CDSC will not be charged in connection with an exchange of Class A shares into Class A shares of another VanEck Fund; however, the shares received upon an exchange will be subject to the CDSC if they are subsequently redeemed within one year of the date of the original purchase (subject to the same terms and conditions described above). For further details regarding eligibility for the $1 million breakpoint, please see Section 3. “Sales Charges—Reduced or Waived Sales Charges” below.
REDUCED OR WAIVED SALES CHARGES
You may qualify for a reduced or waived sales charge as stated below, or under other appropriate circumstances. You (or your broker or agent) must notify SS&C or VanEck at the time of each purchase or redemption whenever a reduced or waived sales charge is applicable. The term “purchase” refers to a single purchase by an individual (including spouse and children under age 21), corporation, partnership, trustee, or other fiduciary for a single trust, estate, or fiduciary account. For further details, see the SAI. The value of shares owned by an individual in Class A and Class C of each of the VanEck Funds may be combined for a reduced sales charge in Class A shares only.
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In order to obtain a reduced sales charge (i.e., breakpoint discount) or to meet an eligibility minimum, it will be necessary at the time of purchase for you to inform your broker or agent (or SS&C or VanEck, as applicable), of the existence of other accounts in which there are holdings eligible to be aggregated to meet the sales load breakpoints or eligibility minimums and of any facts qualifying the purchaser for sales charge discounts or waivers.
The Fund makes available information regarding applicable sales loads, breakpoint discounts, reduced or waived sales charges and eligibility minimums, on their website at vaneck.com, free of charge.
FOR CLASS A SHARES
Right of Accumulation
When you buy shares, the amount you purchase will be combined with the value, at current offering price, of any existing Fund shares you own. This total will determine the sales charge level for which you qualify.
Your purchases eligible for Right of Accumulation reduced sales charge (i.e. breakpoint discount) include Class A shares purchased for individual accounts registered in the name of:
■    You, individually;
■    Your “family member,” defined as your spouse (by marriage or by common law marriage/civil union as recognized by applicable state or federal law) and your children/step-children if under the age of 21;
■    You, when you own shares jointly with another individual(s) who is a non-family member;
■    You or a family member acting as the trustee, custodian, or other acting fiduciary title for a single trust, estate, or fiduciary account;
■    Your sole ownership business or the sole ownership business of a family member on which you or a family member are the authorized signer;
■    Trust Grantor (a trust established by you or a family member who is acting as the grantor of the trust);
■    Trust Beneficiary (a trust established by you or a family member who is the beneficial owner of the trust);
■    A single corporation or partnership.
Combined Purchases
The combined amounts of your multiple purchases in the Fund on a single day determines the sales charge level for which you qualify.
Letter of Intent
If you plan to make purchases of the Fund that are eligible for a right of accumulation discount, as described above, within a 13 month period in Class A shares that total an amount equal to a reduced sales charge level, you can establish a Letter of Intent (LOI) for that amount. Under the LOI, your initial and subsequent purchases during that period receive the sales charge level applicable to that total amount. The amount of a purchase not originally made pursuant to the LOI may be included under a backdated LOI executed within 90 days of such purchase (“accumulation credit”) to fulfill the LOI. For LOIs, out of an initial purchase (or subsequent purchases if necessary), 5% of the specified dollar amount of an LOI will be held in escrow by SS&C in a shareholder’s account until the shareholder’s total purchases of the Funds pursuant to the LOI plus a shareholder’s accumulation credit (if any) equal the amount specified in the Letter. For further details, see the Application and the SAI.
Persons Affiliated with VanEck
Trustees, officers, and full-time employees (and their families) of the Fund, Adviser or Distributor may buy without a sales charge. Also, employees (and their spouses and children under age 21) of a brokerage firm or bank that has a selling agreement with VanEck, and other affiliates and agents, may buy without a sales charge.
Load-waived Programs Through Financial Intermediaries
Financial intermediaries may offer shares without a sales charge if they: (i) are compensated by their clients on a fee-only basis, including but not limited to Investment Advisors, Financial Planners, and Bank Trust Departments; or (ii) have entered into an agreement with VanEck to offer Class A shares at net asset value through a no-load network or platform, or through a self-directed investment brokerage account program that may or may not charge a transaction fee to its clients.
Institutional Retirement Programs
Certain financial institutions and third-party recordkeepers and/or administrators who have agreements with VanEck to offer Class A shares at net asset value may buy shares without a sales charge for their accounts on behalf of investors in retirement plans and deferred compensation plans.
Reinstatement Privilege
You have the right, once a year, to reinvest (“buy back”) proceeds of a redemption from Class A shares of the Fund into the Fund or Class A shares of another fund of the VanEck Funds within 60 days without a sales charge. If you invest into the same Fund
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within 30 days before or after you redeem your shares at a loss, the “wash sale” rules apply to disallow for tax purposes a loss realized upon redemption.
FOR CLASS I AND CLASS Y SHARES
No initial sales charge, or CDRC fee is imposed on Class I or Class Y shares. Class I and Class Y are no-load share classes.
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION (12b-1 PLAN)
The Fund has adopted a Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act that allows the Fund to pay distribution fees for the sale and distribution of its shares. Of the amounts expended under the plan for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 for all VanEck Funds, approximately 94% was paid to Brokers and Agents who sold shares or serviced accounts of Fund shareholders. The remaining 6% was retained by the Distributor to pay expenses such as printing and mailing prospectuses and sales material. Because these fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an on- going basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. Class I and Class Y shares do not have 12b-1 fees. For a complete description of the Plan of Distribution, please see “Plan of Distribution (12b-1 Plan)” in the SAI.
VanEck Funds Annual 12b-1 Schedule Fee to Fund Payment to Dealer
CM Commodity Index Fund-A 0.25% 0.25%
4. HOUSEHOLDING OF REPORTS AND PROSPECTUSES
If more than one member of your household is a shareholder of any of the funds in the VanEck Funds, regulations allow us, subject to certain requirements, to deliver single copies of your shareholder reports, prospectuses and prospectus supplements to a shared address for multiple shareholders. For example, a husband and wife with separate accounts in the same fund who have the same shared address generally receive two separate envelopes containing the same report or prospectus. Under the system, known as “householding,” only one envelope containing one copy of the same report or prospectus will be mailed to the shared address for the household. You may benefit from this system in two ways, a reduction in mail you receive and a reduction in fund expenses due to lower fund printing and mailing costs. However, if you prefer to continue to receive separate shareholder reports and prospectuses for each shareholder living in your household now or at any time in the future, please call Account Assistance at 800-544-4653.
5. RETIREMENT PLANS
Fund shares may be invested in tax-advantaged retirement plans sponsored by VanEck or other financial organizations. Retirement plans sponsored by VanEck use UMB Bank n.a. as custodian and must receive investments directly by check or wire using the appropriate VanEck retirement plan application. Confirmed trades through a broker or agent cannot be accepted. To obtain applications and helpful information on VanEck retirement plans, contact your broker or agent or Account Assistance.
Retirement Plans Sponsored by VanEck:
Traditional IRA
Roth IRA
SEP IRA
6. FEDERAL INCOME TAXES
TAXATION OF DIVIDENDS AND CAPITAL GAINS DISTRIBUTIONS YOU RECEIVE
The Fund intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company under the Code. As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally pays no federal income tax on the income and gains it distributes to you.
For tax-reportable accounts, dividends and capital gains distributions are normally taxable even if they are reinvested. Fund distributions of short-term capital gains are taxed as ordinary income. Fund distributions of long-term capital gains are taxed at long-term capital gain rates no matter how long you have owned your fund shares. Certain income dividends are treated as qualified dividend income, taxable at long-term capital gain rates provided certain holding period requirements are met. Tax laws and regulations are subject to change.
At the time you purchase your Fund shares, the Fund’s NAV may reflect undistributed income, undistributed capital gains, or net unrealized appreciation in the value of portfolio securities held by the Fund. For taxable investors, a subsequent distribution to you of such amounts, although constituting a return of your investment, would be taxable. Buying shares in the Fund just before it declares an income dividend or capital gains distribution is sometimes known as “buying a dividend.”
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TAXATION OF SHARES YOU SELL
For tax-reportable accounts, when you redeem your shares you may incur a capital gain or loss on the proceeds. The amount of gain or loss, if any, is the difference between the amount you paid for your shares (including reinvested dividends and capital gains distributions) and the amount you receive from your redemption. Be sure to keep your regular statements; they contain the information necessary to calculate the capital gain or loss. An exchange of shares from one Fund to another will be treated as a sale and purchase of Fund shares. It is therefore a taxable event.
COST BASIS REPORTING
As required by law, for shares purchased on and after January 1, 2012 in accounts eligible for IRS Tax Form 1099-B tax reporting by VanEck Funds for which tax basis information is available (“covered shares”), the VanEck Funds will provide cost basis information to you and the IRS for shares using the IRS Tax Form 1099-B. Generally, cost basis is the dollar amount paid to purchase shares, including purchases of shares made by reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions, adjusted for various items, such as sales charges and transaction fees, wash sales, and returns of capital.
The cost basis of your shares will be calculated using the Fund’s default cost basis method of Average Cost, and the Fund will deplete your oldest shares first, unless you instruct the Fund to use a different cost basis method. You may elect the cost basis method that best fits your specific tax situation using VanEck’s Cost Basis Election Form. It is important that any such election be received in writing from you by the VanEck Funds before you redeem any covered shares since the cost basis in effect at the time of redemption, as required by law, will be reported to you and the IRS. Particularly, any election or revocation of the Average Cost method must be received in writing by the VanEck Funds before you redeem covered shares. The VanEck Funds will process any of your future redemptions by depleting your oldest shares first (FIFO). If you elect a cost basis method other than Average Cost, the method you chose will not be utilized until shares held prior to January 1, 2012 are liquidated. Cost basis reporting for non-covered shares will be calculated and reported separately from covered shares. You should carefully review the cost basis information provided by the Fund and make any additional cost basis, holding period, or other adjustments that are required when reporting these amounts on your federal, state, and local income tax returns. For tax advice specific to your situation, please contact your tax advisor and visit the IRS website at IRS.gov. The VanEck Funds cannot and do not provide any advice, including tax advice.
To obtain VanEck’s Cost Basis Election Form and to learn more about the cost basis elections offered by the VanEck Funds, please go to our website at vaneck.com or call VanEck Account Services at 800-544-4653.
BACKUP WITHHOLDING
By law, if you do not provide the Fund with your proper taxpayer identification number and certain required certifications, you may be subject to backup withholding on any distributions of income, capital gains, or proceeds from the sale of your shares. The Fund also must withhold if the IRS instructs it to do so. When withholding is required, the amount will be 24% of any distributions or proceeds paid.
STATE AND LOCAL TAXES
Fund distributions and gains from the sale or exchange of your Fund shares generally are subject to state and local taxes.
NON-RESIDENT ALIENS
Dividends and short-term capital gains, if any, paid to non-resident aliens generally are subject to the maximum withholding tax (or lower tax treaty rates for certain countries). The IRS considers these dividends U.S. source income. Exemptions from U.S. withholding tax are provided for certain capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from net long-term capital gains, interest-related dividends paid by the Fund from its qualified net interest income from U.S. sources and short- term capital gain dividends, if such amounts are reported by the Fund. However, notwithstanding such exemptions from U.S. withholding at the source, any such dividends and distributions of income and capital gains will be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 24% if you fail to properly certify that you are not a U.S. person.
As part of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, (“FATCA”), the Fund is required to withhold a 30% federal tax on income dividends paid by the Fund to (i) foreign financial institutions (“FFIs”), including non-U.S. investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain nonfinancial foreign entities (“NFFEs”), unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. After December 31, 2018, FATCA withholding also would have applied to certain capital gain distributions, return of capital distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Fund shares; however, based on proposed regulations issued by the IRS, which can be relied on currently, such withholding is no longer required unless final regulations provide otherwise (which is not expected). To avoid possible withholding, FFIs, other than FFIs subject to special treatment under certain intergovernmental agreements, will need to enter into agreements with the IRS which state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, account numbers and balances, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of U.S. account holders and comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts as well as agree to withhold tax on certain types of withholdable payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to applicable foreign account holders who fail to provide the required information to the IRS, or similar account information and required documentation to a local revenue authority, should an applicable intergovernmental agreement be implemented. NFFEs will need to provide certain information regarding each substantial U.S.
23


owner or certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership, unless certain exceptions apply, or agree to provide certain information to the IRS.
The Fund may be subject to the FATCA withholding obligation, and also will be required to perform due diligence reviews to classify foreign entity investors for FATCA purposes. Investors are required to agree to provide information necessary to allow the Fund to comply with the FATCA rules. If the Fund is required to withhold amounts from payments pursuant to FATCA, investors will receive distributions that are reduced by such withholding amounts.
Because everyone’s tax situation is unique, you should consult your tax professional about federal, state, local, or foreign tax consequences before making an investment in the Fund.
7. DIVIDENDS AND CAPITAL GAINS DISTRIBUTIONS
The Fund makes distributions of all of its net investment income to shareholders as dividends annually. The Fund makes distributions of any net capital gains, at least annually, in December. See your tax adviser for details. Occasionally, a dividend and/or capital gain distribution may be made outside of the normal schedule.
Dividends and Capital Gains Distribution Schedule
Fund Dividends Distribution of Short-Term and Long-Term Capital Gains
CM Commodity Index Fund December December
Dividends and Capital Gains Distributions Reinvestment Plan
Dividends and/or distributions are automatically reinvested into your account without a sales charge, unless you elect a cash payment. You may elect cash payment either on your original Account Application, or by calling Account Assistance at 800-544-4653.
Divmove
You can have your cash dividends from a Class A Fund automatically invested in Class A shares of another VanEck Fund. Cash dividends are invested on the payable date, without a sales charge. For details and an Application, call Account Assistance.
24

8. MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND AND SERVICE PROVIDERS
INFORMATION ABOUT FUND MANAGEMENT
INVESTMENT ADVISER
Van Eck Absolute Return Advisers Corporation (the “Adviser”) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Van Eck Associates Corporation (“VEAC”) and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as a Commodity Pool Operator and Commodity Trading Adviser under the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, as amended; provided, however that with respect to the Fund and the Subsidiary, the Adviser relies on certain exemptions from many of the requirements that would otherwise be applicable to it as a registered Commodity Pool Operator and Commodity Trading Advisor, as described above under “Additional Information about Principal Investment Strategies and Risks--Regulatory Risk.” The Adviser also acts as adviser to other pooled investment vehicles.
VEAC owns 100% of the voting stock of the Adviser. Jan F. van Eck and members of his family own 100% of the voting stock of VEAC. As of December 31, 2022, the Adviser’s assets under management were approximately $843.28 million.
Fees Paid To The Adviser: Pursuant to the advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Trust (the “Advisory Agreement”) the Fund pays the Adviser a monthly fee at the annual rate of 0.65% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. This includes the fee paid to the Adviser for accounting and administrative services. For purposes of calculating these fees for the Fund, the net assets of the Fund include the value of the Fund’s interest in the Subsidiary. The Subsidiary does not pay the Adviser a fee for managing the Subsidiary’s portfolio.
The Adviser has agreed to waive fees and/or pay expenses for the Fund to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, dividends and interest payments on securities sold short, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.95% for Class A, 0.65% for Class I, and 0.70% for Class Y of the Fund’s average daily net assets per year until May 1, 2024. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to continue until the Board acts to discontinue all or a portion of such expense limitation. In addition, the Adviser may voluntarily reimburse the Fund for certain swap trading costs.
The Adviser also has agreed to waive fees and/or pay expenses for the Fund to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund’s Class Y shares from exceeding the operating expenses of the Fund’s Class A shares.
For the Fund’s most recent fiscal year, the advisory fee paid to the Adviser was as follows:
VanEck Funds As a % of average daily net assets
CM Commodity Index Fund
0.75%1
1 Effective January 1, 2023, the management fee rate is 0.65%.
The Adviser may hire and terminate sub-advisers in accordance with the terms of an exemptive order obtained by the Fund and the Adviser from the SEC, under which the Adviser is permitted, subject to supervision and approval of the Board, to enter into and materially amend sub-advisory agreements without seeking shareholder approval. The Adviser will furnish shareholders of the Fund with information regarding a new sub-adviser within 90 days of the hiring of the new sub- adviser. Currently, the Adviser has not hired a sub-adviser to assist with the portfolio management of the Fund.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Advisory Agreement is available in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders for the period ended December 31, 2022.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
Roland Morris, Jr., Portfolio Manager of the Fund, is primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of the Fund.
Roland Morris, Jr. Mr. Morris is Portfolio Manager of the Fund. He has been with VEAC since 2012 and has 35 years of experience in the international and financial markets. Prior to joining VEAC, Mr. Morris worked as a macro/commodities trading specialist and as manager of futures clearing and execution services.
Gregory F. Krenzer, CFA. Mr. Krenzer is Deputy Portfolio Manager of the Fund. He has been with VEAC since 1994 and has over 20 years of experience in the international and financial markets.
The SAI provides additional information about the above Portfolio Managers, their compensation, other accounts they manage, and their securities ownership in the Fund.
THE TRUST
For more information on the VanEck Funds (the “Trust”), the Trustees and the Officers of the Trust, see “General Information,” “Description of the Trust” and “Trustees and Officers” in the SAI.
25


THE DISTRIBUTOR
Van Eck Securities Corporation, 666 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (the “Distributor”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser, has entered into a Distribution Agreement with the Trust for distributing shares of the Fund.
The Distributor generally sells and markets shares of the Fund through intermediaries, such as broker-dealers. The intermediaries may be compensated by the Fund for providing various services.
In addition, the Distributor or the Adviser may pay certain intermediaries, out of its own resources and not as an expense of the Fund, additional cash or non-cash compensation as an incentive to intermediaries to promote and sell shares of the Fund and other mutual funds distributed by the Distributor. These payments are commonly known as “revenue sharing”. The benefits that the Distributor or the Adviser may receive when each of them makes these payments include, among other things, placing the Fund on the intermediary’s sales system and/or preferred or recommended fund list, offering the Fund through the intermediary’s advisory or other specialized programs, and/or access (in some cases on a preferential basis over other competitors) to individual members of the intermediary’s sales force. Such payments may also be used to compensate intermediaries for a variety of administrative and shareholders services relating to investments by their customers in the Fund.
The fees paid by the Distributor or the Adviser to intermediaries may be calculated based on the gross sales price of shares sold by an intermediary, the net asset value of shares held by the customers of the intermediary, or otherwise. These fees may, but are not normally expected to, exceed in the aggregate 0.50% of the average net assets of the Fund attributable to a particular intermediary on an annual basis.
The Distributor or the Adviser may also provide intermediaries with additional cash and non-cash compensation, which may include financial assistance to intermediaries in connection with conferences, sales or training programs for their employees, seminars for the public and advertising campaigns, technical and systems support, attendance at sales meetings and reimbursement of ticket charges. In some instances, these incentives may be made available only to intermediaries whose representatives have sold or may sell a significant number of shares.
Intermediaries may receive different payments, based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, reputation in the industry, sales and asset retention rates, target markets, and customer relationships and quality of service. No one factor is determinative of the type or amount of additional compensation to be provided. Financial intermediaries that sell the Fund’s shares may also act as a broker or dealer in connection with execution of transactions for the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund and the Adviser have adopted procedures to ensure that the sales of the Fund’s shares by an intermediary will not affect the selection of brokers for execution of portfolio transactions.
Not all intermediaries are paid the same to sell mutual funds. Differences in compensation to intermediaries may create a financial interest for an intermediary to sell shares of a particular mutual fund, or the mutual funds of a particular family of mutual funds. Before purchasing shares of the Fund, you should ask your intermediary or its representative about the compensation in connection with the purchase of such shares, including any revenue sharing payments it receives from the Distributor.
THE CUSTODIAN
State Street Bank & Trust Company
One Lincoln Street
Boston, MA 02111

THE TRANSFER AGENT
SS&C GIDS, Inc.
210 West 10th Street, 8th Floor
Kansas City, MO 64105

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
300 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10017
COUNSEL
Stradley Ronon Stevens and Young, LLP
2005 Market Street, Suite 2600
Philadelphia, PA 19103

26

The financial highlights tables that follow are intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance for the past five years. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). The information for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements are included in the Fund’s annual report, which is available upon request. The information for periods prior to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 has been audited by another independent registered public accounting firm.
27

CM COMMODITY INDEX FUND
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
For a share outstanding throughout each year:
Class A
Year Ended December 31,
2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
Net asset value, beginning of year $ 5.05  $ 4.66  $ 4.61  $ 4.29  $ 4.87 
Net investment income (loss) (a) 0.02  (0.05) (0.01) 0.06 0.04
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on
investments 0.74 1.57 0.06 (b) 0.30 (0.60)
Total from investment operations 0.76 1.52 0.05 0.36 (0.56)
Distributions from:
Net investment income (1.20) (1.13) (c) (0.04) (0.02)
Net asset value, end of year $ 4.61  $ 5.05  $ 4.66  $ 4.61  $ 4.29 
Total return (d) 15.29  % 32.96  % 1.11  % 8.37  % (11.42) %
Ratios to average net assets
Gross expenses 1.36  % 1.38  % 1.41  % 1.43  % 1.39  %
Net expenses 0.95  % 0.95  % 0.95  % 0.95  % 0.95  %
Net investment income (loss) 0.39  % (0.91) % (0.28) % 1.24  % 0.88  %
Supplemental data
Net assets, end of year (in millions) $22  $31  $22  $27  $30 
Portfolio turnover rate —  % —  % —  % —  % —  %
Class I
Year Ended December 31,
2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
Net asset value, beginning of year $ 5.20  $ 4.78  $ 4.71  $ 4.39  $ 4.98 
Net investment income (loss) (a) 0.04 (0.04) 0.07 0.06
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on
investments 0.77 1.61 0.07 (b) 0.30 (0.61)
Total from investment operations 0.81 1.57 0.07 0.37 (0.55)
Distributions from:
Net investment income (1.22) (1.15) (c) (0.05) (0.04)
Net asset value, end of year $ 4.79  $ 5.20  $ 4.78  $ 4.71  $ 4.39 
Total return (d) 15.87  % 33.07  % 1.51  % 8.55  % (11.13) %
Ratios to average net assets
Gross expenses 0.92  % 0.90  % 0.93  % 0.97  % 0.90  %
Net expenses 0.65  % 0.65  % 0.65  % 0.65  % 0.65  %
Net investment income (loss) 0.72  % (0.61) % (0.10) % 1.50  % 1.19  %
Supplemental data
Net assets, end of year (in millions) $234  $295  $193  $195  $214 
Portfolio turnover rate —  % —  % —  % —  % —  %

(a)Calculated based upon average shares outstanding
(b)The amount shown does not correspond with the aggregate net gain (loss) on investments for the period due to the timing of sales and repurchase of shares in relation to fluctuating market values of the investments of the Fund.
(c)Amount represents less than $0.005 per share.
(d)Returns include adjustments in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Net asset values and returns for financial reporting purposes may differ from those for shareholder transactions.


28

CM COMMODITY INDEX FUND
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
For a share outstanding throughout each year:
Class Y
Year Ended December 31,
2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
Net asset value, beginning of year $ 5.18  $ 4.76  $ 4.70  $ 4.37  $ 4.96 
Net investment income (loss) (a) 0.04 (0.04) 0.07 0.06
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on
investments 0.77 1.61 0.06 (b) 0.31 (0.62)
Total from investment operations 0.81 1.57 0.06 0.38 (0.56)
Distributions from:
Net investment income (1.22) (1.15) (c) (0.05) (0.03)
Net asset value, end of year $ 4.77  $ 5.18  $ 4.76  $ 4.70  $ 4.37 
Total return (d) 15.87  % 33.14  % 1.30  % 8.73  % (11.23) %
Ratios to average net assets
Gross expenses 1.00  % 0.98  % 1.03  % 1.04  % 1.12  %
Net expenses 0.70  % 0.70  % 0.70  % 0.70  % 0.70  %
Net investment income (loss) 0.70  % (0.64) % —  % 1.53  % 1.14  %
Supplemental data
Net assets, end of year (in millions) $323  $330  $209  $247  $219 
Portfolio turnover rate —  % —  % —  % —  % —  %

(a)Calculated based upon average shares outstanding
(b)The amount shown does not correspond with the aggregate net gain (loss) on investments for the period due to the timing of sales and repurchase of shares in relation to fluctuating market values of the investments of the Fund.
(c)Amount represents less than $0.005 per share.
(d)Returns include adjustments in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Net asset values and returns for financial reporting purposes may differ from those for shareholder transactions.

29

APPENDIX A
APPENDIX A: DESCRIPTION OF THE CMCI
The following is a more complete description of the UBS Constant Maturity Commodity Total Return Index (the “CMCI” or the “Index”), including, without limitation, information about the composition, weighting, method of calculation and procedures for changes in components and weights.
Overview of the CMCI
The Index represents a basket of commodity futures contracts with 29 commodity components, (as of February 28, 2023). Exposure to each component is allocated across a range of maturity pillars ranging from three months up to a maximum of three years. Not all commodities have the full range of maturity exposures. In contrast, traditional commodity indices typically invest in front-month and next-month futures contracts which have shorter tenors (time to maturity) than the average Index tenor.
The Index also employs a “constant maturity” approach by relying on a continuous roll methodology in which the Index invests in and out of future contracts on a daily basis in order to maintain the average maturity of each pillar. This methodology differs from traditional commodity indices, which usually are pre-defined to roll during a fixed window of days on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.
The Index represents commodities in five primary sectors: energy, agriculture, industrial metals, precious metals and livestock. The underlying commodities trade on various exchanges.
The return of the Index is generated by two components: (i) uncollateralized returns from holding and rolling of futures contracts comprising the Index and (ii) the fixed income return reflecting the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”)-based interest earned on a hypothetical portfolio theoretically deposited as full collateral for the notional exposure of hypothetical positions in the futures contracts comprising the Index.
As of February 28, 2023, the Index consisted of the following commodity sectors with the following relative target weights: Energy (31.9%), Agriculture (30.9%), Industrial Metals (25.9%), Precious Metals (6.7%) and Livestock (4.5%).
Component Selection and Target Weights
The weighting process for the Index is designed to reflect the economic significance and market liquidity of each commodity. The Index sponsor uses a two-step approach to determine target weights: first, economic indicators (regional consumer price indexes (CPI), producer price indexes (PPI) and gross domestic product (GDP)), along with liquidity analysis, are used to determine the sector weights (energy, agriculture, industrial metals, precious metals and livestock); secondly, global consumption data in conjunction with further liquidity analysis is used to calculate the individual component target weights.
Changes in the Target Weights and/or Index Composition
Target weights for each Index commodity futures contract are established on an annual basis The Index is rebalanced to the new target weights during the maintenance period, which is the final three business days of July.
Tenors of Contracts
The Index represents a weighted average of all available Index constant maturities (ranging from three months to three years). The distribution of weights to available tenors (time to maturity) is a function of relative liquidity of the underlying futures contracts. As of February 28, 2023, the average tenor of the futures contracts comprising the Index is approximately 6.6 months. Since the relative liquidity of commodity futures contracts for a given commodity tends to decline as time to maturity increases, the weights of the longer-dated tenors are typically lower than those for the short-dated tenors for a given commodity.
Rebalancing of the Index Components
Due to price movements, the weight of each component in the Index will fluctuate from its target weight over time. The weight of each Index component is rebalanced over the final three Index business days of each month in order to bring each underlying commodity risk position back to its target weight for each tenor. The process is automatic and is implemented via a pre-defined methodology. The Index provider may delay or change a scheduled rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index or the implementation of certain rules at its sole discretion.
Calculation of the Index
The CMCI is calculated and disseminated by MerQube, Inc. with a daily closing Index level published on each Trading Day. Index information is available via Bloomberg on pages CUBS, CMCN or CMCX and from Reuters on page UBSCMCI. For further information on CMCI methodology and CMCI index values, investors can go to http://www.ubs.com/cmci or https://merqube.com/index/CMCITR.
30

Total Return
The Index is a “total return” index. In addition to uncollateralized returns generated from the futures contracts comprising the Index, a daily fixed-income return is added, which reflects the interest earned on a hypothetical fixed income portfolio which theoretically collateralizes 100% of the notional value of the hypothetical positions in the futures contracts comprising the Index. The rate used to calculate the daily fixed income return is the SOFR, as published by the New York Federal Reserve Bank every business day and generally made effective with respect to the Index on the following Trading Day.
UBS may delay or change a scheduled rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index or the implementation of certain rules at its sole discretion.
31

APPENDIX B
APPENDIX B: LICENSING AGREEMENT AND DISCLAIMER
Van Eck Associates Corporation (“VEAC”) has entered into a licensing agreement with UBS AG, London (“UBS”) to use the UBS Constant Maturity Commodity Total Return Index (the “CMCI”). The CM Commodity Index Fund is entitled to use the CMCI pursuant to a sub-licensing arrangement with VEAC.
UBS owns or exclusively licenses all proprietary rights with respect to the CMCI. Any third-party product based on or related to the CMCI (“Product”) may only be issued upon the prior joint written approval of UBS and upon the execution of a license agreement between UBS and the party intending to launch a Product (a “Licensee”). In no way does UBS sponsor or endorse, nor is it otherwise involved in the issuance and offering of a Product nor does it make any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the holders of the Product or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in the Product or commodities generally or in futures particularly, or as to results to be obtained from the use of the CMCI or from the Product. Further, UBS does not provide investment advice to any Licensee specific to the Product, other than providing the CMCI as agreed in the license agreement with the Licensee, and which will be done without consideration of the particular needs of the Product or the Licensee. UBS specifically disclaims any liability to any party for any inaccuracy in the data on which the CMCI is based, for any mistakes, errors, omissions or interruptions in the calculation and/or dissemination of the Fund, or for the manner in which such is applied in connection with the issuance and offering of a Product. In no event shall UBS have any liability to any party for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special or consequential damages or losses.
THIS IS NOT AN OFFER OR SOLICITATION BY UBS OF AN OFFER TO BUY OR SELL ANY SECURITY OR INVESTMENT. PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE UBS CONSTANT MATURITY COMMODITY TOTAL RETURN INDEX IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS.


32

APPENDIX C
VANECK FUNDS
APPENDIX C: INTERMEDIARY SALES CHARGE DISCOUNTS AND WAIVERS

Dated May 1, 2023

CM COMMODITY INDEX FUND
CLASS A: CMCAX / CLASS I: COMIX / CLASS Y: CMCYX
This Appendix C is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the prospectus dated May 1, 2023 (the “Prospectus”) for VanEck Funds (the “Trust”), relating to CM Commodity Index Fund (the “Fund”), as it may be revised from time to time. A copy of the Prospectus for the Trust, relating to the Fund, may be obtained without charge by visiting the VanEck website at vaneck.com, by calling toll free 800.826.1115 or by writing to the Trust or Van Eck Securities Corporation, the Fund’s distributor (the “Distributor”). The information disclosed in this Appendix C is part of, and incorporated in, the Prospectus. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. For the avoidance of doubt, for purposes of this Appendix C, references to a CDSC below also include the contingent deferred redemption charge (“CDRC”) as defined in the Prospectus.
Specific intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales load waivers or contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) waivers, which are discussed below. In addition, please see the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information-Sales Charges” for more information on sales charges and waivers available for different classes. In all instances, it is the purchaser’s responsibility to notify the Funds or the purchaser’s financial intermediary at the time of purchase of any facts qualifying the purchaser for sales charge discounts or waivers.
a.Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Merrill Lynch platform or account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.
Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Merrill Lynch
Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan
Shares purchased by a 529 Plan (does not include 529 Plan units or 529-specific share classes or equivalents)
Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program
Shares exchanged due to the holdings moving from a Merrill Lynch affiliate investment advisory program to a Merrill Lynch brokerage (non-advisory) account pursuant policies relating to sales load discounts and waivers
Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch’s platform
Shares of funds purchased through the Merrill Edge Self-Directed platform (if applicable)
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family)
Shares exchanged from Class C (i.e. level-load) shares of the same fund pursuant to Merrill
Lynch’s policies relating to sales load discounts and waivers
Employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members
Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund’s investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in this prospectus
Eligible shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement). Automated transactions (i.e. systematic purchases and withdrawals) and purchases made after shares are automatically sold to pay Merrill Lynch’s account maintenance fees are not eligible for reinstatement
33

APPENDIX C (continued)
CDSC Waivers on A, B and C Shares available at Merrill Lynch
Death or disability of the shareholder
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's prospectus
Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code
Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement
Shares held in retirement brokerage accounts, that are exchanged for a lower cost share class due to transfer to certain fee based accounts or platforms (applicable to A and C shares only)
Shares received through an exchange due to the holdings moving from a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program to a Merrill Lynch brokerage (non-advisory) account pursuant to Merrill Lynch’s policies relating to sales load discounts and waivers
Front-end load Discounts Available at Merrill Lynch:
Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.
Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts as described in the Fund's prospectus will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts (including 529 program holdings, where applicable) within the purchaser’s household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible fund family assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets
Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time (if applicable)
b.Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Morgan Stanley Wealth Management transactional brokerage account will be eligible only for the following front-end sales charge waivers with respect to Class A shares, which may differ from and may be more limited than those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.
Front-end Sales Charge Waivers on Class A Shares available at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans
Morgan Stanley employee and employee-related accounts according to MSSB’s account linking rules
Shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions when purchasing shares of the same fund
Shares purchased through a Morgan Stanley self-directed brokerage account
Class C (i.e., level-load) shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s share class conversion program
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (i) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (ii) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (iii) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge.
c.Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Raymond James platform or account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.
Front-end sales load waivers on Class A shares available at Raymond James
Shares purchased in an investment advisory program.
Shares purchased within the same fund family through a systematic reinvestment of capital gains and dividend distributions.
Employees and registered representatives of Raymond James or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Raymond James.
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement).
A shareholder in the Fund’s Class C shares will have their shares converted at net asset value to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of Raymond James.
34

CDSC Waivers on Classes A, B and C shares available at Raymond James
Death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund’s prospectus.
Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the fund’s prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Raymond James fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Raymond James.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load discounts available at Raymond James: breakpoints, and/or rights of accumulation, and letters of intent
Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.
Rights of accumulation which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Raymond James. Eligible fund family assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of rights of accumulation calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
D. Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (“Janney”) brokerage account will be eligible for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”), or back-end sales charge, waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.
Front-end sales charge* waivers on Class A shares available at Janney
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney.
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e., right of reinstatement).
Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Class C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Janney’s policies and procedures.
CDSC waivers on Class A and C shares available at Janney
Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund’s Prospectus.
Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and other retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations.
Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Shares exchanged into the same share class of a different fund.
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APPENDIX C (continued)
Front-end sales charge* discounts available at Janney: breakpoints, rights of accumulation, and/or letters of intent
Breakpoints as described in the fund’s Prospectus.
Rights of accumulation (“ROA”), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Janney. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney Montgomery Scott may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
*Also referred to as an “initial sales charge.”
E. Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Baird platform or account will only be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund's Prospectus or the SAI.
Front-End Sales Charge Waivers on Class A shares Available at Baird
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund.
Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Baird or its affiliate and their family members as designated by Baird.
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions from another VanEck Fund, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) the redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as rights of reinstatement).
A shareholder in the Fund's Class C Shares will have their shares converted at net asset value to Class A shares of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of Baird.
Employer-sponsored retirement plans or charitable accounts in a transactional brokerage account at Baird, including 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs.
CDSC Waivers on Class A and C shares Available at Baird
Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder.
Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus.
Shares bought due to returns of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age based on applicable Internal Revenue Service regulations as described in the Fund’s prospectus.
Shares sold to pay Baird fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Baird.
Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-End Sales Charge Discounts Available at Baird: Breakpoints and/or Rights of Accumulations
Breakpoints as described in this Prospectus.
Rights of accumulations which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of VanEck Fund assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Baird. Eligible VanEck Fund assets not held at Baird may be included in the rights of accumulations calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Letters of Intent (LOI) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases of VanEck Fund shares through Baird, over a 13-month period of time.
F. Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel”) platform or account or who own shares for which Stifel or an affiliate is the broker-dealer of record are eligible for the following additional sales charge waiver, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.
Front-end Sales Load Waiver on Class A Shares available at Stifel
Class C shares that have been held for more than seven (7) years will be converted to Class A shares of the same Fund pursuant to Stifel’s policies and procedures.
36

G. Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Ameriprise Financial brokerage account are eligible for the following front-end sales charge waivers, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI.
Front-End Sales Charge Waivers on Class A shares Available at Ameriprise Financial
Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs.
Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same Fund (but not any other fund within the same fund family).
Shares exchanged from Class C shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 7-year anniversary of the purchase date. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to exchanges of Class C shares or conversion of Class C shares following a shorter holding period, that waiver will apply.
Employees and registered representatives of Ameriprise Financial or its affiliates and their immediate family members.
Shares purchased by or through qualified accounts (including IRAs, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, 401(k)s, 403(b) TSCAs subject to ERISA and defined benefit plans) that are held by a covered family member, defined as an Ameriprise financial advisor and/or the advisor’s spouse, advisor’s lineal ascendant (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, great grandmother, great grandfather), advisor’s lineal descendant (son, step-son, daughter, step-daughter, grandson, granddaughter, great grandson, great granddaughter) or any spouse of a covered family member who is a lineal descendant.
Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e. Rights of Reinstatement).
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For more detailed information, see the Statement of Additional Information (SAI), which is legally a part of and is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. The SAI includes information regarding, among other things: the Fund and its investment policies and risks; management of the Fund, investment advisory and other services, the Fund’s Board of Trustees, and tax matters related to the Fund.
Additional information about the investments is available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund’s annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year.
Call VanEck at 800.826.1115, or visit the VanEck website at vaneck.com to request, free of charge, the annual or semi-annual reports, the SAI, information regarding applicable sales loads, breakpoint discounts, reduced or waived sales charges and eligibility minimums, or other information about the Fund.
Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: [email protected].
For more information about the different sales load variations imposed by financial intermediaries, see Appendix C, “Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers,” which is incorporated herein by reference and is legally a part of this prospectus.
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Transfer Agent:
SS&C GIDS, Inc.
P.O. Box 218407
Kansas City, Missouri 64121-8407
SEC Registration Number: 811-04297

800.544.4653
vaneck.com
CMCIPRO