ACUITAS US MICROCAP FUND

Institutional Shares (AFMCX)

Investor Shares

 

PROSPECTUS

November 1, 2023

 

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

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

Summary Section 3
Investment Objective 3
Fees and Expenses 3
Principal Investment Strategies 4
Principal Investment Risks 5
Performance Information 7
Management 8
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares 9
Tax Information 9
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries 9
Details Regarding Principal Investment Strategies and Risks 10
Additional Information Regarding Principal Investment Strategies 10
Additional Information Regarding Principal Investment Risks 11
Management 15
The Adviser and Subadvisers 15
Portfolio Managers 17
Other Service Providers 17
Fund Expenses 17
Your Account 19
General Information 19
How to Contact the Fund 19
Choosing a Share Class 21
Buying Shares 21
Selling Shares 25
Retirement Accounts 28
Other Information 29
Financial Highlights 32
 

 

SUMMARY SECTION - ACUITAS US MICROCAP FUND

 

Investment Objective

 

The Acuitas US Microcap Fund’s (the “Fund”) investment objective is capital appreciation.

 

Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

 

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
Institutional
Shares
Investor
Shares
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of the offering price) None None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the offering price) None None
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and Distributions (as a percentage of the offering price) None None
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed within 60 days of purchase, if applicable) 1.00% 1.00%
Exchange Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if applicable) None None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
   
Management Fees 1.25% 1.25%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None 0.25%
Other Expenses 0.80% 0.80%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 2.05% 2.30%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(1) (0.55)% (0.55)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 1.50% 1.75%

 

(1) Acuitas Investments, LLC (the "Adviser") has contractually agreed to waive its fee and/or reimburse Fund expenses to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement (excluding all taxes, interest, portfolio transaction expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses, proxy expenses and extraordinary expenses) of Institutional Shares and Investor Shares to 1.50% and 1.75%, respectively, through November 1, 2024 (“Expense Cap”). The Expense Cap may only be raised or eliminated with the consent of the Board of Trustees. The Adviser may recoup from the Fund fees waived and expenses reimbursed by the Adviser pursuant to the Expense Cap if such recoupment is made within three years of the fee waiver or expense reimbursement, and does not cause the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement of the Fund (after the recoupment has been taken into account) to exceed the lesser of (i) the then-current expense cap, and (ii) the expense cap in place at the time the fees/expenses were waived/reimbursed. In addition, other Fund service providers may waive all or any portion of their fees and may reimburse certain expenses of the Fund. Service provider waivers may be different in dollar and percentage amount for different classes of the Fund, as applicable, and do not directly affect the Adviser’s contractual waiver. Service provider waivers may be voluntary or contractual; to the extent that a service provider is waiving fees and/or reimbursing expenses pursuant to a contractual arrangement, such waivers and/or reimbursements are reflected above.

 

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then hold or redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same, except that it reflects the Expense Cap through

 

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the time periods described above. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, whether you do or do not redeem your shares at the end of each period described below, your costs would be:

 

  1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
Institutional Shares $153 $590 $1,053 $2,335
Investor Shares $178 $666 $1,180 $2,593

 

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in 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 56% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets in the equity securities of microcap companies that (i) are headquartered in the United States, or (ii) generate at least 50% of their revenue from activity in the United States. For the purposes of this policy, microcap companies are those with market capitalizations of equal to or less than $2.0 billion or that of the largest company in the Russell Microcap® Index at the time of its most recent reconstitution, whichever is greater, at the time of purchase. The Fund will invest primarily in equity securities, which may include common stock, preferred stock, depositary receipts, common and preferred stock of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) consisting primarily of common stocks, rights, warrants, initial public offerings (“IPOs”), publicly traded partnerships, and securities convertible into common stock. From time to time, the Fund may invest in index futures contracts for the purpose of equitizing the Fund’s cash balance. The extent to which the Fund invests in index futures contracts will be determined by the Fund’s short-term cash flows but is generally not expected to exceed 5% of the Fund’s net assets.

 

The Fund will pursue its investment objective using a “multi-manager” process, allocating assets among a carefully chosen group of asset managers (the “Subadvisers”). The Adviser will select the Fund’s Subadvisers using its manager research and selection process which seeks to identify investment managers that are likely to achieve out performance over a long time horizon.

 

The Adviser’s investment manager selection process is research driven. The Adviser develops a strong fundamental understanding of each potential investment manager’s investment process, what types of securities the investment manager is likely to invest in, and in what markets that investment manager would be likely to perform well or poorly. The Adviser may select Subadvisers that invest in any combination of value, growth or core microcap investments in an effort to diversify the Fund’s portfolio while capitalizing on the underlying managers’ stock selection skills.

 

In selecting investments for the Fund, each Subadviser may identify microcap companies across many industries that are expected to benefit from long-term industry, general market, or company-specific trends. Each Subadviser may select securities based upon fundamental analysis of industries and the economic cycle, company-specific analysis such as product cycles and quality of management, rigorous valuation analysis, or a number of other criteria intended to help the Fund achieve its investment objective. Subadvisers may sell the Fund’s investments to secure gains, limit losses or reinvest in more promising investment opportunities. The Fund is not limited by a fixed allocation of assets to equity securities of either growth or value companies and, depending on the economic environment and judgment of the Adviser and Subadvisers, may invest in either growth companies or value companies to the exclusion of the other. In addition, the Fund may invest in ETFs in order to equitize cash balances if cash levels are unusually high and if no potential replacement securities have been identified for purchase in the short-term. ETFs will be selected based on their ability to offer specific sector and style exposure desired. From time to time, the Fund may also invest in the equity securities of foreign companies. The location of companies in which the Fund invests may be determined by (i) the location of the principal securities trading market in which the company trades, (ii) where the company derives 50%

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or more of its annual revenue from goods produced, sales made or services performed, or (iii) the country in which the company is organized or has a principal office.

 

The Adviser has responsibility for allocating Fund assets among Subadvisers in a manner that the Adviser believes will increase returns or reduce tracking error. The Adviser may invest the Fund’s assets directly in the same manner as any Subadviser in pursuit of the Fund’s investment objective. The Adviser may direct a Subadviser to reduce or limit its investment in certain assets or asset classes in order to achieve the desired composition of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Risks

 

Losing all or a portion of your investment is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. More information on the Fund’s principal investment strategies and principal risks is contained in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”). The following principal risks could affect the value of your investment:

 

Equity Risk. Equity securities, which include common stocks, may decline in value because of changes in the price of a particular holding or a broad stock market decline. Common stock ranks below preferred stock and debt securities in claims for dividends and for assets of the company in a liquidation or bankruptcy. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events including changes in interest rates.

 

Small and Micro Capitalization Company Risk. The Fund’s investments in small and micro capitalization companies may be less liquid and their securities’ prices may fluctuate more than those of larger, more established companies. These factors could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to sell such securities at a desirable time and price.

 

Market Events Risk. Disruptive events with geopolitical consequences, including pandemics (such as COVID-19), may destabilize various countries’ economies and markets, which may experience increased volatility and reduced liquidity. Policy changes by the Federal Reserve and/or other government actors could similarly cause increased volatility in financial markets. Trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those in the U.S.) may also result in market turbulence. Market volatility and reductions in market liquidity may negatively affect issuers worldwide, including issuers in which the Fund invests. Under such circumstances, the Fund may have difficulty liquidating portfolio holdings, particularly at favorable prices. To the extent that the Fund experiences higher levels of redemptions, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio holdings, which may negatively impact the Fund’s net asset value.

 

Multi-Manager Risk. The success of the Fund’s strategy depends on, among other things, the Adviser’s skill in selecting Subadvisers and the Subadvisers' skill in executing the relevant strategy. The Subadvisers' strategies may be out of favor at any time. In addition, because the Subadvisers each make their trading decisions independently, it is possible that Subadvisers may purchase or sell the same security at the same time without aggregating their transactions. This may cause unnecessary brokerage and other expenses. Furthermore, the investment decisions of Subadvisers may not complement each other as expected by the Adviser, in which case the Fund’s performance could be adversely affected.

 

Management Risk. The Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective depends on the ability of the Adviser or Subadviser to correctly identify economic trends, especially with regard to accurately forecasting inflationary and deflationary periods.

 

Value Investment Risk. The Fund may invest in securities the Adviser or Subadviser believes are undervalued. The value of the Fund’s shares may decline, even if stock prices generally are rising because value stocks may fall out of favor with the market or react differently to market, political and economic developments.

 

Growth Company Risk. The Fund may invest in growth securities that are susceptible to rapid price swings, especially during periods of economic uncertainty. Growth stocks typically have little or no dividend income to cushion the effect

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of adverse market conditions and may be particularly volatile in the event of earnings disappointments or other financial difficulties experienced by the issuer.

 

Foreign Investments Risk. Foreign investments may be subject to the same risks as domestic investments and to additional risks which include international trade, currency, political, regulatory and diplomatic risks, which may affect their value. Also, foreign securities are subject to the risk that their market price may not reflect the issuer’s condition because there is not sufficient publicly available information about the issuer. Investments in securities of foreign issuers may also be subject to foreign withholding and other taxes.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. The risks of depositary receipts include, but are not limited to, fluctuations in foreign currencies and foreign investment risks, such as political and financial instability, less liquidity and greater volatility, lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and increased price volatility. In addition, depositary receipts may not track the price of the underlying foreign securities, and their value may change materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. Investments in unsponsored depositary receipts may be subject to additional risks.

 

Initial Public Offering Risk. The Fund may purchase securities in an IPO. Securities purchased in an IPO may be illiquid, and therefore more difficult to sell promptly at the most favorable price, and may be subject to substantial price volatility due to factors such as unseasoned trading, lack of investor knowledge of the company, and limited operating history.

 

REIT Risk. The value of the Fund’s investments in REITs may change in response to changes in the real estate market such as declines in the value of real estate, lack of available capital or financing opportunities, and increases in property taxes or operating costs. REITs typically are subject to management fees and other expenses that are separate from those of the Fund, and the Fund will bear a proportionate share of those fees and expenses.

 

Exchange Traded Funds Risk. An investment in an ETF involves substantially the same risks as investing directly in the underlying securities. An ETF may not achieve its investment objective or execute its investment strategy effectively, which may adversely affect the Fund’s performance. The Fund must pay its pro rata portion of an ETF’s fees and expenses. Shares of an ETF may trade at a premium or discount to the net asset value of its portfolio securities. Trading in an ETF may be halted if the trading in one or more of the ETF’s underlying securities is halted. Only a limited number of institutional investors, known as “authorized participants,” are authorized to purchase and redeem shares from an ETF. As a result, an ETF may trade at a material discount to NAV if authorized participants exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace such that active trading markets may not develop.

 

Publicly Traded Partnership Risk. Investing in publicly traded partnerships (including master limited partnerships) involves risks not typically associated with publicly traded companies. Publicly traded partnerships are exposed to the risks of their underlying assets, which in many cases includes the same types of risks as energy and natural resources companies, such as commodity pricing risk, supply and demand risk and depletion and exploration risk. Publicly traded partnerships are also subject to capital markets risk, which is the risk that they are unable to raise capital to execute their growth strategies. Publicly traded partnerships are also subject to a tax risk that they may lose their tax status as a partnership, which, subject to the application of certain partnership audit rules, do not pay tax at the partnership level, and be subject to tax as a corporation.

 

Preferred Stock Risk. Preferred stock is a class of a capital stock that typically pays dividends at a specified rate.

 

Preferred stock is generally senior to common stock, but subordinate to debt securities, with respect to the payment of dividends and on liquidation of the issuer. The market value of preferred stock generally decreases when interest rates rise and is also affected by the issuer’s ability to make payments on the preferred stock.

 

Convertible Securities Risk. Investments in convertible securities entail some of the risks of both equity and debt securities. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates rise and, because of the conversion

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feature, tends to vary with the fluctuations in the market value of the underlying securities or any changes in the issuer’s credit rating. Convertible securities are subject to the risk that the credit rating of the issuer may have an effect on the value of the convertible securities.

 

Rights and Warrants Risk. Rights and warrants may be considered more speculative than certain other types of investments in that they do not entitle a holder to dividends or voting rights with respect to the underlying securities that may be purchased nor do they represent any rights in the assets of the issuing company. Also, the value of a right or warrant does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities and a right or warrant ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to the expiration date. If a right or warrant held by the Fund is not exercised by the date of its expiration, the Fund would lose the entire purchase price of the right or warrant. The market for warrants and rights may be very limited and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for warrants and rights.

 

Derivative Instruments Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that have a value which depends upon, or is derived from, a reference asset, such as one or more underlying securities, pools of securities, options, futures, indexes or currencies. Derivatives may result in investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest; in other words, a small transaction in a derivative may have a large impact on the Fund’s performance. The Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated or if the Fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market.

 

Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk. If a security or derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it may be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index. The value of such security or derivative will fluctuate based on changes in the value of the index to which the security or derivative is linked.

 

Futures Contracts Risk. The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts are (i) the imperfect correlation between the price of the contract and the change in value of the underlying asset; (ii) possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a futures contract and the resulting inability to close such a contract when desired; (iii) losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited; (iv) the inability to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors; (v) the possibility that the counterparty to a contract will default in the performance of its obligations; and (vi) if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell investments to meet daily variation margin requirements on a futures contract, and the Fund may have to sell investments at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.

 

Performance Information

 

The bar chart and table that follow provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the performance of the Fund's Institutional Shares from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. The Fund’s Investor Shares had no assets during this period. Therefore there were no annual returns on the Fund’s Investor Shares. Updated performance information is available at www.acuitasfunds.com or by calling (844) 805-5628 (toll free).

 

Performance information (before and after taxes) represents only past performance and does not necessarily indicate future results.

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Annual Returns as of December 31

Institutional Shares 

 

 

During the period shown, the highest return for a quarter was 34.58% for the quarter ended December 31, 2020, and the lowest return was -37.02% for the quarter ended March 31, 2020.

 

The calendar year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2023 was 4.40%.

 

Average Annual Total Returns

(For the periods ended December 31, 2022)

  1 Year 5 Year Since
Inception
07/18/14
Institutional Shares - Return Before Taxes -19.16% 4.83% 7.34%
Institutional Shares - Return After Taxes on Distributions -20.30% 3.00% 5.95%
Institutional Shares - Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares -10.50% 3.54% 5.67%
Russell Microcap® Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
-21.96% 3.69% 6.10%

 

Russell Microcap® Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of the microcap segment of the US equity market, which consists of the smallest 1,000 securities in the Russell 2000® Index and the next 1,000 smallest eligible securities by market capitalization.

 

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

 

The return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser. Acuitas Investments, LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.

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Subadvisers. AltraVue Capital, LLC; Bridge City Capital, LLC; ClariVest Asset Management, LLC; Granahan Investment Management, Inc.; Meros Investment Management, L.P.; and Tieton Capital Management, LLC are the Subadvisers to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers. The following are the portfolio managers of the Adviser to the Fund.

 

    Service Date
Portfolio Managers Title (with the Fund)
Dennis W. Jensen, CFA Partner, Director of Research 2014
Christopher D. Tessin, CFA Partner, Chief Investment Officer 2014
Matt Nieman, CFA Portfolio Manager and Senior Research Analyst 2021

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

You may purchase or sell (redeem) shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) is open for business. You may purchase or redeem shares directly from the Fund by calling (844) 805-5628 (toll free) or writing to the Fund at Acuitas Funds, P.O. Box 588, Portland, Maine 04112. You also may purchase or redeem shares of the Fund through your financial intermediary. The Fund accepts investments in the following minimum amounts:

 

Institutional Shares Investor Shares
  Minimum Minimum Minimum Minimum
  Initial Additional Initial Additional
Investment Investment Investment Investment
Standard Accounts $10,000 $100 $2,500 $100
Retirement Accounts $10,000 $100 $2,500 $100

 

Tax Information

 

Shareholders may receive distributions from the Fund, which may be taxed to shareholders other than tax-advantaged investors (such as tax-advantaged retirement plans and accounts) as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, you may still be subject to taxation at ordinary income tax rates upon withdrawals from that account.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

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

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DETAILS REGARDING PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS

 

The Fund seeks to achieve capital appreciation. The Fund’s investment objective is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without a vote of shareholders. The Fund, however, will provide shareholders with at least 60 days’ notice prior to making any changes to the investment objective.

 

Additional Information Regarding Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets in the equity securities of microcap companies that (i) are headquartered in the United States, or (ii) generate at least 50% of their revenue from activity in the United States. For the purposes of this policy, microcap companies are those with market capitalizations of equal to or less than $2.0 billion or that of the largest company in the Russell Microcap® Index at the time of its most recent reconstitution, whichever is greater, at the time of purchase. The Fund will invest primarily in equity securities, which may include common stock, preferred stock, depositary receipts, common and preferred stock of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) consisting primarily of common stocks, rights, warrants, initial public offerings (“IPOs”), publicly traded partnerships, and securities convertible into common stock. From time to time, the Fund may invest in index futures contracts for the purpose of equitizing the Fund’s cash balance. The extent to which the Fund invests in index futures contracts will be determined by the Fund’s short-term cash flows but is generally not expected to exceed 5% of the Fund’s net assets.

 

The Fund will pursue its investment objective using a “multi-manager” process, allocating assets among a carefully chosen group of asset managers (the “Subadvisers”). The Adviser will select the Fund’s Subadvisers using its manager research and selection process which seeks to identify investment managers that are likely to achieve out performance over a long time horizon.

 

The Adviser’s investment manager selection process is research driven. The Adviser develops a strong fundamental understanding of each potential investment manager’s investment process, what types of securities the investment manager is likely to invest in, and in what markets that investment manager would be likely to perform well or poorly. The Adviser may select Subadvisers that invest in any combination of value, growth or core microcap investments in an effort to diversify the Fund’s portfolio while capitalizing on the underlying managers’ stock selection skills.

 

In selecting investments for the Fund, each Subadviser may identify microcap companies across many industries that are expected to benefit from long-term industry, general market, or company-specific trends. Each Subadviser may select securities based upon fundamental analysis of industries and the economic cycle, company-specific analysis such as product cycles and quality of management, rigorous valuation analysis, or a number of other criteria intended to help the Fund achieve its investment objective. Subadvisers may sell the Fund’s investments to secure gains, limit losses or reinvest in more promising investment opportunities. The Fund is not limited by a fixed allocation of assets to equity securities of either growth or value companies and, depending on the economic environment and judgment of the Adviser and Subadvisers, may invest in either growth companies or value companies to the exclusion of the other. In addition, the Fund may invest in ETFs in order to equitize cash balances if cash levels are unusually high and if no potential replacement securities have been identified for purchase in the short-term. ETFs will be selected based on their ability to offer specific sector and style exposure desired. From time to time, the Fund may also invest in the equity securities of foreign companies. The location of companies in which the Fund invests may be determined by (i) the location of the principal securities trading market in which the company trades, (ii) where the company derives 50% or more of its annual revenue from goods produced, sales made or services performed, or (iii) the country in which the company is organized or has a principal office.

 

The Adviser has responsibility for allocating Fund assets among Subadvisers in a manner that the Adviser believes will increase returns or reduce tracking error. The Adviser may invest the Fund’s assets directly in the same manner as any Subadviser in pursuit of the Fund’s investment objective. The Adviser may direct a Subadviser to reduce or limit its investment in certain assets or asset classes in order to achieve the desired composition of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

The Fund is intended for investors who are willing to withstand the risk of short-term price fluctuations in exchange for potential long-term capital appreciation.

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Temporary Defensive Position. In order to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, the Fund may assume a temporary defensive position that is inconsistent with its principal investment objective and/or strategies and may invest, without limitation, in cash or high-quality cash equivalents (including money market instruments, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, banker’s acceptances and time deposits). A defensive position, taken at the wrong time, may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s performance. The Fund may be unable to achieve its investment objective during the employment of a temporary defensive position.

 

Additional Information Regarding Principal Investment Risks

 

The principal risks that may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per share or total return have previously been summarized under the Fund’s “Summary Section.” These risks are discussed in more detail below.

 

The Fund is designed for long-term investors and is not a complete investment program. You may lose money by investing in the Fund.

 

Equity Risk. Equity securities, including common stocks may decline in value because of changes in price of a particular holding or a broad stock market decline. These fluctuations could be a drastic movement or a sustained trend. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to the issuer of a security, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services, or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates. Common stocks in general are subject to the risk of an issuer liquidating or declaring bankruptcy, in which case the claims of owners of the issuer’s debt securities and preferred stock take precedence over the claims of common stockholders.

 

Small and Micro Capitalization Company Risk. Investments in small and micro capitalization companies may entail greater risks and their securities’ prices may fluctuate more and have a higher degree of volatility than those of larger, more established companies. Securities of small and micro capitalization companies may be traded in lower volume and be less liquid. At certain times, the general market may not favor the smaller, growth-oriented companies in which the Fund invests and as a result the Fund could underperform the general market. Smaller companies may have more limited product lines, markets and financial resources that make them more susceptible to economic and market setbacks.

 

Additionally, information about these companies may not be readily available. The smaller the company, the greater effect these risks may have on the company’s operations and performance which could have a significant impact on the price of the security. These factors could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to sell such securities at a desirable time and price.

 

Market Events Risk. Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. Disruptive events with geopolitical consequences, including pandemics and natural disasters, may destabilize world economies and cause market turbulence. Trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those in the U.S.) may also increase market turbulence. Similarly, policy changes by the Federal Reserve and/or other government actors, including changes in interest rates, could cause or increase volatility in the financial markets. Increases in market volatility may lead to reductions in market liquidity, which may make it more difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell portfolio holdings at favorable market prices and make the Fund’s net asset value fluctuate materially. To the extent that the Fund experiences high redemptions during periods of market turbulence, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected as the Fund may not be able to sell portfolio holdings at favorable prices, or may be required to sell portfolio holdings, which may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. In addition, the Fund may experience increased portfolio turnover, which will increase its costs and adversely impact its performance.

 

Multi-Manager Risk. The success of the Fund’s strategy depends on, among other things, the Adviser’s skill in selecting Subadvisers and the Subadvisers’ skill in executing the relevant strategy. The Subadvisers’ strategies may be out of favor at any time. In addition, because each Subadviser makes their trading decisions independently, it is possible that Subadvisers may purchase or sell the same security at the same time without aggregating their transactions. This may cause unnecessary brokerage and other expenses.

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Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed and its performance will reflect each Subadviser's ability to make investment decisions that are suited to achieving the Fund’s investment objective. Investments selected by the Adviser or Subadvisers for the Fund may not perform to expectations. This could result in the Fund’s underperformance compared to other funds with similar investment objectives. Further, the Fund’s performance may deviate from overall market returns to a greater degree than funds that do not employ a similar strategy.

 

Value Investment Risk. The determination that a stock is undervalued is subjective, the market may not agree and the stock’s price may not rise to what the Adviser or Subadviser believes is its full value. The value of the Fund’s shares may decline, even if stock prices generally are rising because value stocks may fall out of favor with the market or react differently to market, political and economic developments.

 

Growth Company Risk. The Fund may invest in growth securities that are susceptible to rapid price swings, especially

 

during periods of economic uncertainty. Because the prices of most growth stocks are based on future expectations, these stocks tend to be more sensitive than value stocks to bad economic news and negative earnings surprises. Growth stocks typically have little or no dividend income to cushion the effect of adverse market conditions and may be particularly volatile in the event of earnings disappointments or other financial difficulties experienced by the issuer.

 

In addition, you could lose money on your investment if:

 

The market does not recognize the growth potential or value of the stocks in the Fund’s portfolio.

Investor demand for growth stocks held by the Fund declines.

There is deceleration in the expected growth rate of the companies in which the Fund invests.

The Adviser’s or Subadviser’s judgment as to the growth potential or value of a stock proves to be wrong.

 

Foreign Investments Risk. The value of foreign investments may be affected by the imposition of new or amended government regulations, changes in diplomatic relations between the U.S. and another country, political and economic instability, the imposition or tightening of exchange controls or other limitations on repatriation of foreign capital or nationalization, increased taxation or confiscation of investors’ assets. Also, foreign securities are subject to the risk that an issuer’s securities may not reflect the issuer’s condition because there is not sufficient publicly available information about the issuer. This risk may be greater for investments in issuers in emerging or developing markets. Investments in securities of foreign issuers may also be subject to foreign withholding and other taxes.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. Investments in depositary receipts may involve risks relating to political, economic or regulatory conditions in foreign countries. These risks include fluctuations in foreign currencies, political and financial instability, less liquidity and greater volatility, lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and increased price volatility. The underlying securities are typically denominated (or quoted) in a currency other than U.S. dollars. The securities underlying depositary receipts trade on foreign exchanges at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. As a result, the value of depositary receipts may not track the price of the underlying securities and may change materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. In addition, issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not contractually obligated to disclose material information in the U.S. and, therefore, such information may not correlate to the market value of the unsponsored depositary receipt.

 

Initial Public Offering Risk. Special risks associated with securities purchased in IPOs may include illiquidity and substantial price volatility due to unseasoned trading, lack of investor knowledge of the company, and limited operating history. The limited number of shares available for trading in some IPOs may make it more difficult for the Fund to buy or sell significant amounts of shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing market prices. Some companies whose shares are sold through IPOs are involved in relatively new industries or lines of business, which may not be widely understood by investors. Some of these companies may be undercapitalized or regarded as developmental stage companies without revenues or operating income, or the near-term prospects of achieving them.

 

REIT Risk. REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and usually operate, income-producing real estate. REITs are susceptible to the risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, such as declines in property values, increases

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in property taxes, operating expenses, rising interest rates or competition overbuilding, zoning changes, and losses from casualty or condemnation. REITs typically are subject to management fees and other expenses that are separate from those of the Fund and the Fund will bear a proportionate share of those fees and expenses.

 

Exchange Traded Funds Risk. An investment in an ETF involves substantially the same risks as investing directly in the underlying securities. An ETF may not achieve its investment objective or execute its investment strategy effectively, which may adversely affect the Fund’s performance. The Fund must pay its pro rata portion of an ETF’s fees and expenses. Shares of an ETF may trade at a premium or discount to the net asset value of its portfolio securities. Trading in an ETF may be halted if the trading in one or more of the ETF’s underlying securities is halted. Only a limited number of institutional investors, known as “authorized participants,” are authorized to purchase and redeem shares from an ETF. As a result, an ETF may trade at a material discount to NAV if authorized participants exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace such that active trading markets may not develop.

 

Publicly Traded Partnership Risk. Investing in publicly traded partnerships (including master limited partnerships) involves risks not typically associated with publicly traded companies. Publicly traded partnerships are exposed to the risks of their underlying assets, which in many cases includes the same types of risks as energy and natural resources companies, such as commodity pricing risk, supply and demand risk and depletion and exploration risk. Publicly traded partnerships are also subject to capital markets risk, which is the risk that they are unable to raise capital to execute their growth strategies. Publicly traded partnerships are also subject to a tax risk that they may lose their tax status as a partnership, which, subject to the application of certain partnership audit rules, do not pay tax at the partnership level, and be subject to tax as a corporation.

 

Preferred Stock Risk. If interest rates rise, the dividend on preferred stock may be less attractive, causing the price of preferred stock to decline. Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as provisions for call or redemption prior to maturity, which can have a negative effect on prices when interest rates decline. Preferred stocks are equity securities because they do not constitute a liability of the issuer and therefore do not offer the same degree of protection of capital or continuation of income as debt securities. Unlike debt securities, preferred stock dividends are payable at the discretion of the issuer’s board of directors. The market prices of preferred stocks are generally more sensitive to actual or perceived changes in the issuer’s financial condition or prospects than are the prices of debt securities. Preferred stock also may be less liquid than common stock. The rights of preferred stock on distribution of an issuer’s assets in the event of its liquidation are generally subordinated to the rights associated with an issuer’s debt securities. Preferred stock may also be subject to the risk that the issuer is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, ratings agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.

 

Convertible Securities Risk. Investments in convertible securities entail some of the risks of both equity and debt securities. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates rise and, because of the conversion feature, tends to vary with the fluctuations in the market value of the underlying securities or changes in the issuer’s credit rating. Convertible securities often display a degree of market price volatility that is comparable to common stocks and are also subject to additional risks, including risk of default on interest or principal payments, which could result in a loss of income from or a decline in value of the securities. Convertible securities are subject to the risk that the credit rating of the issuer may have an effect on the convertible securities’ investment value.

 

Rights and Warrants Risk. Rights and warrants may be considered more speculative than certain other types of investments in that they do not entitle a holder to dividends or voting rights with respect to the underlying securities that may be purchased nor do they represent any rights in the assets of the issuing company. Also, the value of a right or warrant does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities and a right or warrant ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to the expiration date. If a right or warrant held by the Fund is not exercised by the date of its expiration, the Fund would lose the entire purchase price of the right or warrant. The market for warrants and rights may be very limited and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for warrants and rights.

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Derivative Instruments Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that have a value which depends upon, or is derived from, a reference asset, such as one or more underlying securities, pools of securities, options, futures, indexes or currencies. Derivatives may result in investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest; in other words, a small investment in a derivative may have a large impact on the Fund’s performance. The successful use of derivatives generally depends on the ability to predict market movements. There may be an imperfect correlation between a derivative and its reference asset.

 

Derivatives may be illiquid and may be more volatile than other types of investments. Compared to other types of investments, derivatives may also be harder to value. In addition, changes in government regulation of derivative instruments could affect the Fund’s use of derivatives and the character, timing and amount of the Fund’s taxable income or gains. The Fund’s use of derivatives may be limited by the requirements for taxation of the Fund as a regulated investment company. Derivatives are subject to counterparty risk and, as a result, the Fund may not obtain a recovery of its investment in them should a counterparty fail to honor its obligations. Derivatives may involve leverage.

 

Indexed Securities and Derivatives Risk. If the derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it will be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index. The value of such security or derivative will fluctuate based on changes in the value of the index to which the security or derivative is linked. Changes in the value of an index may be difficult to predict and it is possible that an investment in a security or derivative linked to an index may cause the value of the Fund to decrease. Certain indexed securities may create leverage, to the extent that they increase or decrease in value at a rate that is a multiple of the changes in the applicable index.

 

Futures Contracts Risk. The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts are (i) the imperfect correlation between the price of the contract and the change in value of the underlying asset; (ii) possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a futures contract and the resulting inability to close such a contract when desired; (iii) losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited; (iv) the inability to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors; (v) the possibility that the counterparty to a contract will default in the performance of its obligations; and (vi) if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell investments to meet daily variation margin requirements on a futures contract, and the Fund may have to sell investments at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.

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MANAGEMENT

 

The Acuitas US Microcap Fund (the“Fund”) is a series of Forum Funds II (the “Trust”), an open-end, management investment company (mutual fund). The Board of Trustees (the “Board”) oversees the management of the Fund and meets periodically to review the Fund’s performance, monitor investment activities and practices and discuss other matters affecting the Fund. Additional information regarding the Board and the Trust’s executive officers may be found in the Fund's SAI, which is available from the Fund's website at www.acuitasfunds.com.

 

The Adviser and Subadvisers

 

The Fund's investment adviser is Acuitas Investments, LLC (the “Adviser”), 520 Pike Street, Suite 1221, Seattle, WA, 98101. The Adviser is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and has provided investment advisory and management services to clients since 2011. As of September 30, 2023, the Adviser had approximately $821.6 million of assets under management.

 

With respect to the Fund, the Adviser has claimed an exclusion from regulation with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”) pursuant to CFTC Regulation 4.5 under the Commodity Exchange Act and is exempt from registration as a commodity trading adviser under CFTC Regulation 4.14(a)(8).

 

Subject to the general oversight of the Board, the Adviser makes investment decisions for the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Advisory Agreement”). The Adviser receives an advisory fee from the Fund at an annual rate equal to 1.25% of the Fund’s average annual daily net assets under the terms of the Advisory Agreement. The actual advisory fee rate retained by the Adviser for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 was 0.75%. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fee and/or reimburse Fund expenses to limit the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement (excluding all taxes, interest, portfolio transaction expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses, proxy expenses and extraordinary expenses) of Institutional Shares to 1.50%, and Investor Shares to 1.75% through November 1, 2024 (“Expense Cap”). The Expense Cap may only be raised or eliminated with the consent of the Board of Trustees. The Adviser may recoup from the Fund fees waived and expenses reimbursed by the Adviser pursuant to the Expense Cap if such recoupment is made within three years of the fee waiver or expense reimbursement and does not cause the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement of the Fund (i.e., after the recoupment has been taken into account) to exceed the lesser of (i) the then-current expense cap and (ii) the expense cap in place at the time the fees/expenses were waived or reimbursed. Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement will increase if exclusions from the Expense Cap apply. In addition, the Adviser pays any subadvisory fees out of the fees it receives pursuant to the Advisory Agreement. The aggregate amount paid by the Adviser to its Subadvisers for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 was 0.49%.

 

A discussion summarizing the basis on which the Board last approved the Advisory Agreement is included in the Fund's annual report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. A discussion summarizing the basis on which the Board approved the sub-advisory agreements between the Adviser and the Subadvisers is also included in the Fund’s annual report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.

 

The Fund's Board and its shareholders have approved a “multi-manager” structure that permits the Adviser to appoint and replace Subadvisers and enter into, materially amend and terminate sub-advisory agreements with other investment managers with respect to the Fund, subject to Board approval but without shareholder approval (the “Multi-Manager Structure”).

 

The ability to implement the Multi-Manager Structure with respect to the Fund is pursuant to an exemptive order from the SEC (“Exemptive Relief”). Pursuant to the Exemptive Relief, the Fund is required to notify shareholders of the retention of a new Subadviser within 90 days of the hiring of the new Subadviser. In the future, the Adviser may propose to appoint or replace one or more Subadvisers subject to Board approval and applicable shareholder notice requirements.

 

The Multi-Manager Structure enables the Fund to operate with greater efficiency and without incurring the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approval of such subadvisory agreements. Under the Multi-Manager Structure, the Adviser maintains the ultimate responsibility, subject to the oversight of the Board, to oversee the

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Subadvisers and recommend their hiring and replacement. The Multi-Manager Structure provides the Adviser with the discretion to terminate any Subadviser and allocate and reallocate the Fund’s assets for management among other Subadvisers. The Multi-Manager Structure permits disclosure of the fees paid to Subadvisers in the aggregate in its registration statement (both as a dollar amount and as a percentage of the Fund’s net assets), but does not permit investment management fees paid by the Fund to be increased without shareholder approval, nor does it change the Adviser’s responsibilities to the Fund including responsibility for all advisory services furnished by a Subadviser.

 

Subadviser Investment Strategy
AltraVue Capital, LLC
11747 NE 1st St., Suite 205
Bellevue, WA 98005
US Microcap

Bridge City Capital, LLC

One Centerpointe Drive, Suite 565

Lake Oswego, OR 97035

US Microcap Growth
ClariVest Asset Management, LLC
3611 Valley Centre Drive #100
San Diego, CA 92130
US Microcap
Granahan Investment Management, Inc.
404 Wyman Street, Suite 460
Waltham, MA 02451
US Microcap Growth
Meros Investment Management, L.P.
200 Crescent Court, Suite 1450
Dallas, TX 75201
US Microcap
Tieton Capital Management, LLC
4700 Tieton Drive, Suite C
Yakima, WA 98908
US Microcap Value

 

AltraVue Capital, LLC was founded in 2016 and provides investment advisory services for high net worth individuals, institutional pension funds, and pooled vehicles.

 

Bridge City Capital, LLC was founded in 2008 and provides investment advisory services for high net worth individuals, pooled vehicles, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and state or municipal government entities.

 

ClariVest Asset Management, LLC was founded in 2006 and provides investment advisory services to pooled vehicles and institutions.

 

Granahan Investment Management, Inc. was founded in 1985 and provides investment advisory services for high net worth individuals, investment companies, pooled vehicles, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, state or municipal government entities and corporations or other businesses.

 

Meros Investment Management, L.P. was founded in 2019 and provides investment advisory services to pooled investment vehicles, institutional investors, public and private pension plans, insurance companies, foundations, and endowments.

 

Tieton Capital Management, LLC was founded in 2005 and provides investment advisory services for high net worth individuals, individuals, charitable organizations, other investment advisers and corporations or other businesses.

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Portfolio Managers

 

Dennis W. Jensen, CFA, Christopher D. Tessin, CFA, and Matt Nieman, CFA are the Portfolio Managers for the Fund and are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.

 

Portfolio Manager Biographies

 

Dennis W. Jensen, CFA, is Partner and Director of Research of the Adviser which he co-founded in January 2011. Prior to this, Mr. Jensen was employed by Russell Investments in Tacoma, Washington, from 1994 until 2010. During his early years at the firm, he was an Analyst and then a Senior Research Analyst, responsible for researching and selecting investment managers for the firm's consulting clients and internally managed multi-manager funds. During his last two years at Russell Investments, Mr. Jensen assumed responsibility for managing several of the firm's multi-manager funds, including large-cap quantitative, value, growth and core funds. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1993 from the University of Puget Sound and became a Chartered Financial Analyst in 1997.

Matt Nieman, CFA, joined Acuitas in 2013 and serves as a Portfolio Manager on select U.S. microcap portfolios and as a Senior Research Analyst. He is responsible for discovery, researching and recommending external investment managers across asset classes. Matt leads the external manager due diligence effort for U.S. microcap value, international growth and long/short equity. Additionally, he oversees and implements manager transitions across client portfolios. Matt received his undergraduate degree from Santa Clara University, where he studied Economics. He is currently a member of the Seattle Society of Financial Analysts and is a CFA charterholder.

Christopher D. Tessin, CFA, Partner and Chief Investment Officer, co-founded the Adviser in January 2011. Prior to this, Mr. Tessin was employed by Russell Investments in Tacoma, Washington, from 2003 through 2010. During his many years at the firm, he progressed from Research Analyst to Associate Portfolio Manager and, finally, to Portfolio Manager. Before joining Russell Investments, Mr. Tessin worked as an Associate in Equity Research with Bear, Stearns in New York from 2001 to 2003. He has also held positions in portfolio management and research at Lehman Brothers, and in portfolio management at International Asset Transactions. Mr. Tessin received a B.A. degree in 1993 (Economics and Philosophy) and an MBA in 1998 (Finance), both from Columbia University.

 

The SAI provides additional information about the compensation of the Portfolio Managers, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers and the ownership of Fund shares by the Portfolio Managers.

 

Other Service Providers

 

Atlantic Fund Administration, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex US Holdings LLC (d/b/a Apex Fund Services) (“Apex”), provides fund accounting, fund administration and compliance services to the Fund and the Trust and supplies certain officers of the Trust, including a Principal Executive Officer, a Principal Financial Officer, a Chief Compliance Officer, an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer and additional compliance support personnel. Atlantic Shareholder Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex, provides transfer agency services to the Fund and the Trust.

 

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Foreside Financial Group, LLC (d/b/a ACA Group), acts as the agent of the Trust in connection with the continuous offering of Fund shares. The Distributor may enter into arrangements with banks, broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries through which investors may purchase or redeem shares. The Distributor is not affiliated with the Adviser or with Apex or their affiliates.

 

Fund Expenses

 

The Fund is charged for those expenses that are directly attributable to it, while other expenses are allocated proportionately among the Fund and other series of the Trust based upon methods approved by the Board. Expenses that are directly attributable to a specific class of shares, such as distribution fees and shareholder servicing fees, are charged directly to that class. The Adviser or other service providers may waive all or any portion of their fees and may reimburse certain expenses of the Fund. Service provider waivers may be different in dollar and percentage amount for

17

 

different classes of the Fund, as applicable, may be voluntary, and do not affect the Adviser’s contractual waiver. To the extent that a service provider is waiving fees and/or reimbursing expenses pursuant to a contractual arrangement, such waivers and/or reimbursements may be reflected in the Fund’s Fees and Expenses table. Any agreement to waive fees or to reimburse expenses increases the investment performance of the Fund and its share classes for the period during which the waiver or reimbursement is in effect. Current Adviser fee waiver and/or expense reimbursements are reflected in the section titled “Fees and Expenses.”

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YOUR ACCOUNT

 

How to Contact the Fund

 

E-mail the Fund at:

[email protected]

 

Write the Fund:

Acuitas Funds

P.O. Box 588

Portland, Maine 04112

 

Overnight Address:

Acuitas Funds

c/o Apex Fund Services

Three Canal Plaza, Ground Floor

Portland, Maine 04101

 

Telephone the Fund at:

(844) 805-5628 (toll free)

 

Wire investments (or ACH payments):

Please contact the transfer agent at (844) 805-5628 (toll free) to obtain the ABA routing number and account number for the Fund.

 

General Information

 

You may purchase or sell (redeem) shares of the Fund on any day that the NYSE is open for business. Notwithstanding this fact, the Fund may, only in the case of an emergency, calculate its NAV and accept and process shareholder orders when the NYSE is closed.

 

You may purchase or sell shares of the Fund at the next NAV calculated (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) after the transfer agent or your approved broker-dealer or other financial intermediary receives your request in good order. “Good order” means that you have provided sufficient information necessary to process your request as outlined in this Prospectus, including any required signatures, documents, payment and Medallion Signature Guarantees. All requests to purchase or sell Fund shares received in good order prior to the Fund’s close will receive that day’s NAV. Requests received in good order after the Fund’s close or on a day when the Fund does not value its shares will be processed on the next business day and will be priced at the next NAV. The Fund cannot accept orders that request a particular day or price for the transaction or any other special conditions.

 

Shares of the Fund will only be issued against full payment, as described more fully in this Prospectus and the SAI. The Fund does not issue share certificates.

 

If you purchase shares directly from the Fund, you will receive a confirmation of each transaction and quarterly statements detailing Fund balances and all transactions completed during the prior quarter. Automatic reinvestments of distributions and systematic investments and withdrawals may be confirmed only by quarterly statement. You should verify the accuracy of all transactions in your account as soon as you receive your confirmations and quarterly statements.

 

The Fund may temporarily suspend or discontinue any service or privilege, including systematic investments and withdrawals, wire redemption privileges and telephone or internet redemption privileges, if applicable. The Fund reserves the right to refuse any purchase request, including, but not limited to, requests that could adversely affect the Fund or its operations. If the Fund were to refuse any purchase request, it would notify the purchaser within two business days of receiving a purchase request in good order.

 

If your account is deemed abandoned or unclaimed by applicable state law, the Fund may be required to “escheat” or transfer the property to the appropriate state’s unclaimed property administration. Certain states have laws that allow shareholders to name a representative to receive notice of abandoned property (“escheatment”) by submitting a designation form, which generally can be found on the official state website. In such states, if a shareholder designates a representative to receive escheatment notices, any notice generally will be delivered as required by the state’s laws. A completed designation form should be mailed to the Fund (if shares are held directly with the Fund) or to the shareholder’s financial intermediary. Shareholders should check their state’s official website to get more information on escheatment law(s).

 

NAV Determination. The NAV of the Fund (or share class) is determined by taking the value of the assets of the Fund (or share class), subtracting the value of the liabilities of the Fund (or share class) and then dividing the result (net assets) by the number of outstanding shares of the Fund (or share class). The Fund calculates its NAV as of the close of trading on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time). The NYSE is open every weekday other than NYSE holidays and early closings, which are published at www.nyse.com and subject to change without notice.

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The Fund values securities at current market value, where market quotations are readily available, using the last reported sales price. In the absence of a readily available market price, or if the Adviser, in its capacity as the Fund’s Valuation Designee, reasonably believes that a market price is unreliable, the Adviser, as the Fund’s Valuation Designee, will seek to value such securities at fair value, as determined in good faith using procedures approved by the Board.

 

The Board has designated the Adviser as the Valuation Designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act and delegated to the Adviser the responsibility for making fair value determinations with respect to the Fund's portfolio securities. The Adviser, as the Valuation Designee, is responsible for periodically assessing any material risks associated with the determination of the fair value of the Fund's investments; establishing and applying fair value methodologies; testing the appropriateness of fair value methodologies; and overseeing and evaluating third-party pricing services. Fair valuation may be based on subjective factors. As a result, the fair value price of a security may not be the price at which the security may be sold. Fair valuation could result in a different NAV than a NAV determined by using market quotations.

 

Transactions Through Financial Intermediaries. The Fund has authorized certain financial services companies, broker-dealers, banks and other agents, including the designees of such entities (collectively, “financial intermediaries”), to accept purchase and redemption orders on the Fund's behalf. If you invest through a financial intermediary, the policies and fees of the financial intermediary may be different from the policies and fees you would be subject to if you had invested directly in the Fund. Among other things, financial intermediaries may charge transaction fees and may set different minimum investment restrictions or limitations on buying or selling Fund shares. You should consult a representative of your financial intermediary for more information.

 

The Fund will be deemed to have received a purchase or redemption order when a financial intermediary that is an agent of the Fund for the purpose of accepting orders receives the order. All orders to purchase or sell shares are processed as of the next NAV calculated after the order has been received in good order by a financial intermediary. Orders are accepted until the close of trading on the NYSE every business day (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) and are processed, including by financial intermediaries, at that day’s NAV.

 

Payments to Financial Intermediaries. The Fund, at its own expense, may pay additional compensation to financial intermediaries for shareholder-related services, including administrative, recordkeeping and shareholder communication services. In addition, pursuant to any applicable Rule 12b-1 plan, the Fund may pay compensation to financial intermediaries for distribution-related services. For example, compensation may be paid to make Fund shares available to sales representatives and/or customers of a fund supermarket platform or a similar program sponsor or for services provided in connection with such fund supermarket platforms and programs. To the extent that the Fund pays all or a portion of such compensation, the payment is designed to compensate the financial intermediary for distribution activities or for providing services that would otherwise be provided by the Fund’s transfer agent and/or administrator.

 

The Adviser or another Fund affiliate, out of its own resources and not as an expense of the Fund, may provide additional compensation to financial intermediaries. Such compensation is sometimes referred to as “revenue sharing.” Compensation received by a financial intermediary from the Adviser or another Fund affiliate may include payments for shareholder servicing, marketing and/or training expenses incurred by the financial intermediary, including expenses incurred by the financial intermediary in educating its salespersons with respect to Fund shares. For example, such compensation may include reimbursements for expenses incurred in attending educational seminars regarding the Fund, including travel and lodging expenses. It may also cover costs incurred by financial intermediaries in connection with their efforts to sell Fund shares, including costs incurred in compensating registered sales representatives and preparing, printing and distributing sales literature.

 

The amount of compensation paid to different financial intermediaries may vary. The compensation paid to a financial intermediary may be based on a variety of factors, including average assets under management in accounts distributed and/or serviced by the financial intermediary, gross sales by the financial intermediary and/or the number of accounts serviced by the financial intermediary that invest in the Fund.

 

Any compensation received by a financial intermediary, whether from the Fund, the Adviser or another affiliate, and the prospect of receiving such compensation, may provide the financial intermediary with an incentive to recommend the

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shares of the Fund, or a certain class of shares of the Fund, over other potential investments. Similarly, the compensation may cause financial intermediaries to elevate the prominence of the Fund within its organization by, for example, placing it on a list of preferred funds.

 

Anti-Money Laundering Program. Customer identification and verification are part of the Fund’s overall obligation to deter money laundering under federal law. The Trust's Anti-Money Laundering Program is designed to prevent the Fund from being used for money laundering or the financing of terrorist activities. In this regard, the Fund reserves the right, to the extent permitted by law, (1) to refuse, cancel or rescind any purchase order or (2) to freeze any account and/or suspend account services. These actions will be taken when, at the sole discretion of Trust management, they are deemed to be in the best interest of the Fund or in cases when the Fund is requested or compelled to do so by governmental or law enforcement authorities or applicable law. If your account is closed at the request of governmental or law enforcement authorities, you may not receive proceeds of the redemption if the Fund is required to withhold such proceeds.

 

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings. A description of the Fund's policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of portfolio securities is available in the Fund's SAI.

 

Choosing a Share Class

 

The Fund offers two classes of shares: Institutional Shares and Investor Shares. Each class has a different combination of purchase restrictions and ongoing fees, allowing you to choose the class that best meets your needs. The following is a summary of the differences between Institutional Shares and Investor Shares of the Fund. Currently, Investor Shares are not offered for sale.

 

Institutional Shares. Institutional Shares of the Fund are designed for individual investors who meet the minimum investment threshold and for institutional investors (such as investment advisers, financial institutions, corporations, trusts, estates and religious and charitable organizations) investing for proprietary programs and firm discretionary accounts. Institutional Shares are sold without the imposition of initial sales charges and are not subject to Rule 12b-1 fees.

 

Investor Shares. Investor Shares of the Fund are for retail investors who invest in the Fund directly or through a fund supermarket or other investment platform. Investor Shares are not sold with the imposition of initial sales charges but are subject to a Rule 12b-1 fee of up to 0.25% of the Investor Shares’ average daily net assets. A lower minimum initial investment is required to purchase Investor Shares.

 

  Institutional Shares Investor Shares
Minimum Initial Investment $10,000 $2,500
Sales Charges None None
Rule 12b-1 Distribution Fees None 0.25%

 

Under certain circumstances, an investor’s investment in one class of shares of the Fund may be converted into an investment in another class of shares of the Fund, for example, if the investor no longer meets the eligibility criteria for holding a particular class of shares due to investment minimum or other ownership requirements. Shareholders will be notified in advance of any such conversion and provided an opportunity to cure. Such conversion will be effected at NAV without the imposition of any fees or charges. No gain or loss will generally be recognized for federal income tax purposes as a result of such a conversion, and a shareholder’s basis in the acquired shares will be the same as such shareholder’s basis in the converted shares. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the state and local tax consequences of such a conversion, or any exchange of shares.

 

Buying Shares

 

How to Make Payments. Unless purchased through a financial intermediary, all investments must be made by check, Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) or wire. All checks must be payable in U.S. dollars and drawn on U.S. financial

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institutions. In the absence of the granting of an exception consistent with the Trust’s Anti-Money Laundering Program, the Fund does not accept purchases made by credit card check, starter check, checks with more than one endorsement (unless the check is payable to all endorsees), cash or cash equivalents (for instance, you may not pay by money order, cashier’s check, bank draft or traveler’s check). The Fund and the Adviser also reserve the right to accept in kind contributions of securities in exchange for shares of the Fund.

 

Checks. Checks must be made payable to “Acuitas Funds”. For individual, sole proprietorship, joint, Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (“UGMA”) and Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (“UTMA”) accounts, checks may be made payable to one or more owners of the account and endorsed to “Acuitas Funds”. A $20 charge may be imposed on any returned checks.

 

ACH. The Automated Clearing House system maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank allows banks to process checks, transfer funds and perform other tasks. Your U.S. financial institution may charge you a fee for this service.

 

Wires. You may instruct the U.S. financial institution with which you have an account to make a federal funds wire payment to the Fund. Your U.S. financial institution may charge you a fee for this service.

 

Minimum Investments. The Fund accepts investments in the following minimum amounts:

 

  Institutional Shares Investor Shares
  Minimum Minimum Minimum Minimum
  Initial Additional Initial Additional
  Investment Investment Investment Investment
Standard Accounts $10,000 $100 $2,500 $100
Retirement Accounts $10,000 $100 $2,500 $100

 

The Fund reserves the right to waive minimum investment amounts, if deemed appropriate by an officer of the Trust.

 

Registered investment advisers and financial planners may be permitted to aggregate the value of accounts in order to meet minimum investment amounts.

 

There is no initial or subsequent investment minimum for directors, officers and employees of the Adviser or the spouse, sibling, direct ancestor, or direct descendent (collectively, “relatives”) of any such person, any trust or individual retirement account or self-employed retirement plan for the benefit of any such person or relative, or the estate of any such person or relative.

 

Account Requirements. The following table describes the requirements to establish certain types of accounts in the Fund.

 

Type of Account Requirement

Individual, Sole Proprietorship and Joint Accounts

●  Individual accounts and sole proprietorship accounts are owned by one person. Joint accounts have two or more owners (tenants).

●  Instructions must be signed by all persons named as account owners exactly as their names appear on the account.

Gifts or Transfers to a Minor (UGMA, UTMA)

●  These custodial accounts are owned by a minor child but controlled by an adult custodian.

●  Depending on state laws, you may set up a custodial account under the UGMA or the UTMA.

●  The custodian must sign instructions in a manner indicating custodial capacity.

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Type of Account Requirement

Corporations/Other Entities

●  These accounts are owned by the entity, but control is exercised by its officers, partners or other management.

●  The entity should submit a certified copy of its articles of incorporation (or a government-issued business license or other document that reflects the existence of the entity) and a corporate resolution or a secretary’s certificate.

Trusts

●  These accounts are controlled by a trustee as a way to convey and control assets for the benefit of a third- party owner.

●  The trust must be established before an account may be opened.

●  The trust should provide the first and signature pages from the trust document identifying the trustees.

 

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

 

When you open an account, the Fund will ask for your first and last name, U.S. taxpayer identification number (“TIN”), physical street address, date of birth and other information or documents that will allow the Fund to identify you. If you do not supply the required information, the Fund will attempt to contact you or, if applicable, your financial adviser. If the Fund cannot obtain the required information within a timeframe established in its sole discretion, your application will be rejected.

 

When your application is in good order and includes all required information, your order will normally be processed at the NAV next calculated after receipt of your application and investment amount. The Fund will attempt to verify your identity using the information that you have supplied and other information about you that is available from third parties, including information available in public and private databases, such as consumer reports from credit reporting agencies.

 

The Fund will try to verify your identity within a timeframe established in its sole discretion. If the Fund cannot do so, the Fund reserves the right to redeem your investment at the next NAV calculated after the Fund decides to close your account. If your account is closed, you may realize a gain or loss on the Fund shares in the account. You will be responsible for any related taxes and will not be able to recoup any redemption fees assessed, if applicable.

 

Policy on Prohibition of Foreign Shareholders. The Fund requires that all shareholders be U.S. persons or U.S. resident aliens with a valid TIN (or show proof of having applied for a TIN and commit to provide a valid TIN within 60 days) in order to open an account with the Fund.

 

Investment Procedures. The following table describes the procedures for investing in the Fund.

 

How to Open an Account How to Add to Your Account

Through a Financial Intermediary

●  Contact your financial intermediary using the method that is most convenient for you.

Through a Financial Intermediary

●  Contact your financial intermediary using the method that is most convenient for you.

By Check

●  Call, write, or e-mail the Fund for an account application.

●  Complete the application (and other required documents, if applicable).

●  Mail the Fund your original application (and other required documents, if applicable) and a check.

By Check

●  Fill out an investment slip from a confirmation or write the Fund a letter.

●  Write your account number on your check.

●  Mail the Fund the investment slip or your letter and the check.

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How to Open an Account How to Add to Your Account

By Wire

●  Call, write, or e-mail the Fund for an account application.

●  Complete the application (and other required documents, if applicable).

●  Call the Fund to notify the transfer agent that you are faxing your completed application (and other required documents, if applicable). The transfer agent will assign you an account number.

●  Mail the Fund your original application (and other required documents, if applicable).

●  Instruct your U.S. financial institution to wire money to the Fund.

By Wire

●  Instruct your U.S. financial institution to wire money to the Fund.

By ACH Payment (for Investor Shares only)

●  Call, write, or e-mail the Fund for an account application.

●  Complete the application (and other required documents, if applicable).

●  Call the Fund to notify the transfer agent that you are faxing your completed application (and other required documents, if applicable). The transfer agent will assign you an account number.

●  Mail the Fund your original application (and other required documents, if applicable).

●  The transfer agent will electronically debit your purchase proceeds from the U.S. financial institution identified on your account application.

●  ACH purchases are limited to $25,000 per day.

By ACH Payment

●  Call the Fund to request a purchase by ACH payment.

●  The transfer agent will electronically debit your purchase proceeds from the U.S. financial institution account identified on your account application.

●  ACH purchases are limited to $25,000 per day.

 

Systematic Investments. You may establish a systematic investment plan to automatically invest a specific amount of money (up to $25,000 per day) into your account on a specified day and frequency not to exceed two investments per month. Payments for systematic investments are automatically debited from your designated savings or checking account via ACH. Systematic investments must be for at least $100 per occurrence. If you wish to enroll in a systematic investment plan, complete the appropriate section on the account application. Your signed account application must be received at least three business days prior to the initial transaction. The Fund may terminate or modify this privilege at any time. You may terminate your participation in a systematic investment plan by notifying the Fund at least two days in advance of the next withdrawal.

 

A systematic investment plan is a method of using dollar cost averaging as an investment strategy that involves investing a fixed amount of money at regular time intervals. However, a program of regular investment cannot ensure a profit or protect against a loss as a result of declining markets. By continually investing the same amount, you will be purchasing more shares when the price is lower and fewer shares when the price is higher. Please call (844) 805-5628 (toll free) for additional information regarding systematic investment plans.

 

Limitations on Frequent Purchases. The Board has adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares by Fund shareholders. It is the Fund's policy to discourage short-term trading. Frequent trading in the Fund, such as traders seeking short-term profits from market momentum, time zone arbitrage and other short-term trading strategies may interfere with the management of the Fund’s portfolio and result in increased administrative and brokerage costs and a potential dilution in the value of Fund shares. As money is moved in and out, the Fund may incur expenses buying and selling portfolio securities and these expenses are borne by Fund shareholders. The Fund does not permit market short-term trading and will not knowingly accommodate trading in Fund shares in violation of these policies.

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Focus is placed on identifying redemption transactions which may be harmful to the Fund or its shareholders if they are frequent. These transactions are analyzed for offsetting purchases within a predetermined period of time. If frequent trading trends are detected, an appropriate course of action may be taken. The Fund has broad authority to take discretionary action against market timers and against particular trades. The Fund reserves the right to cancel, restrict or reject without any prior notice, any purchase order, including transactions representing excessive trading, transactions that may be disruptive to the management of the Fund’s portfolio, and purchase orders not accompanied by payment.

 

Because the Fund may receive purchase and sale orders through financial intermediaries that use omnibus or retirement accounts, the Fund cannot always detect frequent purchases and redemptions. As a consequence, the Fund's ability to monitor and discourage abusive trading practices in such accounts may be limited.

 

The investment in securities of micro or small capitalization companies may make the Fund more susceptible to market timing, as shareholders may try to capitalize on the market volatility of such securities and the effect of the volatility on the value of Fund shares.

 

In addition, the sale or exchanges of Fund shares is subject to a redemption fee of 1.00% of the amount redeemed within 60 days of purchase. This redemption fee, which may discourage frequent trading by investors, offsets costs the Fund may incur as a result of redemptions related to market timing. See “Selling Shares - Redemption Fee” for additional information.

 

The Fund reserves the right to refuse any purchase including exchange requests, particularly those requests that could adversely affect the Fund or its operations.

 

Canceled or Failed Payments. The Fund accepts checks and ACH payments at full value subject to collection. If the Fund does not receive your payment for shares or you pay with a check or ACH payment that does not clear, your purchase will be canceled within two business days of notification from your bank that your funds did not clear. You will be responsible for any actual losses and expenses incurred by the Fund or the transfer agent. The Fund and its agents have the right to reject or cancel any purchase request due to non-payment.

 

Selling Shares

 

Redemption orders received in good order will be processed at the next calculated NAV. The Fund typically expects to pay shareholder redemption requests, including during stressed market conditions, within one business day of receipt of the request in good order and may seek to meet such redemption requests through one or more of the following methods: sales of portfolio assets, use of cash or cash equivalents held in the Fund’s portfolio, and/or redemptions in kind, as permitted by applicable rules and regulations. The right of redemption may not be suspended for more than seven days after the tender of Fund shares, except for any period during which (1) the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings) or the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) determines that trading thereon is restricted, (2) an emergency (as determined by the SEC) exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of its securities is not reasonably practicable or as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or (3) the SEC has entered a suspension order for the protection of the shareholders of the Fund.

 

The Fund will not issue shares until payment is received. If redemption is sought for shares for which payment has not been received, the Fund will delay sending redemption proceeds until payment is received, which may be up to 15 calendar days.

 

How to Sell Shares from Your Account

Through a Financial Intermediary

●  If you purchased shares through your financial intermediary, your redemption order must be placed through the same financial intermediary.

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How to Sell Shares from Your Account

By Mail

●  Prepare a written request including:

●  your name(s) and signature(s);

●  your account number;

●  the Fund name and class;

●  the dollar amount or number of shares you want to sell;

●  how and where to send the redemption proceeds;

●  a Medallion Signature Guarantee (if required); and

●  other documentation (if required).

●  Mail the Fund your request and documentation.

By Telephone

●  Call the Fund with your request, unless you declined telephone redemption privileges on your account application.

●  Provide the following information:

●  your account number;

●  the exact name(s) in which the account is registered; and

●  an additional form of identification.

●  Redemption proceeds will be mailed to you by check or electronically credited to your account at the U.S. financial institution identified on your account application.

By Systematic Withdrawal

●  Complete the systematic withdrawal section of the application.

●  Attach a voided check to your application.

●  Mail the completed application to the Fund.

●  Redemption proceeds will be mailed to you by check or electronically credited to your account at the U.S. financial institution identified on your account application.

 

Wire Redemption Privileges. You may redeem your shares with proceeds payable by wire unless you declined wire redemption privileges on your account application. The minimum amount that may be redeemed by wire is $5,000.

 

Telephone Redemption Privileges. You may redeem your shares by telephone, unless you declined telephone redemption privileges on your account application. You may be responsible for an unauthorized telephone redemption order as long as the transfer agent takes reasonable measures to verify that the order is genuine. Telephone redemption orders may be difficult to complete during periods of significant economic or market activity. If you are not able to reach the Fund by telephone, you may mail us your redemption order.

 

Systematic Withdrawals. You may establish a systematic withdrawal plan to automatically redeem a specific amount of money or shares from your account on a specified day and frequency not to exceed one withdrawal per month. Payments for systematic withdrawals are sent by check to your address of record, or if you so designate, to your bank account by ACH payment. To establish a systematic withdrawal plan, complete the systematic withdrawal section of the account application. The plan may be terminated or modified by a shareholder or the Fund at any time without charge or penalty. You may terminate your participation in a systematic withdrawal plan at any time by contacting the Fund sufficiently in advance of the next withdrawal.

 

A withdrawal under a systematic withdrawal plan involves a redemption of Fund shares and may result in a gain or loss for federal income tax purposes. Please call (844) 805-5628 (toll free) for additional information regarding systematic withdrawal plans.

 

Signature Guarantee Requirements. To protect you and the Fund against fraud, signatures on certain requests must have a Medallion Signature Guarantee. A Medallion Signature Guarantee verifies the authenticity of your signature. You may obtain a Medallion Signature Guarantee from most banking institutions or securities brokers but not from a notary public. Written instructions signed by all registered shareholders with a Medallion Signature Guarantee for each shareholder are required for any of the following:

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written requests to redeem $100,000 or more;

changes to a shareholder’s record name or account registration;

paying redemption proceeds from an account for which the address has changed within the last 30 days;

sending redemption and distribution proceeds to any person, address or financial institution account not on record;

sending redemption and distribution proceeds to an account with a different registration (name or ownership) from your account; and

adding or changing ACH or wire instructions, the telephone redemption or exchange option or any other election in connection with your account.

 

The Fund reserves the right to require Medallion Signature Guarantees on all redemptions.

 

Redemption Fee. If you redeem your shares in the Fund within 60 days of purchase, you will be charged a 1.00% redemption fee. The fee is charged for the benefit of the Fund’s remaining shareholders and will be paid to the Fund to help offset transaction costs. To calculate the redemption fee (after first redeeming any shares associated with reinvested distributions), the Fund will use the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method to determine the holding period. Under this method, the date of the redemption will be compared with the earliest purchase date of shares in the account.

 

The following redemptions may be exempt from application of the redemption fee if you request the exemption at the time the redemption request is made:

 

redemption of shares in a deceased shareholder’s account;

redemption of shares in an account of a disabled individual (disability of the shareholder as determined by the Social Security Administration);

redemption of shares purchased through a dividend reinvestment program;

redemption of shares pursuant to a systematic withdrawal plan;

redemptions in a qualified retirement plan under section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“IRC”) or a plan operating consistent with Section 403(b) of the IRC; and

redemptions from share transfers, rollovers, re-registrations within the same fund or conversions from one share class to another within the Fund, if applicable.

 

The Fund may require appropriate documentation of eligibility for exemption from application of the redemption fee.

 

Certain financial intermediaries that collect a redemption fee on behalf of the Fund may not recognize one or more of the exceptions to the redemption fee listed above. Financial intermediaries may not be able to assess a redemption fee under certain circumstances due to operational limitations (i.e., on the Fund’s shares transferred to the financial intermediary and subsequently liquidated). Customers purchasing shares through a financial intermediary should contact the financial intermediary or refer to the customer’s account agreement or plan document for information about how the redemption fee is treated. If a financial intermediary that maintains an account with the transfer agent for the benefit of its customers collects a redemption fee for the Fund, no redemption fee will be charged directly to the financial intermediary’s account by the Fund. Certain financial intermediaries that operate omnibus accounts may waive the redemption fee, subject to approval of a Fund officer.

 

Small Account Balances. If the value of your account falls below the minimum account balances in the following table, the Fund may ask you to increase your balance. If the account value is still below the minimum balance after 60 days, the Fund may close your account and send you the proceeds. The Fund will not close your account if it falls below these amounts solely as a result of Fund performance.

 

Minimum Account Balance Institutional Shares Investor Shares
Standard Accounts $2,500 $2,500
Retirement Accounts $2,500 $2,500

 

Redemptions in Kind. Redemption proceeds normally are paid in cash. Consistent with an election filed with the SEC, under certain circumstances, the Fund may pay redemption proceeds in portfolio securities rather than in cash pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board. However, if the Fund redeems shares in this manner, the shareholder assumes the

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risk of, among other things, a subsequent change in the market value of those securities and the costs of liquidating the securities (such as brokerage costs and taxable gains). In kind redemptions may be satisfied using illiquid securities held in the Fund’s portfolio, in which case the shareholder will assume the risks associated with such illiquid securities, including the possibility of a lack of a liquid market for those securities. In kind redemptions may take the form of a pro rata portion of the Fund’s portfolio, individual securities, or a representative basket of securities. Please see the SAI for more details on redemptions in kind.

 

Lost Accounts. The transfer agent will consider your account lost if correspondence to your address of record is returned as undeliverable on two consecutive occasions, unless the transfer agent determines your new address. When an account is lost, all distributions on the account will be reinvested in additional shares of the Fund. In addition, the amount of any outstanding check (unpaid for six months or more) and checks that have been returned to the transfer agent may be reinvested at the current NAV, and the checks will be canceled. However, checks will not be reinvested into accounts with a zero balance but will be held in a different account. Any of your unclaimed property may be transferred to the state of your last known address if no activity occurs in your account within the time period specified by that state’s law.

 

Distribution and Shareholder Service Fees. The Trust has adopted a Rule 12b-1 plan under which the Fund pays the Distributor a fee up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Investor Shares for distribution services and/or the servicing of shareholder accounts.

 

Because the Investor Shares may pay distribution fees on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. The Distributor may pay any fee received under the Rule 12b-1 plan to the Adviser or other financial intermediaries that provide distribution and shareholder services with respect to Investor Shares.

 

In addition to paying fees under the Rule 12b-1 plan, the Fund may pay service fees to financial intermediaries for administration, recordkeeping and other shareholder services associated with shareholders whose shares are held of record in omnibus accounts, other group accounts or accounts traded through registered securities clearing agents. If the Fund pays shareholder service fees on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment.

 

Retirement Accounts

 

You may invest in shares of the Fund through an IRA, including traditional and Roth IRAs, also known as a “Qualified Retirement Account.” The Fund may also be appropriate for other retirement plans, such as 401(k) plans. Before investing in an IRA or other retirement account, you should consult your tax advisor. Whenever making an investment in an IRA or certain retirement plans, be sure to indicate the year to which the contribution is attributed.

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OTHER INFORMATION

 

Distributions and Dividend Reinvestments. The Fund declares dividends from net investment income and pays them annually. Any net capital gains realized by the Fund are distributed at least annually. The Fund may distribute such income dividends and capital gains more frequently, if necessary, in order to reduce or eliminate federal excise or income taxes on the Fund. The amount of any distribution will vary, and there is no guarantee the Fund will pay either an income dividend or a capital gains distribution.

 

Most investors typically have their income dividends and capital gain distributions (each a “distribution”) reinvested in additional shares of the distributing class of the Fund. If you choose this option, or if you do not indicate any choice, your distributions will be reinvested. Alternatively, you may choose to have your distributions of $10 or more sent directly to your bank account or paid to you by check. However, if a distribution is less than $10, your proceeds will be reinvested. If five or more of your distribution checks remain uncashed after 180 days, all subsequent distributions may be reinvested. For federal income tax purposes, distributions to non-qualified retirement accounts are treated the same whether they are received in cash or reinvested.

 

Annual Statements. Each year, the Fund will send you an annual statement (Form 1099) of your account activity to assist you in completing your federal, state and local tax returns. Distributions declared in December to shareholders of record in such month, but paid in January, are taxable as if they were paid in December. Prior to issuing your statement, the Fund makes every effort to reduce the number of corrected forms mailed to you. However, if the Fund finds it necessary to reclassify its distributions or adjust the cost basis of any Covered Shares (defined below) sold or exchanged after you receive your tax statement, the Fund will send you a corrected Form 1099.

 

Taxes. The Fund has elected and intends to qualify, each year as a regulated investment company and, as such, generally is not subject to entity level tax on the income and gain it distributes to shareholders. The Fund intends to operate in a manner such that it will not be liable for federal income or excise taxes.

 

The Fund’s distributions of net investment income and the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss are taxable to you as ordinary income, except as noted below. The Fund’s distributions of net capital gain (that is, the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, are taxable to you as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long you have held your shares. Distributions also may be subject to state and local income taxes. Some Fund distributions also may include a nontaxable return of capital. Return of capital distributions reduce your tax basis in your Fund shares and are treated as gain from the sale of the shares to the extent they exceed your basis.

 

The Fund expects, based on its investment objective and strategies, that its distributions, if any, will be taxable as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both. This is true whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash.

 

If the Fund qualifies to pass through to you the tax benefits from foreign taxes it pays on its investments, and elects to do so, then any foreign taxes it pays on these investments may be passed through to you as a foreign tax credit.

 

The Fund’s dividends attributable to its “qualified dividend income” (i.e., dividends received on stock of most domestic and certain foreign corporations with respect to which the Fund satisfies certain holding period and other restrictions) generally will be subject to federal income tax for individual and certain other non-corporate shareholders who satisfy those restrictions with respect to their Fund shares at the rates for net capital gain − a maximum rate of 15% or 20%, depending on a shareholder’s level of taxable income and the shareholder’s filing status. A portion of the Fund’s dividends also may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations. The eligible portion may not exceed the aggregate dividends the Fund receives from domestic corporations subject to federal income tax (thus excluding real estate investment trusts) and excludes dividends from foreign corporations − subject to similar restrictions.

 

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

29

 

subsequent distribution to you of such amounts, although constituting a return of your investment, would be taxable. A distribution reduces the NAV of Fund shares by the amount of the distribution.

 

The sale (redemption) of Fund shares is generally taxable for federal income tax purposes. You will recognize a gain or loss on the transaction equal to the difference, if any, between the amount of your net redemption proceeds and your tax basis in the redeemed Fund shares. The gain or loss will be capital gain or loss if you held your Fund shares as capital assets. Any capital gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if you held the Fund shares for more than one year at the time of the redemption and any such gain may be taxed to individual and certain other non-corporate shareholders. Long-term capital gain rates applicable to individuals are taxed at the 15% or 20% maximum federal income tax rates mentioned above or 25% depending on the nature of the capital gain. Any capital loss arising from the redemption of Fund shares held for six months or less, however, will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of the amount of net capital gain distributions with respect to those shares.

 

The Fund is required to withhold federal income tax at the rate of 24% on all distributions and redemption proceeds (regardless of the extent to which you realize gain or loss) otherwise payable to you (if you are an individual or certain other non-corporate shareholder) if you fail to provide the Fund with your correct TIN or to make required certifications, or if you have been notified by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) that you are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax, and any amounts withheld may be credited against your federal income tax liability once you provide the required information or certification.

 

Fund distributions and gains from the sale or exchange of your Fund shares generally are subject to state and local taxes.

 

The Fund (or its administrative agent) is required to report to you and the IRS annually on Form 1099-B not only the gross proceeds of Fund shares you sell or redeem but also the cost basis of Fund shares you sell or redeem where the cost basis of the shares is known by the Fund (“Covered Shares”). Cost basis will be calculated using the Fund’s default method, which is first-in first-out, unless you instruct the Fund in writing to use a different acceptable method for basis determination (e.g., average basis or specific identification method). The basis determination method a Fund shareholder elects may not be changed with respect to a redemption of Covered Shares after the settlement date of the redemption. Fund shareholders should consult with their tax advisors to determine the best IRS-accepted basis determination method for their tax situation and to obtain more information about how the basis reporting law applies to them.

 

An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person’s “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds a threshold amount. This tax, if applicable, is reported by you on, and paid with, your federal income tax return and is in addition to any other taxes due on the income described in this paragraph. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, this provision may have on their investment in Fund shares.

 

Fund shares are generally not sold outside the United States. Non-U.S. investors should be aware that U.S. withholding at a 30% or lower treaty tax rate, special tax certification requirements to avoid U.S. backup withholding and claim any treaty benefits, and U.S. estate taxes, may apply to any investment in the Fund.

 

For further information about the tax effects of investing in the Fund, please see the SAI.

 

This discussion of distributions and taxes is not intended or written to be used as tax advice. 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.

 

Organization. The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust, and the Fund is a series thereof. The Fund does not expect to hold shareholders’ meetings unless required by federal or Delaware law. Shareholders of each series of the Trust are entitled

30

 

to vote at shareholders’ meetings unless a matter relates only to a specific series (such as the approval of an advisory agreement for the Fund). From time to time, large shareholders may control the Fund or the Trust.

 

Additional Information. The Trust enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, including, among others, the Fund’s Adviser, Subadviser(s) (if applicable), custodian, principal underwriter and transfer agent who provide services to the Fund. Shareholders are not parties to any such contractual arrangements or intended beneficiaries of those contractual arrangements, and those contractual arrangements are not intended to create in any shareholder any right to enforce them against the service providers or to seek any remedy under them against the service providers, either directly or on behalf of the Trust.

 

This Prospectus provides information concerning the Fund that you should consider in determining whether to purchase Fund shares. Neither this Prospectus, the SAI nor any other communication to shareholders is intended, or should be read, to be or give rise to an agreement or contract between the Trust, its trustees or any series of the Trust, including the Fund, and any investor, or to give rise to any rights in any shareholder or other person other than any rights under federal or state law that may not be waived.

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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance for the period of each Fund’s operations. 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 June 30, 2023 has been audited by Cohen & Company, Ltd., the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund's financial statements, are included in the annual report dated June 30, 2023, which is available upon request. Prior fiscal years were audited by BBD, LLP, the Fund's prior independent registered public accounting firm.

 

These financial highlights reflect selected data for a share outstanding throughout each year.

 

    For the Years Ended June 30,  
    2023     2022     2021     2020     2019  
INSTITUTIONAL SHARES                                        
NET ASSET VALUE, Beginning of Year   $ 11.53     $ 16.75     $ 8.76     $ 10.05     $ 14.17  
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS                                        
Net investment loss (a)     (0.03 )     (0.06 )     (0.05 )     (0.05 )     (0.09 )
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)     1.60‌       (3.91 )     8.04‌       (1.23 )     (1.46 )
Total from Investment Operations     1.57‌       (3.97 )     7.99‌       (1.28 )     (1.55 )
DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS FROM                                        
Net realized gain     (0.73 )     (1.25 )     –‌       (0.01 )     (2.57 )
Total Distributions to Shareholders     (0.73 )     (1.25 )     –‌       (0.01 )     (2.57 )
REDEMPTION FEES(a)     0.00 (b)     0.00 (b)     0.00 (b)     0.00 (b)     0.00 (b)
NET ASSET VALUE, End of Year   $ 12.37     $ 11.53     $ 16.75     $ 8.76     $ 10.05  
TOTAL RETURN     14.04 %     (25.17 )%     91.21 %     (12.75 )%     (9.68 )%
                                         
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTARY DATA                                        
Net Assets at End of Year (000s omitted)   $ 62,883     $ 47,078     $ 66,416     $ 40,483     $ 77,663  
Ratios to Average Net Assets:                                        
Net investment loss     (0.23 )%     (0.41 )%     (0.36 )%     (0.47 )%     (0.78 )%
Net expenses     1.50 %     1.50 %     1.50 %     1.70 %     1.70 %
Gross expenses (c)     2.05 %     2.00 %     2.08 %     2.03 %     1.87 %
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RATE     56 %     61 %     78 %     74 %     108 %

 

(a) Calculated based on average shares outstanding during each year.

(b) Less than $0.01 per share.

(c) Reflects the expense ratio excluding any waivers and/or reimbursements.

32

 

ACUITAS US MICROCAP FUND

Institutional Shares (AFMCX)

Investor Shares

 

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports

Additional information about the Fund’s 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.

 

Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”)

The SAI provides additional information about the Fund and is incorporated by reference into, and is legally part of, this Prospectus.

 

Contacting the Fund

You may obtain free copies of the annual and semi-annual reports and the SAI, request other information and discuss your questions about the Fund by contacting the Fund at:

 

Acuitas Funds

P.O. Box 588

Portland, Maine 04112

[email protected]

 

The Fund's Prospectus, SAI and annual and semi-annual reports are available, without charge, on the Adviser's website at: www.acuitasfunds.com.

 

Securities and Exchange Commission Information

Fund information, including copies of the annual and semi-annual reports and the SAI, is available on the SEC’s EDGAR database website at www.sec.gov.

 

You may also obtain copies of this information, for a duplication fee, by sending an email request to publicinfo@sec. gov.

 

220-PRU-1123

 

Distributor

Foreside Fund Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Foreside Financial Group, LLC (d/b/a ACA Group)

www.acaglobal.com

 

Investment Company Act File No. 811-22842