485BPOS
 
December 15, 2023
Prospectus
VictoryShares Small Cap Free Cash Flow ETF (SFLO)
Listed and traded on:
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined whether this Prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
VictorySharesLiterature.com
866-376-7890
 
VictoryShares Small Cap Free Cash Flow ETF Summary
Investment Objective
The VictoryShares Small Cap Free Cash Flow ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Victory U.S. Small Cap Free Cash Flow Index (the “Index”).
Fund Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and example below. 
Shareholder Fees
(paid directly from your investment)
None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fees
0.45%
Other Expenses1
0.31%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.76%
Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement2
(0.27)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement2
0.49%
1
Estimated for the current fiscal year.
2
Victory Capital Management Inc. (the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to waive its management fee and/or reimburse expenses so that the total annual fund operating expenses (excluding certain items such as interest, taxes, and brokerage commissions) do not exceed 0.49% through at least December 31, 2024. The Adviser is permitted to recoup advisory fees waived and expenses reimbursed for up to three years after the date of the waiver or reimbursement, subject to the lesser of any operating expense limits in effect at the time of (a) the original waiver or expense reimbursement; or (b) the recoupment, after giving effect to the recoupment amount. This agreement may only be terminated by the Fund’s Board of Trustees.
Example:
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example assumes that (1) you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell or continue to hold all of your shares at the end of the period, (2) your investment has a 5% return each year, and (3) the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The amounts shown reflect any fee waiver/expense reimbursement in place through its expiration date. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based upon these assumptions your costs would be: 
1 Year
3 Years
$50
$215
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 generally will indicate higher transaction costs resulting in higher taxes when 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. Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no portfolio turnover information is available at this time.
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VictoryShares Small Cap Free Cash Flow ETF Summary
Principal Investment Strategy
Under normal circumstances, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets in securities in the Index and at least 80% of its assets in equity securities with small market capitalizations (“Small Cap”). A company is considered to be Small Cap if its market capitalization (at the time of purchase) is less than the greater of $3 billion or 120% of the market capitalization of the largest company included in the Russell 2000® Index, an index that is widely used as a proxy for the Small Cap market. As of September 30, 2023, 120% of the largest company in the Russell 2000® Index was $14.6 billion. The size of the largest company in the Russell 2000® Index changes with market conditions and the composition of the index.
VettaFi LLC (the “Index Provider”) constructs the Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology that selects 200 companies from the VettaFi US Equity Mid/Small-Cap 2500 Index (the “Parent Index”). As of September 30, 2023, the Index had a market capitalization range from $162 million to $11.1 billion. The actual range of market capitalization will vary over time according to changes in market capitalization of the securities in the Parent Index. The Index Provider is not affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser.
The Index is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of U.S. issuers within the Parent Index that have high free cash flow yields (i.e., free cash flow divided by enterprise value). The initial Index universe is derived from the component companies of the Parent Index, excluding financial companies and real estate investment trusts. The Index Provider screens the initial universe of companies based on their projected free cash flows and earnings. Companies with negative projected free cash flows or earnings are removed from the Index universe. The remaining companies are ranked by their free cash flow yields. A growth score is then derived from each company’s growth metrics (e.g., sales trends and earnings trends) for the 300 companies with the highest free cash flow yields. The 200 companies with the highest growth scores are selected by the Index Provider for inclusion in the Index.  
Free Cash
Flow Yields =
Money the company has left over
after paying its operating expenses
and capital expenses
Enterprise Value: Total value of a company taking into
consideration both the current share price
(market capitalization) and the cost to pay off debt
(net debt, or debt minus cash)
 The Adviser believes that free cash flow is a useful measure for investors as it shows the cash a company has available after operating expenses and capital expenditures, indicating the company’s financial health and efficiency. A positive free cash flow indicates a company’s ability to generate sufficient revenue to maintain operations and potentially return value to shareholders.
The Index employs a rules-based methodology that assigns scores to certain attributes related to free cash flows. Securities that achieve a higher score, or “weighting,” comprise a proportionately higher amount of the Index. The rules-based methodology assigns weightings by measuring a combination of total free cash flow and free cash flow yield (that is, the yield that the company earns on its free cash flow). Individual companies are capped at 4% of the Index. The rules-based methodology also limits the amount of companies in any one sector. That is, companies in any one sector will not exceed 45% of the Index. In addition, the allocation of companies in any single sector (or “weighting”) will not exceed 20% of the weighting of that sector in the Parent Index. The Index rebalances quarterly and is reconstituted quarterly.
The Fund generally seeks to track the returns of the Index before fees and expenses by employing a replication strategy that seeks to hold all the stocks in the Index. The Fund also may invest up to 20% of its assets in instruments other than the securities in the Index, such as derivatives, including index
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VictoryShares Small Cap Free Cash Flow ETF Summary
futures, which the Fund may use for cash management to provide for liquidity to pay redemptions and fees (attempting to remain fully invested while maintaining liquidity).
The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is concentrated. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund is not concentrated in any industry or group of industries. The degree to which certain sectors, industries, or asset classes are represented in the Index may change over time.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
The Fund’s investments are subject to the following principal risks:
Equity Securities Risk — The value of the equity securities in which the Fund invests may decline in response to developments affecting individual companies and/or general economic conditions in the United States or abroad. A company's earnings or dividends may not increase as expected (or may decline) because of poor management, competitive pressures, reliance on particular suppliers or geographical regions, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures, man-made or natural disasters, military confrontations or wars, terrorism, public health crises, or other events, conditions, and factors. Price changes may be temporary or last for extended periods.
Limited History of Operations — The Fund is new and, therefore, has a limited history of operations for investors to evaluate.
Market Risk — Overall market risks may affect the value of the Fund. Domestic and international factors such as political events, war, terrorism, trade disputes, inflation rates, interest rate levels, and other fiscal and monetary policy changes; cybersecurity incidents, pandemics, and other public health crises; sanctions against a particular foreign country, its nationals, businesses, or industries; and related geopolitical events, as well as environmental disasters such as earthquakes, fires, and floods, or other catastrophes, may add to instability in global economies and markets generally, and may lead to increased market volatility. Global economies and financial markets are highly interconnected, which increases the possibility that conditions in one country or region might adversely affect issuers in another country or region. The impact of these and other factors may be short-term or may last for extended periods.
Small-Capitalization Stock Risk — Investments in small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies. These securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity, making it difficult for a Fund to buy and sell them at the time and price desired, and these issuers often face greater business risks. Small-capitalization companies typically are less financially stable than larger, more established companies, and may depend on a small number of key personnel, making them vulnerable to loss of personnel. These companies also generally have less diverse product lines than larger capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Free Cash Flow Risk — Investing in companies with high free cash flows could lead to underperformance during periods when such investments are unpopular, and fluctuations in market conditions, industry disruptions, or company-specific factors may jeopardize the generation of free cash flow. Moreover, anticipated increases in a company's free cash flows may not materialize.
Value Risk — Value investing entails investing in securities that are inexpensive relative to other securities based on ratios such as price to earnings or price to book. There may be periods when value investing is out of favor, and during which the investment performance of a fund using a value strategy may suffer. In addition, value stocks are subject to the risk that their intrinsic value may never be realized in the market.
Index Risk — The Fund attempts to track the performance of the Index. The Fund’s performance will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in the Index. In addition, because the Fund is not actively managed, unless a specific security is removed from the
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VictoryShares Small Cap Free Cash Flow ETF Summary
Index, the Fund generally will not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. The Fund also does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
Passive Investment Risk — The Fund is not actively managed, and the Adviser does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Calculation Methodology Risk — The Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, nor the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Tracking Error Risk — The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from its index. Tracking error may occur because of, among other reasons, differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not.
Rebalancing Risk — In purchasing and selling securities to rebalance its portfolio, the Fund will pay more in brokerage commissions than it would without a rebalancing policy. As a result of the need to rebalance, the Fund also has less flexibility in the timing of purchases and sales of securities than it would otherwise, and the rebalancing may result in high portfolio turnover. While we will attempt to minimize any adverse impact to the Fund or its shareholders, the Fund may have a higher proportion of capital gains and a lower return than a fund that does not have a rebalancing policy. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.
Exchange-Traded Fund (“ETF”) Structure Risk — The Fund is structured as an ETF and, as a result, is subject to special risks, including:
◼
Not Individually Redeemable — The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable and may be redeemed by the Fund at its net asset value per share (“NAV”) only in large blocks known as Creation Units. The Fund may incur brokerage costs purchasing enough shares to constitute a Creation Unit. Alternatively, the Fund may redeem your shares by selling them on the secondary market at prevailing market prices.
◼
Trading Issues — Trading in shares on the exchange operated by Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”) may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility. There can be no assurance that shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the Exchange. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for the shares. In stressed market conditions, authorized participants may be unwilling to participate in the creation/redemption process, particularly if the market for shares becomes less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which may lead to widening of bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the shares and the underlying value of those shares.
◼
Market Price Variance Risk — The market prices of shares will fluctuate in response to changes in NAV and supply and demand for shares and will include a bid-ask spread charged by the exchange specialists, market makers, or other participants that trade the particular
4
VictoryShares Small Cap Free Cash Flow ETF Summary
security. There may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly, particularly in times of market stress. This means that shares may trade at a premium or discount to NAV and bid-ask spreads may widen.
◼
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk — A limited number of financial institutions may be responsible for all or a significant portion of the creation and redemption activity for the Fund. If these firms exit the business or are unable or unwilling to process creation and/or redemption orders, shares may trade at a premium or discount to NAV and bid-ask spreads may widen.
◼
Intraday Indicative Value (“IIV”) Risk — The Exchange intends to disseminate the approximate per share value of the Fund’s published basket of securities (“Deposit Securities”) every 15 seconds (the “intraday indicative value” or “IIV”). The IIV is not a real-time update of the NAV per share of the Fund because the IIV may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV. For example, the calculation of the NAV may be subject to fair valuation at different prices than those used in the calculations of the IIV and, unlike the calculation of NAV, the IIV does not take into account Fund expenses. The IIV calculations are based on local market prices and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the local market’s close which could affect premiums and discounts between the IIV and the market price of the shares. In addition, the IIV is based on the published Deposit Securities and not on the Fund’s actual holdings.
◼
Tax-Efficiency Risk — Redemptions of shares may be effected for cash, rather than in kind, which means that the Fund may need to sell portfolio securities in order to complete an in-cash redemption, and may recognize net gains on these sales. As a result, investments in the shares may be less tax-efficient than investments in ETFs that redeem solely or principally in kind, and the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.
Large Shareholder Risk — Certain large shareholders, including other funds advised by the Adviser, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the Fund’s shares. The actions by one shareholder or multiple shareholders may have an impact on the Fund and, therefore, indirectly on other shareholders. Shareholder purchase and redemption activity may affect the per share amount of the Fund’s distributions of its net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any, thereby affecting the tax burden on the Fund’s shareholders subject to federal income tax. To the extent a larger shareholder (including, for example, an affiliated fund that operates as a fund-of-funds or 529 college savings plan) is permitted to invest in the Fund, the Fund may experience large inflows or outflows of cash from time to time. This activity could magnify these adverse effects on the Fund.
Concentration and Sector Risk — In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or sector. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or sector, the Fund also can be expected to concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or sector, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or sectors. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or sector, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or sector.
Liquidity Risk — In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the investments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the investments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, natural disasters, new legislation, or regulatory changes, and may prevent the Fund from limiting losses, realizing gains or achieving a high correlation with the Index.
Valuation Risk — The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. The
5
VictoryShares Small Cap Free Cash Flow ETF Summary
Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. The information may be provided by third parties that are believed to be reliable, but the information may not be accurate due to errors by such pricing sources, technological issues, or otherwise.
Derivatives Risk — Derivatives, including futures contracts, may involve risks different from, or greater than, those associated with more traditional investments. In addition to risks relating to the underlying assets, the use of derivatives may include other, possibly greater, risks, including counterparty, leverage, and liquidity risks. Derivatives may create leverage and expose the Fund to additional levels of risk, including greater losses from investments and increased volatility, than would otherwise have been the case had the Fund not engaged in the activities that created the leverage. As a result of investing in derivatives, the Fund could lose more than the amount it invests. Derivatives may be highly illiquid, and the Fund may not be able to close out or sell a derivative position at a particular time or at an anticipated price. Derivatives also may be subject to counterparty risk, which includes the risk that the Fund may sustain a loss as a result of the insolvency or bankruptcy of, or other non-compliance by, the other party to the transaction.
You may lose money by investing in the Fund. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
By itself, the Fund does not constitute a complete investment plan and should be considered a long-term investment for investors who can afford to weather changes in the value of their investment.
Investment Performance
No performance information is presented since the Fund does not yet have a full calendar year of performance. Performance data for the Fund is available online at vcm.com or by calling 866-376-7890. A fund’s performance is not necessarily an indication of how that fund will perform in the future.
Management of the Fund
Investment Adviser
Victory Capital Management Inc. (the “Adviser”) serves as the Fund’s investment adviser. The portfolio managers jointly and primarily responsible for day-to-day management of the Fund are members of the Adviser's Victory Solutions platform, which oversees the Adviser's rules-based investment strategies.
Portfolio Management 
 
Title
Tenure with the Fund
Mannik Dhillon, CFA
President, Investment Franchises
& Solutions
Since inception
Lance Humphrey, CFA
Senior Portfolio Manager,
VictoryShares and Solutions
Since inception
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund will issue and redeem shares at NAV only in large blocks of 10,000 shares (each block of shares is called a “Creation Unit”). Creation Units are issued and redeemed for cash and/or in-kind for securities by Authorized Participants (“APs”) that have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.
Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the Exchange. Individual shares may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through a broker or dealer at a market price. Because shares of the Fund trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price that is greater than (a
6
VictoryShares Small Cap Free Cash Flow ETF Summary
premium), at, or less than (a discount) NAV. An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”).
For recent information about the Fund, including the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, visit vcm.com.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions generally are taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains. A sale of shares may result in a capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares through an account maintained by 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 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.
7
Additional Fund Information
The VictoryShares Small Cap Free Cash Flow ETF is organized as an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”).
The Fund’s investment objective is non-fundamental. In addition, the Fund’s policy to invest at least 80% of its assets in the securities of its underlying index is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval upon at least 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. For purposes of the Fund’s 80% investment policy, “assets” means the Fund’s net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, exclusive of collateral held from securities lending. Any derivatives counted towards the Fund’s 80% policy will be valued at market value.
This section describes additional information about the principal investment strategies that the Fund will use under normal market conditions to pursue its investment objective, as well as any secondary strategies the Fund may use, and the related risks. This Prospectus does not attempt to describe all of the various investment techniques and types of investments that the Adviser may use in managing the Fund. The Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) includes more information about the Fund, its investments, and the related risks.
Information about the Fund’s principal investment strategy is provided in the summary section for the Fund. Below is additional information, describing in greater detail the principal investment strategy, including the practices and methodologies that the Adviser utilizes in pursuing the Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategies, as well as the Fund’s principal investment risks.
In managing the Fund, the Adviser uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Under normal market conditions, the Fund pursues its investment objective by seeking to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index maintained by the Index Provider. The Fund does not try to outperform the Index. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is concentrated. The degree to which certain sectors, industries, or asset classes are represented in the Index may change over time. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Index is not concentrated in any industry or group of industries.
The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. A number of factors may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with its Index, and there can be no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. The Adviser monitors the Fund on an ongoing basis, and makes adjustments to its portfolio, as necessary, to minimize tracking error and to maintain liquidity.
For cash management purposes, the Fund is permitted to hold all or a portion of its assets in cash, index futures, short-term money market instruments or shares of other investment companies, including money market funds. To the extent that it does so, the Fund may not benefit from any upswing in the market and may fail to meet its investment objective.
8
Investments
The following describes the types of securities the Fund may purchase under normal market conditions to achieve its principal investment strategy.
U.S. Equity Securities
Can include common stock, preferred stock, and securities that are convertible or exchangeable into common stock of U.S. corporations.
Additional Fund Strategies. The Adviser may use several types of investments and investment techniques in pursuing the Fund's overall investment objectives. The following describes the types of securities the Adviser may purchase or the investment techniques the Adviser may employ but which the Adviser does not consider to be a part of the Fund’s principal investment strategy. Additional types of securities and strategies that the Fund may utilize are included in the Fund's SAI.
Securities Lending
To enhance the return on its portfolio, the Fund may lend portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and financial institutions to realize additional income under guidelines adopted by the Board. Each loan will be secured continuously by collateral in the form of cash, securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities.
Investment Companies
The Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), if those companies invest in securities consistent with the Fund's investment objective and policies.
9
Risk Factors
The following describes the principal risks that you may assume as an investor in the Fund. These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return, and the value of the Fund and your investment. The risk descriptions below provide a more detailed explanation of the principal investment risks that correspond to the risks described in the Fund Summary section of this Prospectus.
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s share price will fluctuate with changes in the market value of its portfolio investments. When you sell your Fund shares, they may be worth less than what you paid for them; and accordingly, you can lose money investing in the Fund. The Fund, by itself, is not intended to be a complete investment program.
Calculation Methodology Risk — The Fund’s index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, nor the Adviser can offer assurances that an index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the index. Errors in index data, index computations, or the construction of the index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause an index to vary from its normal or expected composition.
Concentration and Sector Risk — In following its methodology, the Fund’s index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or sector. To the extent that an index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or sector, the Fund also can be expected to concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or sector, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or sectors. If an index is not concentrated in a particular industry or sector, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or sector.
Derivatives Risk — The use of index futures contracts is subject to the risk that small price movements can result in substantial gains or losses. Derivatives also entail exposure to counterparty risk, the risk of mispricing or improper valuation, and the risk that changes in value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the relevant securities, assets, or indices. The use of derivatives could expose the Fund to the effects of leverage causing the Fund to lose more money than it invested. There is no guarantee that derivatives activities will be employed or that they will work, and their use could lower returns or even result in losses to the Fund. Derivatives also may be harder to value, less tax-efficient, and subject to changing government regulation that could impact a Fund’s ability to use certain derivatives or their cost. The use of derivatives could expose a Fund to the effects of leverage causing the Fund to lose more money than it invested. There is no guarantee that derivatives activities will be employed or that they will work, and their use could lower returns or even result in losses to the Fund. Derivatives also may be harder to value, less tax-efficient, and subject to changing government regulation that could impact the Fund’s ability to use certain derivatives or their cost.
Equity Securities Risk — The market prices of equity securities, which may include common stocks and other stock-related securities such as preferred stocks, convertible securities, and rights and warrants may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The Fund may continue to accept new subscriptions and to make additional investments in equity securities even under general market conditions that the Fund’s investment team views as unfavorable for equity securities. The value of a security may decline for reasons that directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage, and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services or due to general market conditions, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. Unlike debt securities, which have preference to a company’s assets in case of liquidation, common
10
Risk Factors
stock, are entitled to the residual value after the company meets its other obligations. Unlike common stock, preferred stock generally pays a fixed dividend from a company’s earnings and may have a preference over common stock on the distribution of a company’s assets in the event of bankruptcy or liquidation. Preferred stockholders’ liquidation rights are subordinate to the company’s debt holders and creditors. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive and the price of preferred stocks may decline. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality. Convertible securities may gain or lose value due to changes in the issuer’s operating results, financial condition, credit rating, and changes in interest rates, and other general economic, industry, and market conditions.
Exchange-Traded Fund (“ETF”) Structure Risk — The Fund is structured as an ETF and, as a result, is subject to special risks, including:
◼
Not Individually Redeemable — The Fund’s shares are not individually redeemable and may be redeemed by the Fund at its net asset value per share (“NAV”) only in large blocks known as Creation Units. The Fund may incur brokerage costs purchasing enough shares to constitute a Creation Unit. Alternatively, the Fund may redeem your shares by selling them on the secondary market at prevailing market prices.
◼
Trading Issues — Trading in shares on the exchange operated by Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”) may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility. There can be no assurance that shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the Exchange. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for the shares. In stressed market conditions, authorized participants may be unwilling to participate in the creation/redemption process, particularly if the market for shares becomes less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which may lead to widening of bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the shares and the underlying value of those shares.
◼
Market Price Variance Risk — The market prices of shares will fluctuate in response to changes in NAV and supply and demand for shares and will include a bid-ask spread charged by the exchange specialists, market makers, or other participants that trade the particular security. There may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly, particularly in times of market stress. This means that shares may trade at a premium or discount to NAV and bid-ask spreads may widen.
◼
International Closed Market Trading Risk — The Fund’s underlying securities may trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when the Exchange is open; consequently, events may transpire while such foreign exchanges are closed but the Exchange is open that may change the value of such underlying securities relative to their last quoted prices on such foreign exchanges.
◼
Authorized Participants Concentration Risk — A limited number of financial institutions may be responsible for all or a significant portion of the creation and redemption activity for the Fund. If these firms exit the business or are unable or unwilling to process creation and/or redemption orders, shares may trade at a premium or discount to NAV and bid-ask spreads may widen.
◼
Intraday Indicative Value (“IIV”) Risk — The Exchange intends to disseminate the approximate per share value of the Fund’s published basket of securities (Deposit Securities) every 15 seconds (the “intraday indicative value” or “IIV”). The IIV is not a real-time update of the NAV per share of the Fund because the IIV may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV. For example, the calculation of the NAV may be subject to fair valuation at different prices than those used in the calculations of the IIV and, unlike the calculation of NAV, the IIV does not take into account Fund expenses. For securities traded outside of the United States, the IIV calculations are based on local market prices and may not reflect events that occur
11
Risk Factors
subsequent to the local market’s close which could affect premiums and discounts between the IIV and the market price of the Fund’s shares. In addition, the IIV is based on the published Deposit Securities and not on the Fund’s actual holdings. The Fund, the Adviser, and their affiliates are not involved in, or responsible for, any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IIV and make no warranty as to the accuracy of these calculations.
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Tax-Efficiency Risk — Redemptions of shares may be effected for cash, rather than in kind, which means that the Fund may need to sell portfolio securities in order to complete an in-cash redemption, and may recognize net gains on these sales. As a result, investments in the shares may be less tax-efficient than investments in ETFs that redeem solely or principally in kind, and the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.
Free Cash Flow Risk — While positive free cash flow indicates a company’s ability to generate sufficient revenue to maintain operations and potentially return value to shareholders, there may be periods when investing in companies with high free cash flows is out of favor, and during which the investment performance of a fund investing in companies with high free cash flows may underperform the market more generally. In addition, there is a risk that a company may suffer reduced free cash flow generation due to changes in market conditions, industry disruptions, or company-specific factors. Moreover, an anticipated acceleration of a company’s free cash flows may not occur.
Index Risk — The Fund attempts to track the performance of a specific index. An index is an unmanaged group of securities whose overall performance is used as a standard to measure investment performance of a particular market. The Fund will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in the Index. In addition, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. The Fund also does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers. Additionally, the Fund typically will not match the performance of its index because the performance of its Index does not factor in the costs of buying, selling, and holding stocks or other operating expenses and costs of the Fund.
Large Shareholder Risk — The Fund, like all investment companies, pools the investments of many investors. Actions by one shareholder or multiple shareholders may have an impact on the Fund and, therefore, indirectly on other shareholders. For example, significant levels of new investments in the Fund by shareholders may cause the Fund to have more cash than would otherwise be the case, which might have a positive or negative impact on Fund performance. Similarly, redemption activity might cause the Fund to sell portfolio securities, which may increase transaction costs and might generate a capital gain or loss, or cause it to borrow funds on a short-term basis to cover redemptions, which would cause the Fund to incur costs that, in effect, would be borne by all shareholders and not just the redeeming shareholders. Shareholder purchase and redemption activity also may affect the per share amount of the Fund's distributions of its net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any, thereby affecting the tax burden on the Fund's shareholders subject to federal income tax, and/or accelerate the realization of taxable income and cause the Fund to make taxable distributions to its shareholders earlier than the Fund otherwise would have. In addition, under certain circumstances, non-redeeming shareholders may be treated as receiving a disproportionately large taxable distribution during or with respect to such tax year. To the extent a larger shareholder (including, for example, an affiliated fund that operates as a fund-of-funds or 529 college savings plan) is permitted to invest in the Fund, the Fund may experience large inflows or outflows of cash from time to time. This activity could magnify these adverse effects on the Fund.
12
Risk Factors
Limited History of Operations — The Fund is a new ETF with limited to no history of operations for investors to evaluate. Investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Fund may not be successful in implementing its investment strategies, may be unable to implement certain of its investment strategies or may fail to attract sufficient assets, any of which could result in the Fund being liquidated and terminated at any time without shareholder approval and at a time that may not be favorable for all shareholders. Such a liquidation could have negative tax consequences for shareholders and may cause shareholders to incur expenses of liquidation.
Liquidity Risk — Liquidity risk exists when particular investments cannot be disposed of quickly in the normal course of business. The ability of the Fund to dispose of such investments or other instruments at advantageous prices may be greatly limited. Market values for illiquid investments may not be readily available, and there can be no assurance that any fair value assigned to an illiquid investment at any time will accurately reflect the price the Fund might receive upon the sale of that investment. Adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer, including rising interest rates, may adversely affect the liquidity of a Fund’s investments. The Fund may be required to sell a less liquid investment in accordance with changes to the Index. In such cases the sale proceeds received by the Fund may be substantially less than if the Fund had been able to sell the investments in more orderly transactions, and the sale price may be substantially lower than the price previously used by the Fund to value the investments for purposes of determining the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund may not achieve a high correlation with the Index. In addition, the Fund, by itself or together with other accounts managed by the Adviser, may hold a position in an investment that is large relative to the typical trading volume for that investment, which can make it difficult for a Fund to dispose of the position at an advantageous time or price.
Market Risk — Stock market risk refers to the fact that stock (equity securities) prices typically fluctuate more than the values of other types of securities, typically in response to changes in the particular company’s financial condition and factors affecting the market in general. Over time, the stock market tends to move in cycles, with periods when stock prices rise, and periods when stock prices decline. A slower-growth or recessionary economic environment could have an adverse effect on stock prices. Consequently, a broad-based market drop may also cause a stock’s price to fall. Portfolio securities may also decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally, such as real or perceived adverse economic, political, or regulatory conditions, inflation, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment, or due to factors affecting particular industries represented in the securities markets, such as competitive conditions. Changes in the financial condition of a single issuer can impact a market as a whole, and adverse market conditions may be prolonged and may not have the same impact on all types of securities. In addition, the markets may not favor a particular kind of security, including equity securities. Values of securities may fall due to factors affecting a particular issuer, industry, or the securities market as a whole.
Market turmoil may be reflected in perceptions of economic uncertainty, price volatility in the equity and debt markets, and fluctuating trading liquidity. In response, governments may adopt a variety of fiscal and monetary policy changes, including but not limited to, direct capital infusions into companies, new monetary programs, and lower interest rates. These policies may not be successful and any unexpected or quick reversal of these policies could increase volatility in the equity and debt markets. Market conditions and economic risks could have a significant effect on domestic and international economies and could add significantly to the risks of increased volatility and decreased liquidity for the Fund's portfolio.
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Geopolitical/Natural Disaster Risk — Global economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country or region might adversely affect issuers in another country or region. Geopolitical and other risks, including war, economic sanctions, currency controls or other actions by countries or international bodies, terrorism, trade disputes, embargoes, political or economic dysfunction within some nations, public health crises and related geopolitical events, as well as environmental disasters such as
13
Risk Factors
earthquakes, fires, and floods, may add to instability in world economies and markets generally. Changes in trade policies and international trade agreements could affect the economies of many countries in unpredictable ways. Epidemics and/or pandemics, such as the coronavirus (or COVID-19), may result in, among other things, closing borders, disruptions to healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, cancellations, disruptions to supply chains and consumer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact may be short-term or may last for extended periods.
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Information Technology and Operational Risk — Markets and market participants are increasingly reliant upon both publicly available and proprietary information data systems. Data imprecision, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies, unauthorized use or access, and similar circumstances may impair the performance of these systems and may have an adverse impact upon a single issuer, a group of issuers, or the market at large. The information technology and other operational systems upon which the Fund’s service providers rely may be subject to cyber attack or other technological disruptions, and could otherwise disrupt the ability of these service providers to perform essential tasks for the Fund. In certain cases, an exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on either specific securities or even the entire market, which may result in the Fund being, among other things, unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments or accurately price its investments.
Mid-Capitalization Stock Risk — Investments in mid-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies, and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than that of funds that invest a larger percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid than those of large-capitalization companies, making it more difficult for the Fund to buy and sell shares of mid-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Passive Investment Risk/Index Risk — The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of securities included in, the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund, unless such defensive positions are also taken by the Index. There is no assurance that the Index will be compiled or calculated accurately.
Rebalancing Risk — In purchasing and selling securities to rebalance its portfolio, the Fund will pay more in brokerage commissions than it would without a rebalancing policy. As a result of the need to rebalance, the Fund also has less flexibility in the timing of purchases and sales of securities than it would otherwise, and the rebalancing may result in high portfolio turnover. While we will attempt to minimize any adverse impact to the Fund or its shareholders, the Fund may have a higher proportion of capital gains and a lower return than a fund that does not have a rebalancing policy. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on a Fund and its shareholders.
Regulatory Risk — The Fund is subject to regulatory risk, which is the risk that legislative, regulatory, or tax policies or developments may have an adverse impact on the value of the Fund’s investments and the Fund’s NAV.
14
Risk Factors
Small-Capitalization Company Risk — Investments in small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies. These securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity, making it difficult for a Fund to buy and sell them at the time and price desired, and these issuers often face greater business risks. Small-capitalization companies typically are less financially stable than larger, more established companies, and may depend on a small number of key personnel, making them vulnerable to loss of personnel. These companies also generally have less diverse product lines than larger capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Tracking Error Risk — Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Index for a number of reasons, such as the use of representative sampling (if applicable), transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to the Index, tax considerations, rebalancing, or new or existing regulatory requirements. Unlike the Fund, the returns of the Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of investments. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions. To the extent that the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on securities’ closing prices (i.e., the value of the Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s ability to track the Index may be adversely affected. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities to realize losses, which will result in a deviation from the Index.
Valuation Risk — The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by its index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund’s NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Fund’s index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its index. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the Fund not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. The Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. The information may be provided by third parties that are believed to be reliable, but the information may not be accurate due to errors by such pricing sources, technological issues, or otherwise.
Value Risk — Value investing entails investing in securities that are inexpensive relative to other securities based on ratios such as price to earnings or price to book. There may be periods when value investing is out of favor, and during which the investment performance of a fund using a value strategy may suffer. In addition, value stocks are subject to the risk that their intrinsic value may never be realized in the market.
Additional Risk Factors. The Adviser may use several types of investment strategies in pursuing the Fund's overall investment objective. The following risks are those that the Adviser does not consider to be principal risks of the Fund. Additional risks are included in the Fund's SAI.
Securities Lending Risk — The risk in lending portfolio securities, as with other extensions of credit, consists of the possibility of loss to the Fund due to (i) the inability of the borrower to return the securities, (ii) a delay in receiving additional collateral to adequately cover any fluctuations in the value of securities on loan, (iii) a delay in recovery of the securities, or (iv) the loss of rights in the
15
Risk Factors
collateral should the borrower fail financially. These events could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. In addition, the Fund is responsible for any loss that might result from its investment of the borrower’s collateral. In determining whether to lend securities, the Adviser or the Fund's securities lending agent will consider relevant facts and circumstances, including the creditworthiness of the borrower.
Investment Company Risk — The Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective may be directly related to the ability of the underlying any funds (including ETFs) held by the Fund to meet their investment objectives. In addition, shareholders of the Fund will indirectly bear the fees and expenses of the underlying investment companies. Underlying investment vehicles are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund. Lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in an ETF being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities.
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Organization and Management of the Fund
The Fund's Board of Trustees has the overall responsibility for overseeing the management of the Fund.
The Investment Adviser
The Adviser serves as the investment adviser to each of the Victory Funds pursuant to an investment advisory agreement. The Adviser oversees the operations of the Fund according to investment policies and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. The Adviser is a New York corporation that is registered as an investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). As of September 30, 2023, the Adviser managed and advised assets totaling in excess of $153.5 billion for individual and institutional clients. The Adviser’s principal address is 15935 La Cantera Parkway, San Antonio, TX 78256.
A discussion regarding the basis of the Board’s approval of the Fund's Advisory Agreement will be included in the Fund's semi annual report to shareholders for the period ended December 31.
The Adviser is a diversified global asset manager comprised of multiple investment teams, referred to as investment franchises, each of which utilizes an independent approach to investing. The Adviser’s Victory Solutions platform oversees its rules-based investment strategies and is responsible for the day-to-day investment management of the Fund.
For its services, the Adviser will be paid advisory fees, before waivers, at an annual rate of 0.45% of the average daily net assets of the Fund.
See “Fund Fees and Expenses” for information about any contractual agreement by the Adviser to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses with respect to the Fund. From time to time, the Adviser also may voluntarily waive fees and/or reimburse expenses in amounts exceeding those required to be waived or reimbursed under any contractual agreement that may be in place with respect to the Fund.
Portfolio Management
Mannik Dhillon serves as President, Investment Franchises & Solutions, for the Adviser. From 2017-2023, he served as President, VictoryShares & Solutions. From 2015-2017, he served as the Adviser’s Head of Investment Solutions, Product, and Strategy. From 2010 to 2015, Mr. Dhillon served as a managing director and head of manager research with Wilshire Associates, where he evaluated asset managers and led strategic consulting engagements. Mr. Dhillon is a CFA and CAIA® charterholder.
Lance Humphrey is a Senior Portfolio Manager for VictoryShares and Solutions and has co-managed the Fund since its inception. Mr. Humphrey has 16 years of investment experience, 12 of which were with USAA Asset Management Company (“AMCO”), which Victory Capital acquired in 2019. He received a B.A. in Finance from Texas State University. He holds the CFA designation and is a member of the CFA Society of San Antonio.
The Fund's SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers' method of compensation, other accounts they manage and any ownership interests they may have in the Fund.
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Investing with Victory
Share Price
The net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund generally is determined at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on each day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for business. In the event of an emergency or other disruption in trading on the NYSE, the Fund’s NAV will be determined based upon the close of the NYSE. The NAV is computed by determining the aggregate market value of all assets of the Fund, less its liabilities, divided by the total number of shares outstanding. 
NAV=
Total Assets - Liabilities
Number of Shares Outstanding
The NAV takes into account the expenses and fees of the Fund, including management, administration, and distribution fees (if any), which are accrued daily. The determination of NAV for the Fund for a particular day is applicable to all applications for the purchase of shares, as well as all requests for the redemption of shares, received by the Fund (or an authorized broker or agent, or its authorized designee) before the close of trading on the NYSE on that day. The NYSE is closed on weekends, most national holidays, and Good Friday.
Generally, the Fund's investments are valued each day at the last quoted sales price on each investment’s primary exchange. Investments traded or dealt in upon one or more exchanges (whether domestic or foreign) for which market quotations are readily available and not subject to restrictions against resale shall be valued at the last quoted sales price on the primary exchange or, in the absence of a sale on the primary exchange, at the last bid on the primary exchange. Securities primarily traded in the National Association of Securities Dealers’ Automated Quotation System (“Nasdaq”) National Market System for which market quotations are readily available shall be valued using the Nasdaq Official Closing Price. If market quotations are not readily available, investments will be valued at their fair market value as determined in good faith by the Adviser in accordance with procedures approved by the Board and evaluated by the Board as to the reliability of the fair value method used. In these cases, the Fund’s NAV will reflect certain portfolio investments’ fair value rather than their market price. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that the fair value determined for an investment is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of that investment. The fair value prices can differ from market prices when they become available or when a price becomes available.
The Fund may use independent pricing services to assist in calculating the value of the Fund’s securities or other assets. In addition, market prices for foreign securities are not determined at the same time of day as the NAV for the Fund. In computing the NAV, the Fund values foreign securities held by the Fund at the latest closing price on the exchange in which they are traded immediately prior to closing of the NYSE. Prices of foreign securities quoted in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at current rates. The value of the Fund’s securities may change on days when shareholders are not able to purchase and redeem the Fund’s shares if the Fund has portfolio securities that primarily are traded in foreign markets that are open on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. If events materially affecting the value of a security in the Fund’s portfolio, particularly foreign securities, occur after the close of trading on a foreign market but before the Fund prices its shares, the security will be valued at fair value. For example, if trading in a portfolio security is halted and does not resume before the Fund calculates its NAV, the Adviser may need to price the security using the Fund’s fair value pricing guidelines. Without a fair value price, short-term traders could take advantage of the arbitrage opportunity and dilute the NAV of long-term investors. Fair valuation of the Fund’s portfolio securities can serve to reduce arbitrage opportunities available to short-term traders, but there is no assurance that fair value pricing policies will prevent dilution of the Fund’s NAV by short-term traders. The determination of fair value involves subjective
18
Share Price
judgments. As a result, using fair value to price a security may result in a price materially different from the prices used by other funds to determine NAV, or from the price that may be realized upon the actual sale of the security.
With respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”), the Fund’s NAV is calculated based upon the NAVs of those open-end management investment companies, and the prospectuses for these companies explain the circumstances under which those companies will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.
Short-term debt obligations with remaining maturities in excess of 60 days are valued at current market prices, as discussed above. Short-term debt obligations with 60 days or less remaining to maturity are, unless conditions indicate otherwise, amortized to maturity based on their cost to the Fund if acquired within 60 days of maturity or, if already held by the Fund on the 60th day, based on the value determined on the 61st day.
Premium/Discount Information
Since investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund in secondary market transactions through brokers at market prices, the Fund's shares will trade at market prices. The market price of shares may be greater than, equal to, or less than NAV. Market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors may affect the trading prices of shares of the Fund.
For recent information about the Fund, including the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads visit vcm.com.
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How to Buy and Sell Shares
Shares of the Fund will be listed for trading on the Exchange under the ticker symbol listed on the cover of this Prospectus. Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per share. Shares can be bought and sold on the secondary market throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares, and shares typically trade in blocks of less than a Creation Unit. There is no minimum investment required. Shares may only be purchased and sold on the secondary market when the Exchange is open for trading.
When buying or selling shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges. The commission is often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell smaller amounts of shares. You may also pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. The spread varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s shares have little trading volume and market liquidity.
Only an Authorized Participant (“AP”) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund's APs are institutions and large investors, such as market makers or other large broker-dealers, which have entered into a Participation Agreement with the Fund's distributor to undertake the responsibility of obtaining or selling the underlying assets needed to purchase or redeem, respectively, Creation Units of the Fund. APs may acquire shares directly from the Fund, and APs may tender their shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV per share only in large blocks, or Creation Units, of 10,000 shares. Purchases and redemptions directly with the Fund must follow the Fund's procedures, which are described in the SAI.
The Fund may liquidate and terminate at any time without shareholder approval.
Share Trading Prices
The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for shares and shares of underlying investments held by the Fund, economic conditions, and other factors. Information regarding the intraday indicative value (“IIV”) of the Fund will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund’s shares are primarily listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IIV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash included in the Fund’s published basket of securities. However, the IIV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per share of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The IIV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities and instruments held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. For example, the calculation of the NAV may be subject to fair valuation at different prices than those used in the calculations of the IIV and, unlike the calculation of NAV, the IIV may not reflect estimated accrued interest, dividends and other income, or Fund expenses. The IIV generally is determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the portfolio securities and instruments included in the Fund’s IIV basket. The quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value of the shares and the Fund does not make any warranty as to the accuracy of these values.
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How to Buy and Sell Shares
Book Entry
Shares are held in book entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding shares of the Fund and is recognized as the owner of all shares for all purposes.
Investors owning shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares
The Fund’s shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund by APs in Creation Units. Direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that the Fund’s shares trade at or close to NAV. The cash to be contributed to (or received from) the Fund in connection with a Creation Unit generally is negligible compared to the total amount of the trade. The Fund with exposure to non-U.S. securities employs fair valuation pricing to minimize arbitrage opportunities that attempt to exploit the differences between a security’s market quotation and its fair value. In addition, the Fund impose transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of shares to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting trades. These fees increase if an investor substitutes cash in part or in whole for securities, reflecting the fact that the Fund’s trading costs increase in those circumstances.
Trading of the Fund’s shares by individual shareholders occurs on the secondary market. Because the secondary market trades do not directly involve the Fund, it is unlikely those trades would cause the harmful effects of market timing, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the Fund’s trading costs and the realization of capital gains.
Given this structure, the Board has determined that it is not necessary to monitor for frequent in-kind purchases and redemptions of shares or market timing activity by the APs or on the shares’ secondary market.
Other Payments to Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase Fund shares through an investment professional, a broker dealer, or other financial intermediary, the Fund may pay for sub-transfer agent, recordkeeping and/or similar administrative services. In addition, Victory Capital (and its affiliates) may make substantial payments out of its own resources, including the profits from the advisory fees Victory Capital receives from the Fund, to affiliated and unaffiliated dealers or other investment professionals and service providers for distribution, administrative and/or shareholder servicing activities. Victory Capital also may reimburse the distributor (or the distributor’s affiliates) for making these payments. Some of these distribution-related payments may be made to dealers or other investment professionals for marketing, promotional or related expenses; these payments are often referred to as “revenue sharing.” In some circumstances, these types of payments may create an incentive for a dealer or investment professional or its representatives to recommend or offer shares of the Fund to its customers. You should ask your dealer or investment professional for more details about any such payments it receives.
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Distribution and Service Plan
The Fund has adopted a distribution and service plan (“Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Under the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay distribution fees to the distributor and other firms that provide distribution and shareholder services (“Service Providers”). If a Service Provider provides these services, the Fund may pay fees at an annual rate not to exceed 0.25% of average daily net assets, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.
No distribution or service fees are currently paid by the Fund and there are no current plans to impose these fees. In the event Rule 12b-1 fees were charged, over time they would increase the cost of an investment in the Fund.
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Distributions and Taxes
Unlike interests in conventional mutual funds, which typically are bought and sold from and to the fund only at closing NAVs, the Fund’s shares are traded throughout the day in the secondary market on a national securities exchange on an intra-day basis and are created and redeemed in-kind and/or for cash in Creation Units at each day’s next calculated NAV. In-kind arrangements are designed to protect ongoing shareholders from the adverse effects on the Fund’s portfolio that could arise from frequent cash redemption transactions. In a conventional mutual fund, redemptions can have an adverse tax impact on taxable shareholders if the mutual fund needs to sell portfolio securities to obtain cash to meet net fund redemptions. These sales may generate taxable gains for the ongoing shareholders of the mutual fund, whereas the shares’ in-kind redemption mechanism generally will not lead to a tax event for the Fund or its ongoing shareholders.
Taxes on Distributions
The Fund ordinarily declares and pays dividends from net investment income, if any, monthly, and net realized capital gains, if any, annually. The Fund may also pay a special distribution at the end of a calendar year to comply with U.S. federal tax requirements. Dividends from the Fund’s net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses (capital gain dividends) that are properly designated as such are taxable to you as long-term capital gains (at the 20% maximum rate referred to above for non-corporate shareholders) regardless of how long you have held the Fund’s shares. Dividends from the Fund’s net investment income, including net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income (other than qualified dividend income). Dividends from the Fund’s qualified dividend income (i.e., dividends received on stock of most domestic and certain foreign corporations), if any, that are properly designated as such are taxable to non-corporate shareholders at long-term capital gain rates, provided that the Fund and the shareholder satisfy certain holding period and other requirements. The Fund’s dividends also may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations, subject to similar restrictions.
Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole shares only if the broker through whom you purchased shares makes such option available.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. federal income tax when they are paid, whether you take them in cash or reinvest them in the Fund (if that option is available). Distributions reinvested in additional shares of the Fund through the means of a dividend reinvestment service, if available, will be taxable to shareholders acquiring the additional shares to the same extent as if such distributions had been received in cash.
Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits are treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of (and in reduction of) your basis in the shares and any excess amount will be treated as capital gain.
If the NAV at the time a shareholder purchases shares of the Fund reflects undistributed net investment income, recognized net capital gain, or unrealized appreciation in the value of the assets of the Fund, distributions of such amounts will be taxable to the shareholder in the manner described above, although such distributions economically constitute a return of capital to the shareholder.
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in shares will be taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares.
Unless your investment in shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:
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The Fund makes distributions,
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You sell your shares listed on the Exchange, and
23
Distributions and Taxes
◼
You purchase or redeem Creation Units.
If you are a nonresident alien individual, foreign trust or estate, foreign corporation or foreign partnership, the Fund’s ordinary income dividends may be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax. See the section titled “TAXES—Foreign Shareholders” in the SAI for details.
Taxes on Exchange-Listed Share Sales
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of shares generally is treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for one year or less. The ability to deduct capital losses from sales of shares may be limited.
A nonresident alien individual, foreign trust or estate, foreign corporation, or foreign partnership generally is exempt from U.S. federal income or withholding tax on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units
An AP who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the sum of the AP’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus any cash it pays. An AP who exchanges Creation Units for securities generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of the securities received plus any cash equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares being redeemed and the value of the securities. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales” or for other reasons. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.
Any capital gain or loss realized on the purchase or redemption of Creation Units generally will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities surrendered to purchase the Creation Units or the Creation Units, as applicable, have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the securities surrendered or the Creation Units, as applicable, have been held for one year or less.
If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many shares you purchased or sold and at what price. See “TAXES” in the SAI for a description of the requirement regarding basis determination methods applicable to share redemptions and the Fund’s obligation to report basis information to the IRS.
Backup Withholding
By law, the Fund is required to withhold 24% of your distributions and proceeds if you have not provided the Fund with a correct Social Security number or other taxpayer identification number and in certain other situations.
24
Distributions and Taxes
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
Under the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act,” unless certain foreign entities comply with certain IRS requirements that generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% U.S. withholding tax may apply to dividends paid by the Fund to such entities. See the section titled “TAXES—Foreign Shareholders” in the SAI for details.
Dividends and interest received by the Fund and capital gains recognized by the Fund may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. You may be able to claim a credit or take a deduction for foreign taxes paid by the Fund if certain requirements are met.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the shares under all applicable tax laws.
25
Other Information
Investments by Investment Companies
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the Fund. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) as permitted by any rules and regulations adopted under applicable law, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund.
Continuous Offering
The method by which Creation Units of shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of shares are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), may occur at any point. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares and sells the shares directly to customers or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a characterization as an underwriter.
Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the Securities Act is only available with respect to transactions on a national exchange.
Dealers effecting transactions in the Fund's shares, whether or not participating in this distribution, generally are required to deliver a Prospectus. This is in addition to any obligation of dealers to deliver a Prospectus when acting as underwriters.
Portfolio Holdings Disclosure
A description of the Fund policies regarding disclosure of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio is found in the Statement of Additional Information. The Fund’s portfolio is disclosed daily on the Fund's website at www.VictorySharesLiterature.com. Shareholders also may request portfolio holdings schedules at no charge by calling toll free 866-376-7890.
26
Other Information
Shareholder Communications
In order to eliminate duplicate mailings to an address at which two or more shareholders with the same last name reside, the Victory Funds may send only one copy of any shareholder reports, proxy statements, prospectuses and their supplements, unless you have instructed us to the contrary. You may request that the Victory Funds send these documents to each shareholder individually by calling the Victory Funds at 1-866-376-7890, and they will be delivered promptly.
While this Prospectus and the SAI of the Trust describe pertinent information about the Trust and the Fund, neither this Prospectus nor the SAI represents a contract between the Trust or the Fund and any shareholder.
Other Disclosures
Victory Capital means Victory Capital Management Inc., the investment adviser of the VictoryShares ETFs. VictoryShares ETFs are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC (Foreside). Foreside is a member of FINRA. Victory Capital is not affiliated with Foreside.
27
Financial Highlights
No financial information is presented as the Fund had not yet commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus.
28
Appendix
The Exchange
Shares are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the shares or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Fund to track the total return performance of their respective Index or the ability of each Index identified herein to track stock market performance. The Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of each Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of the shares to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of the shares in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the shares.
The Exchange does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of each Index or the data included therein. The Exchange makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust on behalf of the Fund's, owners of the shares, or any other person or entity from the use of each Index or the data included therein.
The Exchange makes no express or implied warranties, and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Index or the data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.
VettaFi LLC Indexes
The VettaFi US Equity Mid/Small-Cap 2500 Index is the property of VettaFi LLC and has been licensed for use by Victory Capital Management Inc. (“Victory Capital”) in connection with the Victory U.S. Small Cap Free Cash Flow Index  (the “Index”).
The Fund is not issued, sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by VettaFi LLC or its affiliates (collectively, “VettaFi”) or any of its index calculations agents, if any. VettaFi makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the purchasers or owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly or the ability of the Index to track general market performance. VettaFi is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued. VettaFi has no obligation or liability in connection with the issuance, administration, marketing, or trading of the Fund.
Neither VettaFi nor any of its index calculation agents, if any, guarantee the accuracy and/or completeness of the Index or any data included therein and neither VettaFi nor its agents shall have any liability for any errors, omissions, interruptions, or defects therein. VettaFi makes no warranty, express or implied, representations or promises, as to results to be obtained by Victory Capital or any other person or entity from the use of the Index or any data included therein. VettaFi makes no express or implied warranties, representations or promises, regarding the originality, merchantability, suitability, or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall VettaFi or its index calculation agents, if any, have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, punitive, consequential, or other damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
29
VS-SCFCFETF-PRO (12/23)
By mail:
VictoryShares
4900 Tiedeman Road, 4th Floor
Brooklyn, OH 44144
 
4900 Tiedeman Road,
4th Floor
Brooklyn, OH 44144
Statement of Additional Information (SAI): The SAI contains more information about the Fund's operations, investment restrictions, policies, and practices. The SAI is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, which means that it is legally part of this Prospectus, even if you do not request a copy.
Annual and Semi Annual Reports: Annual and semi annual reports contain more information about the Fund's investments and the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the most recent fiscal period.
How to Obtain Information: You may obtain a free copy of the SAI or annual and semi annual reports, and ask questions about the Fund or your accounts, online at VictorySharesLiterature.com, by contacting the Fund at the following address or telephone number, or by contacting your financial intermediary.
By telephone:
Call VictoryShares at
866-376-7890
You also can get information about the Fund (including the SAI and other reports) from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on the SEC’s Edgar database at sec.gov, or after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request sent to the following e-mail address: [email protected].
Investment Company Act File Number 811-22696