STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

November 1, 2023

 

Acuitas US Microcap Fund

Institutional Shares (AFMCX)

Investor Shares

 

Investment Adviser

 

Acuitas Investments, LLC

520 Pike Street, Suite 1221

Seattle, WA 98101

 

Account Information and Shareholder Services

 

Acuitas Funds

P.O. Box 588

Portland, Maine 04112

(844) 805-5628 (toll free)

[email protected]

 

This Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) supplements the prospectus dated November 1, 2023, as it may be amended from time to time (the “Prospectus”), offering Institutional Shares and Investor Shares of the Acuitas US Microcap Fund (The Fund), a separate series of Forum Funds II (the “Trust”). This SAI is not a prospectus and should only be read in conjunction with the Prospectus. You may obtain the Prospectus without charge by contacting Atlantic Fund Administration, LLC (d/b/a Apex Fund Services) (“Apex Fund Services”, “Apex” or “Administrator”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex US Holdings LLC, at the address, telephone number or e-mail address listed above. This SAI is incorporated by reference into the Fund's Prospectus. In other words, it is legally a part of the Prospectus.

 

Financial statements for the Fund for the year ended June 30, 2023 are included in the Annual Report to shareholders and are incorporated into this SAI by reference. Copies of the Fund's Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report may be obtained without charge and upon request, by contacting Apex Fund Services at the address, telephone number or e-mail address listed above.

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS  
KEY DEFINED TERMS 1
INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS 2
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS 11
BOARD OF TRUSTEES, MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE PROVIDERS 13
A. Board of Trustees 13
B. Principal Officers of the Trust 16
C. Ownership of Securities of the Adviser and Related Companies 16
D. Information Concerning Trust Committees 16
E. Compensation of Trustees and Officers 17
F. Investment Adviser 17
G. Distributor 20
H. Other Fund Service Providers 21
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS 23
A. How Securities are Purchased and Sold 23
B. Commissions Paid 23
C. Adviser Responsibility for Purchases and Sales and Choosing Broker-Dealers 23
D. Counterparty Risk 24
E. Transactions through Affiliates 24
F. Other Accounts of the Adviser 24
G. Portfolio Turnover 24
H. Securities of Regular Broker-Dealers 24
I. Portfolio Holdings 24
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION INFORMATION 26
A. General Information 26
B. Additional Purchase Information 26
C. Additional Redemption Information 26
TAXATION 28
A. Qualification for Treatment as a Regulated Investment Company 28
B. Fund Distributions 30
C. Certain Tax Rules Applicable to Fund Transactions 32
D. Federal Excise Tax 35
E. Redemption of Shares 35
F. State and Local Taxes 36
G. Backup Withholding 36
H. Foreign Income Tax 36
I. Non-U.S. Investors 37
OTHER MATTERS 38
A. The Trust and its Shareholders 38
B. Fund Ownership 39
C. Limitations on Shareholders’ and Trustees’ Liability 39
D. Proxy Voting Procedures 40
E. Code of Ethics 40
F. Registration Statement 40
G. Financial Statements 40
APPENDIX A – DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS A-1
APPENDIX B – MISCELLANEOUS TABLES B-1
APPENDIX C – TRUST PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES C-1
APPENDIX D – ADVISER AND SUBADVISER PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES D-1

 

 

KEY DEFINED TERMS

 

As used in this SAI, the following terms have the meanings listed.

 

“1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including rules, regulations, SEC interpretations, and any exemptive orders or interpretive relief promulgated thereunder.

 

“1940 Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, including rules, regulations, SEC interpretations, and any exemptive orders or interpretive relief promulgated thereunder.

 

“Adviser” means Acuitas Investments, LLC, the Fund's investment adviser.

 

“Board” means the Board of Trustees of the Trust.

 

“CFTC” means the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

 

“Independent Trustees” means trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust, as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act.

 

“IRC” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

 

“IRS” means the Internal Revenue Service.

 

“NAV” means net asset value per share.

 

“RIC” means a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the IRC.

 

“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

“Subadviser” means each of AltraVue Capital, LLC; Bridge City Capital, LLC; ClariVest Asset Management, LLC; Granahan Investment Management, Inc.; Meros Investment Management, L.P.; and Tieton Capital Management, LLC, the Fund's subadvisers.

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INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS

 

The Fund is a diversified open-ended series of the Trust. This section supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, the Prospectus. Please see the Prospectus for a discussion of the Fund’s investment objective, principal investment strategies and principal risks of investing in the Fund. That said, the following paragraphs provide more detail regarding the fund’s investment policies and the associated risks.

 

Security Ratings Information

 

The Fund’s investments in fixed-income will be rated investment grade at the time of purchase and are therefore subject to the credit risk relating to the financial condition of the issuers of the securities. The Fund also may invest in investment grade debt securities, including corporate debt obligations, U.S. Government Securities, and variable and floating rate securities. Investment grade means the securities are rated in the top four long-term rating categories or unrated and determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality.

 

The lowest ratings that are investment grade for corporate bonds, including convertible securities, are “Baa” in the case of Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) and “BBB” in the cases of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services, LLC, a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“S&P”) and Fitch, Inc. (“Fitch”); for preferred stock the lowest ratings are “Baa” in the case of Moody’s and “BBB” in the cases of S&P and Fitch. Non-investment grade fixed-income securities (commonly known as “junk bonds”) have significant speculative characteristics and generally involve greater volatility of price than investment grade securities. Unrated securities may not be as actively traded as rated securities. The Fund may retain securities whose ratings have declined below the lowest permissible rating category (or that are unrated and determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality to securities whose ratings have declined below the lowest permissible rating category) if the Adviser determines that retaining such security is in the best interests of the Fund. The Fund’s investments in preferred stock and convertible securities will be subject to credit, volatility, and liquidity risks of the issuers’ securities that are non-investment grade or which may be unrated.

 

Moody’s, S&P, Fitch and other organizations provide ratings of the credit quality of debt obligations, including convertible securities. A description of the range of ratings assigned to various types of bonds and other securities is included in Appendix A to this SAI. The Adviser may use these ratings to determine whether to purchase, sell or hold a security. Ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Credit ratings attempt to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments and do not evaluate the risks of fluctuations in market value. An issuer’s current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates.

 

Equity Securities

 

Common and Preferred Stock. The Fund may invest in common and preferred stock. Common stock represents an ownership interest in a company and usually possesses voting rights and earns dividends. Dividends on common stock are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of the issuer. Common stock generally represents the riskiest investment in a company. In addition, common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential because increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company’s common stock price. Preferred stock is a class of stock having a preference over common stock as to the payment of dividends or the recovery of investment should a company be liquidated, although preferred stock is usually junior to the debt securities of the issuer. Preferred stock typically does not possess voting rights. Preferred stock is subject to the risks associated with other types of equity securities, as well as additional risks, such as credit risk, interest rate risk, potentially greater volatility and risks related to deferral, non-cumulative dividends, subordination, liquidity, limited voting rights, and special redemption rights.

 

The fundamental risk of investing in common and preferred stock is the risk that the value of the stock might decrease. Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of an individual company or in response to general market and/or economic conditions. Historically, common stocks have provided greater long-term returns and have entailed greater short-term risks than preferred stocks, fixed-income securities and money market investments. The market value of all securities, including common and preferred stocks, is based upon the market’s perception of value and not necessarily the book value of an issuer or other objective measure of a company’s worth. If you invest in the Fund, you should be willing to accept the risks of the stock market and should consider an investment in the Fund only as a part of your overall investment portfolio.

 

Convertible Securities. The Fund may invest in convertible securities. Convertible securities include fixed-income securities, preferred stock or other securities that may be converted into or exchanged for a given amount of common stock of the same or a different issuer during a specified period and at a specified price in the future. A convertible security entitles the

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holder to receive interest on debt or the dividend on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged.

 

Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in a company’s capital structure but are usually subordinated to comparable non-convertible securities. Convertible securities have unique investment characteristics in that they generally: (1) have higher yields than the underlying common stock, but lower yields than comparable non-convertible securities; (2) are less subject to fluctuation in value than the underlying common stock since they have fixed-income characteristics; and (3) provide the potential for capital appreciation if the market price of the underlying common stock increases.

 

A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument. If a convertible security is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to permit the issuer to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock or sell it to a third party.

 

Investment in convertible securities generally entails less risk than an investment in the issuer’s common stock. Convertible securities are typically issued by smaller capitalization companies whose stock price may be volatile. Therefore, the price of a convertible security may reflect variations in the price of the underlying common stock in a way that non-convertible debt does not. The extent to which such risk is reduced, however, depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed-income security.

 

Warrants. The Fund may invest in warrants. Warrants are securities, typically issued with preferred stock or bonds that give the holder the right to purchase a given number of shares of common stock at a specified price and time. The price usually represents a premium over the applicable market value of the common stock at the time of the warrant’s issuance. Warrants have no voting rights with respect to the common stock, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.

 

Investments in warrants involve certain risks, including the possible lack of a liquid market for the resale of the warrants, potential price fluctuations due to adverse market conditions or other factors and failure of the price of the common stock to rise. If the warrant is not exercised within the specified time period, it becomes worthless.

 

Fixed-Income Securities

 

The Fund may invest in debt securities including corporate debt obligations, U.S. Government Securities, and variable and floating rate securities.

 

Corporate Debt Obligations. Corporate debt obligations include corporate bonds, debentures, notes, commercial paper and other similar corporate debt instruments. Companies use these instruments to borrow money from investors. The issuer pays the investor a fixed or variable rate of interest and must repay the amount borrowed at maturity. Commercial paper (short-term unsecured promissory notes) is issued by companies to finance their current obligations and normally has a maturity of less than nine months. In addition, the Fund may invest in corporate debt securities registered and sold in the United States by foreign issuers (Yankee bonds) and those sold outside the United States by foreign or U.S. issuers (Eurobonds). The Fund may only invest in commercial paper that is rated in one of the two highest short-term rating categories by an organization providing ratings or, if unrated, is judged by the Adviser to be of comparable quality.

 

Financial Institution Obligations. Obligations of financial institutions include, among other things, negotiable certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances. The Fund may invest in negotiable certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances issued by commercial banks doing business in the United States that have, at the time of investment, total assets in excess of one billion dollars and are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

 

Certificates of deposit represent an institution’s obligation to repay funds deposited with it that earn a specified interest rate over a given period. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable obligations of a bank to pay a draft, which has been drawn by a customer, and are usually backed by goods in international trade. Certificates of deposit, which are payable at the stated maturity date and bear a fixed rate of interest, generally may be withdrawn on demand by the Fund but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties which could reduce its performance.

 

U.S. Government Securities. The Fund may invest in U.S. Government Securities. The Fund considers U.S. Government Securities to include: (1) U.S. Treasury obligations (which differ only in their interest rates and maturities), (2) obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities that are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (such as securities issued by the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”), Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Export-Import Bank, the

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General Services Administration and the Maritime Administration and certain securities issued by the FHA and the Small Business Administration) and (3) securities that are guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”) or the Federal Home Loan Banks). These U.S. Government-sponsored entities, which although chartered and sponsored by Congress, are not guaranteed nor insured by the U.S. Government. They are supported by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or corporation. The range of maturities of U.S. Government Securities is usually three months to thirty years. In general, the U.S. Government Securities tend to carry more interest rate risk than corporate bonds with similar maturities.

 

In September 2008, the Treasury and FHFA announced that FNMA and FHLMC had been placed in conservatorship. Since that time, FNMA and FHLMC have received significant capital support through Treasury preferred stock purchases, as well as Treasury and Federal Reserve purchases of their mortgage -backed securities. The FHFA and the U.S. Treasury (through its agreement to purchase FNMA and FHLMC preferred stock) have imposed strict limits on the size of their mortgage portfolios. While the mortgage-backed securities purchase programs ended in 2010, the Treasury continued its support for the entities’ capital as necessary to prevent a negative net worth through at least 2012. When a credit rating agency downgraded long-term U.S. Government debt in August 2011, the agency also downgraded FNMA and FHLMC’s bond ratings, from AAA to AA+, based on their direct reliance on the U.S. Government (although that rating did not directly relate to their mortgage-backed securities). From the end of 2007 through the first quarter of 2014, FNMA and FHLMC required Treasury support of approximately $187.5 billion through draws under the preferred stock purchase agreements. However, they have paid $203 billion in senior preferred dividends to the Treasury over the same period. FNMA did not require any draws from Treasury from the fourth quarter of 2011 through the second quarter of 2014. Similarly, FHLMC did not require any draws from Treasury from the first quarter of 2012 through the second quarter of 2014. In April 2014, FHFA projected that FNMA and FHLMC would require no additional draws from Treasury through the end of 2015. However, FHFA also conducted a stress test mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act, which suggested that in a “severely adverse scenario” additional Treasury support of between $84.4 billion and $190 billion (depending on the treatment of deferred tax assets) might be required. No assurance can be given that the Federal Reserve or the Treasury will ensure that FNMA and FHLMC remain successful in meeting their obligations with respect to the debt and mortgage-backed securities that they issue.

 

In addition, the problems faced by FNMA and FHLMC, resulting in their being placed into federal conservatorship and receiving significant U.S. Government support, have sparked serious debate among federal policymakers regarding the continued role of the U.S. Government in providing liquidity for mortgage loans. In December 2011, Congress enacted the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 which, among other provisions, requires that FNMA and FHLMC increase their single-family guaranty fees by at least 10 basis points and remit this increase to the Treasury with respect to all loans acquired by FNMA or FHLMC on or after April 1, 2012 and before January 1, 2022. Serious discussions among policymakers continue, however, as to whether FNMA and FHLMC should be nationalized, privatized, restructured or eliminated altogether. FNMA reported in the second quarter of 2014 that there was “significant uncertainty regarding the future of our company, including how long the company will continue to exist in its current form, the extent of our role in the market, what form we will have, and what ownership interest, if any, our current common and preferred stockholders will hold in us after the conservatorship is terminated and whether we will continue to exist following conservatorship.” FHLMC faces similar uncertainty about its future role. FNMA and FHLMC also are the subject of several continuing legal actions and investigations over certain accounting, disclosure or corporate governance matters, which (along with any resulting financial restatements) may continue to have an adverse effect on the guaranteeing entities.

 

Holders of U.S. Government Securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing the obligation for repayment and may not be able to assert a claim against the U.S. in the event that the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitment. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government would provide support if it were not obligated to do so by law. Neither the U.S. Government nor any of its agencies or instrumentalities guarantees the market value of the securities they issue.

 

The Fund may also invest in separated or divided U.S. Government Securities. These instruments represent a single interest, or principal, payment on a U.S. Government Security that has been separated from all the other interest payments as well as the security itself. When a Fund purchases such an instrument, it purchases the right to receive a single payment of a set sum at a known date in the future. The interest rate on such an instrument is determined by the price the Fund pays for the instrument when it purchases the instrument at a discount under what the instrument entitles the Fund to receive when the instrument matures. The amount of the discount the Fund will receive will depend upon the length of time to maturity of the separated U.S. Government Security and prevailing market interest rates when the separated U.S. Government Security is purchased. Separated U.S. Government Securities can be considered zero coupon investments because no payment is made to the Fund until maturity. The market values of these securities are much more susceptible to change in market interest

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rates than income-producing securities. These securities are purchased with original issue discount and such discount is includable as gross income to a Fund shareholder over the life of the security.

 

The Fund may also purchase certificates not issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which evidence ownership of future interest, principal or interest and principal payments on obligations issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The actual U.S. Treasury securities will be held by a custodian on behalf of the certificate holder. These certificates are purchased with original issue discount and are subject to greater fluctuations in market value, based upon changes in market interest rates, than income-producing securities.

 

Variable and Floating Rate Securities. Debt securities have variable or floating rates of interest and, under certain limited circumstances, may have varying principal amounts. These securities pay interest at rates that are adjusted periodically according to a specified formula, usually with reference to one or more interest rate indices or market interest rates (the “underlying index”). The interest paid on these securities is a function primarily of the underlying index upon which the interest rate adjustments are based. These adjustments minimize changes in the market value of the obligation. Similar to fixed rate debt instruments, variable and floating rate instruments are subject to changes in value based on changes in market interest rates or changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness. The rate of interest on securities may be tied to U.S. Government Securities or indices on those securities as well as any other rate of interest or index. Certain variable rate securities pay interest at a rate that varies inversely to prevailing short-term interest rates (sometimes referred to as “inverse floaters”). Certain inverse floaters may have an interest rate reset mechanism that multiplies the effects of changes in the underlying index. This mechanism may increase the volatility of the security’s market value while increasing the security’s yield.

 

Variable and floating rate demand notes of corporations are redeemable upon a specified period of notice. These obligations include master demand notes that permit investment of fluctuating amounts at varying interest rates under direct arrangements with the issuer of the instrument. The issuer of these obligations often has the right, after a given period, to prepay the outstanding principal amount of the obligations upon a specified number of days’ notice. Certain securities may have an initial principal amount that varies over time based on an interest rate index, and, accordingly, a Fund might be entitled to less than the initial principal amount of the security upon the security’s maturity. The Fund intends to purchase these securities only when the Adviser believes the interest income from the instrument justifies any principal risks associated with the instrument. The Adviser may attempt to limit any potential loss of principal by purchasing similar instruments that are intended to provide an offsetting increase in principal. There can be no assurance that the Adviser will be able to limit the effects of principal fluctuations and, accordingly, a Fund may incur losses on those securities even if held to maturity without issuer default.

 

There may not be an active secondary market for any particular floating or variable rate instruments, which could make it difficult for a Fund to dispose of the instrument during periods that the Fund is not entitled to exercise any demand rights it may have. The Fund could, for this or other reasons, suffer a loss with respect to those instruments. The Adviser monitors the liquidity of the Fund’s investment in variable and floating rate instruments, but there can be no guarantee that an active secondary market will exist.

 

General Risk. The market value of the interest-bearing fixed-income securities held by a Fund will be affected by changes in interest rates. There is normally an inverse relationship between the market value of securities sensitive to prevailing interest rates and actual changes in interest rates. The longer the remaining maturity (and duration) of a security, the more sensitive the security is to changes in interest rates. All fixed-income securities, including U.S. Government Securities, can change in value when there is a change in interest rates. Changes in the ability of an issuer to make payments of interest and principal and in the markets’ perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness will also affect the market value of that issuer’s debt securities. As a result, an investment in the Fund is subject to risk even if all fixed-income securities in the Fund’s investment portfolio are paid in full at maturity. In addition, certain fixed-income securities may be subject to extension risk, which refers to the change in total return on a security resulting from an extension or abbreviation of the security’s maturity.

 

Yields on fixed-income securities, including municipal securities, are dependent on a variety of factors, including the general conditions of the fixed-income securities markets, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. Fixed-income securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher yields and are generally subject to greater price movements than obligations with shorter maturities.

 

The issuers of fixed-income securities are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors that may restrict the ability of the issuer to pay, when due, the principal of and interest on its debt securities. The possibility exists therefore, that, as a result of bankruptcy, litigation or other conditions, the ability of an issuer to pay, when due, the principal of and interest on its debt securities may become impaired.

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Credit Risk. A Fund’s investments in fixed-income securities are subject to credit risk relating to the financial condition of the issuers of the securities that the Fund holds. To limit credit risk, the Fund will generally buy debt securities that are rated by an organization providing ratings in the top four long-term rating categories or in the top two short-term rating categories. Moody’s, S&P’s and other organization providing ratings are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of debt obligations, including convertible securities. A description of the range of ratings assigned to various types of securities is included in Appendix A. The Adviser may use these ratings to determine whether to purchase, sell or hold a security. Ratings are not, however, absolute standards of quality. Credit ratings attempt to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments and do not evaluate the risks of fluctuations in market value. Consequently, similar securities with the same rating may have different market prices. In addition, rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and the issuer’s current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates.

 

A Fund may retain a security that ceases to be rated or whose rating has been lowered below the Fund’s lowest permissible rating category if the Adviser determines that retaining the security is in the best interests of the Fund. Because a downgrade often results in a reduction in the market price of the security, sale of a downgraded security may result in a loss.

 

The Fund may purchase unrated securities if the Adviser determines that the security is of comparable quality to a rated security that the Fund may purchase. Unrated securities may not be as actively traded as rated securities.

 

Futures

 

Futures Contracts and Index Futures Contracts. A futures contract is a bilateral agreement where one party agrees to accept, and the other party agrees to make, delivery of cash or an underlying debt security, as called for in the contract, at a specified date and at an agreed upon price. An index futures contract involves the delivery of an amount of cash equal to a specified dollar amount multiplied by the difference between the index value at the close of trading of the contract and at the price designated by the futures contract. No physical delivery of the securities comprising the index is made. Generally, these futures contracts are closed out prior to the expiration date of the contracts.

 

If a Fund will be financially exposed to another party due to its investments in futures, the Fund, may, if required, maintain either: (1) an offsetting (“covered”) position in the underlying security or an offsetting futures contract; or (2) cash, receivables and liquid debt securities with a value sufficient at all times to cover its potential obligations.

 

Risks of Futures Contract. The risk of loss in trading futures contracts can be substantial, due to the low margin deposits required, the extremely high degree of leverage involved in futures pricing, and the potential high volatility of the futures markets. Futures prices are affected by and may respond rapidly to a variety of factors including (but not limited to) market reports, news reports, interest rates, national and international political and economic events, weather and domestic or foreign trades, monetary or fiscal policies and programs. Such rapid response might include an opening price on an affected futures contract sharply higher or lower than the previous day’s close. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so thus causing the Fund to incur a loss. In addition, on the settlement date, the Fund may be required to make delivery of the instruments underlying the futures positions it holds.

 

The Fund could suffer losses if it is unable to close out a futures contract because of an illiquid secondary market. Futures contracts may be closed out only on an exchange, which provides a secondary market for such products. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular futures product at any specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close a futures position. Moreover, most futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movement during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses, because the limit may prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. Futures contract prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of future positions and subjecting some futures traders to substantial losses.

 

The Fund may use various futures contracts that are relatively new instruments without a significant trading history. As a result, there can be no assurance that an active secondary market in those contracts will develop or continue to exist. The Fund’s activities in the futures markets may result in higher portfolio turnover rates and additional brokerage costs, which could reduce the Fund’s yield.

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Derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that have a value which depends upon, or is derived from, the value of something else, such as one or more underlying securities, pools of securities, options, futures, indexes or currencies. Gains or losses involving derivative instruments may be substantial, because a relatively small price movement in the underlying securities, instrument, currency or index may result in a substantial gain or loss for the Fund. Futures contracts are considered to be derivatives. Use of these instruments is subject to regulation by the SEC, the futures exchanges on which futures are traded or by the CFTC. No assurance can be given that any income strategy will achieve its intended result.

 

Historically, an adviser of a fund trading commodity interests (such as futures contracts, options on futures contracts, nondeliverable forwards, swaps and cash-settled foreign currency contracts) has been excluded from regulation as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”) pursuant to CFTC Regulation 4.5. In 2012, the CFTC amended Regulation 4.5 to dramatically narrow this exclusion.

 

Under the amended Regulation 4.5 exclusion, a fund’s commodity interests - other than those used for bona fide hedging purposes (as defined by the CFTC) - must be limited such that the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish the positions (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions and excluding the amount by which options are “in-the-money” at the time of purchase) does not exceed 5% of the fund’s NAV, or alternatively, the aggregate net notional value of the positions, determined at the time the most recent position was established, does not exceed 100% of the fund’s NAV (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). Further, to qualify for the exclusion in amended Regulation 4.5, a fund must satisfy a marketing test, which requires, among other things, that the fund not hold itself out as a vehicle for trading commodity interests.

 

The Adviser intends to comply with one of the two alternative limitations described above with respect to the Fund and claim an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) with respect to the Fund. The Fund therefore will not be subject to registration or regulation as a CPO under the CEA. Complying with the limitations may restrict the Adviser’s ability to use derivatives as part of the Fund’s investment strategies. Although the Adviser expects to be able to execute the Fund’s strategies within the limitations, performance could be adversely affected.

 

Regulation of Derivatives. The regulation of derivatives markets in the United States is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action. In particular, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), signed into law in 2010, granted significant authority to the SEC and the CFTC to impose comprehensive regulations on the over-the-counter and cleared derivatives markets. These regulations include, but are not limited to, mandatory clearing of certain derivatives and requirements relating to disclosure, margin and trade reporting. New regulations could adversely affect the value, availability and performance of certain derivative instruments, may make them more costly, and may limit or restrict their use by the Fund.

 

On October 28, 2020, the SEC adopted Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act (the “Derivatives Rule”) which, following an implementation period, replaced former SEC and staff guidance with an updated, comprehensive framework for registered investment companies’ use of derivatives. Among other changes, the Derivatives Rule requires an investment company to trade derivatives and certain other instruments that create future payment or delivery obligations subject to a value-at-risk (“VaR”) leverage limit, develop and implement a derivatives risk management program and new testing requirements, and comply with new requirements related to board and SEC reporting. These new requirements apply unless the Fund qualifies as a “limited derivatives user,” which the Derivatives Rule defines as a fund that limits its derivatives exposure to 10% of its net assets. Complying with the Derivatives Rule may increase the cost of the Fund’s investments and cost of doing business, which could adversely affect investors. Other potentially adverse regulatory obligations can develop suddenly and without notice.

 

Illiquid and Restricted Securities

 

General. The Fund may not acquire securities or invest in repurchase agreements if, as a result, more than 15% of a Fund’s net assets (taken at current value) would be invested in illiquid securities. If, after the time of acquisition, due to subsequent fluctuations in value or any other reasons, the value of the Fund’s illiquid securities exceeds 15%, the Adviser will consider what actions are appropriate to help maintain adequate liquidity, such as an orderly disposition of the illiquid securities, to the extent possible. Further, the Adviser continuously monitors the Fund’s holdings in illiquid securities.

 

The term “illiquid securities” means securities that cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Illiquid securities include: (1) repurchase agreements not entitling the holder to payment of principal within seven days; (2) purchased over-the-counter options; (3) securities which are not readily marketable; and (4) except as otherwise determined

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by the Adviser, securities that are illiquid by virtue of restrictions on the sale of such securities to the public without registration under the 1933 Act (“Restricted Securities”).

 

The Fund will not invest more than 10% of its net assets (taken at current value) in Restricted Securities.

 

A liquid market exists for certain Restricted Securities and the Adviser, pursuant to policies approved by the Board, may determine that certain Restricted Securities are not illiquid. These securities are not subject to a Fund’s investment limitations on illiquid and Restricted Securities.

 

An institutional market has developed for certain restricted securities. Accordingly, contractual or legal restrictions on the resale of a security may not be indicative of the liquidity of the security. If such securities are eligible for purchase by institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the 1933 Act or other exemptions, the Adviser may determine that the securities are liquid.

 

Risks. Any security, including securities determined by the Adviser to be liquid, may become illiquid. Limitations on resale may have an adverse effect on the marketability of a security. A Fund might also have to register a restricted security in order to dispose of it, resulting in expense and delay. A Fund might not be able to dispose of restricted or illiquid securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience a loss or have difficulty satisfying redemptions. There can be no assurance that a market will exist for any illiquid security at any particular time.

 

Determination of Liquidity. The Board has the ultimate responsibility for determining whether specific securities are liquid and has delegated this responsibility to the Adviser, pursuant to guidelines approved by the Board. The Adviser determines and monitors the liquidity of the portfolio securities and reports periodically on its decisions to the Board. The Adviser takes into account a number of factors in reaching liquidity decisions, including but not limited to: (1) existence of an active market for the asset, including whether the asset is listed on an exchange, as well as the number, diversity and quality of market participants; (2) frequency of trades or quotes for the asset and average daily trading volume of the asset (regardless of whether the asset is a security traded on an exchange); (3) volatility of trading prices for the asset; (4) bid-ask spreads for the asset; (5) whether the asset has a relatively standardized and simple structure; (6) for fixed income securities, maturity and date of issue; (7) restrictions on trading of the asset and limitations on transfer of the asset; (8) the size of the fund's position in the asset relative to the asset's average daily trading volume and, as applicable, the number of units of the asset outstanding; and (9) relationship of the asset to another portfolio asset. Consider adding any factors that are applicable.

 

Leverage Transactions

 

General. The Fund may use leverage to increase potential returns subject to its non-fundamental investment limitation on borrowing. That limitation provides that a Fund may not purchase securities for investment while any borrowing equaling 10% or more of the Fund’s total assets is outstanding. Leverage involves special risks and may involve speculative investment techniques. Leverage exists when cash made available to a Fund through an investment technique is used to make additional Fund investments. Lending portfolio securities and purchasing securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis may create leverage. A Fund uses these investment techniques only when the Adviser believes that the leveraging and the returns available to the Fund from investing the cash will provide investors a potentially higher return.

 

Securities Lending. The Fund may lend portfolio securities in an amount up to 10% of its total assets to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions. Securities loans must be continuously collateralized and the collateral must have market value at least equal to the value of the Fund’s loan securities, plus accrued interest. In a portfolio securities lending transaction, a Fund receives from the borrower an amount equal to the interest paid or the dividends declared on the loaned securities during the term of the loan as well as the interest on the collateral securities, less any fees (such as finders or administrative fees) the Fund pays in arranging the loan.

 

Risks. Leverage creates the risk of magnified capital losses. Losses incurred by a Fund may be magnified by borrowings and other liabilities that exceed the equity base of the Fund. Leverage may involve the creation of a liability that requires a Fund to pay interest or the creation of a liability that does not entail any interest costs (for instance, forward commitment costs).

 

The risks of leverage include a higher volatility of the net asset value of a Fund’s securities and the relatively greater effect on the net asset value of the securities caused by favorable or adverse market movements or changes in the cost of cash obtained by leveraging and the yield from invested cash. So long as a Fund is able to realize a net return on its investment portfolio that is higher than interest expense incurred, if any, leverage will result in higher current net investment income for the Fund than if it were not leveraged. Changes in interest rates and related economic factors could cause the relationship between the cost of leveraging and the yield to change so that rates involved in the leveraging arrangement may substantially

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increase relative to the yield on the obligations in which the proceeds of the leveraging have been invested. To the extent that the interest expense involved in leveraging approaches the net return on a Fund’s investment portfolio, the benefit of leveraging will be reduced, and, if the interest expense on borrowings were to exceed the net return to investors, the Fund’s use of leverage would result in a lower rate of return than if the Fund were not leveraged. In an extreme case, if the Fund’s current investment income were not sufficient to meet the interest expense of leveraging, it could be necessary for the Fund to liquidate certain of its investments at a disadvantageous time.

 

Securities of Investment Companies

 

Open-End and Closed-End Investment Companies. The Fund may invest in shares of other open-end and closed-end investment companies in accordance with the investment restrictions in the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, a Fund’s investments in such securities is generally limited to 3% of the outstanding voting stock of any other investment company, 5% of the Fund’s total assets in any other investment company, and 10% of the Fund’s total assets in all other investment companies combined. Notwithstanding these restrictions, the Fund may invest any amount, pursuant to Rule 12d1-1 under the 1940 Act, in affiliated or unaffiliated investment companies that hold themselves out as “money market funds” and which operate in accordance with Rule 2a-7 of the 1940 Act. In addition, the Fund may invest in other investment companies in excess of these limits pursuant to Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act.

 

Risks. A Fund, as a shareholder of another investment company, will bear its pro-rata portion of the other investment company’s advisory fee and other expenses, in addition to its own expenses and will be exposed to the investment risks associated with the other investment company. To the extent that a Fund invests in open-end or closed-end investment companies that invest primarily in the securities of companies located outside the United States, see the risks related to foreign securities set forth above.

 

Exchange-Traded Funds. The Fund may invest in ETFs, which are registered investment companies, partnerships or trusts that are bought and sold on a securities exchange. The Fund may also invest in exchange traded notes (“ETNs”), which are typically structured debt securities. Whereas ETFs’ liabilities are secured by their portfolio securities, ETNs’ liabilities are unsecured general obligations of the issuer. Most ETFs and ETNs are designed to track a particular market segment or index. ETFs and ETNs have expenses associated with their operation, typically including, with respect to ETFs, advisory fees. When the Fund invests in an ETF or ETN, in addition to directly bearing expenses associated with its own operations, it will bear its pro rata portion of the ETF’s or ETN’s expenses.

 

Risks. The risks of owning an ETF or ETN generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities the ETF or ETN is designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF or ETN could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. In addition, because of ETF or ETN expenses, compared to owning the underlying securities directly, it may be more costly to own an ETF or ETN. The value of an ETN security should also be expected to fluctuate with the credit rating of the issuer.

 

Temporary Defensive Position and Cash Investments

 

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

 

A Fund may temporarily invest a portion of its assets in cash or cash items pending other investments or to maintain liquid assets required in connection with some of the Fund’s investments. These cash items may consist of money market instruments (such as securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper and certificates of deposit) or other cash instruments of any quality.

 

Money market instruments usually have maturities of one year or less and fixed rates of return. The money market instruments in which a Fund may invest include short-term U.S. Government Securities, commercial paper, time deposits, bankers’ acceptances and certificates of deposit issued by domestic banks, corporate notes and short-term bonds and money market mutual funds. The Fund may only invest in money market mutual funds to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act.

 

The money market instruments in which a Fund may invest may have variable or floating rates of interest. These obligations include master demand notes that permit investment of fluctuating amounts at varying rates of interest pursuant to direct

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arrangement with the issuer of the instrument. The issuer of these obligations often has the right, after a given period, to prepay the outstanding principal amount of the obligations upon a specified number of days’ notice. These obligations generally are not traded, nor generally is there an established secondary market for these obligations. To the extent a demand note does not have a 7-day or shorter demand feature and there is no readily available market for the obligation, it is treated as an illiquid security.

 

Cyber-Security

 

The Fund, and its service providers, may be prone to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include, among other behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information or various other forms of cyber security breaches. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund or its third-party service providers may adversely impact the Fund. For instance, cyber-attacks may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential business information, impede trading, subject the Fund to regulatory fines or financial losses and/or cause reputational damage. The Fund may also incur additional costs for cyber security risk management purposes. While the Fund’s service providers have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber-attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect a Fund or its shareholders. Similar types of cyber security risks are also present for issues or securities in which a Fund may invest, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investment in such companies to lose value.

 

Market Turbulence

 

The greatest risk of investing in a mutual fund is that its returns will fluctuate, and you could lose money. Turbulence in the financial sector may result in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets. Both domestic and foreign equity markets have experienced significant volatility and turmoil, with issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets particularly affected. It is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions could occur.

 

Reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect many issuers worldwide. This reduced liquidity may result in less money being available to purchase raw materials, goods and services from emerging markets, which may, in turn, bring down the prices of these economic staples. It may also result in emerging market issuers having more difficulty obtaining financing, which may, in turn, cause a decline in their stock prices. These events and possible market turbulence may have an adverse effect on the Fund.

 

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

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INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS

 

The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has adopted the following investment policies which are fundamental policies that may not be changed without the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. “The vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund,” as defined by the 1940 Act, means the vote, at the annual or a special meeting of the security holders of the Fund duly called, (A) of 67 per centum or more of the voting securities present at such meeting, if the holders of more than 50 per centum of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund are present or represented by proxy; or (B) of more than 50 per centum of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, whichever is the less."

 

The Fund’s investment objective is a non-fundamental policy. Non-fundamental policies may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval.

 

For purposes of the Fund's investment limitations, all percentage limitations apply immediately after an investment. Except with respect to the borrowing money policy set forth in section (1) below, if a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of an investment, a later increase or decrease in the percentage resulting from any change in value or net assets will not result in a violation of such restrictions. In addition, if the value of the Fund’s holdings of illiquid securities at any time exceeds the percentage limitation applicable at the time of acquisition (15% of net assets) due to subsequent fluctuations in value or other reasons, the Adviser will consider what actions are appropriate to maintain adequate liquidity, such as an orderly disposition of the illiquid securities, to the extent possible. Further, the Fund continuously monitors its holdings in illiquid securities.

 

Fundamental Limitations. The Fund has adopted the following investment limitations that cannot be changed by the Board without shareholder approval.

 

1. The Fund may not borrow money, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.

 

2. The Fund may not issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.

 

3. The Fund will not make loans to other persons, except: (a) by loaning portfolio securities; (b) by engaging in repurchase agreements; or (c) by purchasing nonpublicly offered debt securities. For purposes of this limitation, the term “loans” shall not included the purchase of a portion of an issue of publicly distributed bonds, debentures or other securities.

 

4. The Fund may not engage in the business of underwriting securities except to the extent that the Fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the 1933 Act in the acquisition, disposition or resale of its portfolio securities or in connection with investments in other investment companies, or to the extent otherwise permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.

 

5. The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.

 

6. The Fund will not purchase or sell commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other investments. This limitation does not preclude the Fund from purchasing or selling options or futures contracts, from investing in securities or other instruments backed by commodities or from investing in companies, which are engaged in commodities business or have a significant portion of their assets in commodities.

 

7. The Fund will not invest more than 25% of its total assets in a particular industry. This limitation is not applicable to investments in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities or repurchase agreements with respect thereto.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to borrowing money set forth in section (1) above, the 1940 Act permits the Fund to borrow money in amounts of up to 33⅓% of the Fund’s total assets, at the time of borrowing, from banks for any purpose (the Fund’s total assets include the amounts being borrowed). To limit the risks attendant to borrowing, the 1940 Act requires the Fund to maintain at all times an asset coverage of at least 300% of the amount of its borrowings (not including borrowings for temporary purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets). In the event that asset coverage falls below this percentage, the Fund is required to reduce the amount of its borrowings within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) so that the asset coverage is restored to at least 300%. Asset coverage means the ratio

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that the value of the Fund’s total assets (including amounts borrowed), minus liabilities other than borrowings, bears to the aggregate amount of all borrowings.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to issuing senior securities set forth in section (2) above, “senior securities” are defined as Fund obligations that have a priority over the Fund’s shares with respect to the payment of dividends or the distribution of Fund assets. The 1940 Act prohibits the Fund from issuing any class of senior securities or selling any senior securities of which it is the issuer, except that the Fund is permitted to borrow from a bank if consistent with the fundamental policy set forth in section (1) above. The policy in (2) above will be interpreted not to prevent collateral arrangements with respect to options, forwards or futures contracts or other derivatives, or the posting of initial or variation margin.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to making loans set forth in section (3) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit the Fund from making loans; however, SEC staff interpretations currently prohibit registered investment companies from lending more than one-third of their total assets, except through the purchase of debt obligations.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to investing in real estate set forth in section (5) above, the Fund may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, invest in securities or other instruments directly or indirectly secured by real estate and invest in securities or other instruments issued by issuers that invest in real estate. Investments in securities of issuers that are exposed to or invested in the real estate business will not be deemed to be a purchase or sale of real estate.

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES, MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE PROVIDERS

 

A. Board of Trustees

 

The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees (the “Board” or “Trustees”). The Board oversees the management and operations of the Trust and the Fund, in accordance with federal law, Delaware law and the stated policies of the Fund. The Board oversees the Trust’s officers and service providers, including the Adviser, which is responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations of the Fund based on policies and agreements reviewed and approved by the Board. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Board regularly interacts with and receives reports from senior personnel of service providers and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”). The Board also is assisted by the Trust’s independent auditor (which reports directly to the Trust’s Audit Committee), independent counsel and other experts as appropriate. The Trustees serve until their respective successors have been elected and qualified or until their earlier death, resignation or removal.

 

The Fund does not hold itself out as related to any other series within the Trust for purposes of investment and investor services, nor does it share the same investment adviser with any other series. As a result, the term “Fund Complex” applies only to the Fund.

 

Board Structure and Related Matters. Independent Trustees constitute at least a majority of the Board members. David Tucker, an Independent Trustee, serves as Independent Chair of the Board. The Independent Chair’s responsibilities include: setting an agenda for each meeting of the Board; presiding at all meetings of the Board and Independent Trustees; and serving as a liaison with other trustees, the Trust’s officers, other management personnel and counsel to the Fund. The Independent Chair also performs such other duties as the Board may from time to time determine.

 

The Trustees discharge their responsibilities collectively as a Board, as well as through Board committees, each of which operates pursuant to a charter or procedures approved by the Board that delineates the specific responsibilities of that committee. The Board has established three standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Nominating Committee and the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee. The members and responsibilities of each Board committee are summarized below.

 

The Board periodically evaluates its structure and composition as well as various aspects of its operations. The Board believes that its leadership structure, including its Independent Chair position and its committees, is appropriate for the Trust in light of, among other factors, the asset size and nature of the Fund, the number of funds overseen by the Board, the arrangements for the conduct of the Fund’s operations, the number of trustees and the Board’s responsibilities. On an annual basis, the Board conducts a self-evaluation that considers, among other matters, whether the Board and its committees are functioning effectively and whether, given the size and composition of the Board and each of its committees, the Trustees are able to oversee effectively the number of funds.

 

The Board holds four regularly scheduled in-person meetings each year. The Board may hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone, to address matters arising between regular meetings. At least once per quarter during a regularly scheduled in-person meeting of the Board, the Independent Trustees meet without the presence of interested Trustees.

 

The Trustees are identified in the table below, which provides information as to their principal business occupations held during the last five years and certain other information. Each Trustee serves until his or her death, resignation or removal and replacement. The address for all Trustees is c/o Apex Fund Services, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 600, Portland, Maine 04101.

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Name and Year of Birth Position with the Trust Length of Time Served Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years Number of Series in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee Other Directorships Held By Trustee During Past Five Years
Independent Trustees
David Tucker
Born: 1958
Chairman of the Board; Trustee; Chairman, Nominating Committee and Qualified Legal Compliance Committee Since 2013 Director, Blue Sky Experience (a charitable endeavor), since 2008; Senior Vice President & General Counsel, American Century Companies (an investment management firm), 1998-2008. 1 Trustee, Forum Funds; Trustee, U.S. Global Investors Funds.
Mark D. Moyer
Born: 1959
Trustee; Chairman Audit Committee Since 2013 Independent consultant providing interim CFO services, principally to non-profit organizations, since 2021; Chief Financial Officer, Freedom House (a NGO advocating political freedom and democracy) 2017-2021. 1 Trustee, Forum Funds; Trustee, U.S. Global Investors Funds.
Jennifer
Brown-Strabley
Born: 1964
Trustee Since 2013 Principal, Portland Global Advisors (a registered investment adviser), 1996-2010. 1 Trustee, Forum Funds; Trustee, U.S. Global Investors Funds.
Interested Trustees(1)
Karen Shaw
Born: 1972
Trustee Since 2023 Senior Vice President, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Senior Vice President, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019. 1 Trustee, Forum Funds; Trustee, U.S. Global Investors Funds.

 

(1) Karen Shaw is currently treated as an interested person of the Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act, due to her affiliation with Apex Fund Services. Apex Fund Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex US Holdings LLC. Karen Shaw is also currently an interested person of the Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act, due to her role as Treasurer of the Trust.

 

In addition to the information set forth in the table above, each Trustee possesses certain relevant qualifications, experience, attributes or skills. The following provides additional information about these qualifications and experience.

 

David Tucker: Mr. Tucker has extensive experience in the investment management industry, including experience in senior management, legal and compliance roles at two large mutual fund complexes; service on various committees of the Investment Company Institute (“ICI”); and director of ICI Mutual (a mutual insurance company sponsored by the investment company industry), including service as chairman of the underwriting, risk and fraud committees of ICI Mutual’s board of directors. Mr. Tucker actively serves charitable organizations in the metropolitan Kansas City area.

 

Mark D. Moyer: Mr. Moyer has extensive experience with finance. He has served as chief financial officer for several non-governmental organizations and a publicly-listed integrated media company. Mr. Moyer also served as an adjunct professor of accounting at Fairfield University.

 

Jennifer Brown-Strabley: Ms. Brown-Strabley has extensive experience in the financial services and investment management industry, including institutional sales experience in global fixed-income and related quantitative research. Ms. Brown-

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Strabley also has experience in business start-up and operations and as a former principal of a registered investment adviser, for which she continues to provide consulting advice from time to time.

 

Karen Shaw: Ms. Shaw has extensive experience in the fund services industry, including senior management roles overseeing the mutual fund administration, fund accounting and financial reporting operations for a fund service provider specializing in third-party mutual fund administration. Ms. Shaw serves as principal financial officer for certain investment companies.

 

Risk Oversight. Consistent with its responsibility for oversight of the Trust and the Fund, the Board oversees the management of risks relating to the administration and operation of the Trust and the Fund. The Adviser, as part of its responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of the Fund, is responsible for day-to-day risk management. The Board, in the exercise of its reasonable business judgment, also separately considers potential risks that may impact the Fund. The Board performs this risk management oversight directly and, as to certain matters, through its committees (described below) and through the Independent Trustees. The following provides an overview of the principal, but not all, aspects of the Board’s oversight of risk management for the Trust and the Fund.

 

In general, the Fund's risks include, among others, investment risk, valuation risk, compliance risk and operational risk. The Board has adopted, and periodically reviews, policies and procedures designed to address these and other risks to the Trust and the Fund. In addition, under the general oversight of the Board, the Adviser, and any Subadvisers and other service providers have themselves adopted a variety of policies, procedures and controls designed to address particular risks. Different processes, procedures and controls are employed with respect to different types of risks. Further, the Adviser and Subadvisers oversee and regularly monitor the investments, operations and compliance of the Fund’s investments.

 

The Board also oversees risk management for the Trust and the Fund through review of regular reports, presentations and other information from officers of the Trust and other persons. Senior officers of the Trust, senior officers of the Adviser and the CCO regularly report to the Board on a range of matters, including those relating to risk management. In this regard, the Board periodically receives reports regarding other service providers to the Trust, either directly or through the CCO. On at least a quarterly basis, the Independent Trustees meet with the CCO to discuss matters relating to the Fund's compliance program. Further, at least annually, the Board receives a report from the CCO regarding the effectiveness of the Fund's compliance program.

 

The Board has designated the Adviser as the valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, and delegated to the Adviser the responsibility for making fair value determinations with respect to the Fund’s portfolio securities. The Adviser, as the valuation designee, is responsible for periodically assessing any material risks associated with the determination of the fair value of the Fund’s investments; establishing and applying fair value methodologies; testing the appropriateness of fair value methodologies; and overseeing and evaluating third-party pricing services. The Adviser, as valuation designee, carries out its fair valuation responsibilities pursuant to and procedures approved by the Board. The Adviser, as valuation designee, reports to the Board on the pricing of the Fund’s shares and the valuation of the Fund’s portfolio securities; recommends independent pricing services to provide a value for Fund assets; makes and monitors fair value determinations pursuant to the valuation policies and procedures; and carries out any other functions designated to the Adviser relating to the valuation of Fund assets.

 

The Board also regularly receives reports from the Adviser or a Subadviser with respect to the investments and securities trading of the Fund. For example, typically, the Board receives reports, presentations and other information from the Adviser or a Subadviser on at least an annual basis in connection with the Board’s consideration of the renewal of the investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Trust on behalf of the Fund (the “Advisory Agreement”). Also, if applicable, the Board receives reports from the Adviser and other service providers in connection with the Board’s consideration of the renewal of any distribution plan of the Fund under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Senior officers of the Trust and senior officers of the Adviser also report regularly to the Audit Committee on valuation matters, internal controls and accounting and financial reporting policies and practices. In addition, the Audit Committee receives regular reports from the Trust’s independent auditors on internal control and financial reporting matters.

 

Trustee Ownership in the Fund and the Fund Complex. The following table sets forth each Trustee’s ownership of the Fund and the Fund Complex as of December 31, 2022.

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Trustees Dollar Range of Beneficial Ownership
in the Fund as of December 31, 2022
Aggregate Dollar Range of Ownership
as of December 31, 2022 in all Registered
Investment Companies Overseen by
Trustee in the Fund Complex
Independent Trustees    
David Tucker None None
Mark D. Moyer None None
Jennifer Brown-Strabley None None
Interested Trustee    
Karen Shaw None None

 

B. Principal Officers of the Trust

 

The officers of the Trust conduct and supervise its daily business. As of the date of this SAI, the officers of the Trust, their years of birth and their principal occupations during the past five calendar years are set forth below. Each officer serves until his or her death, resignation or removal and replacement. The business address of each officer is c/o Apex Fund Services, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 600, Portland, Maine 04101.

 

Name and Year of Birth Position with the Trust Length of Time Served Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years
Zachary Tackett
Born: 1988
President; Principal Executive Officer; Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer; Identity Theft Prevention Officer Since 2014 Senior Counsel, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Counsel, Atlantic Fund Services 2014-2019
Karen Shaw
Born: 1972
Treasurer; Principal Financial Officer Since 2013 Senior Vice President, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Senior Vice President, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019
Carlyn Edgar
Born: 1963
Chief Compliance Officer Since 2013 Senior Vice President, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Senior Vice President, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019.
Lindsey Dorval
Born: 1981
Vice President; Secretary Since 2023 Counsel, Apex Fund Services since 2020.

 

C. Ownership of Securities of the Adviser and Related Companies

 

As of December 31, 2022, no Independent Trustee (or any of his or her immediate family members) owned beneficially or of record, securities of any Trust investment adviser, the Trust’s principal underwriter, or any person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with any Trust investment adviser or principal underwriter.

 

D. Information Concerning Trust Committees

 

Audit Committee. The Trust’s Audit Committee, which typically meets quarterly, consists of Ms. Brown-Strabley and Messrs. Tucker and Moyer. Pursuant to a charter adopted by the Board, the Audit Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibility for oversight of the quality and integrity of the accounting, auditing and financial reporting practices of the Trust. It is directly responsible for the appointment, termination, compensation and oversight of work of the independent auditors to the Trust. In so doing, the Audit Committee reviews the methods, scope and results of the audits and audit fees charged and reviews the Trust’s internal accounting procedures and controls. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, the Audit Committee met four times.

 

Nominating Committee. The Trust’s Nominating Committee, which meets when necessary, consists of Ms. Brown-Strabley and Messrs. Tucker and Moyer. Pursuant to a charter adopted by the Board, the Nominating Committee is charged with the

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duty of nominating all Trustees and committee members and presenting these nominations to the Board. The Nominating Committee will not consider any nominees for Trustee recommended by security holders. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, the Nominating Committee met once.

 

Qualified Legal Compliance Committee. The Qualified Legal Compliance Committee (the “QLCC”), which meets when necessary, consists of Ms. Brown-Strabley and Messrs. Tucker and Moyer. The QLCC evaluates and recommends resolutions to reports from attorneys servicing the Trust regarding evidence of material violations of applicable federal and state law or the breach of fiduciary duties under applicable federal and state law by the Trust or an employee or agent of the Trust. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, the QLCC did not meet.

 

E. Compensation of Trustees and Officers

 

Independent Trustees of the Trust each receive an annual fee of $25,000 for service to the Trust. The Chairman of the Board is paid an additional annual fee of $7,500. The Trustees and Chairman may receive additional fees for special Board meetings. Each Trustee is also reimbursed for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with his or her duties as a Trustee, including travel and related expenses incurred in attending Board meetings. The Trust has no pension or retirement plan. No other entity affiliated with the Trust pays any compensation to the Trustees.

 

The following table sets forth the fees paid to each Trustee by the Fund and the Fund Complex for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.

 

Trustee Aggregate
Compensation from
the Fund
Pension or
Retirement Benefits
Accrued as part of
Fund Expenses
Total Compensation
from Fund Complex
Independent Trustees      
David Tucker $3,420 N/A $3,420
Mark D. Moyer $2,617 N/A $2,617
Jennifer Brown-Strabley $2,617 N/A $2,617
Interested Trustees      
Karen Shaw $0 N/A $0

 

F. Investment Adviser

 

Services of Adviser. The Adviser serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to the Advisory Agreement. Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser furnishes, at its own expense, all services, facilities, and personnel necessary in connection with managing the Fund’s investments and effecting portfolio transactions for the Fund. The Adviser may compensate brokers or other service providers (“Financial Intermediaries”) out of its own assets, and not as additional charges to the Fund, in connection with the sale and distribution of shares of the Fund and/or servicing of these shares.

 

Ownership of the Adviser and Subadvisers. The following persons/entities control Acuitas Investments, LLC and each Subadviser through equity interests.

 

Adviser Controlling Persons/Entities
Acuitas Investments, LLC Dennis Jensen, Matt Nieman and Christopher Tessin
Subadvisers Controlling Persons/Entities
AltraVue Capital, LLC DeShay McCluskey, Thomas Parkhurst, and Touk Sinantha
Bridge City Capital, LLC Alexander Woodward, Stephen Brink, and James Bradshaw
ClariVest Asset Management LLC Eagle Asset Management Inc., which is controlled by Raymond James Financial, Inc., a financial holding company whose subsidiaries are engaged in various financial businesses.
Granahan Investment Management, Inc. Jane White

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Meros Investment Management, L.P. Timothy Chatard and Ranger GP Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranger Asset Management Company, LLC
Tieton Capital Management, LLC William J. Dezellem and Matthew W. Dhane

 

Information Concerning Accounts Managed by Portfolio Managers. The following table provides information regarding other accounts managed by the portfolio managers as of June 30, 2023:

 

      Subject to a Performance Based Advisory Fee
Portfolio Manager/Type of Accounts Total Number of Accounts Managed Total Assets Managed Number of Accounts Managed Total Assets Managed
Dennis W. Jensen, CFA        
Registered Investment Companies None None None None
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 1 $1.4 million None None
Other Accounts None None None None
Matt Nieman        
Registered Investment Companies None None None None
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles None None None None
Other Accounts 4 $767.1 million None None
Christopher D. Tessin        
Registered Investment Companies None None None None
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 2 $5.2 million None None
Other Accounts 6 $807.3 million None None

 

Conflicts of Interest. Actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one fund or other account. More specifically, portfolio managers who manage multiple funds and/or other accounts may be presented with the following conflicts:

 

The management of multiple client accounts may result in a portfolio manager devoting unequal time and attention to the management of the Fund. The Adviser/Subadvisers may seek to manage such competing interests for the time and attention of the portfolio managers by having the portfolio managers focus on a particular investment discipline.

 

If a portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity which may be suitable for more than one account, the Fund may be unable to take full advantage of that opportunity due to an allocation of filled purchase or sale orders across all eligible accounts. To deal with these situations, the Adviser/Subadvisers have adopted procedures for allocating portfolio transactions across multiple accounts.

 

With respect to securities transactions for the Fund, the Adviser/Subadvisers determine which broker to use to execute each order, consistent with their duty to seek best execution of the transaction. However, with respect to certain other accounts (such as other pooled investment vehicles that are not registered mutual funds and other accounts managed for organizations and individuals), the Adviser/Subadvisers may be limited by the client with respect to the selection of brokers or may be instructed to direct trades through a particular broker. In these cases, the Adviser/Subadvisers may place separate, non-simultaneous transactions for the Fund and another account which may temporarily affect the market price of the security or the execution of the transaction, or both, to the detriment of the Fund or the other account.

 

Finally, the appearance of a conflict of interest may arise if the Adviser/Subadvisers have an incentive, such as a performance-based management fee, which relates to the management of one fund or account but not all funds and accounts with respect to which a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities.

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The Adviser/Subadvisers have adopted certain compliance procedures, which are designed to address these types of conflicts. The Adviser/Subadvisers have developed and implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure that all clients are treated equitably. In addition, compliance oversight and monitoring ensures adherence to policies designed to avoid conflicts. The Adviser’s/Subadvisers’ polices and procedures address trade aggregation and allocation. Additionally, given the nature of the Adviser’s/Subadvisers’ investment process and their Fund and/or other accounts, the Adviser’s/Subadvisers’ investment management team services are typically applied collectively to the management of all the Funds and/or other accounts following the same strategy.

 

Fund performance is not a determinative factor in compensation, as it might encourage investment decisions deviating from the Fund’s mandate. To mitigate the potential for conflict to have a team member favor one Fund over another Fund and/or other account, the Adviser/Subadvisers have established procedures, including policies to monitor trading and best execution for all funds and/or other accounts.

 

There is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation in which a conflict arises.

 

Information Concerning Compensation of Portfolio Managers.

 

The portfolio managers’ compensation, which is paid by Acuitas, consists of a salary and discretionary bonus. The base salary is based on the individuals’ job description, and the overall qualifications, experience and tenure at Acuitas. The bonus is based upon the profitability of the firm and individual performance. Individual performance is subjective and may be based on a number of factors.

 

Portfolio Manager Ownership in the Fund. The Adviser has provided the following information regarding the portfolio manager’s ownership in the Fund as of June 30, 2023:

 

Portfolio Manager Dollar Range of Beneficial Ownership in the Fund as of June 30, 2023
Dennis W. Jensen $100,001 - $500,000
Matt Nieman $10,001 - $50,000
Christopher D. Tessin $100,001 - $500,000

 

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

 

The advisory fee, if not waived, is accrued daily and paid monthly by the Fund and is assessed based on the daily net assets of the Fund. In addition to receiving its advisory fee from the Fund, the Adviser may also act and be compensated as an investment manager for its clients with respect to assets that such clients have invested in the Fund. If you have a separately managed account with the Adviser with assets invested in the Fund, the Adviser will not assess or receive any management fee on the portion of the separately managed account invested in the Fund.

 

Table 1 in Appendix B shows the dollar amount of advisory fees accrued by the Fund, the amount of advisory fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed by the Adviser, if any, and the actual advisory fees retained by the Adviser. The data provided is for the last three fiscal years.

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During the years ended June 30, 2021, June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2023 the aggregate amount of subadvisory fees paid to the Subadvisers was $254,983, $277,786 and $256,961 respectively. None of the Subadvisers are affiliates of the Adviser.

 

Advisory Agreement. The Fund's Advisory Agreement remains in effect for an initial period of two years from the date of its effectiveness, and thereafter the Advisory Agreement must be approved at least annually by the Board or by majority vote of the shareholders, and in either case by a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement or interested persons of any such party (other than as Trustees of the Trust).

 

The Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust with respect to the Fund on 60 days’ written notice when authorized either by vote of the Fund's shareholders or by a majority vote of the Board, or by the Adviser on 60 days’ written notice to the Trust. The Advisory Agreement terminates immediately upon assignment.

 

Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is not liable for any mistake of judgment, mistake of law, or act or omission, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith, or negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Advisory Agreement.

 

G. Distributor

 

Distribution Services. Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Foreside Financial Group, LLC (d/b/a ACA Group), located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101, acts as the agent of the Trust in connection with the continuous offering of Fund shares pursuant to a Distribution Agreement with the Trust. The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”). The Distributor is not affiliated with the Adviser or any other service provider for the Trust.

 

The Distributor continually distributes shares of the Fund on a best efforts basis. The Distributor has no obligation to sell any specific quantity of Fund shares. The Distributor and its officers have no role in determining the investment policies or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Trust.

 

The Distributor may enter into agreements with selected broker-dealers, banks or other financial intermediaries for distribution of shares of the Fund. With respect to certain financial intermediaries and related fund “supermarket” platform arrangements, the Fund and/or the Adviser, rather than the Distributor, typically enters into such agreements. These financial intermediaries may charge a fee for their services and may receive shareholder service or other fees from parties other than the Distributor. These financial intermediaries may otherwise act as processing agents and are responsible for promptly transmitting purchase, redemption and other requests to the Fund.

 

Investors who purchase shares through financial intermediaries will be subject to the procedures of those intermediaries through which they purchase shares, which may include charges, investment minimums, cutoff times and other restrictions in addition to, or different from, those listed herein. Information concerning any charges or services will be provided to investors by the financial intermediary through which they purchase shares. Investors purchasing shares of the Fund through financial intermediaries should acquaint themselves with their financial intermediary’s procedures and should read the Prospectus in conjunction with any materials and information provided by their financial intermediary. The financial intermediary, and not the investors, will be the shareholder of record, although investors may have the right to vote shares depending upon their arrangement with the intermediary. The Distributor does not receive compensation from the Fund for its distribution services except the distribution/service fees with respect to the shares of those classes for which a Rule 12b-1 plan is effective, as applicable. The Adviser pays the Distributor a fee for certain distribution-related services.

 

Distribution Plan. The Trust, including a majority of Independent Trustees who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Rule 12b-1 plan, has adopted a Rule 12b-1 plan under which the Fund is authorized to pay to the Distributor and any other entity authorized by the Board, including the Adviser (collectively “payees”), a fee equal to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund's Investor Shares for distribution services and/or the servicing of shareholder accounts. The payees may pay any or all amounts received under the Rule 12b-1 plan to other persons for any distribution or service activity conducted on behalf of the Fund. The Rule 12b-1 plan is a core component of the ongoing distribution of the Fund's Investor Shares, which is intended to attract and retain assets from prospective investors and may realize potential economies of scale for shareholders in the form of future lower expense ratios. Pursuant to an agreement between the Distributor and the Adviser, the Distributor may reimburse certain distribution-related and/or shareholder servicing expenses incurred by the Adviser.

 

The Rule 12b-1 plan provides that the payees may incur expenses for distribution and service activities including, but not limited to (1) any sales, marketing and other activities primarily intended to result in the sale of Fund shares and (2)

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providing services to holders of shares related to their investment in the Fund, including, without limitation, providing assistance in connection with responding to shareholder inquiries regarding the Fund’s investment objective, policies and other operational features and inquiries regarding shareholder accounts. Expenses for such activities include compensation to employees and expenses, including overhead and telephone and other communication expenses, of a payee who engages in or supports the distribution of Fund shares or who provides shareholder servicing, such as responding to shareholder inquiries regarding the Fund's operations; the incremental costs of printing (excluding typesetting) and distributing prospectuses, statements of additional information, annual reports and other periodic reports for use in connection with the offering or sale of Fund shares to any prospective investors; and the costs of preparing, printing and distributing sales literature and advertising materials used by the Distributor, the Adviser or others in connection with the offering of Fund shares for sale to the public.

 

The Rule 12b-1 plan requires the payees to prepare and submit to the Board, at least quarterly, and the Board to review, written reports setting forth all amounts expended under the Rule 12b-1 plan and identifying the activities for which those expenditures were made. The Rule 12b-1 plan obligates the Fund to compensate payees for services and not to reimburse them for expenses incurred.

 

The Rule 12b-1 plan provides that it will remain in effect for one year from the date of its adoption and thereafter shall continue in effect provided it is approved at least annually by the shareholders or by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees. The Rule 12b-1 plan further provides that it may not be amended to materially increase the costs that the Fund or class bears for distribution or shareholder servicing pursuant to the Rule 12b-1 plan without approval by affected shareholders and that other material amendments of the Rule 12b-1 plan must be approved by the Independent Trustees. The Rule 12b-1 plan may be terminated with respect to Investor Shares at any time by the Board, by a majority of the Independent Trustees or by the shareholders of Investor Shares. No Independent Trustee has any direct or indirect financial interest in the Rule 12b-1 Plan.

 

Currently Investor Shares are not offered for sale. Therefore there are no dollar amounts to show for fees payable by the Fund to the Distributor, fees waived by the Distributor or its agents or actual fees received by the Distributor and its agents under the Rule 12b-1 plan.

 

H. Other Fund Service Providers

 

Administrator, Fund Accountant, Transfer Agent, and Compliance Services. Apex Fund Services and its subsidiaries provide administration, compliance, fund accounting and transfer agency services to the Fund. Apex Fund Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex US Holdings LLC.

 

Pursuant to the Apex Fund Services Services Agreement (the “Services Agreement”), the Fund pays Apex Fund Services and its subsidiaries a bundled fee for administration, compliance, fund accounting and transfer agency services. The Fund also pays Apex Fund Services and its subsidiaries certain surcharges and shareholder account fees. The fee is accrued daily by the Fund and is paid monthly based on the average net assets, transactions and positions for the prior month.

 

The Services Agreement continues in effect until terminated, so long as its continuance is specifically approved or ratified with such frequency and in such manner as required by applicable law. After an initial three-year term, the Services Agreement is terminable with or without cause and without penalty by the Trust or by the Administrator on 120 days’ written notice to the other party. The Services Agreement is also terminable for cause by the non-breaching party on at least 60 days’ written notice to the other party, provided that such party has not cured the breach within that notice period. Under the Services Agreement, Apex Fund Services is not liable to the Fund or the Fund's shareholders for any act or omission, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Services Agreement. The Services Agreement also provides that Apex Fund Services will not be liable to a shareholder for any loss incurred due to a NAV difference if such difference is less than or equal to $0.01 and in addition, limits the amount of any loss for which Apex Fund Services would be liable. Also, Apex Fund Services is not liable for the errors and omissions of others, including the entities that supply security prices to Apex Fund Services and the Fund. Losses incurred by the Fund as a result of acts or omissions by Apex Fund Services or any other service provider for which Apex Fund Services or the service provider is not liable to the Fund would be borne by the Fund and through the Fund, by its Shareholders.

 

As Administrator, Apex Fund Services administers the Fund’s operations except those that are the responsibility of any other service provider hired by the Trust, all in such manner and to such extent as may be authorized by the Board. The Administrator’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to: (1) overseeing the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to the Fund by others, including its custodian, transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent

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as well as legal, auditing, shareholder servicing and other services performed for the Fund; (2) preparing for filing and filing certain regulatory filings (i.e., registration statements and shareholder reports) subject to Trust counsel and/or independent auditor oversight; (3) overseeing the preparation and filing of the Fund’s tax returns, the preparation of financial statements and related reports to the Fund’s shareholders, the SEC and state and other securities administrators; (4) providing the Fund with adequate general office space and facilities and providing persons suitable to the Board to serve as officers of the Trust; (5) assisting the Adviser in monitoring Fund holdings for compliance with prospectus investment restrictions and assisting in preparation of periodic compliance reports; and (6) with the cooperation of the Adviser, the officers of the Trust and other relevant parties, preparing and disseminating materials for meetings of the Board.

 

Apex Fund Services provides a Principal Executive Officer, a Principal Financial Officer, a CCO, and an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer to the Fund, as well as certain additional compliance support functions.

 

Atlantic Shareholder Services, LLC, 3 Canal Plaza, Portland, Maine 04101 (the “Transfer Agent”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex US Holdings LLC (d/b/a Apex Fund Services), serves as transfer agent and distribution paying agent for the Fund. The Transfer Agent is registered as a transfer agent with the SEC. The Transfer Agent maintains an account for each shareholder of record of the Fund and is responsible for processing purchase and redemption requests and paying distributions to shareholders of record.

 

As Fund accountant, Apex Fund Services provides fund accounting services to the Fund. These services include calculating the NAV of each Fund class.

 

Table 2 in Appendix B shows the dollar amount of the fees accrued by the Fund for administration services, the amount of fees waived by Apex Fund Services, if any, and the actual fees retained by Apex Fund Services under the Services Agreement. The data provided is for the last three fiscal years.

 

Custodian. U.S. Bank, N.A. (the “Custodian”) is the custodian for the Fund. The Custodian safeguards and controls the Fund's cash and securities, determines income and collects interest on Fund investments. The Custodian may employ subcustodians to provide custody of the Fund's domestic and foreign assets. The Custodian also maintains certain books and records of the Fund that are required by applicable federal regulations. The Custodian is located at 1155 N. Rivercenter Dr., MK-WI-S302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212.

 

Legal Counsel. Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP, 2000 K Street, N.W., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20006-1871, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Cohen & Company, Ltd. (“Cohen”), 1835 Market Street, Suite 310, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, is the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund, providing audit and tax services. Cohen audits the annual financial statements of the Fund and provides the Fund with an audit opinion. Cohen also reviews certain regulatory filings of the Fund. BBD, LLP (“BBD”) served as the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm prior to the acquisition of BBD’s Investment Management Group by Cohen in 2023.

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PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

 

A. How Securities are Purchased and Sold

 

Purchases and sales of portfolio securities that are fixed-income securities (for instance, money market instruments and bonds, notes and bills) usually are principal transactions. In a principal transaction, the party from which the Fund purchases or to which the Fund sells is acting on its own behalf (and not as the agent of some other party such as its customers). These securities normally are purchased directly from the issuer or from an underwriter or market maker for the securities. There usually are no brokerage commissions paid for these securities.

 

Purchases and sales of portfolio securities that are equity securities (for instance, common stock and preferred stock) are generally effected if (1) the security is traded on an exchange, through brokers that charge commissions and (2) the security is traded in the over-the-counter markets, in a principal transaction directly from a market maker. In transactions on stock exchanges, commissions are negotiated.

 

When transactions are executed in an over-the-counter market, the Adviser or a Subadviser will seek to deal with the primary market makers, but when necessary in order to obtain best execution, the Adviser or a Subadviser will utilize the services of others.

 

The price of securities purchased from underwriters includes a disclosed fixed commission or concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter, and prices of securities purchased from dealers serving as market makers reflect the spread between the bid and asked price.

 

In the case of fixed-income and equity securities traded in the over-the-counter markets, there is generally no stated commission, but the price usually includes an undisclosed commission, markup or markdown.

 

B. Commissions Paid

 

Table 3 in Appendix B shows the dollar amount of the aggregate brokerage commissions paid by the Fund; the amount of commissions paid to an affiliate of the Fund, the Adviser, Subadviser or the Distributor; the percentage of brokerage commissions paid to an affiliate of the Fund, the Adviser, Subadviser or the Distributor; and the percentage of transactions executed by an affiliate of the Fund, the Adviser, Subadviser or the Distributor. The data provided is for the last three fiscal years.

 

C. Adviser Responsibility for Purchases and Sales and Choosing Broker-Dealers

 

The Adviser or Subadviser places orders for the purchase and sale of securities with broker-dealers selected by and at the discretion of the Adviser or Subadviser. The Fund does not have any obligation to deal with a specific broker or dealer in the execution of portfolio transactions. Allocations of transactions to brokers and dealers and the frequency of transactions are determined by the Adviser in its best judgment and in a manner deemed to be in the best interest of the Fund rather than by any formula.

 

The Adviser or Subadviser seeks “best execution” for all portfolio transactions. This means that the Adviser or Subadviser seeks the most favorable price and execution available. The Fund may not always pay the lowest commission or spread available. Rather, in determining the amount of commissions (including certain dealer spreads) paid in connection with securities transactions, the Adviser or Subadviser takes into account factors such as size of the order, the difficulty of execution, the efficiency of the executing broker’s facilities (which if applicable, would include the research services described below) and any risk assumed by the executing broker-dealer. The Fund may pay a higher commission if, for example, the broker-dealer has specific expertise in a particular type of transaction (due to factors such as size or difficulty), or it is efficient in trade execution.

 

The Adviser or Subadviser could also give consideration to brokerage and research services furnished to the Adviser or Subadviser by broker-dealers and could cause the Fund to pay these broker-dealers a higher commission or spread than may be charged by other broker-dealers. Research services could include reports that are common in the industry, such as research reports and periodicals, quotation systems, software for portfolio management and formal databases. Typically, the Adviser or Subadviser uses the research to manage all client accounts. Therefore, commission dollars spent for research, if any, would generally benefit all of the Adviser’s or Subadviser’s clients and the Fund’s investors, although a particular client may not benefit from research received on each occasion. The Adviser or Subadviser does not reduce their fees because the Adviser or Subadviser receives research.

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Table 4 in Appendix B lists the Fund’s directed brokerage in return for research services, the amount of transactions so directed, and the amount of commissions earned by the broker-dealer for the fiscal year.

 

D. Counterparty Risk

 

The Adviser or a Subadviser monitors the creditworthiness of counterparties to the Fund's transactions and intends to enter into a transaction only when it believes that the counterparty presents appropriate credit risks.

 

E. Transactions through Affiliates

 

The Adviser or a Subadviser may effect brokerage transactions through affiliates of the Adviser or a Subadviser (or affiliates of those persons) pursuant to procedures adopted by the Trust and in accordance with applicable law.

 

F. Other Accounts of the Adviser

 

Investment decisions are the product of many factors, including basic suitability for the particular client involved. Likewise, a particular security may be bought or sold for certain clients even though it could have been bought or sold for other clients at the same time. In some instances, with any required consent, one client may sell a particular security to another client. In addition, two or more clients may simultaneously purchase or sell the same security, in which event each day’s transactions in such security are, insofar as is possible, averaged as to price and allocated between such clients in a manner which, in the Adviser’s or a Subadviser’s opinion, is in the best interest of the affected accounts and is equitable to each and in accordance with the amount being purchased or sold by each. There may be circumstances when purchases or sales of a portfolio security for one client could have an adverse effect on another client that has a position in that security. In addition, when purchases or sales of the same security for the Fund and other client accounts managed by the Adviser occur contemporaneously, the purchase or sale orders may be aggregated in order to obtain any price advantages available to large denomination purchases or sales.

 

G. Portfolio Turnover

 

The frequency of portfolio transactions of the Fund (the portfolio turnover rate) will vary from year to year depending on many factors. From time to time, a Fund may engage in active short-term trading to take advantage of price movements affecting individual issues, groups of issues or markets. Higher portfolio turnover rates may result in increased brokerage costs to the Fund and a possible increase in short-term capital gains (taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them) or losses. An annual portfolio turnover rate of 100% would occur if all the securities in the Fund were replaced once in a period of one year.

 

Portfolio turnover rate is defined under the rules of the SEC as the value of the securities purchased or securities sold, excluding all securities whose maturities at time of acquisition were one year or less, divided by the average monthly value of such securities owned during the year. Based on this definition, instruments with remaining maturities of less than one year, including options in which the Fund invests, are excluded from the calculation of portfolio turnover rate.

 

H. Securities of Regular Broker-Dealers

 

From time to time the Fund may acquire and hold securities issued by its “regular brokers and dealers” or the parents of those brokers and dealers. For this purpose, regular brokers and dealers are the ten brokers or dealers that: (1) received the greatest amount of brokerage commissions during the Fund’s last fiscal year; (2) engaged in the largest amount of principal transactions for portfolio transactions of the Fund during the Fund’s last fiscal year; or (3) sold the largest amount of the Fund’s shares during the Fund’s last fiscal year.

 

Table 5 in Appendix B lists the regular brokers and dealers of the Fund whose securities (or the securities of the parent company) were acquired for the fiscal year and the aggregate value of the Fund’s holdings of those securities as of the Fund’s most recent fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.

 

I. Portfolio Holdings

 

Portfolio holdings as of the end of the Fund's annual and semi-annual fiscal periods are reported to the SEC on Form N-CSR within 10 days of the mailing of the annual or semi-annual report (typically no later than 70 days after the end of each period). Monthly portfolio disclosures will be filed with the SEC on Form N-PORT no later than 60 days after the end of each fiscal quarter. The monthly holdings reports on Form N-PORT for the first and second months of the fiscal quarter will

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remain nonpublic and the monthly holdings report for the third month of the fiscal quarter will become publicly available upon filing (with the exception of certain items). You may request a copy of the Fund's latest annual or semi-annual report to shareholders or a copy of the Fund's latest Form N-PORT, when it is available, which contains the Fund's portfolio holdings, by contacting the Transfer Agent at the address or phone number listed on the cover of this SAI. You may also obtain a copy of the Fund's latest Form N-CSR and Form N-PORT by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

The Fund’s nonpublic portfolio holdings information is received by certain service providers in advance of public release in the course of performing or enabling them to perform the contractual or fiduciary duties necessary for the Fund’s operations that the Fund has retained them to perform so long as the disclosure is subject to duties of confidentiality imposed by law and/or contract as determined by the Fund’s officers and, if applicable, the Board. The Fund’s portfolio holdings are available in real-time on a daily basis to the Adviser, the Administrator and the Custodian. In addition, the Distributor, the independent auditors, proxy voting services, mailing services, financial printers and ratings or ranking organizations may have access, but not on a daily real-time basis, to the Fund’s nonpublic portfolio holdings information on an ongoing basis. The Trustees, Trust’s officers, legal counsel to the Trust and to the Independent Trustees and the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm may receive similar information on an as needed basis.

 

From time to time, nonpublic information regarding the Fund’s portfolio holdings may also be disclosed to certain mutual fund consultants, analysts or other entities or persons (“Recipients”) that have a legitimate business purpose in receiving such information. Any disclosure of information more current than the latest publicly available portfolio holdings information will be made only if a Trust officer determines that: (1) the more current information is necessary for a Recipient to complete a specified task; (2) the Fund has legitimate business purposes for disclosing the information; and (3) the disclosure is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Any Recipient receiving such information will be required to agree in writing to: (a) keep the information confidential; (b) use it only for agreed-upon purposes; and (c) not trade or advise others to trade securities, including shares of the Fund, on the basis of the information. Confidentiality agreements entered into for the receipt of nonpublic information typically will also provide, among other things, that the Recipient: (i) will limit access to the information to its employees and agents who are obligated to keep and treat such information as confidential; (ii) will assume responsibility for any breach of the terms of the confidentiality agreement by its employees; and (iii) upon request from the Trust, will return or promptly destroy the information. Any Recipient that is a ratings or ranking organization receiving such information must have in place control mechanisms to reasonably ensure or otherwise agree that: (x) the holdings information will be kept confidential; (y) no employee will use the information to effect trading or for their personal benefit; and (z) the nature and type of information that any employee, in turn, may disclose to third-parties is limited. The Trust officer will report to the Board at its next regularly scheduled Board meeting the entering into of an agreement with a Recipient for the disclosure of nonpublic portfolio holdings information and will include in the report the Trust officer’s reasons for determining to permit such disclosure.

 

The Adviser or a Subadviser may provide investment management for accounts of clients other than the Fund, which may result in some of those accounts having a composition substantially similar to that of the Fund. The Adviser, Subadvisers and their affiliates may provide regular information to clients and others regarding the holdings in accounts that each manages, but no information is provided to clients or others that identifies the actual composition of the Fund’s holdings, specifies the amount of the Fund’s assets invested in a security or specifies the extent of any such similarities among accounts managed by the Adviser or Subadviser.

 

No compensation is received by the Fund, or, to the Fund's knowledge, paid to the Adviser or any other party in connection with the disclosure of the Fund's portfolio holdings. The codes of ethics of the Trust and the Adviser are intended to address, among other things, potential conflicts of interest arising from the misuse of information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings. In addition, the Fund's service providers may be subject to confidentiality provisions contained within their service agreements, codes of ethics, professional codes and other similar policies that address conflicts of interest arising from the misuse of this information.

 

The Adviser, the Administrator and the Distributor must inform a Trust officer if they identify any conflict between the interests of shareholders and those of another party resulting from the disclosure of nonpublic portfolio holdings information. These conflicts will be reported to the Board for appropriate action at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

 

There is no assurance that the Fund's portfolio holdings disclosure policy will protect the Fund against potential misuse of holdings information by individuals or firms in possession of that information.

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PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION INFORMATION

 

A. General Information

 

You may effect purchases or redemptions or request any shareholder privilege by contacting the Transfer Agent.

 

The Fund accepts orders for the purchase or redemption of shares of the Fund on any weekday except days when the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) is closed. Under unusual circumstances, the Fund may accept orders when the NYSE is closed if deemed appropriate by the Trust’s officers.

 

The shares of the Fund may not be available for sale in the state in which you reside. Please check with your investment professional to determine the Fund’s availability.

 

B. Additional Purchase Information

 

Shares of the Fund are offered on a continuous basis by the Distributor.

 

The Fund reserves the right to refuse any purchase request.

 

Fund shares are normally issued for cash only. In its discretion, the Fund may accept portfolio securities that meet the investment objective and policies of the Fund as payment for Fund shares. The Fund may allow an in kind purchase provided that, among other things: (i) the purchase will not dilute the interests of its shareholders; (ii) the assets accepted by the Fund consist of securities that are appropriate, in type and amount, for investment by the Fund in light of its investment objective and policies and current holdings; (iii) market quotations are readily available for the securities; (iv) in determining the value of the assets contributed and the corresponding amount of shares issued, the Trust’s Valuation Policy will be applied; (v)  the transaction must comply with the Trust’s Affiliated Persons and Transactions Policy if the person investing is an affiliated person; and (vi) the Adviser to the Fund discloses to the Board the existence of, and all material facts relating to, any conflicts of interest between the Adviser and the Fund in the proposed in-kind purchase.

 

IRAs. All contributions into an individual retirement account (an “IRA”) through the automatic investing service are treated as IRA contributions made during the year that the contribution is received.

 

UGMAs/UTMAs. If the custodian’s name is not in the account registration of a gift or transfer to minor (“UGMA/UTMA”) account, the custodian must provide instructions in a manner indicating custodial capacity.

 

C. Additional Redemption Information

 

You may redeem Fund shares at NAV.

 

The Fund may redeem shares involuntarily, (1) to reimburse the Fund for any loss sustained by reason of the failure of a shareholder to make full payment for shares purchased by the shareholder; or (2) to collect any charge relating to transactions effected for the benefit of a shareholder that is applicable to the Fund’s shares as provided in the Prospectus.

 

Suspension of Right of Redemption. The right of redemption may not be suspended for more than seven days after the tender of Fund shares, except for any period during which: (1) the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings) or during which the SEC determines that trading thereon is restricted; (2) an emergency (as determined by the SEC) exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of its securities is not reasonably practicable or as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund fairly to determine the value of its net assets; or (3) the SEC has entered a suspension order for the protection of the shareholders of the Fund.

 

Redemption in Kind. Redemption proceeds normally are paid in cash. The Trust has filed an election with the SEC, however, pursuant to which the Fund may effect a redemption in portfolio securities at the shareholder’s request or if the shareholder is redeeming more than $250,000 or 1% of the Fund’s total net assets, whichever is less, during any 90-day period. To the extent the Fund satisfies a redemption request by distributing portfolio securities, it will do so pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board. If the Fund pays redemption proceeds in kind, the redeeming shareholder may incur transaction costs to dispose of the securities and may receive less for them than the price at which they were valued for purposes of redemption. In addition, if the Fund redeems shares in this manner, the shareholder assumes the risk of a subsequent change in the market value of those securities, the costs of liquidating the securities (such as brokerage costs) and the possibility of a lack of a liquid market for those securities. In-kind redemptions may take the form of a pro rata portion of the Fund’s portfolio, individual securities, or a representative basket of securities.

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NAV Determination. The offering price for Fund shares is at their current NAV. In determining the NAV of the Fund, securities for which market quotations are readily available are valued at current market value using the last reported sales price or the official closing price from the primary exchange where the security is listed, as provided by an independent pricing service or, if no sales price is reported, the mean of the last bid and ask prices. If market quotations are not readily available or the Fund reasonably believes that they are unreliable, then securities are valued at fair value, as determined by the Adviser, in its capacity as the valuation designee. For further information, see the “General Information” section in the Prospectus.

 

Distributions. Distributions of net investment income will be reinvested at the NAV of the applicable class (unless you elect to receive distributions in cash) as of the last day of the period with respect to which the distribution is paid. Distributions of net realized capital gains will be reinvested at the NAV of the applicable class (unless you elect to receive distributions in cash) on the payment date for the distribution. Cash payments may be made more than seven days following the date on which distributions would otherwise be reinvested.

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TAXATION

 

The tax information set forth in the Prospectus and in this section relates solely to federal tax law and assumes that the Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC under that law (as discussed below). This information is only a summary of certain key federal income tax considerations affecting the Fund and its shareholders and is in addition to the information provided in the Prospectus. No attempt has been made to present a complete explanation of the federal tax treatment of the Fund or the tax implications to shareholders. The discussions here and in the Prospectus are not intended as substitutes for careful tax planning.

 

This “Taxation” section is based on the IRC, the regulations thereunder, and IRS interpretations and similar authority on which the Fund may rely, all as in effect on the date hereof, as well as on court decisions through that date. Future legislative, regulatory or administrative changes or court decisions may significantly change the tax rules applicable to the Fund and its shareholders. Any of these changes or court decisions may have a retroactive effect.

 

This is for general information only and not tax advice. Each investor should consult their own tax advisor as to the federal, state, local, and foreign tax provisions applicable to them.

 

A. Qualification for Treatment as a Regulated Investment Company

 

The Fund has elected and intends to qualify, or, if newly organized, intends to elect and qualify for each taxable year as a RIC under the IRC. This qualification does not involve governmental supervision of management or investment practices or policies of the Fund.

 

The taxable year-end of the Fund is June 30, which is the same as the Fund's fiscal year-end.

 

Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company. As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on the portion of its investment company taxable income (generally, interest, dividends, the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss, net gains and losses from certain foreign currency transactions and other ordinary income, net of expenses, without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain (that is, the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) that it distributes to shareholders. To qualify to be taxed as a RIC for a taxable year, the Fund must satisfy the following requirements, among others:

 

The Fund must distribute an amount equal to the sum of at least 90% of its investment company taxable income for the taxable year (“Distribution Requirement”). Certain distributions made by the Fund after the close of its taxable year are considered distributions attributable to that taxable year for purposes of satisfying this requirement.

 

The Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income for the taxable year from (1) dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived from its business of investing in securities or those currencies and (2) net income from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership (“QPTP”) (“Gross Income Requirement”). A QPTP is defined as a “publicly traded partnership” (generally, a partnership the interests in which are “traded on an established securities market” or are “readily tradable on a secondary market (or the substantial equivalent thereof)”) that derives less than 90% of its gross income from income described in clause (1).

 

The Fund must satisfy the following asset diversification requirements (“Diversification Requirements”) at the close of each quarter of the taxable year: (1) at least 50% of the value of its total assets must consist of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs, and securities of other issuers, with these other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount that does not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and that does not represent more than 10% of the issuer’s outstanding voting securities (equity securities of a QPTP being considered voting securities for these purposes); and (2) no more than 25% of the value of its total assets may be invested in (a) the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities and securities of other RICs), (b) the securities (other than securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers that the Fund controls and that are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, or (c) the securities of one or more QPTPs.

 

In some circumstances, the character and timing of income realized by the Fund for purposes of the Gross Income Requirement or the identification of the issuer for purposes of the Diversification Requirements is uncertain under current law with respect to a particular investment, and an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to such

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type of investment may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to satisfy these requirements. See, “Certain Tax Rules Applicable to Fund Transactions” below with respect to the application of these requirements to certain types of investments. In other circumstances, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio holdings in order to meet the Gross Income Requirement, Distribution Requirement, or Diversification Requirements, which may have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance.

 

Failure to Qualify. If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify for treatment as a RIC, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at the corporate income tax rate without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends would be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits (except that, for individual and certain other non-corporate shareholders, the part thereof that is “qualified dividend income” (as described below) would be subject to federal income tax at the rates for net capital gain – a maximum rate of 15% or 20%, depending on a shareholder’s level of taxable income and the shareholder’s filing status – and those dividends would be eligible for the dividends-received deduction available to corporations under certain circumstances). Furthermore, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make substantial distributions before requalifying for RIC treatment. The Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a RIC if it determines such a course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.

 

Failure to qualify for treatment as a RIC would thus have a negative impact on the Fund’s after-tax performance. It is possible that the Fund will not qualify as a RIC in any given taxable year.

 

If the Fund fails to satisfy the Gross Income Requirement for any taxable year, it nevertheless will be considered to have satisfied that requirement for that year if, among other things, the failure “is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect” and the Fund pays a tax in an amount equal to the excess of its gross income that is not qualifying income for purposes of that requirement over one-ninth of its gross income that is such qualifying income.

 

If the Fund fails to satisfy either of the Diversification Requirements at the close of any quarter of its taxable year by reason of a discrepancy existing immediately after its acquisition of any security that is wholly or partly the result of that acquisition during that quarter, it will not lose its status for that quarter as a RIC if the discrepancy is eliminated within 30 days after the quarter’s close. If the Fund fails to satisfy either of the Diversification Requirements (other than a “de minimis” failure, as defined in the IRC) for a quarter and the preceding sentence does not apply, it nevertheless will be considered to have satisfied those requirements for that quarter if, among other things, the failure “is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect” and the Fund disposes of the assets that caused the failure within six months after the last day of the quarter in which it identifies the failure in the manner to be prescribed by the IRS; in that case, the Fund will also be liable for a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the amount determined by multiplying the net income generated by those assets for the period from the date the failure occurs to the date of disposition thereof by the rate of tax applicable to corporations.

 

Portfolio Turnover. For investors that hold their Fund shares in a taxable account, a high portfolio turnover rate may result in higher taxes. This is because a fund with a high turnover rate is likely to accelerate the recognition of capital gains and more of such gains are likely to be taxable as short-term rather than long-term capital gains in contrast to a comparable fund with a low turnover rate. Any such higher taxes would reduce the Fund’s after-tax performance.

 

Deferral of Late Year Losses. The Fund may elect to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. The effect of this election is to treat any such “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in characterizing Fund distributions for any calendar year. A “qualified late year loss” includes:

 

any net capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, or, if there is no such loss, any net long-term capital loss or any net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (“post-October capital losses”), and

 

the sum of (1) the excess, if any, of (a) specified losses incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, over (b) specified gains incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year and (2) the excess, if any, of (a) ordinary losses incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year, over (b) the ordinary income incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year.

 

The terms “specified losses” and “specified gains” mean ordinary losses and gains from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of property (including the termination of a position with respect to such property), foreign currency losses and

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gains, and losses and gains resulting from holding stock in a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) for which a mark-to-market election is in effect. The terms “ordinary losses” and “ordinary income” mean other ordinary losses and income that are not described in the preceding sentence.

 

Undistributed Capital Gains. The Fund may retain or distribute to shareholders its net capital gain for each taxable year. The Fund currently intends to distribute net capital gains. If the Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, the Fund will be taxed thereon (except to the extent of any available capital loss carryovers) at the corporate income tax rate. If the Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, it is expected that the Fund also will elect to have shareholders treated as if each received a distribution of its pro rata share of such gain, with the result that each shareholder will be required to report its pro rata share of such gain on its tax return as long-term capital gain, will receive a refundable tax credit for its pro rata share of tax paid by the Fund on the gain, and will increase the tax basis for its shares by an amount equal to the deemed distribution less the tax credit.

 

B. Fund Distributions

 

Each distribution by the Fund will be treated in the manner described below regardless of whether the distribution is paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Fund (or of another fund). If the shareholder receives a distribution in the form of a reinvestment in additional shares, the shareholder will be treated as having received a distribution in an amount equal to the fair market value of the shares received, determined as of the reinvestment date.

 

Distributions of Net Investment Income. The Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income for each taxable year. The Fund receives income generally in the form of dividends and/or interest on its investments. The Fund may also recognize ordinary income from other sources, including, but not limited to, certain gains on foreign currency-related transactions. This income, less expenses incurred in the operation of the Fund, constitutes the Fund’s net investment income from which dividends may be paid to you. If a shareholder is a taxable investor, these distributions generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits.

 

Qualified Dividend Income for Individuals. A portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income,” taxable to individuals and certain other non-corporate shareholders at maximum federal tax rates of 15% or 20%, depending on a shareholder’s level of taxable income and the shareholder’s filing status. A distribution is treated as qualified dividend income by a shareholder to the extent that (1) the Fund receives dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations, provided that holding period and certain other requirements are met, and (2) the shareholder meets those requirements with respect to Fund shares on which the distribution is paid. To the extent that the Fund’s distributions are attributable to other sources, such as interest or capital gains, the distributions will not be treated as qualified dividend income. The Fund’s distributions of dividends that it receives from U.S. real estate investment trusts, derivatives, fixed income securities, and PFICs generally will not constitute qualified dividend income.

 

Dividends-Received Deduction for Corporations. For corporate shareholders, a portion of the dividends paid by the Fund may qualify for the 50% corporate dividends-received deduction. The portion of dividends paid by the Fund that so qualifies will be reported by the Fund to shareholders each year and cannot exceed the gross amount of dividends received by the Fund from domestic (U.S.) corporations. The availability of the dividends-received deduction is subject to certain holding period and debt financing restrictions that apply to both the Fund and the investor. Specifically, the amount that the Fund may report as eligible for the dividends-received deduction will be reduced or eliminated if the shares on which the dividends earned by the Fund were debt-financed or held by the Fund for less than a minimum period of time, generally 46 days during a 91-day period beginning 45 days before the stock becomes ex-dividend. Similarly, if your Fund shares are debt-financed or held by you for less than a 46-day period then the dividends-received deduction for Fund dividends on your shares may also be reduced or eliminated. Income derived by the Fund from investments in derivatives, fixed income and foreign securities generally is not eligible for this treatment.

 

Distributions of Capital Gains. The Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its net capital gain (after reduction for any capital loss carryovers, i.e., unutilized capital losses from prior taxable years) for each taxable year. These distributions generally will be made only once a year, usually in December, but the Fund may make additional distributions of net capital gain at any time during the year. The Fund may derive capital gain and loss in connection with sales or other dispositions of its portfolio securities. Distributions derived from the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss will be taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions paid from the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss will be taxable to you as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long you have held your shares in the Fund. These distributions will not qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction or as qualified dividend income for non-corporate shareholders.

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Return of Capital. A distribution by the Fund that does not constitute an ordinary income dividend or capital gain dividend will be treated as a return of capital. A return of capital distribution will reduce the shareholder’s tax basis of shares and will be treated as gain from the sale of the shares to the extent the basis would be reduced below zero. Return of capital distributions can occur for a number of reasons, including, among others, the Fund over-estimates the income to be received from certain investments.

 

Capital Loss Carryovers. The capital losses of the Fund, if any, do not flow through to shareholders. Rather, the Fund may use its capital losses, subject to applicable limitations, to offset its capital gains without being required to pay taxes on or distribute to shareholders such gains that are offset by the losses. If the Fund has a “net capital loss” (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains), the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year. Any such net capital losses of the Fund that are not used to offset capital gains may be carried forward indefinitely to reduce any future capital gains realized by the Fund in succeeding taxable years. All capital loss carryovers are listed in the Fund’s financial statements.

 

The amount of capital losses that can be carried forward and used in any single year is subject to an annual limitation if there is a more than 50% “change in ownership” of the Fund. An ownership change generally results when shareholders owning 5% or more of the Fund increase their aggregate holdings by more than 50% over a three-year look-back period. An ownership change could result in capital loss carryovers being used at a slower rate, thereby reducing the Fund’s ability to offset capital gains with those losses. An increase in the amount of taxable gains distributed to the Fund’s shareholders could result from an ownership change. The Fund undertakes no obligation to avoid or prevent an ownership change, which can occur in the normal course of shareholder purchases and redemptions or as a result of engaging in a tax-free reorganization with another fund. Moreover, because of circumstances beyond the Fund’s control, there can be no assurance that the Fund will not experience, or has not already experienced, an ownership change. Additionally, if the Fund engages in a tax-free reorganization with another fund, the effect of these and other rules not discussed herein may be to disallow or postpone the use by the Fund of its capital loss carryovers (including any current year losses and built-in losses when realized) to offset its own gains or those of the other fund, or vice versa, thereby reducing the tax benefits Fund shareholders would otherwise have enjoyed from use of such capital loss carryovers.

 

Impact of Realized but Undistributed Income and Gains, and Net Unrealized Appreciation of Portfolio Securities. When a shareholder purchases shares, the NAV of their shares may reflect undistributed net investment income, undistributed capital gains or net unrealized appreciation in the value of the assets of the Fund. A distribution of that income or gain (including net gain, if any, from realizing all or part of that appreciation) will be taxable to a shareholder in the manner described above, although the distribution economically constitutes a partial return of capital to the shareholder unless the shareholder is investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. The Fund may be able to reduce the amount of such distributions from capital gains by utilizing its capital loss carryovers, if any.

 

Dividends Declared in December and Paid in January. Ordinarily, a shareholder is required to take distributions by the Fund into income in the year in which they are made. A distribution declared in October, November or December of any year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in one of those months, however, is deemed to be paid by the Fund and received by them on December 31 of that year if the distribution is paid in January of the following year.

 

Annual Statements. The Fund will send information annually to its shareholders regarding the federal income tax status of distributions made (or deemed made) during the year.

 

Medicare Tax. An individual is required to pay a 3.8% federal tax on the lesser of (1) the individual’s “net investment income,” which generally includes dividends, interest and net gains from the disposition of investment property (including dividends and capital gain distributions the Fund pays and net gains realized on the redemption or other taxable disposition of Fund shares) reduced by the deductions properly allocable to such income, or (2) the excess of the individual’s “modified adjusted gross income” over a threshold amount ($250,000 for married persons filing jointly and $200,000 for single taxpayers). This tax is in addition to any other taxes due on that income. A similar tax applies to estates and trusts. This Medicare tax, if applicable, is reported by you on, and paid with, your federal income tax return. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, this provision may have on their investment in Fund shares.

 

Pass Through of Foreign Tax Credits. If more than 50% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a fiscal year is invested in foreign securities, the Fund may elect to pass through to you your pro rata share of foreign taxes paid by the Fund. If this election is made, the Fund may report more taxable income to you than it actually distributes. You will then be entitled

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either to deduct your share of these taxes in computing your taxable income, or to claim a foreign tax credit for these taxes against your U.S. federal income tax (subject to limitations for certain shareholders). The Fund will provide you with the information necessary to claim this deduction or credit on your personal income tax return if it makes this election. No deduction for foreign tax may be claimed by a noncorporate shareholder who does not itemize deductions or who is subject to the alternative minimum tax. Shareholders may be unable to claim a credit for the full amount of their proportionate shares of the foreign income tax paid by the Fund due to certain limitations that may apply. The Fund reserves the right not to pass through to its shareholders the amount of foreign income taxes paid by the Fund. Additionally, any foreign tax withheld on payments made “in lieu of” dividends or interest will not qualify for the pass through of foreign tax credits to shareholders.

 

C. Certain Tax Rules Applicable to Fund Transactions

 

Set forth below is a general description of the tax treatment of certain types of securities, investment techniques and transactions that may apply to the Fund and, in turn, affect the amount, character and timing of dividends and distributions payable by a Fund to its shareholders. This section should be read in conjunction with the discussion above under “Investment Policies and Risks” for a detailed description of the various types of securities and investment techniques that apply to a Fund.

 

Options, Futures, Forward Contracts, Swap Agreements and Hedging Transactions. In general, option premiums received by a fund are not immediately included in the income of the fund. Instead, the premiums are recognized when the option contract expires, the option is exercised by the holder, or the fund transfers or otherwise terminates the option (e.g., through a closing transaction). If an option written by a fund is exercised and the fund sells or delivers the underlying stock, the fund generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to (a) the sum of the strike price and the option premium received by the fund minus (b) the fund’s basis in the stock. Such gain or loss generally will be short-term or long-term depending upon the holding period of the underlying stock. If securities are purchased by a fund pursuant to the exercise of a put option written by it, the fund generally will subtract the premium received from its cost basis in the securities purchased. The gain or loss with respect to any termination of a fund’s obligation under an option other than through the exercise of the option and related sale or delivery of the underlying stock generally will be short-term gain or loss depending on whether the premium income received by the fund is greater or less than the amount paid by the fund (if any) in terminating the transaction. Thus, for example, if an option written by a fund expires unexercised, the fund generally will recognize short-term gain equal to the premium received.

 

The tax treatment of certain futures contracts entered into by a fund as well as listed non-equity options written or purchased by the fund on U.S. exchanges (including options on futures contracts, broad-based equity indices and debt securities) may be governed by section 1256 of the IRC (“section 1256 contracts”). Gains or losses on section 1256 contracts generally are considered 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses (“60/40”), although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary in character. Also, any section 1256 contracts held by a fund at the end of each taxable year (and, for purposes of the 4% excise tax, on certain other dates as prescribed under the IRC) are “marked to market” with the result that unrealized gains or losses are treated as though they were realized and the resulting gain or loss is treated as ordinary or 60/40 gain or loss, as applicable. Section 1256 contracts do not include any interest rate swap, currency swap, basis swap, interest rate cap, interest rate floor, commodity swap, equity swap, equity index swap, credit default swap, or similar agreement.

 

In addition to the special rules described above in respect of options and futures transactions, a fund’s transactions in other derivatives instruments (including options, forward contracts and swap agreements) as well as its other hedging, short sale, or similar transactions, may be subject to one or more special tax rules (including the constructive sale, notional principal contract, straddle, wash sale and short sale rules). These rules may affect whether gains and losses recognized by a fund are treated as ordinary or capital or as short-term or long-term, accelerate the recognition of income or gains to the fund, defer losses to the fund, and cause adjustments in the holding periods of the fund’s securities. These rules, therefore, could affect the amount, timing and/or character of distributions to shareholders. Moreover, because the tax rules applicable to derivatives instruments are in some cases uncertain under current law, an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to these rules (which determination or guidance could be retroactive) may affect whether a fund has made sufficient distributions, and otherwise satisfied the relevant requirements, to maintain its qualification as a regulated investment company and avoid a fund-level tax.

 

Certain of a fund’s investments in derivatives and foreign currency-denominated instruments, and the fund’s transactions in foreign currencies and hedging activities, may produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. If a fund’s book income is less than the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company. If a fund’s book

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income exceeds the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the distribution of any such excess will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of the fund’s remaining earnings and profits (including current earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt income, reduced by related deductions), (ii) thereafter, as a return of capital to the extent of the recipient’s basis in the shares, and (iii) thereafter, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset.

 

Investments in Foreign Currencies and Securities. Gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates that occur between the time that the Fund accrues interest, dividends or other receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time that the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities are treated as ordinary income or ordinary losses. Similarly, gains or losses from the disposition of a foreign currency, or from the disposition of a fixed-income security or a forward contract denominated in a foreign currency that are attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the asset and the date of its disposition, also are treated as ordinary income or ordinary losses. These gains or losses increase or decrease the amount of the Fund’s investment company taxable income available to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income, rather than increasing or decreasing the amount of the Fund’s net capital gain and may cause some or all of the Fund’s previously distributed income to be classified as a return of capital.

 

PFIC Investments. If the Fund owns shares in a foreign corporation that constitutes a PFIC for federal income tax purposes and the Fund does not make either of the elections described in the next two paragraphs, it will be subject to federal income taxation on a portion of any “excess distribution” it receives from the PFIC or any gain it derives from the disposition of such shares, even if it distributes such income as a taxable dividend to its shareholders. The Fund may also be subject to additional interest charges in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains. Any tax paid by the Fund as a result of its ownership of shares in a PFIC will not give rise to any deduction or credit to the Fund or to any shareholder. A PFIC is any foreign corporation (with certain exceptions) that, for the taxable year, either (1) derives at least 75% of its gross income for the taxable year from “passive income” (including interest, dividends, royalties, rents and annuities) or (2) on average, at least 50% of the value (or adjusted tax basis, if elected) of the assets it holds produce, or are held for the production of, “passive income.” The Fund’s distributions of income from any PFICs will not be eligible for the 15% or 20% maximum federal income tax rate on individuals’ “qualified dividend income” described above.

 

The Fund could elect to “mark-to-market” stock in a PFIC. Under such an election, the Fund would include in gross income (and treat as ordinary income) at the end of the Fund’s fiscal and excise tax years an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the PFIC stock as of the close of such year over the Fund’s adjusted basis in the PFIC stock. The Fund would be allowed a deduction for the excess, if any, of that adjusted basis over that fair market value, but only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains included by the Fund for prior taxable years. The Fund’s adjusted basis in the PFIC stock would be adjusted to reflect the amounts included in, or deducted from, income under this election. Amounts so included, as well as gain realized on the disposition of the PFIC stock, would be treated as ordinary income. The deductible portion of any mark-to-market loss, as well as loss realized on the disposition of the PFIC stock to the extent that such loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included by the Fund, would be treated as ordinary loss. The Fund generally would not be subject to the deferred tax and interest charge provisions discussed above with respect to PFIC stock for which a mark-to-market election has been made. Foreign companies are not required to identify themselves as PFICs. Due to various complexities in identifying PFICs, the Fund can give no assurances that it will be able to identify portfolio securities in foreign corporations that are PFICs in time for the Fund to make a mark-to-market election.

 

If the Fund purchases shares in a PFIC and elects to treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund,” the Fund would be required to include in its income each year a portion of the ordinary income and net capital gains of the PFIC, even if the income and gains were not distributed to the Fund. Any such income would be subject to the Distribution Requirement and the calendar year Excise Tax distribution requirement described below. In most instances it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to make this election because some of the information required to make this election may not be easily obtainable.

 

Investors should be aware that the Fund may not be able, at the time it acquires a foreign corporation’s shares, to ascertain whether the corporation is a PFIC and that a foreign corporation may become a PFIC after the Fund acquires shares therein. While the Fund generally will seek not to invest in PFIC shares to avoid the tax consequences detailed above, there are no guarantees that it will be able to do so and it reserves the right to make such investments as a matter of its investment policy.

 

Investments in US REITs. A US REIT is not subject to federal income tax on the income and gains it distributes to shareholders. Dividends paid by a US REIT, other than capital gain distributions, will be taxable as ordinary income up to the amount of the US REIT’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Capital gain dividends paid by a US REIT to a fund will be treated as long-term capital gains by the fund and, in turn, may be distributed by the fund to its shareholders as a capital gain distribution. Because of certain noncash expenses, such as property depreciation, an equity US REIT’s cash flow may exceed its taxable income. The equity US REIT, and in turn a fund, may distribute this excess cash to shareholders

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in the form of a return of capital distribution. However, if a US REIT is operated in a manner that fails to qualify as a REIT, an investment in the US REIT would become subject to double taxation, meaning the taxable income of the US REIT would be subject to federal income tax at the corporate income tax rate without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders and the dividends would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the US REIT’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Also, see, “Tax Treatment of Fund Transactions — Investment in taxable mortgage pools (excess inclusion income)” and “Non-US Investors — Investment in US real property” below with respect to certain other tax aspects of investing in US REITs.

 

Investment in non-US REITs. While non-US REITs often use complex acquisition structures that seek to minimize taxation in the source country, an investment by a fund in a non-US REIT may subject the fund, directly or indirectly, to corporate taxes, withholding taxes, transfer taxes and other indirect taxes in the country in which the real estate acquired by the non-US REIT is located. A fund’s pro rata share of any such taxes will reduce the fund’s return on its investment. A fund’s investment in a non-US REIT may be considered an investment in a PFIC, as discussed above in “PFIC investments.” Additionally, foreign withholding taxes on distributions from the non-US REIT may be reduced or eliminated under certain tax treaties, as discussed above in “Taxation of the Fund — Foreign income tax.” Also, a fund in certain limited circumstances may be required to file an income tax return in the source country and pay tax on any gain realized from its investment in the non-US REIT under rules similar to those in the US, which tax foreign persons on gain realized from dispositions of interests in US real estate.

 

Investments in partnerships and QPTPs. For purposes of the Income Requirement, income derived by a fund from a partnership that is not a QPTP will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by the fund. While the rules are not entirely clear with respect to a fund investing in a partnership outside a master feeder structure, for purposes of testing whether a fund satisfies the Asset Diversification Test, the fund generally is treated as owning a pro rata share of the underlying assets of a partnership. See, “Taxation of the Fund.” In contrast, different rules apply to a partnership that is a QPTP. A QPTP is a partnership (a) the interests in which are traded on an established securities market, (b) that is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, and (c) that derives less than 90% of its income from sources that satisfy the Income Requirement (e.g., because it invests in commodities). All of the net income derived by a fund from an interest in a QPTP will be treated as qualifying income but the fund may not invest more than 25% of its total assets in one or more QPTPs. However, there can be no assurance that a partnership classified as a QPTP in one year will qualify as a QPTP in the next year. Any such failure to annually qualify as a QPTP might, in turn, cause a fund to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company.

 

Although, in general, the passive loss rules of the IRC do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a fund with respect to items attributable to an interest in a QPTP. Fund investments in partnerships, including in QPTPs, may result in the fund being subject to state, local or foreign income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.

 

Investments in Convertible Debt Securities. Convertible debt is ordinarily treated as a “single property” consisting of a pure debt interest until conversion, after which the investment becomes an equity interest. If the security is issued at a premium (i.e., for cash in excess of the face amount payable on retirement), the creditor-holder may amortize the premium over the life of the bond. If the security is issued for cash at a price below its face amount, the creditor-holder must accrue original issue discount in income over the life of the debt. The creditor-holder’s exercise of the conversion privilege is treated as a nontaxable event. Mandatorily convertible debt (e.g., an exchange traded note or ETN issued in the form of an unsecured obligation that pays a return based on the performance of a specified market index, exchange currency, or commodity) is often, but not always, treated as a contract to buy or sell the reference property rather than debt. Similarly, convertible preferred stock with a mandatory conversion feature is ordinarily, but not always, treated as equity rather than debt. Dividends received generally are qualified dividend income and eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction. In general, conversion of preferred stock for common stock of the same corporation is tax-free. Conversion of preferred stock for cash is a taxable redemption. Any redemption premium for preferred stock that is redeemable by the issuing company might be required to be amortized under original issue discount principles. A change in the conversion ratio or conversion price of a convertible security on account of a dividend paid to the issuer’s other shareholders may result in a deemed distribution of stock to the holders of the convertible security equal to the value of their increased interest in the equity of the issuer. Thus, an increase in the conversion ratio of a convertible security can be treated as a taxable distribution of stock to a holder of the convertible security (without a corresponding receipt of cash by the holder) before the holder has converted the security.

 

Investments in Securities of Uncertain Tax Character. The Fund may invest in securities the U.S. federal income tax treatment of which may not be clear or may be subject to recharacterization by the IRS. To the extent the tax treatment

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of such securities or the income from such securities differs from the tax treatment expected by the Fund, it could affect the timing or character of income recognized by the Fund, requiring the Fund to purchase or sell securities, or otherwise change its portfolio, in order to comply with the tax rules applicable to RICs under the IRC. Moreover, because the tax rules applicable to derivative financial instruments are in some cases uncertain under current law, an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to these rules (which determination or guidance could be retroactive) may affect whether the Fund has made sufficient distributions, and otherwise satisfied the relevant requirements, to maintain its qualification as a RIC and avoid a fund-level tax.

 

D. Federal Excise Tax

 

A 4% non-deductible federal excise tax (“Excise Tax”) is imposed on a RIC that fails to distribute in each calendar year an amount equal to at least the sum of (1) 98.0% of its ordinary income for the calendar year plus (2) 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ended on October 31 of such calendar year, and (3) any prior year undistributed ordinary income and capital gain net income. The Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it is subject to income tax for any taxable year ending in the calendar year.

 

For purposes of calculating the Excise Tax, the Fund (1) reduces its capital gain net income (but not below its net capital gain) by the amount of any net ordinary loss for the calendar year and (2) excludes any “specified gain” or “specified loss” (see, “Deferral of Late Year Losses” above for the definition of “specified gain” and “specified loss”) realized or sustained after October 31 of any year in determining the amount of ordinary income for the current calendar year. The Fund will include any “specified gain” or “specified loss” incurred after October 31 in determining ordinary income for the succeeding calendar year.

 

Generally, the Fund intends to make sufficient distributions prior to the end of each calendar year to avoid any material liability for federal income and Excise Tax, but can give no assurances that all or a portion of such liability will be avoided. In addition, under certain circumstances, temporary timing or permanent differences in the realization of income and expense for book and tax purposes can result in the Fund having to pay an Excise Tax. Shareholders should note, however, that the Fund may in certain circumstances be required to liquidate portfolio investments to make sufficient distributions to avoid Excise Tax liability.

 

E. Redemption of Shares

 

In general, you will recognize gain or loss on an exchange or redemption of Fund shares in an amount equal to the difference between the proceeds of the exchange or redemption and your adjusted tax basis in the shares. Any redemption fees you incur on shares redeemed will decrease the amount of any capital gain (or increase any capital loss) you realize on the sale. All or a portion of any loss so recognized may be disallowed if you purchase Fund shares (for example, by reinvesting dividends) within 30 days before or after an exchange or redemption (i.e., a wash sale). If disallowed, the loss would be reflected in an upward adjustment to the basis in the purchased shares. In general, any gain or loss arising from an exchange or redemption of shares of the Fund will be considered a capital gain or loss and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares were held for longer than one year. Any capital loss arising from an exchange or redemption of shares held for six months or less, however, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the amount of distributions of net capital gain, if any, received on such shares. In determining the holding period of shares for this purpose, any period during which your risk of loss is offset by means of options, short sales or similar transactions is not counted. Capital losses in any year are deductible only to the extent of capital gains plus, in the case of a non-corporate taxpayer, $3,000 of ordinary income.

 

Tax Basis Information. The Fund is required to report to you and the IRS annually on Form 1099-B the cost basis of shares purchased or acquired where the cost basis of the shares is known by the Fund (referred to as “covered shares”). However, cost basis reporting is not required for certain shareholders, including shareholders investing in the Fund through a tax-advantaged retirement account, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account.

 

When required to report cost basis, the Fund will calculate it using the Fund’s default method, unless you instruct the Fund to use a different calculation method. For additional information regarding the Fund’s available cost basis reporting methods, including its default method, please contact the Fund. If you hold your Fund shares through a broker (or other nominee), please contact that broker (nominee) with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for your account.

 

The IRS permits the use of several methods to determine the cost basis of mutual fund shares. The method used will determine which specific shares are deemed to be sold when there are multiple purchases on different dates at differing share prices, and the entire position is not sold at one time. The Fund does not recommend any particular method of determining cost basis, and the use of other methods may result in more favorable tax consequences for some shareholders. It is important

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that you consult with your tax advisor to determine which method is best for you and then notify the Fund if you intend to utilize a method other than the Fund’s default method for covered shares. If you do not notify the Fund of your elected cost basis method upon the initial purchase into your account, the default method will be applied to your covered shares.

 

The Fund will compute and report the cost basis of your Fund shares sold or exchanged by taking into account all of the applicable adjustments to cost basis and holding periods as required by the IRC and Treasury regulations for purposes of reporting these amounts to you and the IRS. However the Fund is not required to, and in many cases the Fund does not possess the information to, take all possible basis, holding period or other adjustments into account in reporting cost basis information to you. Therefore, shareholders should carefully review the cost basis information provided by the Fund.

 

Reportable Transactions. Under Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to the Fund’s shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

 

F. State and Local Taxes

 

The tax rules of the various states and their local jurisdictions with respect to an investment in the Fund can differ from the federal income tax rules described above. These state and local rules are not discussed herein. You are urged to consult your tax advisor as to the consequences of state and local tax rules with respect to an investment in the Fund.

 

G. Backup Withholding

 

By law, the Fund may be required to withhold a portion of your taxable dividends and sales proceeds unless you:

 

provide your correct social security or taxpayer identification number,

 

certify that this number is correct,

 

certify that you are not subject to backup withholding, and

 

certify that you are a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).

 

The Fund also must withhold if the IRS instructs it to do so. When withholding is required, the amount will be 24% of any distributions or proceeds paid. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS. Certain payees and payments are exempt from backup withholding and information reporting.

 

H. Foreign Income Tax

 

Investment income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries and gains that it realizes on the disposition of foreign securities may be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source and the amount of tax withheld generally will be treated as an expense of the Fund. The United States has entered into tax treaties with many foreign countries that may entitle the Fund to a reduced rate of such taxes or exemption from taxes on such income. Some countries require the filing of a tax reclaim or other forms to receive the benefit of the reduced tax rate; whether or when the Fund will receive the tax reclaim is within the control of the individual country. Information required on these forms may not be available such as shareholder information therefore, the Fund may not receive the reduced treaty rates or potential reclaims. Other countries have conflicting and changing instructions and restrictive timing requirements which may cause the Fund not to receive the reduced treaty rates or potential reclaims. Other countries may subject capital gains realized by the Fund on sale or disposition of securities of that country to taxation. It is impossible to know the effective rate of foreign tax in advance, since the amount of the Fund’s assets to be invested within various countries cannot be determined. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may elect to pass-through the amount of foreign taxes paid by the Fund to shareholders, although it reserves the right not to do so. If the Fund makes such an election and obtains a refund of foreign taxes paid by the Fund in a prior year, the Fund may be eligible to reduce the amount of foreign taxes reported by the Fund to its shareholders, generally by the amount of the foreign taxes refunded, for the year in which the refund is received.

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I. Non-U.S. Investors

 

Fund shares generally are not sold outside the United States. However, non-U.S. investors (shareholders who, as to the U.S., are nonresident alien individuals, foreign trusts or estates, foreign corporations, or foreign partnerships) may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax and are subject to special U.S. tax certification requirements. Non-U.S. investors should consult their tax advisors about the applicability of U.S. tax withholding and the use of the appropriate forms to certify their status.

 

In general. Non-U.S. investors may be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a 30% or lower treaty rate and U.S. estate tax and are subject to special U.S. tax certification requirements to avoid backup withholding and claim any treaty benefits. Exemptions from U.S. withholding tax are provided for certain capital gain dividends paid by a Fund from net long-term capital gains, interest-related dividends and short-term capital gain dividends, if such amounts are reported by a Fund. However, notwithstanding such exemptions from U.S. withholding at the source, any such dividends and distributions of income and capital gains will be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 24% if you fail to properly certify that you are not a U.S. person.

 

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”). Under FATCA, a Fund will be required to withhold a 30% tax on income dividends made by the Fund to certain foreign entities, referred to as foreign financial institutions or nonfinancial foreign entities, that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. After December 31, 2018, FATCA withholding also would have applied to certain capital gain distributions, return of capital distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Fund shares; however, based on proposed regulations issued by the IRS, which can be relied upon currently, such withholding is no longer required unless final regulations provide otherwise (which is not expected). A Fund may disclose the information that it receives from its shareholders to the IRS, non-U.S. taxing authorities or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA or similar laws. Withholding also may be required if a foreign entity that is a shareholder of a Fund fails to provide the Fund with appropriate certifications or other documentation concerning its status under FATCA.

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OTHER MATTERS

 

A. The Trust and its Shareholders

 

General Information. The Fund is a separate series of the Trust. The Trust is an open-end investment management company organized under Delaware law as a statutory trust on July 30, 2012. The Trust’s trust instrument (the “Trust Instrument”) permits the Trust to offer separate series (“funds”) of shares of beneficial interest (“shares”). The Trust reserves the right to create and issue shares of additional funds. The Trust and each fund will continue indefinitely until terminated. Each fund is a separate mutual fund, and each share of each fund represents an equal proportionate interest in that fund. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of any fund and all assets of such fund belong solely to that fund and would be subject to liabilities related thereto. The other funds of the Trust are described in one or more separate Statements of Additional Information.

 

Shareholder Voting and Other Rights. Each share of a fund and each class of shares has equal dividend, distribution, liquidation and voting rights. Fractional shares have those rights proportionately, except that expenses related to the distribution of shares of each fund or class (and certain other expenses such as transfer agency, shareholder service and administration expenses) are borne solely by those shares. Each fund or class votes separately with respect to the provisions of any Rule 12b-1 plan that pertains to the fund or class and other matters for which separate fund or class voting is appropriate under applicable law. Generally, shares will be voted separately by each fund except if: (1) the 1940 Act requires shares to be voted in the aggregate and not by individual funds; or (2) the Board determines that the matter affects more than one fund and all affected funds must vote. The Board may also determine that a matter only affects certain funds or classes of the Trust and thus that only those funds or classes are entitled to vote on the matter. Delaware law does not require the Trust to hold annual meetings of shareholders, and it is anticipated that shareholder meetings will be held only when specifically required by federal or state law. There are no conversion or preemptive rights in connection with shares of the Trust.

 

All shares, when issued in accordance with the terms of the offering, will be fully paid and non-assessable.

 

A shareholder in a fund is entitled to the shareholder’s pro rata share of all distributions arising from that fund’s assets and, upon redeeming shares, will receive the portion of the fund’s net assets represented by the redeemed shares.

 

Shareholders representing 10% or more of the Trust’s (or a fund’s) shares may, as set forth in the Trust Instrument, call meetings of the Trust (or fund) for any purpose related to the Trust (or fund), including, in the case of a meeting of the Trust, the purpose of voting on removal of one or more Trustees.

 

Pursuant to Delaware law, the Trust Instrument places certain limitations on the ability of shareholders to bring derivative actions on behalf of the Trust and certain direct claims. These limitations include, but are not limited to: (i) a pre-suit demand must be made on the Board; (ii) to the maximum extent permitted by law, the demand must be executed by at least three unaffiliated and unrelated shareholders who hold shares representing 10% or more of the all shares issued and outstanding or of the series or classes to which such an action relates, if it does not relate to all series and classes thereof; (iii) the Trustees will consider such a request within a time frame that the Trustees in their discretion consider reasonable and appropriate; (iv) the Trustees will be entitled to retain counsel or other advisers in considering the merits of the request and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, will require an undertaking by the shareholder (or shareholders) making the request to reimburse the Trust for the expense of any such advisers in the event that the Trustees determine not to bring the action; (v) to the maximum extent permitted by law, any decision by the Trustees relating to the matter will be final and binding upon the shareholder, and judicially unreviewable; (vi) to the maximum extent permitted by law, a shareholder may bring a direct action or claim only if the shareholder (or group of shareholders) has suffered an injury distinct from that suffered by shareholders of the Trust or the relevant series or a class thereof generally; and (vii) to the maximum extent permitted by law, a shareholder may bring a direct action or claim predicated upon an express or implied right of action under the Trust Instrument or the 1940 Act (excepting rights of action permitted under Section 36(b) of the 1940 Act), only if the shareholder (or group of shareholders) has obtained authorization from the Trustees to bring the action or claim.

 

The Trust Instrument also places limitations on the forum in which claims against the Trust may be heard. Unless the Board consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, any suit, action or proceeding brought by or in the right of any shareholder or any person claiming any interest in any shares seeking to enforce any provision of, or based on any matter arising out of, related to or in connection with the Trust Instrument, including without limitation any claim of any nature against the Trust, any series or class, the Trustees or officers of the Trust, or a service provider will be brought exclusively in the Delaware Court of Chancery to the extent that court has subject matter jurisdiction over the action or claims asserted and otherwise in the courts of the State of Delaware to the extent there is subject matter jurisdiction in those courts for the

38 

 

claims asserted. Accordingly, shareholders may have to bring suit in what they may consider to be an inconvenient and potentially less favorable forum. These limitations described above relating to derivative actions and choice of forum do not apply to claims asserted under the federal securities laws, to the extent that any such federal laws, rules or regulations do not permit such application.

 

Termination or Reorganization of Trust or its Series. The Board, may, without prior shareholder approval, change the form of organization of the Trust by merger, consolidation or incorporation, so long as the surviving entity is an open-end management investment company. Under the Trust Instrument, the Trustees may also, without shareholder vote, sell and convey all or substantially all of the assets of the Trust to another trust, partnership, association or corporation, or cause the Trust to incorporate in the State of Delaware, so long as the surviving entity is an open-end management investment company that will succeed to or assume the Trust’s registration statement.

 

Under the Trust Instrument, the Board may sell or convey the assets of a fund or reorganize such fund into another investment company registered under the 1940 Act without a shareholder vote.

 

B. Fund Ownership

 

A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund. A control person is a shareholder who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control. Shareholders owning voting securities in excess of 25% may determine the outcome of any matter affecting and voted on by shareholders of the Fund.

 

As of October 5, 2023, the Trustees and officers of the Trust in aggregate owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of beneficial interest of the Fund.

 

As of October 5, 2023, certain shareholders listed in Table 6 in Appendix B owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of the shares of the Fund.

 

From time to time, certain shareholders may own a large percentage of the shares of the Fund. Accordingly, those shareholders may be able to greatly affect (if not determine) the outcome of a shareholder vote. As of October 5, 2023, the shareholders listed in Table 6 in Appendix B who own more than 25% of the Fund may be deemed to control the Fund. “Control” for this purpose is the ownership of 25% or more of the Fund’s voting securities.

 

C. Limitations on Shareholders’ and Trustees’ Liability

 

Delaware law provides that Fund shareholders are entitled to the same limitations of personal liability extended to stockholders of private corporations for profit. In addition, the Trust Instrument contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses of the Trust. The Trust Instrument provides that if any shareholder or former shareholder of any fund is held personally liable, solely by reason of having been a shareholder (and not because of their acts or omissions or for some other reason), the shareholder or former shareholder shall be entitled out of assets belonging to the applicable fund to be held harmless from and indemnified against all losses and expenses arising from such liability. The Trust Instrument also provides that the Trust, on behalf of a fund, shall, upon request by a shareholder or former shareholder, assume the defense of any claim made against any shareholder for any act or obligation of that fund and satisfy any judgment thereon from the assets belonging to the fund. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which Delaware law does not apply, no contractual limitation of liability is in effect, and the Fund is unable to meet its obligations.

 

No trustee or officer of the Trust is responsible or liable to the Trust, its shareholders or another trustee or other person that is a party to or is otherwise bound by the Trust’s Trust Instrument for any act or omission, breach of contract, breach of duties or for neglect or wrongdoing of the Trustee or officer or any officer, agent, representative, employee, adviser, principal underwriter or independent contractor to the Trust. However, no trustee or officer is protected under the Trust Instrument against liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which such trustee or officer would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties. All persons contracting with or having a claim against the Trust or a particular fund may only look to the Trust assets (or assets belonging to a fund) for payment under such contract or claim. Neither the trustees nor any of the Trust’s officers or employees (whether past, present or future) are personally liable for such claims.

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D. Proxy Voting Procedures

 

Copies of the proxy voting procedures of the Trust, the Adviser and the Subadviser are included in Appendices C and D.

 

Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30 is available: (1) without charge, upon request, by contacting the Transfer Agent at (844) 805-5628 (toll free); and (2) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

E. Code of Ethics

 

The Trust, the Adviser and the Subadviser have each adopted a code of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act which are designed to eliminate conflicts of interest between the Fund and personnel of the Trust, the Adviser and the Subadviser. The codes permit such personnel to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund, subject to certain limitations. The Distributor relies on the principal underwriters exception under Rule 17j-1(c)(3), specifically where the Distributor is not affiliated with the Trust or the Adviser, and no officer, director or general partner of the Distributor serves as an officer, director or general partner of the Trust or the Adviser.

 

F. Registration Statement

 

This SAI and the Prospectus do not contain all of the information included in the Trust’s registration statement filed with the SEC under the 1933 Act with respect to the securities offered hereby. The registration statement, including the exhibits filed therewith, may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C. The SEC maintains a website (www.sec.gov) that contains this SAI, any material incorporated by reference, and other information regarding the Fund.

 

G. Financial Statements

 

The Fund’s Financial Statements and Financial Highlights for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 are incorporated by reference into this SAI from the Fund's Annual Report to shareholders, have been audited by Cohen, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in its report, which is incorporated herein by reference, and have been so incorporated in reliance upon reports of such firm, given upon its authority as an expert in accounting and auditing.

40 

 

APPENDIX A – DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS

 

Corporate and Municipal Long-Term Bond Ratings

 

Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) Corporate and Municipal Long-Term Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of S&P’s long-term corporate and municipal bond ratings have been published by Standard & Poor’s Financial Service LLC.

 

AAA  - An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is extremely strong.

 

AA  - An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is very strong.

 

A - An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is still strong.

 

BBB   - An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

 

BB, B, CCC, CC, and C - Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

 

BB  - An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

 

B - An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

 

CCC   - An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

 

CC  - An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC’ rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P Global Ratings expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

 

C - An obligation rated ‘C’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared with obligations that are rated higher.

 

D - An obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within the next five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or the next 30 calendar days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. A rating on an obligation is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.

 

Plus (+) or Minus (-) - The ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the rating categories.

 

NR - This indicates that a rating has not been assigned or is no longer assigned.

A-1 

 

Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) Long-Term Corporate Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Moody’s long-term corporate bond ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.

 

Aaa - Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

 

Aa - Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

 

A - Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

 

Baa - Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

 

Ba - Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

 

B - Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

 

Caa - Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative, of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

 

Ca - Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

 

C - Obligations rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

 

Modifiers: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

 

Additionally, a “(hyb)” indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms. By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

 

Moody’s U.S. Municipal Long-Term Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Moody’s long-term municipal bond ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.

 

Aaa - Issuers or issues rated Aaa demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Aa - Issuers or issues rated Aa demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

A - Issuers or issues rated A present above-average creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Baa - Issuers or issues rated Baa represent average creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Ba - Issuers or issues rated Ba demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

B - Issuers or issues rated B demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

A-2 

 

Caa - Issuers or issues rated Caa demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Ca - Issuers or issues rated Ca demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

C - Issuers or issues rated C demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Modifiers: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating category from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the issuer or obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

 

Fitch Ratings Ltd. (“Fitch”) Corporate Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Fitch’s long-term corporate bond ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.

 

AAA  - Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

 

AA  - Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

 

A - High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

 

BBB   - Good credit quality. ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

 

BB  - Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

 

B - Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

 

CCC - Substantial credit risk. ‘CCC’ ratings indicate that substantial credit risk present.

 

CC - Very high levels of credit risk. ‘CC’ ratings indicate very high levels of credit risk.

 

C - Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. ‘C’ indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

 

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned ‘RD’ or ‘D’ ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘CCC’ to ‘C’ rating categories, depending upon their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

 

Plus (+) or Minus (-) The modifiers “+” or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below ‘CCC’.

 

The terms “investment grade” and “speculative grade” have established themselves over time as shorthand to describe the categories ‘AAA’ to ‘BBB’ (investment grade) and ‘BB’ to ‘D’ (speculative grade). The terms “investment grade” and “speculative grade” are market conventions, and do not imply any recommendation or endorsement of a specific security for investment purposes. “Investment grade” categories indicate relatively low to moderate credit risk, while ratings in the “speculative” categories signal either a higher level of credit risk or that a default already occurred.

A-3 

 

Fitch’s Municipal Bond Long-Term Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Fitch’s long-term municipal bond ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.

 

AAA  - Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

 

AA  - Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low default risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

 

A - High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low default risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

 

BBB  - Good credit quality. ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that expectations of default risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

 

BB  - Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time.

 

B - Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.

 

CCC  - Substantial credit risk. ‘CCC’ ratings indicate that there is a very low margin for safety, and that default is a real possibility.

 

CC - Very high levels of credit risk. ‘CC’ ratings indicate default of some kind appears probable.

 

C - Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. ‘C’ ratings indicate default appears imminent or inevitable.

 

D - Default. ‘D’ ratings indicate a default. Default generally is defined as one of the following:

 

failure to make payment of principal and/or interest under the contractual terms of the rated obligation;

 

the bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other winding-up or cessation of the business of an issuer/obligor where payment default on an obligation is a virtual certainty; or

 

distressed exchange of an obligation, where creditors were offered securities with diminished structural or economic terms compared with the existing obligation to avoid a probable payment default.

 

Plus (+) or Minus (-) - The modifiers “+” or “-”may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ Long-Term Rating category, or to Long-Term Rating categories below ‘CCC’.

 

Municipal Short-Term Bond Ratings

 

S&P’s Municipal Short-Term Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of S&P’s short-term municipal ratings have been published by Standard & Poor’s Financial Service LLC.

 

SP-1 - Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.

A-4 

 

SP-2 - Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.

 

SP-3 - Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.

 

D - 'D' is assigned upon failure to pay the note when due, completion of a distressed debt restructuring, or the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions.

 

Moody’s Municipal Short-Term Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Moody’s short-term municipal ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.

 

MIG 1 - This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

 

MIG 2 - This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

 

MIG 3 - This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

 

SG - This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

 

Fitch’s Municipal Short-Term Credit Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Fitch’s municipal short-term credit ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.

 

F1 - Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

 

F2 - Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

 

F3 - Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

 

B - Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

 

C - High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

 

RD - Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically, applicable to entity ratings only.

 

D - Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

 

Short-Term Credit Ratings

 

S&P’s Short-Term Credit Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of S&P’s short-term credit ratings have been published by Standard & Poor’s Financial Service LLC.

 

A-1 - A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-5 

 

A-2 - A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is satisfactory.

 

A-3 - A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken an obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

 

B - A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

 

C - A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

 

D - A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.

 

Dual Ratings – Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+’ or ‘A-1+/A-1’). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’).

 

Moody’s Short-Term Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Moody’s short-term credit ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.

 

P-1 – Ratings of Prime-1 reflect a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

P-2 – Ratings of Prime-2 reflect a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

P-3 – Ratings of Prime-3 reflect an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

 

NP - Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

 

Fitch’s Short-Term Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Fitch’s short-term credit ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.

 

F1 - Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

 

F2 - Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

 

F3 - Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

 

B - Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

 

C - High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

A-6 

 

RD - Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically, applicable to entity ratings only.

 

D - Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a specific short-term obligation.

A-7 

 

APPENDIX B – MISCELLANEOUS TABLES

 

Table 1 – Investment Advisory Fees

 

The following table shows the dollar amount of fees accrued with respect to the Fund, the amount of fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed by the Adviser, if any, and the actual fees retained by the Adviser. The Adviser generally compensates the Subadvisers from the actual advisory fees retained by the Adviser. The data is for the last three fiscal years.

 

Period Ended Advisory Fees Accrued Advisory Fees Waived and/or Expenses Reimbursed Advisory Fees Received
June 30, 2023 $648,939 $261,288 $387,651
June 30, 2022 $715,145 $261,032 $454,113
June 30, 2021 $642,819 $279,502 $363,317

 

Table 2 – Administration Fees

 

The following table shows the dollar amount of fees accrued with respect to the Fund, the amount of fees waived by Apex Fund Services, if any, and the actual fees retained by Apex Fund Services. The data are for the last three fiscal years.

 

Period Ended

Administration Fees Accrued

Administration Fees Waived

Administration Fees Received

June 30, 2023 $171,532 $22,692 $148,840
June 30, 2022 $175,394 $23,221 $152,173
June 30, 2021 $173,358 $22,539 $150,819

 

Table 3 – Commissions

 

The following table shows the aggregate brokerage commissions of the Fund. The data are for the last three fiscal years.

 

Period Ended Aggregate Brokerage
Commissions ($)
Paid
Total Brokerage
Commissions ($)
Paid to Affiliate
of Fund, Adviser,
Subadviser or
Distributor
% of Brokerage
Commissions
Paid to Affiliate
of Fund, Adviser,
Subadviser or
Distributor
% of Transactions
Executed by Affiliate
of Fund, Adviser,
Subadviser or
Distributor
June 30, 2023 $99,445 $0 0% $0
June 30, 2022 $89,141 $0 0% $0
June 30, 2021 $95,645 $0 0% $0

 

Table 4 – Directed Brokerage

 

The following table lists the Fund’s directed brokerage in return for research services, the amount of transactions so directed and the amount of commissions generated therefrom. The data are for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.

 

Amount Directed Amount of Commissions Generated
$84,583,941 $99,445

  

Table 5 – Securities of Regular Brokers or Dealers

 

The following table lists the Fund’s regular brokers-dealers whose securities (or the securities of the parent company) were acquired for the fiscal year and the aggregate value of the Fund’s holdings of those securities as of June 30, 2023.

 

Regular Broker or Dealer Value of Securities Held
None N/A

 

Table 6 – Control Persons and 5% Shareholders  

 

The following table lists as of October 5, 2023: (1) the shareholders who owned 25% or more of the outstanding shares of the applicable class and thus may be deemed to be a control person of the Fund; and (2) the persons who owned beneficially

B-1 

 

or of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the applicable class. The Fund believes that these shares were owned of record by such holders for their fiduciary, agency or custodial accounts.

 

Name and Address % of Fund
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC*
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS
ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS DEPARTMENT 4TH FL
499 WASHINGTON BLVD
JERSEY CITY, NJ 07310
85.76%
CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC*
SPECIAL CUSTODY A/C FBO CUSTOMERS
ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS
211 MAIN STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105
11.91%

 

* Denotes record owner of Fund shares only.

B-2 

 

APPENDIX C – TRUST PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES

 

Forum Funds II

Shareholder Voting Policy

 

As of June 13, 2013

 

SECTION 1. BACKGROUND

 

The Trust exercises its shareholder voting responsibilities as an investor in other issuers as a fiduciary, with the goal of maximizing the value of the Trust’s and its shareholders’ investments. This Policy details the Trust’s policy with respect to shareholder voting.

 

SECTION 2. ADVISER RESPONSIBILITIES

 

(A) Delegation by Board. Each Fund has delegated to the Adviser the authority to vote as a shareholder of issuers whose securities are held in its portfolio. The Adviser shall maintain and the Board shall approve voting procedures related to the Adviser acting on behalf of the Fund in accordance with its fiduciary duties and the best interests of Fund shareholders.

 

(B) Delivery of Proxies. The Adviser is responsible for coordinating the delivery of proxies to be voted by the Custodian to the Adviser or to an agent of the Adviser selected by the Adviser to vote proxies with respect to which the Adviser has such discretion (a “Proxy Voting Service”). Upon request, the Adviser shall provide periodic reports to the Board as to the implementation and operation of its shareholder voting policies and procedures as they relate to the Trust.

 

(C) Conflicts of Interest. The Trust recognizes that under certain circumstances an Adviser or Proxy Voting Service may have a conflict of interest in voting on behalf of a Fund. A conflict of interest includes any circumstance when the Fund, the Adviser, the Distributor, the Proxy Voting Service or one or more of their Affiliated Persons (including officers, directors and employees) knowingly does business with, receives compensation from, or sits on the board of, a particular issuer or closely affiliated entity, and, therefore, may appear to have a conflict of interest between its own interests and the interests of Fund shareholders in how shares of that issuer are voted.

 

Each Adviser is responsible for maintaining procedures to identify and address material conflicts of interest and, when applicable, determine the adequacy of a Proxy Voting Service’s procedures to identify and address material conflicts of interest.

 

(D)  Voting Record. The Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring a voting record is maintained that includes all instances where the Fund was entitled to vote and will coordinate the annual delivery of such record to the Administrator for purposes of preparing the Trust’s annual Form N-PX filing. The voting record shall include the following information required to be reported in Form N-PX:

 

(1) The name of the issuer of the security;

 

(2) The exchange ticker symbol of the security;

 

(3) The CUSIP for the security;

 

(4) The shareholder meeting date;

 

(5) A brief identification of the matter voted on;

 

(6) Whether the matter was proposed by the issuer or by a security holder;

 

(7) Whether the Trust cast its vote on the matter;

 

(8)  How the Trust cast its vote (e.g., for or against proposal, or abstain; for or withhold regarding election of directors); and

 

(9) Whether the Trust cast its vote for or against management.

C-1 

 

The Adviser shall also be responsible for ensuring information regarding how the Fund voted relating to portfolio securities during the twelve-month period ended June 30 is available on the Fund’s website or other location consistent with disclosure in the Fund’s registration statement.

 

SECTION 3: ABSTENTION

 

The Trust and an Adviser may abstain from shareholder voting in certain circumstances. Abstaining from voting may be appropriate if voting would be unduly burdensome or expensive, or otherwise not in the best interest of a Fund’s shareholders.

 

SECTION 4: BOARD REPORTING AND REVIEW

 

(A) The Adviser shall submit its voting procedures to the Board for review and approval initially and at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board following any material change.

 

(B)  The Adviser shall report to the Board, at least quarterly, whether any conflicts of interest arose while voting as an investor in other issuers and how such conflicts were handled.

C-2 

 

APPENDIX D – ADVISER AND SUBADVISER PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES

 

ACUITAS INVESTMENTS, LLC PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES

 

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

 

Policy

 

Because Acuitas utilizes a multi-manager investment approach, subadvisers are responsible for security selection. As such, the subadvisers will maintain proxy voting authority for all securities in their portfolio.

 

In the event there are securities held in client accounts that are not part of a subadviser’s portfolio, or if for any reason the subadviser is unable to accept responsibility for proxy voting on securities, Acuitas will exercise its proxy voting authority for a client's securities in the client's best interest in the following types of corporate matters, keeping in mind that Acuitas’ fiduciary duty and duty of loyalty to each client may call for it to act differently on behalf of different clients who hold securities in Acuitas involved in the proxy solicitation: (a) changes in corporate governance structures; (b) adoption or amendment of compensation plans (including stock option plans); (c) matters involving corporate responsibility; (d) approval of advisory contracts; (d) approval of distribution plans (“12b-1 plans”); (e) approval of mergers or acquisitions; and (f) other non-routine matters, as solicited. In its discretion, Acuitas also may exercise proxy voting authority in routine matters.

 

As explained below, depending on the circumstances, Acuitas believes that a client's best interest may call for one of three responses to a proxy solicitation: (1) voting in favor of the proposal in question; (2) voting against the proposal; or (3) not voting either for or against the proposal. The presumption will be to vote either for or against a proposal, though this presumption may be stronger or weaker if the subject matter or circumstances of the proxy solicitation create an actual or potential conflict between the interests of Acuitas and the client (a "Conflict of Interest"). The presumption in favor of voting a client's shares either for or against a proposal may be overcome for one or more of the reasons described below, among other reasons deemed sufficient by Acuitas.

 

Procedure

 

Proxy solicitations received by Acuitas will be promptly routed for review and handling to the CIO who may designate this responsibility to another Acuitas employee. Whichever individual is assigned to handle the proxy solicitation (referred to as the "CCO" below), he or she will first determine whether a Conflict of Interest exists. To help make this determination, the CCO will review records of securities holdings, outside activities, personal or business relationships, and other relevant information concerning employees and their families (to the extent such information is known to Acuitas), and will make such additional inquiries within and outside Acuitas as the CCO may deem appropriate.

 

A Conflict of Interest may exist in the following circumstances, among others: (a) if proxies are solicited by a company that is (or whose retirement plan or a key employee is) an Acuitas client or has a substantial investment in an investment vehicle managed by Acuitas, a Company affiliate or another Company client; or (b) if an employee or his family member has a personal interest in the outcome of a particular proxy proposal, whether through securities holdings, an employment, business or personal relationship, or otherwise. These examples of Conflicts of Interest are not intended to be exhaustive.

 

After determining whether a Conflict of Interest exists, the CCO will decide the extent to which, and by whom, the proxy solicitation will be evaluated further before Acuitas determines what response will best serve the client's interest. The CCO will keep in mind that the client's best interest sometimes may call for Acuitas not to vote either for or against a proposal. This may be true, for example, if Acuitas cannot confidently conclude whether the client's interests will be best served by voting for or against a proposal. It may also be true if, for example, the client's holding is expected to be liquidated before the actual or predicted outcome of the proxy solicitation. In such circumstances, among others, Acuitas may conclude that employees instead should focus their limited time and attention on other matters more likely to advance the best interests of the client, particularly if a thorough evaluation of the proposal is likely to require substantial research and analysis (for an extreme example, a proxy solicitation involving the acquisition of company in which a client holds 10 shares).

 

Voting proxies with respect to shares of foreign companies may involve significantly greater effort and corresponding cost due to the variety of regulatory schemes and corporate practices in foreign countries. Each country has its own rules and practices regarding shareholder notification, voting restrictions, registration conditions and share blocking. There may be times when refraining from voting a proxy is in the clients’ best interests, such as when Acuitas determines that the cost of voting the proxy exceeds the expected benefit to the client.

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The reasons stated in the preceding paragraph for not voting a client's shares are not intended to provide a broad exemption from Acuitas’ general duty to evaluate proxy solicitations and to vote for or against the proposal in question – but rather to make clear that such factors may and should be considered by Acuitas when deciding upon Acuitas’ response to a particular proxy solicitation. In close cases, particularly when a Conflict of Interest has been determined to exist, the CCO should err in favor of evaluating the proxy solicitation more thoroughly.

 

To the extent, if any, he or she deems appropriate in light of the considerations above, the CCO (with the cooperation of other Company personnel believed to be knowledgeable about Acuitas and the proposal involved) will evaluate the proxy solicitation further by considering the following information, as available: (a) proxy statements and other solicitation materials; (b) published reports regarding the business, financial condition and current market position of Acuitas involved; (c) market conditions; and (d) other information that appears relevant to Acuitas’ response to the proxy solicitation.

 

After such review, if the CCO concludes it is appropriate to vote the client's shares for or against the proposal, and either that (1) no Conflict of Interest exists, or (2) a Conflict of Interest exists in which the client's interests will best be served by voting differently from how Acuitas would vote if it were considering only its own interests, the CCO will cause Acuitas to vote the shares in the manner deemed to be in the client's best interest. If a Conflict of Interest exists but the CCO nevertheless believes that the client's interests will best be served by voting as Acuitas would vote if it were considering only its own interests, the CCO will promptly refer the matter to management for a decision. In that event, the client's shares will be voted as Acuitas would vote them in its own best interests only if management concludes that doing so clearly will also be in the client's best interests. Absent such a clear determination by senior management, Acuitas will not vote the client's shares in the matter and may (but will not be required to) delegate voting authority to a qualified third party.

 

Investor Requests for Proxy Voting Information

 

The CCO will respond in writing within 10 days to any client request (written or oral) for proxy voting information. The response will include all information reasonably necessary for the requester to determine how and when the proxies were voted or, if not voted, when and to whom the proxy statement and ballot were forwarded for voting, if that occurred. For this purpose, an investor in any pooled investment entity managed by Acuitas or its affiliate will be considered a "client" when the request involves that pooled investment vehicle.

 

Class Action Lawsuits

 

As a matter of policy, Acuitas will not take part in class action lawsuits on behalf of their clients. Acuitas will promptly forward such notices to the custodian who shall be responsible for filing any responses.

 

Record-Keeping

 

For at least six (6) years after the end of the fiscal year in which the last entry in such a record is made, Acuitas will keep copies of at least the following documents: (1) Acuitas’ proxy voting policies and procedures in effect currently and at any earlier time during this record-retention period; (2) each proxy statement received on behalf of a client (or Acuitas instead may rely on obtaining a copy of the proxy statement from the Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR system); (3) a record of each vote cast by Acuitas on behalf of a client (or Acuitas instead may rely on a third party to make and retain such record, if the third party has undertaken to deliver a copy to Acuitas promptly on request); (4) any document created by Acuitas that was material to its decision on how to vote a proxy on behalf of a client, or that memorializes the basis for the decision; and (5) each written client request for information on how Acuitas voted proxies on behalf of the client, and any written response by Acuitas to such a request (whether the request was written or oral).

 

ALTRAVUE CAPITAL, LLC PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES

 

PROXY VOTING POLICY

 

Background

 

Rule 206(4)-6 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 requires an adviser that exercises voting authority over client proxies to adopt and implement policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that the adviser votes proxies in the best interest of the client. The rule requires that the adviser’s policies and procedures include the following:

 

(1) Adopt and implement written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that you vote client securities in the best interest of clients, which procedures

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must include how you address material conflicts that may arise between your interests and those of your clients;

 

(2) Disclose to clients how they may obtain information from you about how you voted with respect to their securities; and

 

(3) Describe to clients your proxy voting policies and procedures and, upon request, furnish a copy of the policies and procedures to the requesting client.

 

Policy

 

AltraVue Capital has adopted and implemented policies and procedures that we believe are reasonably designed so that proxies are voted in the best interest of our clients in accordance with our fiduciary duties and SEC rule 206(4)-6 of the Investment Advisers Act. AltraVue Capital's authority to vote the proxies for clients is established by our advisory contracts or other comparable documents, and our proxy voting guidelines have been tailored to reflect these specific contractual obligations. In addition to the SEC requirements, our proxy voting policies reflect the fiduciary standards and responsibilities for ERISA accounts set forth by the Department of Labor. With respect to client accounts that fall under ERISA, AltraVue Capital will vote proxies unless the plan documents specifically reserve the plan’s right to vote proxies.

 

Where AltraVue Capital has voting authority to vote proxies on behalf of its clients, it is our utmost concern that all decisions be made solely in the best interest of the client (and for ERISA accounts, Plan beneficiaries and participants with the letter and spirit of ERISA). This includes where there is a conflict of interest between AltraVue Capital's and the client’s interest. In voting proxies, AltraVue Capital will consider both economic and ethical factors in determining the best interests of the client, and utilize reasonable care and skill in deciding how to vote on the issues involved. It is also our policy to vote proxies on all securities we manage in a timely basis subject to the limitations noted in the Procedures below. Upon receipt of each proxy AltraVue Capital will vote for or against (or to abstain) each of the issues presented, whether the vote supports management. AltraVue Capital may consider information from a variety of sources in evaluating the issues presented in a proxy.

 

In voting proxies for ERISA accounts, AltraVue Capital's responsibilities also include the duty of loyalty, prudence, compliance with the Plan, as well as a duty to avoid prohibited transactions. It may also be appropriate for AltraVue Capital to engage in “active monitoring” and communications with the issuer with respect to the ERISA accounts, particularly where we may maintain long-term or relatively illiquid investment in the issuer.

 

Responsibility

 

The Investment Committee is responsible that all proxies received by AltraVue Capital for our separately managed accounts and for the AltraVue Fund I, LP, are reviewed and voted in a manner consistent with the firm’s determination of the client’s best interest, with a designated Officer taking the lead coordination role. It is Compliance’s responsibility to review the policies and procedures for adequacy and effectiveness and make any revisions due to changes in the firm’s business, operations or regulatory environment.

 

Procedures

 

The designated Officer reviews each vote and the proposed votes are provided to each member of the Investment Committee for review and approval. While most the proposed votes are decided based on AltraVue Capital's guidelines (see “Guidelines” below), the range of voting measures may be much wider and potentially more complex than the examples provided in the firm’s guidelines. As such, AltraVue Capital may utilize reports produced by a neutral third-party proxy research firm as a resource for additional information regarding the ballot items. In addition, in such circumstances, we may also rely on the knowledge of the individual Investment Committee member who initially recommended the security for inclusion in our investment strategies and continues to monitor the company.

 

1. Proxy Voting Process

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A. AltraVue Capital is responsible to vote proxies according to the contractual agreements we have with clients or other comparable documents. For ERISA accounts, we will vote proxies unless the ERISA Plan has reserved the right, in writing, to vote its own proxies.

 

B. If a client would like us to vote proxies in a manner inconsistent with our policies and procedures, the client must provide detailed written instructions as to how AltraVue Capital is to vote the proxies.

 

C. Proxies are received and reconciled with the number of shares we are authorized to vote. Any discrepancies are investigated and to the best of our ability resolved before the voting deadline.

 

D. For those securities included in our strategies, the ballots are provided to the designated Officer who will review the ballots, and other information to determine how to vote in the best interest of the client. Once a proposed vote has been determined, Operations emails the proposed vote to the other members of the Investment Committee for review. It is the responsibility of the Investment Committee members to voice any concerns or disapproval of the proposed vote to the designated Portfolio Manager in the time period given. If an Investment Committee member does not respond, the vote is cast as proposed.

 

E. Operations is responsible for maintaining the proxy voting records as required by Rule 204- 2(c) of the Investment Advisers Act for the previous five fiscal years as follows:

 

i. proxy statements received regarding client securities (AltraVue Capital relies on the SEC’s EDGAR system for maintaining the required proxy statements);

 

ii. a record of each vote cast;

 

iii.  a copy of any document created by AltraVue Capital that was material to making a decision how to vote proxies on behalf of the client or that memorializes the basis for that decision (such as Glass Lewis reports, emails from Investment Committee members, etc.); and

 

iv. each written client request for proxy voting records and AltraVue Capital's written response to any client request (written or oral) for such records.

 

In addition to the above, and although required only for ERISA accounts, Operations will maintain the following records for all of the firm’s clients to enable the client to determine if AltraVue Capital is fulfilling its obligations. The retention may include records reflecting:

 

i. issuer name and meeting;

 

ii. issues voted on and the record of the vote;

 

iii. number of shares eligible to be voted on the record date;

 

iv. numbers of shares voted; and

 

v. where appropriate, cost-benefit analysis.

 

Compliance will be responsible for maintaining a copy of all proxy voting policies and procedures in effect during the previous five fiscal years.

 

2. Guidelines

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Each proxy issue will be considered individually. The following guidelines were developed to establish a fiduciary framework for reviewing each proposal as it relates to the interests of our clients. However, it has not been our intention to have in place a rigid set of rules.

 

A. Approve

 

Routine proposals are those, which do not change the structure, bylaws, or operations of the corporation to the detriment of the shareholders. Given the routine nature of these proposals, AltraVue Capital will generally vote with management. These routine matters may include:

 

i. Election of auditors recommended by the board of directors, unless seeking to replace the auditor over a dispute in policies;

 

ii. Date and place of the annual shareholders meeting;

 

iii. Ratification of directors’ actions on routine matters since the previous annual shareholder meeting;

 

iv. Confidential voting – Most often proposed by shareholders as a means of eliminating undue management pressure on shareholders regarding their vote on proxy issues;

 

v. AltraVue Capital will generally approve these proposals as shareholders can later divulge their votes to management on a selective basis if a legitimate reason arises;

 

vi. Corporate governance proposals that foster good corporate governance practices;

 

vii. Creation and establishment of a 401(k) Employee Benefit Plan. The expansion of the participation of directors who are not employees or closely associated with the company.

 

B. Oppose

 

AltraVue Capital will generally vote against any proposal that clearly has the effect of restricting the ability of shareholders to realize the full potential value of their investment. Proposals in this category may include:

 

i. Permitting “Greenmail” - the company’s ability to buy back shares from a particular shareholder at a price above the market in order to “buy-off” potential raiders at the expense of other shareholders;

 

ii. Poison Pill provisions that would trigger an unwanted takeover attempt and cause a variety of events to occur which may make the company less attractive to the potential acquirer;

 

iii. Other Anti-takeover measures that limit opportunities for shareholders to realize the highest value for their investment;

 

iv. Proposals to stagger board member terms;

 

v. Proposals to limit the ability of shareholders to call special meetings;

 

vi. Proposals to require super majority votes;

 

vii. Proposals requesting excessive increases in authorized common or preferred shares;

 

viii. where management provides no explanation for the use or need of these shares;

 

ix. Provisions providing for cumulative voting rights;

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x. “Social issues,” unless specific client guidelines supersede AltraVue Capital's proxy voting policy.

 

C. Case-By-Case

 

AltraVue Capital will review the following on a case-by-case basis. Voting decisions will be made based on the best interest of the client.

 

i. Directors pay solely in equity of the issuer;

 

ii. Eliminate director’s mandatory retirement policy;

 

iii. Rotation of the annual meeting location/date;

 

iv. Options and stock grants to management and directors;

 

v. Allowing indemnification of directors and/or officers after reviewing applicable laws and extent of protection granted;

 

vi. Approvals for new and amended stock-based compensation plans;

 

vii. Proposals for changes to specific accounting policies, e.g., requiring the expensing of stock options, and

 

viii. Executive compensation plans.

 

The above Guidelines is a list of examples and should not be considered inclusive or a rigid rule. As previously mentioned, the range of voting measures is certainly much wider and potentially more complex than can be described here.

 

D. Limitations

 

It is the intent of AltraVue Capital to vote proxies for all securities we manage and where we have voting authority. However, when a client has a securities lending arrangement with its custodian, AltraVue Capital generally will not vote the proxies for the securities out on loan. However, if there is a contractual agreement with the client, AltraVue Capital will request the custodian to “bring back” the security to the client’s account so that a vote can be made on behalf of the client.

 

E. Conflicts of Interest

 

A potential conflict of interest arises when an investment adviser has business interests that may not be consistent with the best interest of the client. In reviewing proxy proposals in order to identify an potential conflicts between AltraVue Capital and those of our clients, AltraVue Capital will consider such matters as (i) whether the firm has an economic incentive to vote in a manner not consistent with the best interest of the client (e.g., voting in a manner that would please corporate management in hope that doing so might lead to having business directed to the firm such as managing the company’s retirement plan); and (ii) whether there are any business or personal relationships between an employee of AltraVue Capital and the officers and directors of the company from which the proxy is received that may create an incentive to vote in a manner that is inconsistent with the best interest of the client. Where a proxy proposal raises a potential conflict of interest between AltraVue Capital and the client’s, AltraVue Capital will resolve such a conflict as described below:

 

i. Vote in Accordance with the Guidelines – to the extent that AltraVue Capital has little or no discretion to deviate from the Guidelines with respect to the proposal in question, the firm shall vote in accordance with the pre-determined voting policy.

 

ii. Obtain Consent of the Client – if AltraVue Capital has discretion to deviate from the Guidelines with respect to the proposal in question, the firm will disclose the conflict to the relevant clients and obtain their consent to the proposed vote prior to voting the

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securities. The disclosure to the Client will include sufficient detail regarding the matter to be voted on and the nature of the conflict so that the client would be able to make an informed decision regarding the vote. If the client does not respond to the conflict disclosure request or denies the request, AltraVue Capital will abstain from voting the securities held in the client’s account.

 

iii. Client Directive to use an independent third party – alternatively, a client may in writing, specifically direct AltraVue Capital to forward all proxy matters in which there is a conflict of interest regarding the client’s securities to an identified independent third party for review and recommendation. Where the recommendations are received on a timely basis, AltraVue Capital will vote all such proxies in accordance with the third party’s recommendation. If the third party’s recommendation is not timely received, AltraVue Capital will abstain from voting the securities held by that client’s account.

 

iv. Client will vote its own proxies – if a client does not want to use an independent third party for review and recommendation when a conflict of interest has been identified, AltraVue Capital will request and client will agree in writing that the client vote those proxies. If client refuses to vote the proxies, AltraVue Capital will abstain from voting the specified securities held in the client’s account.

 

F. Sustainable Investing

 

We believe that organizations that manage environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors effectively are more likely to create sustainable value over the long term than those that do not. We integrate ESG into our investment analysis, rather than exclusionary screening, best-in-class selection, thematic investing, active ownership, or impact investing. As an investor, we monitor ESG factors and prefer companies with better or improving ESG performance relative to sector peers.

 

i. Shareholder Proposals

 

We will support proposals that are likely to enhance long-term company performance, reduce risk to long-term company performance or improve disclosure reasonably necessary to enable shareholders to assess their investment risk and opportunity. We weigh the benefits of a shareholder proposal against any potential adverse effects the proposal may have on a company. We do not support proposals that are designed to diminish the power of the board of directors of a company or place arbitrary or artificial constraints on a company. Guideline: Review shareholder proposals on a case-by-case basis.

 

ii. Environmental and Social Factors

 

Disclosure enables investors to better understand and evaluate potential risk and return, including the impact of environmental and social factors on a company’s long-term performance. We believe companies that effectively manage risks associated with environmental and social factors are likely to achieve better long-term performance. We review environmental and social-related shareholder proposals on a case-by-case basis. We do not support shareholder proposals if they are overly prescriptive or duplicative of initiatives already in place or underway or if they are likely to detract from long-term company performance.

 

iii. Subject to the foregoing and on a case-by-case basis, we generally support:

 

Proposals that request the reasonable disclosure of information related to material environmental and social factors which assist shareholders in assessing potential investment risk and return (including specific environmental and social risks), the environmental and social impacts of a company’s operations and products, initiatives to mitigate environmental and social risks, and/or corporate sustainability reports, unless sufficient information is already disclosed and/or available to shareholders.

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Proposals that request the adoption or review of responsible policies and/or practices with regard to environmental and social factors that are likely to enhance long-term company performance and/or mitigate potential exposure to environmental and social risks.

 

BRIDGE CITY CAPITAL, LLC PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES

 

Proxy Voting Procedures

 

Updated February 2023

 

Policy

 

Bridge City Capital, LLC (BCC) has adopted this written proxy voting policy as required by Rule 206(4)-6 promulgated under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. It is the policy of BCC to seek to: (a) vote proxies consistent with its contractual obligations and in the best interest of it clients; (b) identify, document and resolve potential conflicts of interest to the best of its ability; (c) promptly provide client with proxy voting results upon request; (d) provide a concise summary of its proxy voting process in its ADV Part 2A and to offer to provide its complete proxy voting policy and procedures to clients upon request; and (e) maintain records of proxy voting activities as required.

 

Background

 

Proxy voting is an important shareholder right, and reasonable care and diligence must be undertaken to ensure that such rights are properly and timely exercised. Registered investment advisers that exercise proxy voting authority with respect to client securities are required by Rule 206(4)-6 to: (a) adopt and implement written policies and procedure that are reasonable designed to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interests of clients and seek to address material conflicts of interest; (b) disclose to client how they may obtain information about how the advisers voted proxies with respect to their securities; (c) describe their proxy voting policies and procedure to clients and upon request, furnish a copy to their clients; and (d) maintain certain records relating the adviser’s proxy voting activities when the adviser has proxy voting authority.

 

Responsibilities

 

The Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) is responsible for establishing this policy, ensuring that this policy is consistent with applicable federal securities laws and regulations, updating this policy based on changes to federal securities laws and regulations, and providing effective disclosure of this policy as applicable. Additionally, the CCO is responsible for evaluating this policy no less frequently than annually.

 

The CCO is also responsible for coordinating the ballots, voting the ballots and maintaining voting records.

 

Procedures

 

BCC has adopted and implemented procedures to ensure the firm’s policy is observed, executed properly, and amended or updated as appropriate. The procedures are as follows:

 

Voting Guidelines

 

As a fiduciary, it is the intention of BCC to vote in the best interests of its clients while also taking ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) guidelines into consideration. BCC utilizes Proxy Edge to vote proxies and relies on recommendations established by the Policy Rules (Appendix A) to determine the appropriate votes for each ballot item.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

On occasion, a conflict of interest may exist between BCC and clients regarding the outcome of certain proxy votes. In such cases, BCC is committed to resolving the conflict in the best interest of our Funds, Portfolios and clients before we vote the proxy in question.

 

If the proxy proposal is a Routine Proxy Proposal, BCC will typically adhere to the standard procedure of referring to the principles and guidelines described herein in deciding how to vote. Alternatively, BCC may disclose the conflict to our clients and obtain their consent before voting or seek the recommendation of an independent third party in deciding how to vote.

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If the proxy proposal is a Non-Routine Proxy Proposal, BCC will take any of the following courses of action to resolve the conflict:

 

1. Disclose the conflict to our clients and obtain consent before voting;

 

2. Suggest that our clients engage another party to determine how the proxy should be voted; or

 

3. Vote according to the recommendation of an independent third party, such as a:

 

a. proxy consultant;

 

b. research analyst;

 

c. proxy voting department of a mutual fund or pension fund; or

 

d. compliance consultant.

 

Voting Procedures

 

1.  Proxy notifications regarding ballots for client securities are received by e-mail via www.proxyedge.com. All proxies are voted using www.proxyedge.com.

 

2. Records of proxy votes cast on behalf of each client must be maintained.

 

3.  Records of client requests for proxy voting information for proxies voted on their behalf by BCC must be maintained.

 

4. Documents prepared by BCC, that were material to making the decision on how to vote, must be maintained.

 

Record Retention

 

All records associated with this Policy that require retention shall be maintained in accordance with the retention obligations enumerated in the Books and Records Policy.

 

CLARIVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES

 

Proxy Voting

 

Implementation Date: April 1, 2022

 

Issue

 

Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act requires every investment adviser who exercises voting authority with respect to Client securities to adopt and implement written policies and procedures, reasonably designed to ensure that the adviser votes proxies in the best interest of its Clients. The procedures must address material conflicts that may arise in connection with proxy voting. The Rule further requires the adviser to provide a concise summary of the adviser’s proxy voting process and offer to provide copies of the complete proxy voting policy and procedures to Clients upon request. Lastly, the Rule requires that the adviser disclose to Clients how they may obtain information on how the adviser voted their proxies.

 

ClariVest votes proxies for its Clients unless requested otherwise, and therefore has adopted and implemented this Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures.

 

Potential Risks

 

In developing these policies and procedures, ClariVest considered numerous risks associated with its voting of client proxies. This analysis includes risks such as:

 

ClariVest does not maintain a written proxy voting policy as required by Rule 206(4)-6.

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Proxies are not voted in Clients’ best interests.

 

Proxies are not identified and voted in a timely manner.

 

Conflicts between ClariVest’s interests and the Client are not identified; therefore, proxies are not voted appropriately.

 

The third-party proxy voting service utilized by ClariVest is not independent.

 

Proxy voting records and Client requests to review proxy votes are not maintained.

 

ClariVest does not conduct adequate ongoing oversight of the third-party proxy voting service to ensure that ClariVest, through the service, continues to vote proxies in the best interests of its clients.

 

Proxy voting for ERISA clients does not comply with the requirements of the Department of Labor.

 

ClariVest has established the following guidelines to effectuate and monitor its proxy voting policy and procedures.

 

Policy

 

It is the policy of ClariVest to vote proxies in the interest of maximizing value for ClariVest’s Clients. Proxies are an asset of a Client, which should be treated by ClariVest with the same care, diligence, and loyalty as any asset belonging to a Client. To that end, ClariVest will vote in a way that it believes, consistent with its fiduciary duty, will cause the value of the issue to increase the most or decline the least. Consideration will be given to both the short and long term implications of the proposal to be voted on when considering the optimal vote.

 

Any general or specific proxy voting guidelines provided by an advisory Client or its designated agent in writing will supersede this policy. Clients may wish to have their proxies voted by an independent third party or other named fiduciary or agent, at the Client’s cost.

 

ClariVest has retained Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”), and with the exception of certain ESG shareholder proposals described in Appendix A, generally follows their recommendation when voting proxies. ClariVest determined that it is appropriate to follow the voting recommendations of ISS because ClariVest believes that ISS (a) has the capacity and competency to adequately analyze proxy issues, and (b) can make such recommendations in an impartial manner and in the best interests of ClariVest’s Clients.

 

The interpretive letter also discusses conflicts of interest that can arise from the proxy voting firm’s relationships with issuers. When the proxy voting firm has a relationship with an issuer of voting securities (e.g., to provide advice on corporate governance issues), the adviser’s proxy voting procedures should require a proxy voting firm to disclose to the adviser any relevant facts concerning the firm’s relationship with the issuer, such as the amount of the compensation that the firm has received or will receive. That information will enable the investment adviser to determine whether the proxy voting firm can make voting recommendations in an impartial manner and in the best interests of the Clients, or whether the adviser needs to take other steps to vote the proxies.

 

The staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission also issued a Staff Legal Bulletin No. 20 (June 30, 2014) that addresses, among other things, the ongoing duties of an investment adviser with respect to a third party proxy advisory firm.

 

Procedures for Identification and Voting of Proxies

 

These proxy voting procedures are designed to enable ClariVest to resolve material conflicts of interests with Clients before voting their proxies.

 

1. ClariVest shall maintain a list of all Clients for which it votes proxies. The list will be maintained either in hard copy or electronically and updated by the Chief Compliance Officer who will obtain proxy voting information from Client agreements.

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2. ClariVest shall work with the Client to ensure that ISS is the designated party to receive proxy voting materials from companies or intermediaries. To that end, new account forms (including a letter of authorization) of broker-dealers/custodians will state that ISS should receive this documentation.

 

3. ClariVest subscribes to the ISS proxy voting service. This browser-based proxy voting system automates the physical paper handling and detailed recordkeeping needs of ClariVest’s proxy voting function. ISS also provides independent recommendations with respect to each proxy vote.

 

4. As a default, except as described further in Exhibit A, proxies are generally voted by ISS in accordance with ISS recommendations. However, ClariVest retains ultimate decision making authority with respect to the voting of Client proxies and reserves the right to override ISS recommendations.

 

5. Carillon Tower Advisers (“Carillon”) has established a Stewardship Committee chaired by the Head of Sustainable Investing and Corporate Responsibility, as described in Exhibit A. The committee includes members from each affiliate investment team and Carillon Compliance. This is the main body responsible for proxy voting discussions and voting decisions through investment team representatives. Effective 4/1/2022, proxy voting will be centralized at the Carillon level. The Chair of the Stewardship Committee (the “Stewardship Chair) is responsible for entering votes into the ISS proxy voting service on ClariVest’s behalf.

 

6. For any Client who has provided specific voting instruction, Clarivest will notify the Stewardship Chair who shall then vote that Client’s proxy in accordance with the Client’s written instructions.

 

7. The Director of Operations will work with the Stewardship Chair and ISS to ensure the timely voting and recording of any manual proxies received.

 

8. As noted by the SEC in Release 2106, the fiduciary duty that ClariVest owes its Clients prohibits the adoption of a policy to enter default proxy votes in favor of management. Thus, ClariVest shall not by default vote proxies in favor of management, but shall vote per ISS’s recommendation as set forth in the general principles outlined above, except as described in Appendix A..

 

9. ClariVest’s investment personnel shall be responsible for making voting decisions with respect to all Client proxies, where a proxy is not voted in accordance with ISS recommendations (unless an alternative procedure is adopted on a client-by-client basis). Such decisions shall then be provided to the Stewardship Chair who will then ensure that such proxy votes are documented and submitted in a timely manner.

 

10. The Stewardship Chair may delegate the actual voting of Client proxies to any of ClariVest’s or Carillon’s employees who are familiar with ISS’s service.

 

11. ClariVest is not required to vote every Client proxy and refraining from voting should not necessarily be construed as a violation of ClariVest’s fiduciary obligations. ClariVest shall at no time ignore or neglect its proxy voting responsibilities. However, there may be times when refraining from voting is in the Client’s best interest, such as when an adviser’s analysis of a particular Client proxy reveals that the cost of voting the proxy may exceed the expected benefit to the Client (i.e., casting a vote on a foreign security may require that the adviser engage a translator or travel to a foreign country to vote in person). Such position also complies with Interpretive Bulletin 94-2 of the DOL.

 

12. The CCO shall be responsible for conducting the proxy voting cost-benefit analysis in those certain situations in which ClariVest believe it may be in its Clients’ best interest for ClariVest not to vote a particular proxy. The Operations Manager shall maintain documentation of any cost-benefit analysis with respect to Client proxies that are not voted by ClariVest.

 

13. The Stewardship Chair will report any attempts by any of ClariVest personnel to influence the voting of Client proxies in a manner that is inconsistent with ClariVest’s Policy. Such report shall be made to the CCO, or if the CCO is the person attempting to influence the voting, then to the President.

 

14. Proxies received after the termination date of a Client relationship or in the case, where proxy voting authority has been removed from Clarivest, will not be voted. Such proxies should be delivered to the last known address

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of the Client or to the intermediary who distributed the proxy with a written or oral statement indicating that the advisory relationship has been terminated and that future proxies for the named Client should not be delivered to ClariVest.

 

15. The Stewardship Chair, with the assistance of the CCO, will reasonably try to assess any material conflicts between ClariVest’s interests and those of its Clients with respect to proxy voting (where a proxy is not voted in accordance with ISS recommendations) by considering the situations identified in the Conflicts of Interest section of this document.

 

16. The Compliance Department with Stewardship Chair will annually review due diligence materials from ISS to confirm the ongoing adequacy of ISS’s program, including ensuring that ISS has policies and procedures in place designed to manage potential conflicts of interest.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

1. General: As noted previously, ClariVest will vote its Clients’ proxies in the best interest of its Clients and not its own. In voting Client proxies, ClariVest shall avoid material conflicts of interest between the interests of ClariVest on the one hand and the interests of its Clients on the other.

 

2. Potential Material Conflicts of Interest: ClariVest is aware of the following potential material conflicts that could affect ClariVest’s proxy voting process in the future. It should be noted that these potential conflicts have been listed for informational purposes only and do not include all of the potential conflicts of interest that an adviser might face in voting Client proxies. ClariVest acknowledges that the existence of a relationship of the types discussed below, even in the absence of any active efforts to solicit or influence ClariVest, with respect to a proxy vote related to such relationship is sufficient for a material conflict to exist.

 

Example Conflict: ClariVest retains an institutional Client, or is in the process of retaining an institutional Client that is affiliated with an issuer that is held in ClariVest’s Client portfolios. For example, ClariVest may be retained to manage Company A’s pension fund. Company A is a public company and ClariVest Client accounts hold shares of Company A. This type of relationship may influence ClariVest to vote with management on proxies to gain favor with management. Such favor may influence Company A’s decision to continue its advisory relationship with ClariVest.

 

Example Conflict: ClariVest retains a Client, or is in the process of retaining a Client that is an officer or director of an issuer that is held in ClariVest’s Client portfolios. The similar conflicts of interest exist in this relationship as discussed above.

 

Example Conflict: ClariVest’s Employees maintain a personal and/or business relationship (not an advisory relationship) with issuers or individuals that serve as officers or directors of issuers. For example, the spouse of an Employee may be a high-level executive of an issuer that is held in ClariVest’s Client portfolios. The spouse could attempt to influence ClariVest to vote in favor of management.

 

Example Conflict: ClariVest or an Employee(s) personally owns a significant number of an issuer’s securities that are also held in ClariVest’s Client portfolios. For any number of reasons, an Employee(s) may seek to vote proxies in a different direction for his/her personal holdings than would otherwise be warranted by the proxy voting policy. The Employee(s) could oppose voting the proxies according to the policy and successfully influence ClariVest to vote proxies in contradiction to the policy.

 

Conflict: ClariVest or its affiliate has a financial interest in the outcome of a vote, such as when ClariVest receives distribution fees (i.e., Rule 12b-1 fees) from registered mutual funds that are maintained in Client accounts and the proxy relates to an increase in 12b-1 fees.

 

3. Determining the Materiality of Conflicts of Interest: In general, ClariVest avoids the conflicts of interest described above by following ISS’s vote recommendations. Where ISS has a conflict, for the ESG shareholder proposals described in Appendix A, or if ClariVest is looking to override the ISS recommendation, ClariVest will assess if there is a conflict of interest. Determinations as to whether a conflict of interest is material will be made after internal discussion among the CCO and the Portfolio Manager(s) for the affected Clients (unless an

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alternative procedure is adopted on a client-by-client basis). Among the factors to be considered in determining the materiality of a conflict include whether the relevant Client relationship accounts for a significant percentage of ClariVest’s annual revenues, or the percentage of ClariVest’s assets that is invested with a particular issuer. Materiality determinations are fact based, and will depend on the details of a particular situation. Whether a particular conflict of interest is deemed material will be based on the likelihood that the conflict might cause a proxy to be voted in a manner that was not in the best interests of ClariVest’s Clients. All materiality deliberations will be memorialized in writing by the Stewardship Chair.

 

If the individuals mentioned above determine that the conflict in question is not material, ClariVest will vote the proxy in accordance with the policies stated herein. If a conflict is judged material, ClariVest will consider ISS’s recommendation or, at its expense, engage the services of legal counsel who will provide an independent recommendation on the direction in which ClariVest should vote on the proposal. The proxy voting service’s or consultant’s determination will be binding on ClariVest.

 

Where ISS affiliate, ISS Corporate Solutions, Inc.”ICS”, provides services to a corporate issuer that is the subject of research, ISS discloses this significant relationship. Without limitation, and in keeping with internal firewall procedures put in place by ISS, information regarding the identity of corporate issuers that are clients of ICS may not be shared with ISS employees. ICS discloses directly to ClariVest the corporate issuer clients and contract revenue value. ClariVest will evaluate revenue received as a percentage of total revenue to determine materiality.

 

ClariVest personnel shall periodically review a random sampling of proxy votes versus the vote recommendations to confirm vote recommendations are effectuated. Additionally, personnel shall periodically review a sample of votes before they are cast for consistency with these procedures and client’s best interest which may include:

 

Pre-populated votes

 

Consideration of additional information that may become available regarding a particular proposal, which may include an issuer or shareholder proponent’s additional definitive proxy materials or other information.

 

Any inconsistencies are to be documented.

 

Procedures for ERISA accounts

 

As described above, when deciding whether to exercise shareholder rights and when exercising such rights, including the voting of proxies, ClariVest carries out its duties prudently and solely in the interests of the participants and beneficiaries and for the exclusive purpose of providing benefits to participants and beneficiaries and defraying the reasonable expenses of administering the plan.

 

The fiduciary duty to manage shareholder rights appurtenant to shares of stock does not require the voting of every proxy or the exercise of every shareholder right. In order to fulfill its fiduciary obligations, when deciding whether to exercise shareholder rights and when exercising shareholder rights, ClariVest: (A) Acts solely in accordance with the economic interest of the plan and its participants and beneficiaries; (B) Considers any costs involved; (C) Will not subordinate the interests of the participants and beneficiaries in their retirement income or financial benefits under the plan to any nonpecuniary objective, or promote nonpecuniary benefits or goals unrelated to those financial interests of the plan’s participants and beneficiaries; (D) Evaluates material facts that form the basis for any particular proxy vote or other exercise of shareholder rights; (E) Maintains records on proxy voting activities and other exercises of shareholder rights; and (F) Exercises prudence and diligence in the selection and monitoring of persons, if any, selected to advise or otherwise assist with exercises of shareholder rights. In addition, with respect to our outsourcing relationship with ISS, ClariVest prudently monitors the proxy voting activities of ISS and has determined such activities are consistent with DOL rules.

 

Procedures for ClariVest’s Receipt of Class Actions

 

ClariVest recognizes that as a fiduciary it has a duty to act with the highest obligation of good faith, loyalty, fair dealing and due care. When a recovery is achieved in a class action, clients who owned shares in the company subject to the action have the option to either: (1) opt out of the class action and pursue their own remedy; or (2) participate in the recovery achieved via the class action. Collecting the recovery involves the completion of a Proof of Claim form which is submitted

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to the Claims Administrator. After the Claims Administrator receives all Proof of Claims, it dispenses the money from the settlement fund to those persons and entities with valid claims.

 

Unless otherwise agreed with a Client, if “Class Action” documents are received by ClariVest for its Clients, ClariVest will gather the materials it has and forward to the Client, to enable the Client to file the “Class Action” at the Client’s discretion. The decision of whether to participate in the recovery or opt-out may be a legal one that ClariVest may not be qualified to make for the Client. Therefore, unless otherwise agreed with a Client, ClariVest will not file “Class Actions” on behalf of a Client.

 

Recordkeeping

 

ClariVest will maintain the documentation described in the following section for a period of not less than five (5) years, the first two (2) years at its principal place of business. The Compliance Department will be responsible for the following procedures and for ensuring that the required documentation is retained.

 

Client request to review proxy votes:

 

Any request, whether written (including e-mail) or oral, received by any Employee of ClariVest, must be promptly reported to the Compliance Department. All written requests must be retained in the permanent file.

 

Furnish the information requested, free of charge, to the Client within a reasonable time period (typically within 10 business days). Maintain a copy of the written record provided in response to Client’s written (including e-mail) or oral request. Unless maintained electronically, a copy of the written response should be attached and maintained with the Client’s written request, if applicable and maintained in the permanent file.

 

Clients are permitted to request the proxy voting record for the 5 year period prior to their request.

 

Proxy voting records:

 

A record of how ClariVest voted client Proxies.

 

Documents prepared or created by ClariVest that were material to making a decision on how to vote, or that memorialized the basis for the decision.

 

Documentation or notes or any communications received from third parties, other industry analysts, third party service providers, company’s management discussions, etc. that were material in the basis for the decision.

 

Disclosure

 

ClariVest will ensure that Part 2A of Form ADV is updated as necessary to reflect: (i) all material changes to the Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures; and (ii) information about how Clients may obtain information on how ClariVest voted their securities.

 

Proxy Solicitation

 

As a matter of practice, ClariVest will not disclose to unrelated third parties how it has voted (or intends to vote) on a particular proxy until after such proxies have been counted at a shareholder’s meeting.

 

At no time may any Employee accept any remuneration in the solicitation of proxies.

 

Responsibility

 

The Stewardship Chair is responsible for supervising the proxy voting process and maintaining the records, in each case as described above.

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EXHIBIT A

 

Carillon Tower Advisers

 

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

 

2022

 

Carillon Tower Advisers (“Carillon”) has established the Stewardship Committee chaired by Head of Sustainable Investing and Corporate Responsibility. The committee is composed of members from each investment team, Carillon Compliance and CFF Compliance. This is the main body responsible for proxy voting discussions and voting decisions through investment team representatives.

 

Effective 4/1/2022, proxy voting will be centralized at the Carillon level using a set of unified guidelines (Appendix A) that addresses environmental and social (“E&S”) considerations and comports with CFF board-approved proxy voting guidelines.

 

All Case-By-Case (“REFER”) votes will go to chair of Stewardship Committee who will send the ballot item(s), along with available ISS research and vote deadlines, to the relevant investment team(s)’ representative(s) on the Stewardship Committee as well as to the appropriate compliance officers for review. Decisions for Case-By-Case votes will be determined by the individual investment teams. In the case of common holdings among portfolios in a single affiliate, discussion of proxy issues among investment teams is appropriate. In most cases, different votes can be accommodated.

 

For Case-By-Case votes, the investment team(s) will provide the chair of the Stewardship Committee the vote decision and documented rationale. The chair of the Stewardship Committee, or its designee, is responsible for vote execution.

 

Case-By-Case vote decisions will be documented and maintained by the chair of the Stewardship Committee, with notification to appropriate compliance officers.

 

Unified Carillon guidelines as well as any updates to the ISS Benchmark Policy (US) will be reviewed by the Stewardship Committee at least annually. For ERISA accounts, Carillon will monitor ISS’s Benchmark Policy to ensure it is consistent with ERISA, as applicable.

  

For international holdings, ISS country-specific benchmark guidelines will be used.

 

As a fiduciary under ERISA, Carillon will carry out its duties prudently and solely in the interest of, and for the exclusive purpose of providing benefits to, participants and beneficiaries of ERISA plans.

 

Carillon intends to follow a prudent process to evaluate material facts that form the basis for a particular proxy vote and consider any costs involved with the determinate of whether to vote.

 

Carillon can override these Guidelines to either permit or preclude a vote on a matter based on a prudent determination that the matter is not expected to have a material effect on the value of the investment or the investment performance of the ERISA account’s investment portfolio.

 

Carillon will not subordinate the retirement income or financial interests of ERISA plan participants and beneficiaries to any non-pecuniary objective or promote any unrelated non-pecuniary benefits or goals.

 

ERISA plans which invest into the Carillon Funds will be subject to the CFF board-approved proxy voting guidelines.

 

Carillon Funds: Securities Lending

 

Circumstances which could trigger a securities lending recall review:

 

1) The determination shall be based on a consideration of whether the matters proposed would have a material effect on the Fund’s investment in the loaned securities. Examples may include:

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dissident ballot

 

merger / acquisition

 

bankruptcy / reorganization

 

If an issue could have material effect on the security, then

 

2) Factors to consider:

 

size of the Fund’s position relative to the Fund’s NAV;

 

relative to the issuer’s outstanding securities;

 

the likely impact of the vote on the value of that position;

 

any other information regarding the proxy proposals of which the Subadvisor may be aware; and

 

the potential loss of securities lending income to the Fund as a result of recalling the shares on loan.

 

APPENDIX A

 

Carillon Proxy Voting Guidelines

 

Effective 4/1/2022

 

An important aspect of active portfolio management is exercising the right as shareholders to vote proxies in a manner consistent with the best interests and values of our investors. We have adopted a comprehensive set of proxy voting guidelines that promote responsible corporate governance practices and reflect a thoughtful approach to a wide array of environmental and social issues.

 

Unified Guidelines

 

The unified Carillon proxy voting guidelines will be based on the current year ISS Benchmark Policy (US) and will comport with CFF board-approved proxy voting guidelines. The ISS Benchmark Policy (US) will be customized to include the following:

 

Environmental and social (“E&S”) shareholder proposals would be Case-By-Case (“REFER”).

 

Shareholder proposals to Require Independent Board Chair would be Case-By-Case (“REFER”).

 

Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (“Say on Pay”) should go to Case-By-Case (“REFER”) in the event ISS has an “Against” recommendation.

 

Restructuring proposals, including M&A activity, bankruptcy, etc. would be Case-By-Case (“REFER”).

 

Special Meetings would be Case-By-Case (“REFER”).

 

For international holdings, ISS country-specific benchmark guidelines will be used.

 

Environmental and Social Shareholder Resolutions

 

Because of the potential depth and breadth of environmental and social issues, such shareholder resolutions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis as noted above. However, in keeping with our investment principles and voting in the best interest of our clients, we will generally support environmental and social shareholder resolutions that are likely to enhance or protect shareholder value and also seek to improve transparency, support diversity, protect the environment, uphold human rights, and promote responsible business practices.

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Granahan Investment Management, Inc. Proxy Voting Procedures

 

Proxy Voting Procedures

 

Updated October 2020

 

Granahan Investment Management, Inc. (“GIM”) utilizes ISS (the “Provider”) recommendations as an aid in carrying out its proxy voting duties; though GIM retains ultimate authority over the process.

 

GIM generally votes in unison across all shares managed by GIM, where GIM has voting discretion. If a single account or accounts casts a vote that is different from the other accounts, that reason must be well documented.

 

While GIM largely votes along with the Provider’s recommendations, there are cases where GIM disagrees and will vote against the recommendation. In these instances, the reason for divergence from the recommendation must be written (e-mail acceptable) and approved by the CCO or CIO. The CCO and CIO will ensure there is no conflict of interest, personal or corporate, driving the vote against the recommendation.

 

GIM will evaluate and vote any proxy where the Provider does not give a recommendation or where the recommendation appears to be driven by a conflict of interest at the Provider.

 

GIM reviews proxy votes on a quarterly basis to confirm all ballot shares are voted, and to confirm that overrides have proper supporting documentation.

 

Foreign proxy voting can be impacted by operational issues, such as restricted liquidity while shares are being voted. GIM generally refrains from voting where the process itself impacts the marketability of the security.

 

GIM periodically assesses the Provider’s ability to continue to provide independent analysis, recommendations, and operational support to our proxy voting responsibilities through factors such as historical experience, perceived independence, and reputation.

 

MEROS INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, LP PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES

 

Rule 206(4) 6 under the Advisers Act requires every investment adviser to adopt and implement written policies and procedures, reasonably designed to ensure that the adviser votes proxies in the best interest of its investors. The Rule further requires the adviser to provide a concise summary of the adviser's proxy voting process and offer to provide copies of the complete proxy voting policy and procedures to investors upon request. Lastly, the Rule requires that the adviser disclose to investors how they may obtain information on how the adviser voted their proxies.

 

The voting decision is based exclusively on its judgment of what will best serve the financial interests of the beneficial owners of the security. Additionally, the Firm may engage the services of a third-party proxy voting service to assist it with administration of the proxy voting process and help further reduce any potential conflict of interests.

 

The Firm votes proxies for many of its investors, and therefore has adopted and implemented these Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures.

 

Any questions about this document should be directed to the CCO.

 

The Firm views seriously its responsibility to exercise voting authority over securities which form part of its investors' portfolios. Proxy statements increasingly contain controversial issues involving shareholder rights and corporate governance, among others, which deserve careful review and consideration.

 

It is the Firm's policy to review each proxy statement on an individual basis and to base its voting decision exclusively on its judgment of what will best serve the financial interests of the beneficial owners of the security. These beneficial owners include members of pooled investment funds for which the Firm acts as investment manager or general partner, and investor accounts for which the Firm acts as investment manager.

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The Firm may engage the services of a third-party proxy voting service (the "Proxy Service") to assist it with administration of the proxy voting process. In addition to general administration assistance, the Proxy Service may also include proxy voting recommendations based upon research and guidelines published by the Proxy Service. The Firm may take into consideration those recommendations, however, the Firm's proxy voting policies and case by case evaluation of each issue may result in proxy votes on certain issues that differ from the Proxy Service recommendations. The Firm will not deviate from its own proxy voting guidelines unless it is in the best financial interests of the beneficial owners of the security.

 

A number of recurring issues can be identified with respect to the governance of a company and actions proposed by that company's board. The Firm follows internal Proxy Voting guidelines (described below) that allow the Firm to vote on these issues in a uniform manner. Proxies are generally considered by the investment team members responsible for monitoring the security being voted. That person will cast his votes in accordance with this Proxy Voting guidelines or if not addressed by these guidelines, based on a documented analysis of what is in the best financial interests of the beneficial owners of the security.

 

The Firm, in exercising its voting powers, also has regard to the statutes and rules applicable to registered investment advisers. The manner in which votes are cast by the Firm is reported to investors by delivery of this Proxy Voting Policy. In addition, the Firm will provide, upon request, a list of how each proxy was voted for an investor.

 

Proxy Voting Guidelines:

 

Election of Directors and Appointment of Accountants

 

The Firm will vote for management's proposed directors in uncontested elections. For contested elections, the Firm votes for candidates it believes best serve shareholders' interests. The Firm votes to ratify management's appointment of independent auditors.

 

Increase Authorized Capital

 

The Firm votes for these proposals in the absence of unusual circumstances. There are many business reasons for companies to increase their authorized capital. The additional shares often are intended to be used for general corporate purposes, to raise new investment capital for acquisitions, stock splits, recapitalizations or debt restructurings.

 

Preference Shares

 

The Firm will carefully review proposals to authorize new issues of preference shares or increase the shares authorized for existing issues. The Firm recognizes that new issues of authorized preference shares can provide flexibility to corporate issuers as the shares can be issued quickly without further shareholder approval in connection with financings or acquisitions. Therefore, generally the Firm will not oppose proposals to authorize the issuance of preferred shares. The Firm will, however, scrutinize any such proposals which give the Board the authority to assign disproportionate voting rights at the time the shares are issued.

 

Dual Capitalization, Other Preferential Voting Rights

 

The Firm will generally vote against proposals to divide share capital into two or more classes or to otherwise create classes of shares with unequal voting and dividend rights. The Firm is concerned that the effect of these proposals, over time, is to consolidate voting power in the hands of relatively few insiders, disproportionate to their percentage ownership of the company's share capital as a whole. This concentration of voting power can effectively block any takeover which management opposes and dilute accountability to shareholders.

 

Merger/Acquisition

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All proposals are reviewed on a case by case basis by taking the following into consideration:

 

whether the proposed acquisition price represents fair value;

 

whether shareholders could realize greater value through other means; and

 

whether all shareholders receive equal/fair treatment under the merger acquisition terms.

 

Restructuring/Recapitalization

 

All proposals are reviewed on a case by case basis taking the following into consideration:

 

whether the proposed restructuring/recapitalization is the best means of enhancing shareholder value;

 

whether the company's longer term prospects will be positively affected by the proposal.

 

Provide Director Indemnification

 

The Firm will vote for proposals to provide corporate indemnification for directors if consistent with all relevant laws. Corporations face great obstacles in attracting and retaining capable directors. The Firm believes such proposals will contribute to corporations' ability to attract qualified individuals and will enhance the stability of corporate management.

 

Share Option Plans

 

The Firm will generally vote against proposals which authorize:

 

more than 10% of the company's outstanding shares to be reserved for the award of share options; or

 

the award of share options to Employees and/or non Employees of the company (for instance, outside directors and consultants) if the exercise price is less than the share's fair market value at the date of the grant of the options and does not carry relevant performance hurdles for exercise; or

 

the exchange of outstanding options for new ones at lower exercise prices.

 

Shareholder Proposals Corporate Governance Issues:

 

Majority Independent Board

 

The Firm will generally vote for proposals calling for a majority outside board. The Firm believes that a majority of independent directors can be an important factor in facilitating objective decision making and enhancing accountability to shareholders.

 

Executive Compensation

 

The Firm will generally vote against proposals to restrict Employee compensation. The Firm feels that the specific amounts and types of Employee compensation are within the ordinary business responsibilities of the Board of Directors and company management; provided, however, that share option plans meet our guidelines for such plans as set forth herein. On a case by case basis, the Firm will vote for proposals requesting more detailed disclosure of Employee compensation, especially if the company does not have a majority outside board.

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Potential Conflicts of Interest

 

In connection with any security which is the subject of a proxy vote, the individual responsible for voting will determine whether any conflict of interest exists between the Firm or its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the beneficial owners of the securities, on the other hand by consulting a list maintained by the CCO of clients and Firm affiliates. If a conflict of interest is identified, the Firms proxy voting guidelines will be applied without regard to the conflict. If the guidelines discussed above do not apply, the individual will document an analysis of what vote is deemed to be in the best financial interest of the beneficial owners of the security and notify the beneficial owners of such conflict, describe how the Firm proposes to vote and the reasons therefore, and request the investor to provide written instructions if the investor desires the voting rights to be exercised in a different manner (which may include not voting the proxy). If an investor does not deliver contrary written instructions, the Firm will vote as indicated in its notice to investors.

 

Recordkeeping and Reports:

 

In order to comply with all applicable recordkeeping and reporting requirements, the Firm will do the following:

 

1. The Firm will keep a copy of this Proxy Voting Policy and provide the same to investors upon request.

 

2. The Firm will retain or retain a proxy voting service to retain copies of the proxy statements and a record of each vote cast by the Firm on behalf of an investor. The Firm may also rely on obtaining a copy of a proxy statement from the Commission's Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) system.

 

3. The Firm will retain a copy of any document created by the Firm that was material to making a decision regarding how to vote proxies on behalf of an investor or that memorializes the basis for that decision.

 

Responsibilities

 

Investment team members are responsible for voting proxies on behalf of the companies they cover, in accordance with these policies and procedures

 

Compliance is responsible for (i) maintaining a list of clients and firm affiliates for use in determining whether voting conflicts exist and, (ii) ensuring the proxy voting procedures are adhered to by periodically reviewing, no less than annually, proxy voting records to ensure the results (1) are consistent with the Firm's proxy voting policies; and, (2) are maintained for books and records purposes.

 

Tieton Capital Management, LLC Proxy Voting Procedures

 

Proxy Voting Policy

 

Proxy Voting: Whether Tieton Capital or the client votes proxies is at the client’s determination. When voting proxies, Tieton Capital’s utmost concern is that all decisions be made solely in the best interest of the client. Tieton Capital acts in a timely and diligent manner intended to increase the client’s wealth. Records of the clients Tieton Capital voted for, the proxies it voted, and how Tieton Capital voted are maintained.

 

Proxy guidelines are in Form ADV Part 2; therefore, prospective clients receive the Proxy Policy. Annually, clients are at minimum sent material changes to Form ADV Part 2 and are offered to receive the complete ADV Part 2, which includes this Proxy Policy.

 

Responsibility: Tieton Capital’s Chief Investment Officer is ultimately responsible for ensuring that all proxies received by Tieton Capital are voted in a timely manner and in a manner consistent with Tieton’s determination of the client’s best

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interest.

 

Voting Guidelines: Each proxy issue is considered individually. Tieton Capital follows general guidelines used in voting proposals contained in the proxy statements, but these guidelines are not used as rigid rules.

 

Tieton Capital votes in favor of routine proposals which do not change the structure, bylaws, or operations of the corporation to the detriment of the shareholders. Given the routine nature of these proposals, proxies are normally voted with management. Traditionally, these issues include election of auditors recommended by management, date and place of annual meeting, ratification of directors’ actions on routine matters since previous annual meeting, responsible Employee Stock Purchase Plans and establishing reasonable 401(k) Plans.

 

Tieton Capital generally votes against any management proposal that is not deemed to be in the shareholder’s best interests. Proposals in this category include issues regarding the issuer’s Board entrenchment, anti-takeover measures, and providing cumulative voting rights.

 

Tieton Capital votes other items on a case-by-case basis with the intention to increase the client’s wealth. If there is a material conflict of interest between Tieton Capital’s interests and a client’s interests, the Chief Investment Officer and a Portfolio Manager will jointly evaluate the vote to assure the client’s interest is put first.

 

This Proxy Policy is governed by Rule 206(4)-6 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

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