Form 485APOS Brown Advisory Funds

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July 15, 2024 4:12 PM EDT

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Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 15, 2024

1933 Act Registration File No. 333-181202

1940 Act Registration File No. 811-22708

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

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Pre-Effective Amendment No.

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Post-Effective Amendment No.

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and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940

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Amendment No.

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(Check appropriate box or boxes.)

BROWN ADVISORY FUNDS

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

901 South Bond Street, Suite 400

Baltimore, Maryland 21231

(Address of Principal Executive Offices, including Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (410) 537-5400


Paul J. Chew, President and Principal Executive Officer
Brown Advisory Funds
901 South Bond Street, Suite 400
Baltimore, Maryland 21231

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

Copy to:


Patrick W.D. Turley, Esq.
Dechert LLP
1900 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box)


[		]	immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
[		]	on (date) pursuant to paragraph (b)
[		]	60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
[		]	on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
[	X	]	75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
[		]	on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.


The information in this Prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted. Subject to completion – Dated July 15, 2024

Prospectus

[ ], 2024
BROWN ADVISORY - WMC JAPAN EQUITY FUND Institutional Shares ([ ]) Investor Shares ([ ]) Advisor Shares (Not Available for Sale)

The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved the Fund’s shares or determined whether this Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


Table of Contents


Summary Section This important section summarizes the Fund's objectives, strategies, fees, risks, portfolio turnover, portfolio manager, your account and other information.	Summary Section	1
Details About the Fund’s Investment Strategies This section provides details about the Fund's investment strategies.	Additional Information about the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies	7
Principal Investment Risks This section provides details about the Fund’s principal investment risks.	Principal Risks	9
Management Review this section for information about Brown Advisory LLC (the “Adviser”) and Wellington Management Company LLP (the “Sub-Adviser”) and the people who manage the Fund.	Management The Adviser The Sub-Adviser Portfolio Manager Other Service Providers Fund Expenses	17 17 17 18 19 20
Choosing Your Share Class This section explains the differences between each class of shares and the applicable fees.	Choosing a Share Class Class Comparison Rule 12b-1 Distribution Fees Shareholder Service Fees Additional Payments to Dealers	21 21 22 22 22
Your Account This section explains how shares are valued and how you can purchase and sell Fund shares.	Your Account How to Contact the Fund General Information How to Buy Shares How to Sell Shares Exchange Privileges Account and Transaction Policies	24 24 24 27 32 34 36
Distributions and Taxes This section provides details about dividends, distributions and taxes.	Distributions and Taxes Distributions Taxes	41 41 41
Financial Highlights Review this section for details on selected financial statements of the Fund.	Financial Highlights	44

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Summary Section

Brown Advisory - WMC Japan Equity Fund

Institutional Shares ([ ])

Investor Shares ([ ])

Advisor Shares (Not Available for Sale)

Investment Objective

The Brown Advisory - WMC Japan Equity Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to achieve total return by investing principally in equity securities of companies which are domiciled in or exercise the predominant part of their economic activity in Japan.

Fees and Expenses

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


Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)	Institutional Shares	Investor Shares	Advisor Shares
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) imposed on Purchases (as a % of the offering price)	None	None	None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) imposed on Redemptions (as a % of the sale price)	None	None	None
Redemption Fee (as a % of amount redeemed on shares held for 14 days or less)	1.00%	1.00%	1.00%
Exchange Fee (as a % of amount exchanged on shares held for 14 days or less)	1.00%	1.00%	1.00%

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees	0.80%	0.80%	0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees	None	None	0.25%
Shareholder Servicing Fees	None	0.15%	0.15%
Other Expenses(1)	0.18%	0.18%	0.18%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(2)	0.01%	0.01%	0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	0.99%	1.14%	1.39%

(1)“Other Expenses” are estimated for the current fiscal year.

(2)Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are indirect fees and expenses that the Fund incurs from investing in the shares of other mutual funds, including money market funds and exchange traded funds, and are estimated for the current fiscal year.

Example

The example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of each period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:


Summary Section


	1 Year	3 Years
Institutional Shares	$101	$315
Investor Shares	$116	$362
Advisor Shares	$142	$440

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. No portfolio turnover rate is provided for the Fund because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this Prospectus.

Principal Investment Strategies

In determining whether a company is domiciled in or exercises the predominant part of its economic activity in Japan, the Fund will consider any one of the following four factors when making its determination: (i) country of organization; (ii) primary securities trading market; (iii) location of assets with respect to at least half of the company’s assets; or (iv) country where the company derives at least half of its revenue or profits.

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in securities of companies that are established or operating in countries outside of Japan, which may include less developed and emerging markets countries as well as other developed market countries.

The Fund may utilize options, futures contracts, currency forwards, swaps and options on futures. These investments will typically be made for investment purposes consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and may also be used to mitigate or hedge risks within the portfolio or for the temporary investment of cash balances. It is expected that the Fund will generally not hedge the portfolio’s Japanese yen exposure. However, the Fund reserves the right to partially or fully hedge the portfolio’s Japanese yen exposure in order to manage risk. The Fund may also opportunistically reduce equity exposure using futures contracts. In addition, the Fund may invest in participatory notes which are instruments that are used to replicate the performance of certain underlying issuers and markets. By investing in derivatives, the Fund attempts to achieve the economic equivalence it would achieve if it were to invest directly in the underlying security. Investments in derivatives may be counted towards the Fund’s 80% investment policy if they have economic characteristics similar to the other investments that are included in the Fund’s 80% investment policy.

The Fund may sell its portfolio securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into more promising opportunities.

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 investment objective and principal investment strategies and invest, without limitation, in cash


Summary Section

or prime quality cash equivalents. A defensive position, taken at the wrong time, may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s performance. The Fund may be unable to achieve its investment objective during the employment of a temporary defensive measure.

Principal Investment Risks

As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. The following are the principal risks that could affect the value of your investment:

•American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depository Receipts (“GDRs”) Risk. ADRs and GDRs may be subject to some of the same risks as direct investment in foreign companies, which includes international trade, currency, political, regulatory and diplomatic risks. In a sponsored ADR arrangement, the foreign issuer assumes the obligation to pay some or all of the depositary’s transaction fees. Under an unsponsored ADR arrangement, the foreign issuer assumes no obligations and the depositary’s transaction fees are paid directly by the ADR holders. Because unsponsored ADR arrangements are organized independently and without the cooperation of the issuer of the underlying securities, available information concerning the foreign issuer may not be as current as for sponsored ADRs and voting rights with respect to the deposited securities are not passed through. GDRs can involve currency risk since, unlike ADRs, they may not be U.S. dollar-denominated.

•Convertible Securities Risk. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates rise and, because of the conversion feature, tends to vary with fluctuations in the market value of the underlying securities.

•Currency and Exchange Rate Risk. Investments in currencies, currency futures contracts, forward currency exchange contracts or similar instruments, as well as securities that are denominated in foreign currency, are subject to the risk that the value of a particular currency will change in relation to one or more other currencies. In addition, the Fund may engage in currency hedging transactions. Currency hedging transactions are subject to the risk that a result opposite expectations occurs (an expected decline turns into a rise and conversely) resulting in a loss to the Fund.

•Derivatives Risk. The risk that an investment in derivatives will not perform as anticipated, cannot be closed out at a favorable time or price, or will increase the Fund’s volatility; that derivatives may create investment leverage; that, when a derivative is used as a substitute or alternative to a direct cash investment, the transaction may not provide a return that corresponds precisely with that of the cash investment; that a derivative will not perform in the manner anticipated by the Adviser, which may result in losses that partially or completely offset gains in portfolio positions; or that, when used for hedging purposes, derivatives will not provide the anticipated protection, causing the Fund to lose money on both the derivatives transaction and the exposure the Fund sought to hedge. The risks of investing in derivative instruments also include leverage, liquidity, market, credit, operational and legal risks. Additionally, any derivatives held by the Fund will have counterparty associated risks, which are the risks that the other party to the derivative contract, which may be a derivatives exchange, will fail to make required payments or otherwise fail to comply with the terms of the contract. The Fund potentially could lose all or a large portion of its investment in the derivative instrument.

•Emerging Markets Risk. The Fund may invest in emerging markets, which may carry more risk than investing in developed foreign markets. Risks associated with investing in emerging markets include limited information about companies in these countries, greater political and economic uncertainties compared to developed foreign markets, underdeveloped securities markets and legal systems, potentially high inflation rates, and the influence of foreign governments over the private sector. In addition, companies in emerging market countries may not be subject to accounting, auditing, financial reporting and recordkeeping requirements that are as robust as those in more developed countries, and therefore, material information about a company may be unavailable or unreliable, and U.S. regulators


Summary Section

may be unable to enforce a company’s regulatory obligations. Emerging markets countries are often particularly sensitive to market movements because their market prices tend to reflect speculative expectations. Low trading volumes may result in a lack of liquidity and in extreme price volatility. Investors should be able to tolerate sudden, sometimes substantial, fluctuations in the value of their investments. Emerging market countries may have policies that restrict investment by foreigners or that prevent foreign investors from withdrawing their money at will.

•Equity and General Market Risk. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value. The stock market may experience declines or stocks in the Fund’s portfolio may not increase their earnings at the rate anticipated. The Fund’s NAV and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. Markets may, in response to economic or market developments, governmental actions or intervention, natural disasters, epidemics, pandemics or other external factors, experience periods of high volatility and reduced liquidity. During those periods, the Fund may experience high levels of shareholder redemptions, and may have to sell securities at times when the Fund would otherwise not do so, potentially at unfavorable prices. Certain securities, particularly fixed income securities, may be difficult to value during such periods.

•ETF Risk. ETFs may trade at a discount to the aggregate value of the underlying securities and although expense ratios for ETFs are generally low, frequent trading of ETFs by the Fund can generate brokerage expenses. Shareholders of the Fund will indirectly be subject to the fees and expenses of the individual ETFs in which the Fund invests.

•Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in foreign securities and is subject to risks associated with foreign markets, such as adverse political, social and economic developments such as war, political instability, hyperinflation, currency devaluations, and overdependence on particular industries; accounting standards or governmental supervision that is not consistent with that to which U.S. companies are subject; limited information about foreign companies; less liquidity and higher volatility in foreign markets and less protection to the shareholders in foreign markets. In addition, investments in certain foreign markets that have historically been considered stable may become more volatile and subject to increased risk due to ongoing developments and changing conditions in such markets. The value of the Fund’s foreign investments may also be affected by foreign tax laws, special U.S. tax considerations and restrictions on receiving the investment proceeds from a foreign country. Dividends or interest on, or proceeds from the sale or disposition of, foreign securities may be subject to non-U.S. withholding or other taxes. Economic sanctions could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or groups of securities for a substantial period of time, and may make the Fund’s investments in such securities harder to value.

•Investments in Other Investment Companies Risk. Shareholders of the Fund will indirectly be subject to the fees and expenses of the other investment companies in which the Fund invests, and these fees and expenses are in addition to the fees and expenses that Fund shareholders directly bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. In addition, shareholders will be exposed to the investment risks associated with investments in the other investment companies.

•Japanese Securities Risk: Because a significant portion of the assets of the Fund are invested in Japanese securities, the Fund’s performance is expected to be closely tied to the political, social and economic conditions within Japan. The Japanese economy has at times in the past been negatively affected by government intervention and protectionism, a deflationary macroeconomic environment, a heavy reliance on international trade and natural disasters. These factors, as well as an aging population, increases in government debt and changes to fiscal, monetary, or trade policies, may affect Japanese markets and the Fund’s performance. As such, the Fund’s performance may be more volatile than the performance of funds that are more geographically diverse.

•Large Capitalization Company Risk. Large capitalization companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges like changes in consumer tastes or innovative smaller competitors. In addition, large


Summary Section

capitalization companies are sometimes unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.

•Large Investor Risk. Ownership of shares of the Fund may be concentrated in one or more large investors. These investors may redeem shares in substantial quantities or on a frequent basis, which may negatively impact the Fund’s performance, may increase realized capital gains, may accelerate the realization of taxable income to other shareholders and may potentially limit the use of available capital loss carryforwards or certain other losses to offset any future realized capital gains. Large investor redemption activity also may increase the Fund’s brokerage and other expenses.

•Liquidity Risk: Certain securities held by the Fund may be difficult (or impossible) to sell at the time and at the price the Fund would like. As a result, the Fund may have to hold these securities longer than it would like and may forego other investment opportunities. There is the possibility that the Fund may lose money or be prevented from realizing capital gains if it cannot sell a security at a particular time and price.

•Management Risk. The Fund may not meet its investment objective based on the Adviser’s success or failure to implement investment strategies for the Fund.

•Medium Capitalization Company Risk. Securities of medium sized companies may be more volatile and more difficult to liquidate during market down turns than securities of larger companies. Additionally, the price of medium-sized companies may decline more in response to selling pressures.

•New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history and there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size.

•Private Placement Risk. The Fund may invest in privately issued securities of foreign common and preferred stock, convertible debt securities, ADRs, REITs and ETFs, including those which may be resold only in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Privately issued securities are restricted securities that are not publicly traded. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to the Fund.

•REIT and Real Estate Risk. The value of the Fund’s investments in REITs may change in response to changes in the real estate market such as declines in the value of real estate, lack of available capital or financing opportunities, and increases in property taxes or operating costs. In connection with the Fund’s investments in REITs, the Fund is also subject to risks associated with extended vacancies of properties or defaults by borrowers or tenants, particularly during periods of disruptions to business operations or an economic downturn.

•Smaller Company Risk. Securities of companies smaller than larger companies may be more volatile and as a result, the price of smaller companies may decline more in response to selling pressure.

•Valuation Risk. The prices provided by pricing services or independent dealers or the fair value determinations made by the Adviser may be different from the prices used by other mutual funds or from the prices at which securities are actually bought and sold. The prices of certain securities provided by pricing services may be subject to frequent and significant change and will vary depending on the information that is available.

Performance Information

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this prospectus. Performance information will be available once the Fund has at least one calendar year of performance. Updated performance information is available online at www.brownadvisory.com/mf/funds/[ ] or by calling 800-540-6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064.


Summary Section

Management

Brown Advisory LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser. Wellington Management Company, LLP is the Fund’s Sub-Adviser.


Investment Sub-Adviser			Portfolio Manager
Wellington Management Company, LLP			Katsuhiro Iwai, CFA, CMA, has served as portfolio manager since the Fund’s inception in September 2024.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

You may purchase, exchange or redeem Fund shares on any business day by written request via mail (Brown Advisory Funds, c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, P.O. Box 701, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701), by wire transfer, by telephone at 800-540-6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064, or through the Internet at www.brownadvisory.com/client-login. Investors who wish to purchase, exchange or redeem Fund shares through a broker-dealer should contact the broker-dealer directly. The minimum initial and subsequent investment amounts for various types of accounts are shown below.


Type of Account	Minimum Initial Investment	Minimum Additional Investment
Institutional Shares
•Standard Accounts	$1,000,000	$100
Investor Shares
•Standard Accounts	$100	$100
•Traditional and Roth IRA Accounts	$100	N/A
•Accounts with Systematic Investment Plans	$100	$100
Advisor Shares
•Standard Accounts	$100	$100
•Traditional and Roth IRA Accounts	$100	N/A
•Accounts with Systematic Investment Plans	$100	$100
•Qualified Retirement Plans	N/A	N/A

The minimum investment requirements are waived for retirement plans that are qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“IRC”) and tax-exempt under Section 501(a) of the IRC, and plans operating consistent with Section 403(a), 403(b), 408, 408A, 457 or 223(d) of the IRC.

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Such tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

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


Additional Information about the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies

Brown Advisory - WMC Japan Equity Fund

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal conditions, the Brown Advisory - WMC Japan Equity Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of the value of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of companies which are domiciled in or exercise the predominant part of their economic activity in Japan. This 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without the vote of shareholders. Shareholders will receive 60 days’ prior written notice of any changes to the Fund’s 80% investment policy.

The Fund may purchase equity securities of companies of any size capitalization. Equity securities in which the Fund may invest include common stock, preferred stock, equity-equivalent securities such as stock futures contracts or convertible securities, equity options, other investment companies, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and exchange traded funds (“ETFs”). The Fund may utilize options, currency forwards, swaps, futures contracts, options on futures and participatory notes. It is expected that the Fund will generally not hedge the portfolio’s Japanese yen exposure. However, the Fund reserves the right to partially or fully hedge the portfolio’s Japanese yen exposure in order to manage risk. The Fund may also opportunistically reduce equity exposure using futures contracts. These investments will typically be made for investment purposes consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and may also be used to mitigate or hedge risks within the portfolio or for the temporary investment of cash balances. By investing in derivatives, the Fund attempts to achieve the economic equivalence it would achieve if it were to invest directly in the underlying security.

The Sub-Adviser’s Investment Process

The Sub-Adviser seeks to achieve the Fund’s objective by selecting investments in companies that are domiciled in Japan or exercise the predominant part of their economic activity in Japan and offer the potential for value creation, downside mitigation, and value realization. The decision-making process will be driven primarily by stock selection but with an awareness of the global economic backdrop.

The investment process begins with a quantitative review of large, mid, and small capitalization stocks domiciled in Japan. A quantitative review narrows the focus list to stocks that meet the Sub-Adviser’s criteria for valuation, historical business performance, balance sheet strength, and minimum liquidity. The list is reduced further to stocks eligible for portfolio inclusion by conducting further qualitative and quantitative analysis by the investment team. The fundamental research at this stage focuses on assessing and quantifying what the team views as the primary drivers of company performance:

•Value Creation – Free cash flow generative businesses with improving fundamentals at attractive valuations. The primary valuation metrics used are price-to-earnings (absolute, relative, historical) and free cash flow yield.

•Downside Mitigation – Conservatively financed companies with strong balance sheets, durable businesses, and high shareholder returns. Net cash balance sheets and or high total shareholder returns (dividends plus share buybacks) are sought but not required.


Additional Information about the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies

•Value Realization – Improving shareholder returns, takeover potential, improving capital management, better communication with investors and other governance improvements. The Sub-Adviser may engage directly with companies on these matters to unlock value through constructive conversations with management, letters to management and company boards, and through proxy voting.

The Sub- Adviser’s Process – Purchasing Portfolio Securities. A portfolio of typically between 40-80 investments is selected and sized based on the team’s assessment of the three performance drivers for each company that is expressed in the stock’s upside and downside potential, as well as liquidity considerations, conviction in their forecast, and the impact on the portfolio’s overall risk and diversification.

The Sub-Adviser’s Process – Selling Portfolio Securities. The Sub-Adviser regularly monitors the companies in the Fund’s portfolio to determine if there have been any material changes. The Sub-Adviser may sell or reduce a position if its assessment of any of the three drivers of performance (value creation, downside mitigation, value realization) changes unfavorably, resulting in a less attractive upside to downside ratio. Positions are trimmed and eventually eliminated as the estimated upside to downside ratio deteriorates relative to other opportunities. This can be driven by multiple expansion, deteriorating growth or balance sheet quality, or an adverse change in the corporate engagement opportunity.

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

Who May Want to Invest in the Fund

The Fund may be appropriate for you if you:

•Are willing to tolerate significant changes in the value of your investment;

•Are pursuing a long-term investment goal;

•Are willing to accept risk of market value fluctuation in the short-term; or

•Want an investment that focuses only on a particular country.

The Fund may not be appropriate for you if you:

•Need regular income or stability of principal;

•Are pursuing a short-term investment goal or investing emergency reserves; or

•Cannot tolerate fluctuation in the value of your investments.


Principal Risks

An investment in the Fund is subject to one or more of the principal risks identified in the following table. The identified principal risks are discussed in more detail in the disclosure that immediately follows the table.


			Brown Advisory – WMC Japan Equity Fund
ADRs and GDRs Risk			•
Convertible Securities Risk			•
Currency and Exchange Rate Risk			•
Derivatives Risk			•
Equity and General Market Risk			•
ETF Risk			•
Foreign Securities/Emerging Markets Risk			•
Investments in Other Investment Companies Risk			•
Japanese Securities Risk			•
Large Capitalization Company Risk			•
Large Investor Risk			•
Liquidity Risk			•
Management Risk			•
New Fund Risk			•
Private Placement Risk			•
REIT and Real Estate Risk			•
Smaller and Medium Capitalization Company Risk			•
Valuation Risk			•

As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and an investment in the Fund is not by itself a complete or balanced investment program. The following provides additional information regarding the principal risks that could affect the value of your investment:

American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) Risk

ADRs and GDRs may be subject to some of the same risks as direct investment in foreign companies, which includes international trade, currency, political, regulatory and diplomatic risks. In a sponsored ADR arrangement, the foreign issuer assumes the obligation to pay some or all of the depositary’s transaction fees. Under an unsponsored ADR arrangement, the foreign issuer assumes no obligations and the depositary’s transaction fees are paid directly by the ADR holders. Because unsponsored ADR arrangements are organized independently and without the cooperation of the issuer of the underlying securities, available information concerning the foreign issuer may not be as current as for sponsored ADRs and voting rights with respect to the deposited securities are not passed through. GDRs can involve currency risk, since unlike ADRs, they may not be U.S. dollar-denominated.


Principal Risks

Convertible Securities Risk

A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred stock, right, warrant or other security that may be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock or other security of the same or a different issuer or cash within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security generally entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt securities or the dividend paid on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, convertible securities generally have characteristics similar to both debt and equity securities. Convertible securities ordinarily provide a stream of income with generally higher yields than those of common stock of the same or similar issuers. Convertible securities generally rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure but are usually subordinated to comparable nonconvertible proportionate securities.

Convertible securities generally do not participate directly in any dividend increases or decreases of the underlying securities although the market prices of convertible securities may be affected by any dividend changes or other changes in the underlying securities. The Fund’s investments in convertible securities may subject the Fund to the risks that prevailing interest rates, issuer credit quality and any call provisions may affect the value of the Fund’s convertible securities. Rights and warrants entitle the holder to buy equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time. Rights typically have a substantially shorter term than do warrants. Rights and warrants may be considered more speculative and less liquid than certain other types of investments in that they do not entitle a holder to dividends or voting rights with respect to the underlying securities nor do they represent any rights in the assets of the issuing company. Rights and warrants may lack a secondary market.

Currency and Exchange Rate Risk

The Fund does not anticipate its exposure to the Japanese yen through its underlying investments will be hedged and therefore the Fund’s performance will be impacted by changes in the value of the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar. In order to minimize transaction costs, or for other reasons, the Fund’s exposure to a foreign currency may not be fully hedged at all times. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political, economic and tax developments in the U.S. or abroad. Therefore, the value of an investment in the Fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably in response to these events and investors may lose money as a result.

Derivatives Risk

Derivatives are financial instruments that have a value which depends upon, or is derived from, a reference asset, such as one or more underlying securities, pools of securities, options, futures, interest rates, indexes or currencies. Derivative instruments may also include certain structured securities. Derivatives may result in investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest; in other words, a small investment in a derivative may have a large impact on the Fund’s performance. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves strategies and risks that are different from those involving ordinary portfolio securities transactions, and generally depends on the Sub-Adviser’s ability to predict market movements. Moreover, even if the Sub-Adviser is correct in its forecast, there is still a risk that a derivative position may not perform as initially anticipated.

The Fund may use derivatives in various ways. The Fund may use derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the reference asset or to gain exposure to certain asset classes; under such circumstances, the derivatives may have economic characteristics similar to those of the reference asset, and the Fund’s investment in the derivatives may be applied toward meeting a requirement to invest a certain percentage of its net assets in instruments with such characteristics. The Fund may use derivatives to hedge (or reduce) its exposure to a portfolio asset or risk. The Fund may use derivatives for leverage. The Fund may also use derivatives to manage cash.


Principal Risks

Derivatives are subject to a number of risks, certain of which are described elsewhere in this section, such as leverage risk, liquidity risk, interest rate risk, credit risk and general market risks.

Additional risks associated with the Fund’s use of derivatives may include the risk of improper valuation and the risk that future regulation of the derivatives markets may make the use of derivatives more costly, may limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of the Fund’s derivatives transactions, impede the employment of the Fund’s derivatives strategies or adversely affect the Fund’s performance. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial or that, if used, such strategies will be successful. Over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. Central-clearing of derivatives transactions still carries with it the risk that the clearinghouse will fail or not perform under the contract. The Fund’s use of derivatives may entail risks greater than, or possibly different from, such risks and other Principal Risks to which the Fund is exposed, as described below. Certain of the different risks to which the Fund might be exposed due to its use of derivatives include the following:

Hedging Risk is the risk that derivative instruments used to hedge against an opposite position may offset losses, but they also may offset gains.

Correlation Risk is the risk that derivative instruments may be mispriced or improperly valued and that changes in the value of the derivatives may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset or security.

Volatility Risk is the risk that, because the Fund may use some derivatives that involve economic leverage, this economic leverage will increase the volatility of the derivative instruments as they may increase or decrease in value more quickly than the underlying currency, security, interest rate or other economic variable.

Credit Derivatives Risk is the risk if the Sub-Adviser is incorrect in its forecast of default risks and market spreads. Swap and other structured securities counterparty credit quality or other applicable factors associated with the use of credit default swaps may expose the Fund to credit risk, and the Fund’s investment performance may diminish compared with what it would have been if these techniques were not used. Moreover, even if the Sub-Adviser is correct in its forecast, there is a risk that a credit derivative position may correlate imperfectly with the price of the asset or liability being hedged. The Fund’s risk of loss in a credit derivative transaction varies with the form of the transaction.

Operational Risk is the risk that operational issues, including documentation issues, settlement issues, systems failures, inadequate controls, and human error will arise from trading derivatives.

Legal Risk is the risk that the documentation for trading derivatives will be insufficient, that a derivatives counterparty will not have insufficient capacity or authority to enter into derivatives transactions, or that issues of legality or enforceability of a derivatives contract will arise.

Service Provider Risk is the risk that the services provided by third-parties that assist with the management of the Fund’s derivatives risks will not be adequate or the information they provide to assist with risk management will not be accurate or may not be available at times.

Equity and General Market Risk

The Fund’s investments in equity securities may subject the Fund to volatility and the following risks:

•prices of stock may fall over short or extended periods of time;


Principal Risks

•cyclical movements of the equity market may cause the value of the Fund’s securities to fluctuate drastically from day to day; and

•individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and or economic trends and developments.

In general, stock values are affected by activities specific to the company as well as general market, economic and political conditions. The net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. The market value of securities in which the Fund invests is based upon the market’s perception of value and is not necessarily an objective measure of the securities’ value. Other general market risks include:

•the market may not recognize what the Sub-Adviser believes to be the true value or growth potential of the stocks held by the Fund;

•the earnings of the companies in which the Fund invests will not continue to grow at expected rates, thus causing the price of the underlying stocks to decline;

•the smaller a company’s market capitalization, the greater the potential for price fluctuations and volatility of its stock due to lower trading volume for the stock, less publicly available information about the company and less liquidity in the market for the stock. The potential for price fluctuations in the stock of a smaller capitalization company may be greater than that of a large capitalization company;

•the Adviser’s or Sub-Adviser’s judgment as to the growth potential or value of a stock may prove to be wrong; and

•a decline in investor demand for the stocks held by the Fund also may adversely affect the value of the securities.

Markets may, in response to economic or market developments, governmental actions or intervention, natural disasters, epidemics, pandemics, or other external factors, experience periods of high volatility and reduced liquidity. During those periods, the Fund may experience high levels of shareholder redemptions, and may have to sell securities at times when the Fund would otherwise not do so, potentially at unfavorable prices. Certain securities, particularly fixed income securities, may be difficult to value during such periods.

ETF Risk

Investments in ETFs (which may, in turn, invest in equities, bonds, and other financial vehicles) may involve duplication of certain fees and expenses. By investing in an ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that ETF. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear their proportionate share of the ETF’s fees and expenses which are paid by the Fund as a shareholder of the ETF. These fees and expenses are in addition to the fees and expenses that Fund shareholders directly bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. If the ETF fails to achieve its investment objective, the Fund’s investment in the ETF may adversely affect the Fund’s performance. Investing in an ETF subjects the Fund to these risks affecting the ETF, including the possibility that the value of the underlying securities held by the ETF could decrease. In addition, because ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks listed on an exchange, (1) the Fund may acquire ETF shares at a discount or premium to their NAV and (2) ETFs are subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Finally, because the value of ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Sub-Adviser may not be able to liquidate the Fund’s holdings at the most optimal time, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.

Foreign Securities/Emerging Markets Risk

In connection with the Fund’s investments in foreign securities and ADRs/GDRs, an investment in the Fund may have the following additional risks:

•foreign securities may be subject to greater fluctuations in price than securities of U.S. companies because foreign markets may be smaller and less liquid than U.S. markets;


Principal Risks

•foreign markets, including markets that have historically been considered stable, may experience increased risk due to war, hyperinflation, currency devaluations, changes in foreign tax laws, exchange controls, investment regulations and policies on nationalization and expropriation as well as political instability which may affect the operations of foreign companies and the value of their securities;

•fluctuations in currency exchange rates and currency transfer restitution may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments in foreign securities, which are denominated or quoted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar;

•foreign securities and their issuers are not subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. issuers regarding information disclosure, insider trading and market manipulation. There may be less publicly available information on foreign companies and foreign companies may not be subject to uniform accounting, auditing, and financial standards as are U.S. companies;

•foreign securities registration, custody and settlements may be subject to delays or other operational and administrative problems;

•certain foreign brokerage commissions and custody fees may be higher than those in the United States;

•dividends payable on the foreign securities contained in the Fund’s portfolio may be subject to foreign withholding taxes, thus reducing the income available for distribution to the Fund’s shareholders;

•economic sanctions could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund's ability to purchase or sell securities or groups of securities for a substantial period of time, and may make the Fund's investments in such securities harder to value; and

•prices for stock or ADRs/GDRs, may fall over short or extended periods of time.

If the Fund invests in emerging markets, an investment in the Fund may have the following additional risks:

•information about the companies in emerging markets is not always readily available;

•stocks of companies traded in emerging markets may be less liquid and the prices of these stocks may be more volatile than the prices of the stocks in more established markets;

•greater political and economic uncertainties exist in emerging markets than in developed foreign markets;

•the securities markets and legal systems in emerging markets may not be well developed and may not provide the protections and advantages of the markets and systems available in more developed countries;

•companies in emerging market countries may not be subject to accounting, auditing, financial reporting and recordkeeping requirements that are as robust as those in more developed countries, and therefore, material information about a company may be unavailable or unreliable, and U.S. regulators may be unable to enforce a company’s regulatory obligations;

•very high inflation rates may exist in emerging markets and could negatively impact a country’s economy and securities markets;

•emerging markets may impose restrictions on the Fund’s ability to repatriate investment income or capital and thus, may adversely affect the operations of the Fund;

•certain emerging markets impose constraints on currency exchange and some currencies in emerging markets may have been devalued significantly against the U.S. dollar;

•governments of some emerging markets exercise substantial influence over the private sector and may own or control many companies. As such, governmental actions could have a significant effect on economic conditions in emerging markets, which, in turn, could affect the value of the Fund’s investments; and

•emerging markets may be subject to less government supervision and regulation of business and industry practices, stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies.

ADR and GDR investments may subject the Fund to the same risks as direct investments in foreign companies. For these and other reasons, the prices of securities in emerging markets can fluctuate more significantly than the prices of securities of companies in developed countries. The less developed the country, the greater affect these risks may have on your investment in the Fund, and as a result, an investment in the Fund may exhibit a higher degree of volatility than either the general domestic


Principal Risks

securities market or the securities markets of developed foreign countries. Investors should be able to tolerate sudden, sometimes substantial, fluctuations in the value of their investments.

Investments in Other Investment Companies Risk

Investments in other investment companies, including money market funds, may involve duplication of certain fees and expenses. By investing in other investment companies, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that company. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly bear their proportionate share of the other investment company’s fees and expenses which are paid by the Fund as a shareholder of the other investment company. These fees and expenses are in addition to the fees and expenses that Fund shareholders directly bear in connection with the Fund’s own operations. If the other investment company fails to achieve its investment objective, the Fund’s investment in the other investment company may adversely affect the Fund’s performance.

Japanese Securities Risk

The Japanese economy has in the past been negatively affected at times by government intervention and protectionism, an unstable financial services sector, a heavy reliance on international trade, an aging demographic, declining population and natural disasters. Some of these factors, as well as other adverse political developments, increases in government debt, and changes to fiscal, monetary, or trade policies, may negatively affect the Japanese markets and thus harm the Fund’s performance. Japan also has a growing economic relationship with China and other Southeast Asian countries, and thus Japan’s economy may be affected by economic, political and social instability and those countries. Japan’s political tensions with its neighbors are also strained, and should political tensions increase, it could adversely affect the Japanese economy, particularly in the times of crises.

Large Capitalization Company Risk

Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges such as changes in consumer tastes or innovative smaller competitors. Also, large capitalization companies are sometimes unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.

Large Investor Risk

Ownership of shares of the Fund may be concentrated in one or more large investors. These investors may redeem shares in substantial quantities or on a frequent basis, which may negatively impact the Fund’s performance, may increase realized capital gains, may accelerate the realization of taxable income to other shareholders and may potentially limit the use of available capital loss carryforwards or certain other losses to offset any future realized capital gains. Large investor redemption activity also may increase the Fund’s brokerage and other expenses.

Liquidity Risk

Certain securities held by the Fund may be difficult (or impossible) to sell at the time and at the price the Sub-Adviser would like. As a result, the Fund may have to hold these securities longer than it would like and may forego other investment opportunities. There is the possibility that the Fund may lose money or be prevented from realizing capital gains if it cannot sell a security at a particular time and price.

Management Risk

The Fund is actively managed and its performance may reflect the Adviser’s or Sub-Adviser’s ability to make decisions which are suited to achieving the Fund’s investment objectives. Due to its active management, the Fund could under perform other mutual funds with similar investment objectives.

New Fund Risk


Principal Risks

There can be no assurance that a newly organized Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case the Board may determine to liquidate the Fund. Liquidation can be initiated without shareholder approval by the Board if it determines it is in the best interest of shareholders. As a result, the timing of any liquidation may not be favorable to certain individual shareholders.

Private Placement Risk

The Fund may invest in privately issued securities, including those which may be resold only in accordance with Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. Privately issued securities are restricted securities that are not publicly traded. Accordingly, the liquidity of the market for specific privately issued securities may vary. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to the Fund. Privately issued securities that are determined by the Sub-Adviser to be “illiquid” are subject to the Fund’s policy of not investing more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities.

REIT and Real Estate Risk

The Fund’s investments in REITs may subject the Fund to the following additional risks:

•declines in the value of real estate;

•changes in interest rates;

•lack of available mortgage funds or other limits on obtaining capital;

•overbuilding;

•extended vacancies of properties or defaults by borrowers or tenants, particularly during periods of disruptions to business operations or an economic downturn;

•increases in property taxes and operating expenses;

•changes in zoning laws and regulations;

•casualty or condemnation losses; and

•tax consequences of the failure of a REIT to comply with tax law requirements.

The Fund will bear a proportionate share of the REIT’s on-going operating fees and expenses, which may include management, operating and administrative expenses in addition to the expenses of the Fund.

Smaller and Medium Capitalization Company Risk

If the Fund invests in smaller and medium capitalization companies, an investment in the Fund may have the following additional risks:

•analysts and other investors typically follow these companies less actively and therefore information about these companies is not always readily available;

•securities of many smaller companies are traded in the over-the-counter markets or on a regional securities exchange potentially making them thinly traded, less liquid and their prices more volatile than the prices of the securities of larger companies;

•changes in the value of smaller and medium capitalization company stocks may not mirror the fluctuation of the general market; and

•more limited product lines, markets and financial resources make these companies more susceptible to economic or market setbacks.

Valuation Risk

The prices provided by pricing services or independent dealers or the fair value determinations made by the Adviser may be different from the prices used by other mutual funds or from the prices at which securities are actually bought and sold. The prices


Principal Risks

of certain securities provided by pricing services may be subject to frequent and significant change, and will vary depending on the information that is available.


Management

The Fund is a series of Brown Advisory Funds (the “Trust”). The business of the Trust and the Fund is managed under the oversight of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”). The Board meets periodically to review the Fund’s performance, monitor investment activities and practices, and discuss other matters affecting the Fund. Additional information regarding the Board, as well as the Trust’s executive officers, may be found in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).

The Adviser

Brown Advisory LLC. The Fund’s Adviser is Brown Advisory LLC, 901 South Bond Street, Suite 400, Baltimore, Maryland 21231. The Adviser does business under the name of Brown Advisory. The Adviser is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brown Advisory Management, LLC, a Maryland limited liability company. Brown Advisory Management, LLC is controlled by Brown Advisory Incorporated, a holding company incorporated under the laws of Maryland in 1998. The Adviser and its affiliates (“Brown Advisory”) have provided investment advisory and management services to clients for over 25 years. As of June 30, 2024 Brown Advisory had approximately $[ ] billion in assets under management and advisement, including both discretionary and non-discretionary accounts.

The Adviser receives an advisory fee from the Fund at an annual rate of the Fund’s average daily net assets as indicated below. The annual advisory fee for the Fund is as follows:


			Contractual Advisory Fee
Brown Advisory - WMC Japan Equity Fund			0.80%

The Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this prospectus.

A discussion summarizing the basis on which the Board approved the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and the Trust with respect to the Fund, will be available in the Fund’s first Semi-Annual or Annual Report to Shareholders.

The Adviser provides certain business management services to the Fund pursuant to a separate Business Management Agreement. Pursuant to the Business Management Agreement, the Adviser supervises all aspects of the management and operations of the Fund, which includes monitoring the Fund's relationships with third-party service providers to the Fund and other related business management services. For these services, the Fund pays the Adviser a fee of 0.05% of its average daily net assets.

The Trust and Adviser have applied to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for an exemptive order (the “Exemptive Order”) that would permit the Brown Advisory Funds and the Adviser, subject to certain conditions and approval by the Board of Trustees, but without shareholder approval, to hire sub-advisers for the Brown Advisory Funds, change the terms of particular agreements with sub-advisers or continue the employment of existing sub-advisers after events that would otherwise cause an automatic termination of a sub-advisory agreement (“Manager of Managers Arrangement”). Within 90 days of retaining a new sub-adviser, shareholders of any affected Fund will receive written notification of the change. However, as of the date of this Prospectus, the Trust and Adviser have not yet received the Exemptive Order.

The Sub-Adviser

Wellington Management Company LLP. Wellington Management Company LLP (“Wellington” or the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as the Fund’s sub-adviser. Wellington also serves as sub-adviser for two other funds in the Trust, the Brown Advisory - WMC Strategic European Equity Fund and the Brown Advisory Emerging Markets Select Fund. Wellington is organized as a Delaware limited liability partnership with its principal offices at 280 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210. Wellington is a


Management – Portfolio Managers

professional investment counseling firm which provides investment services to investment companies, employee benefit plans, endowments, foundations, and other institutions. Wellington and its predecessor organizations have provided investment advisory services for over 90 years. Wellington is owned by the partners of Wellington Management Group LLP, a Massachusetts limited liability partnership. As of June 30, 2024, Wellington and its investment advisory affiliates had investment management authority with respect to over $1 trillion in assets.

Subject to the general oversight of the Board and the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser is directly responsible for making the investment decisions for the Fund.

Portfolio Manager

Katsushiro Iwai, CFA, CMA serves as the portfolio manager of the Fund. As portfolio manager, Mr. Iwai is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio.

Mr. Iwai has served as portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in September 2024. Mr. Iwai is Senior Managing Director and lead Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Adviser’s Japan Team. He currently manages the Japan Special Situations, Japan Value Realization and Focused Japan Value Realization approaches and provides research to his team on the auto/auto parts, industrials, financials, real estate, consumer, and telecom industries. He is located in Wellington’s Tokyo office and joined Wellington in 2007. Mr. Iwai earned his MBA from Cornell University in 2003 and his BA in commercial science from Keio University in 1994.

The Fund’s SAI provides additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, and the portfolio manager’s ownership of shares in the Fund.

Other Service Providers

U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services (the “Transfer Agent”) provides certain administration, fund accounting and transfer agency services to the Fund.

ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) serves as the Fund’s distributor and principal underwriter in connection with the offering of the Fund’s shares. The Distributor may enter into arrangements with banks, broker-dealers and other financial institutions through which investors may purchase or redeem Fund shares.

U.S. Bank N.A. serves as custodian to the Fund. The Transfer Agent and U.S. Bank N.A. are affiliates.


Management – Fund Expenses

Fund Expenses

In addition to the advisory fee discussed above, the Fund incurs other expenses such as custodian, transfer agency, interest, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and other customary Fund expenses. (Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are indirect fees that the Fund incurs from investing in the shares of other investment companies.) The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or reimburse certain expenses (exclusive of any front-end or contingent deferred sales loads, taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization and extraordinary expenses) in order to limit the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to the amounts shown below of each Class’s average daily net assets through October 31, 2026.


	Institutional Shares	Investor Shares	Advisor Shares
Brown Advisory - WMC Japan Equity Fund	1.00%	1.15%	1.40%

The contractual waivers and expense reimbursements may be changed or eliminated at any time by the Board of Trustees, on behalf of the Fund, upon 60 days written notice to the Adviser. The contractual waivers and expense reimbursements may not be terminated by the Adviser without the consent of the Board of Trustees. The Adviser may recoup any waived amount from the Fund pursuant to this agreement if such reimbursement does not cause the Fund to exceed existing expense limitations or the limitations in place at the time the reduction was originally made and the reimbursement is made within three years after the date on which the Adviser incurred the expense.


Choosing a Share Class

Class Comparison

The Fund offers three classes of shares, Institutional Shares, Investor Shares and Advisor Shares. Each class of shares is designed for specific investors.

The following is a summary of the differences between the three classes for the Fund:


	Institutional Shares	Investor Shares	Advisor Shares
Eligible Shareholder	(i) Investors who meet the investment minimum for Institutional Shares; (ii) Certain institutions (financial institutions, corporations, trusts, endowments, foundations, government entities, estates and religious and charitable organizations investing on their own behalf); (iii) Certain fund of funds; (iv) Certain retirement plans whose sponsors and/or administrators have entered into arrangements with the Fund’s distributor; (v) Certain investors investing through omnibus accounts held by financial intermediaries that charge transaction fees and have entered into arrangements with the Fund’s distributor to offer Institutional Shares; (vi) Current and former trustees of the Fund; (vii) Certain other investors that have been approved by the Fund; and (viii) Retirement plans that are qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“IRC”) and tax-exempt under Section 501(a) of the IRC, and plans operating consistent with Section 403(a), 403(b), 408, 408A, 457 or 223(d) of the IRC. Notwithstanding the above, the Funds reserve the right to broaden or limit the eligible shareholders.	(i) Investors who meet the investment minimum for Investor Shares; (ii) Certain investors investing through omnibus accounts held by financial intermediaries that do not charge transaction fees and have entered into arrangements with the Fund’s distributor to offer Investor Shares; and (iii) Investors who invest unsolicited directly by application through the Transfer Agent.	(i) Investors who meet the investment minimum for Advisor Shares; (ii) Certain investors investing through omnibus accounts held by financial intermediaries that charge transaction fees and have entered into arrangements with the Fund’s distributor to offer Advisor Shares; and (iii) Certain retirement plans whose sponsors and/or administrators have entered into arrangements with the Fund’s distributor.
Initial Sales Charge	None	None	None
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge	None	None	None


Choosing a Share Class


Redemption/ Exchange Fee	1.00% if shares are redeemed 14 days or less from purchase	1.00% if shares are redeemed 14 days or less from purchase	1.00% if shares are redeemed 14 days or less from purchase
Distribution/Service (12b‑1) Fees	None	None	0.25% of the Fund’s Advisor Shares average daily net assets for the Fund
Shareholder Service Fees	None	0.15% of the Fund’s Advisor Share’s average daily net	0.15% of the Fund’s Advisor Share’s average daily net assets
Annual Expenses	Lowest expense ratio because there is no Rule 12b‑1 distribution/service fee or shareholder service fees	Higher fees than Institutional Shares because of shareholder service fees and lower fees than Advisor Shares because no Rule 12b-1 distribution/service fee	Highest expense ratio because of Rule 12b-1 distribution/ service fee and shareholder service fees
Initial Minimum Investment	$1,000,000	$100	$100

Rule 12b-1 Distribution Fees

The Trust has adopted a Rule 12b-1 distribution plan under which the Fund is authorized to pay to the Distributor or such other entities as approved by the Board, as compensation for the distribution-related and/or shareholder services provided by such entities, an aggregate fee equal to the percentage shown below of the average daily net assets of Advisor Shares of the Fund, as applicable. The Distributor may pay any or all amounts received under the Rule 12b-1 Plan to other persons, including the Adviser, for any distribution service or activity designed to retain Fund shareholders.

Shareholder Service Fees

The Trust has adopted a Shareholder Servicing Plan under which the Fund may pay a fee of up to 0.15% for shareholder services provided to the Fund's Investor Shares by financial institutions, including the Adviser. The types of services for which entities may be compensated under the terms of the Shareholder Servicing Plan include various types of shareholder administrative support services such as assisting shareholders with their fund accounts and records, their fund purchase and redemption orders and other similar types of non-distribution related services involving the administrative servicing of shareholder accounts. These shareholder servicing fees may be increased without shareholder approval.

Additional Payments to Dealers

In addition to dealer reallowances and payments made by the Fund for distribution and shareholder servicing, the Adviser or its affiliates may make additional payments (“Additional Payments”) to certain selling or shareholder servicing agents for the Fund, which includes broker-dealers. These Additional Payments are made in connection with the sale and distribution of shares of the Fund or for services to the Fund and its shareholders. These Additional Payments, which may be significant, are paid by the Adviser or its affiliates, out of their revenues, which generally come directly or indirectly from fees paid by the entire Fund complex. Such payments by such parties may create an incentive for these financial institutions to recommend that you purchase Fund shares.

In return for these Additional Payments, the Adviser expects to receive certain marketing or servicing advantages that are not generally available to mutual funds that do not make such payments. Such advantages are expected to include, without limitation, placement of the Fund on a list of mutual funds offered as investment options to the selling agent’s clients (sometimes referred to


Choosing a Share Class

as “Shelf Space”); access to the selling agent’s registered representatives; and/or ability to assist in training and educating the selling agent’s registered representatives.

Certain selling or shareholder servicing agents receive these Additional Payments to supplement amounts payable by the Fund under the shareholder servicing plans. In exchange, these agents provide services including, but not limited to, establishing and maintaining accounts and records; answering inquiries regarding purchases, exchanges and redemptions; processing and verifying purchase, redemption and exchange transactions; furnishing account statements and confirmations of transactions; processing and mailing monthly statements, prospectuses, shareholder reports and other SEC-required communications; and providing the types of services that might typically be provided by the Fund’s Transfer Agent (e.g., the maintenance of omnibus or omnibus-like accounts, the use of the National Securities Clearing Corporation for the transmission of transaction information and the transmission of shareholder mailings).

The Additional Payments may create potential conflicts of interests between an investor and a selling agent who is recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. Before investing, you should consult with your financial consultant and review carefully any disclosure by the selling agent as to what monies they receive from mutual fund advisers and distributors, as well as how your financial consultant is compensated.

More information on the FINRA member firms that have received the Additional Payments described in this section will be available in the Statement of Additional Information, which is on file with the SEC and is also available on the Fund's website www.brownadvisory.com/mf/how-to-invest.

How to Contact the Fund


Write to us at: Brown Advisory Funds c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services P.O. Box 701 Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701 Overnight address: Brown Advisory Funds c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services 615 East Michigan Street, Third Floor Milwaukee, WI 53202-5207 Telephone us at: (800) 540-6807 (toll free) Visit our Web site at: www.brownadvisory.com/mf

General Information

You may purchase shares of the Fund class or sell (redeem) such shares on each weekday that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open. Under unusual circumstances, the Fund class may accept and process shareholder orders when the NYSE is closed if deemed appropriate.

You may purchase shares of the Fund class or sell (redeem) such shares at the net asset value (“NAV”) of a share of that Fund class next calculated (or minus a redemption/exchange fee in the case of redemptions or exchanges) after the Transfer Agent receives your request in proper form (as described in the section entitled “Your Account – How to Buy Shares” in this Prospectus).

When and How NAV is Determined

The Fund’s share price is known as its NAV. The NAV is determined by dividing the value of the Fund’s securities, cash and other assets, minus all liabilities, by the number of shares outstanding (assets – liabilities / number of shares = NAV). The NAV takes into account the expenses and fees of the Fund, including management, administration and other fees, which are accrued daily. Due to the fact that different expenses are charged to the Institutional Shares, Investor Shares and Advisor Shares of the Fund, the NAV of the two classes of the Fund may vary. The Fund’s share price is calculated as of the Fund’s close which is the close of regular trading (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day the NYSE is open for business.

All shareholder transaction orders received in proper form (as described below under “How to Purchase Shares”) by the Transfer Agent, or a Financial Intermediary by 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time will be processed at that day’s NAV. Transaction orders received after 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time will be priced at the next business day’s NAV. The Fund’s NAV, however, may be calculated earlier if trading on the NYSE is restricted or as permitted by the SEC. The Fund does not determine the NAV of their shares on any day when the NYSE is not open for trading, such as weekends and certain national holidays as disclosed in the SAI (even if there is sufficient trading in its portfolio securities on such days to materially affect the NAV per share). The NYSE also may be closed on national days of mourning or due to natural disaster or other extraordinary events or emergency. Fair value determinations may be made as described below under procedures as approved by the Fund's Board of Trustees. If the NYSE is closed due to inclement weather, technology problems or any other reason on a day it would normally be open for business, or the NYSE has an unscheduled early closing on a day it has opened for business, the Fund reserves the right to treat such day as a business day and accept purchase and redemption orders until, and calculate the Fund’s NAV as of, the normally scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE for that day, so long as the Adviser believes there remains an adequate market to meet purchase and redemption orders for that day. On any business day when the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association recommends that the bond markets close trading early, the Fund reserves the right to close at such earlier closing time, and therefore accept purchase and redemption orders until, and calculate the Fund’s NAV as of, such earlier closing time.

Fair Value Pricing. Occasionally, reliable market quotations are not “readily available” (as such term is defined by Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”)) or there may be events affecting the value of foreign securities or other securities held by the Fund that occur when regular trading on foreign or other exchanges is closed, but before trading on the NYSE is closed. Fair value determinations are then made in good faith in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board. The Board has designated the Adviser as the Fund’s valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act and


Your Account – General Information

has delegated fair value determinations to the Adviser, subject to the supervision of the Board. 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 has a pricing committee that assists it with its designated responsibilities as valuation designee. Valuing securities at fair value involves greater reliance on judgment than valuing securities that have readily available market quotations. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the determination of a security’s fair value in accordance with the approved valuation procedures will in fact approximate the price at which the Fund could sell that security at that time.

Generally, the fair value of a portfolio security or other asset shall be the amount that the owner of the security or asset might reasonably expect to receive upon its current sale. With respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies that are registered under the 1940 Act, the Fund’s net asset value is calculated based upon the net asset values of such registered open-end management investment companies, and the prospectuses for such companies explain the circumstances under which those companies will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.

Because the Fund invests in securities that are traded primarily in foreign markets, a significant gap in time can exist between the time of a particular security’s last trade on a foreign market, and the time at which the Fund calculates its NAV. If an event that could materially affect the value of the Fund’s securities has occurred between the time the securities were last traded and the time that the Fund calculates its NAV, the closing price of either the Fund’s securities may no longer reflect its market value at the time the Fund calculates its NAV. In such a case, the Fund may use fair value methods to value such securities.

The Fund may each invest in the securities of smaller and/or medium companies. The Fund’s investments in securities of smaller companies or private placements are more likely to require a fair value determination because they are more thinly traded and less liquid than securities of larger companies. Similarly, the Fund may invest in foreign securities and is more likely to require a fair value determination because, among other things, most foreign securities markets close before the Fund values its securities. The earlier close of those foreign securities markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events may have occurred in the interim.

Attempts to determine the fair value of securities introduce an element of subjectivity to the pricing of securities. As a result, the price of a security determined through fair valuation techniques may differ from the price quoted or published by other sources and may not accurately reflect the market value of the security when trading resumes. If a reliable market quotation becomes available for a security formerly valued through fair valuation techniques, the Fund would compare the new market quotation to the fair value price to evaluate the effectiveness of its fair valuation determination. If any significant discrepancies are found, the Adviser may adjust its fair valuation procedures.


Your Account – General Information

Types of Accounts


Type of Account			Requirement
Individual, Sole Proprietorship and Joint Accounts Individual accounts and sole proprietorship accounts are owned by one person. Joint accounts have two or more owners (tenants).			•Instructions must be signed by all persons required to sign exactly as their names appear on the account •Provide a power of attorney or similar document for each person that is authorized to open or transact business for the account if not a named account owner.
Gifts or Transfers to a Minor (UGMA, UTMA) These custodial accounts provide a way to give money to a child and obtain tax benefits.			•Depending on state laws, you can set up a custodial account under the UGMA or the UTMA •The custodian must sign instructions in a manner indicating custodial capacity.
Business Entities			•Provide certified articles of incorporation, a government-issued business license or certificate, partnership agreement or similar document evidencing the identity and existence of the business entity •Submit a secretary’s (or similar) certificate listing the person(s) authorized to open or transact business for the account.
Trusts (including corporate pension plans)			•The trust must be established before an account can be opened •You must supply documentation to substantiate existence of your organization (i.e. Articles of Incorporation/Formation/Organization, Trust Agreements, Partnership Agreement or other official documents). •Remember to include a separate sheet detailing the full name, date of birth, social security number and permanent street address for all authorized individuals.


Your Account – How to Buy Shares

Retirement Accounts

You may invest in Fund shares through an IRA account sponsored by the Adviser, including traditional and Roth IRAs. The Fund may also be appropriate for other retirement plans. Before investing in any IRA or other retirement plan, you should consult your tax adviser. Whenever making an investment in an IRA, be sure to indicate the year in which the contribution is made.

Minimum Investments

To purchase shares of the Fund, you must make at least the minimum initial investment (or subsequent investment) as shown in the table below. The minimum investment requirements are waived for retirement plans that are qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“IRC”) and tax-exempt under Section 501(a) of the IRC, and plans operating consistent with Section 403(a), 403(b), 408, 408A, 457 or 223(d) of the IRC.


Type of Account	Minimum Initial Investment	Minimum Additional Investment
Institutional Shares
–Standard Accounts	$1,000,000	$100
Investor Shares
–Standard Accounts	$100	$100
–Traditional and Roth IRA Accounts	$100	N/A
–Accounts with Systematic Investment Plans	$100	$100
Advisor Shares
–Standard Accounts	$100	$100
–Traditional and Roth IRA Accounts	$100	N/A
–Accounts with Systematic Investment Plans	$100	$100
–Qualified Retirement Plans	N/A	N/A

How to Buy Shares

This section explains how you can purchase shares of the Brown Advisory Funds. If you’re opening a new account, an Account Application is available online at www.brownadvisory.com/mf/how-to-invest or by calling 800-540-6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064. For Fund shares held through brokerage and other types of accounts, please consult your Financial Intermediary.


Buying Shares	Opening an Account	Adding to an Account
Through a Financial Intermediary	Contact your Financial Intermediary	Contact your Financial Intermediary
By Mail (with Check)	–Mail your completed application (along with other required documents as described in the application) and a check to: Brown Advisory Funds c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services P.O. Box 701 Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701	–Write your account number on your check –Send your check with (a) a completed investment slip from a prior statement or confirmation or (b) letter of instruction to: Brown Advisory Funds c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services P.O. Box 701 Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701


Your Account – How to Buy Shares


By Wire	–Submit your completed application (and other required documents as described in the application). An account will be established for you and you will be contacted with the account number. –Instruct your financial institution to wire your money using the instructions in the section entitled “Your Account – How to Buy Shares – Purchase By Wire” in this Prospectus.	–Call to notify us of your incoming wire –Instruct your financial institution to wire your money using the instructions in the section entitled “Your Account – How to Buy Shares – Purchase By Wire” in this Prospectus.
By Telephone	Not accepted for initial purchases	–If you have telephone purchase privileges on the account, you may purchase additional shares in the amount of $100 or more using the bank account on record by calling 800‑540‑6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064.
By Internet (must have a United States bank account)	–Log onto the Fund’s website at www.brownadvisory.com/mf –Click on “How to Invest” –Be prepared to have the required information to open your new account. –Accept the terms of the online Account Application. –Complete the online Account Application. –The Fund will electronically deduct your purchase proceeds from the financial institution you have identified on your Account Application. –Note - you may be responsible for any unauthorized Internet order as long as the Transfer Agent has taken reasonable measures to verify that the order is genuine.	–Log onto the Fund’s website at www.brownadvisory.com –Click on “Client Login” –Provide your User ID and password. –Select the Transaction/Purchase menu option. –Follow the instructions provided.
By Automatic Investment Plan (must have a United States bank account)	Not accepted for initial purchases	–Complete the Automatic Investment Plan section of the application or submit a letter of instruction if your account was opened without this being done. –Attach a voided check or savings deposit slip to your application or letter of instruction. –Mail the completed application or letter and voided check or savings deposit slip. –Your purchase will be electronically debited from the bank account on record as directed in your request.


Your Account – How to Buy Shares

General Notes for Buying Shares

Unless purchased through a Financial Intermediary, all investments must be made by check, ACH, or wire. All checks must be payable in U.S. dollars and drawn on U.S. financial institutions. In the absence of the granting of an exception consistent with the Trust’s anti-money laundering procedures, the Fund does not accept purchases made by credit card check, starter check, third-party check, cash or cash equivalents (for instance, you may not pay by money order or traveler’s check). The Fund is unable to accept post‑dated checks or any conditional order or payment.

–Checks for all accounts, including individual, sole proprietorship, joint, Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (“UGMA”) or Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (“UTMA”) accounts, the check must be made payable to “Brown Advisory Funds.” A $25 charge may be imposed on any returned payment; you will also be responsible for any losses suffered by the Fund as a result.

–ACH (must have a United States bank account) refers to the “Automated Clearing House” System maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank, which allows banks to process checks, transfer funds and perform other tasks. Your financial institution may charge you a fee for this service. A $25 charge may be imposed on any rejected transfers; you will also be responsible for any losses suffered by the Fund as a result.

–Wires instruct your financial institution with whom you have an account to make a Federal Funds wire payment to us. Your financial institution may charge you a fee for this service.

Purchase through Financial Intermediaries. You may buy and sell shares of the Fund through certain financial intermediaries and their agents that have made arrangements with the Fund and are authorized to buy and sell shares of the Fund (collectively, “Financial Intermediaries”). Your order will be priced at the Fund’s NAV next computed after it is received by a Financial Intermediary, or if applicable, a Financial Intermediary’s designee. A Financial Intermediary may hold your shares in an omnibus account in the Financial Intermediary’s name and the Financial Intermediary may maintain your individual ownership records. The Fund may pay the Financial Intermediary for maintaining individual ownership records as well as providing other shareholder services. Financial Intermediaries may charge fees for the services they provide to you in connection with processing your transaction order or maintaining your account with them. Financial Intermediaries are responsible for placing your order correctly and promptly with the Fund, forwarding payment promptly, as well as ensuring that you receive copies of the Fund's Prospectus. If you transmit your order with these Financial Intermediaries before the close of regular trading (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on a day that the NYSE is open for business, your order will be priced at the Fund’s NAV next computed after it is received by the Financial Intermediary. Investors should check with their Financial Intermediary to determine if it is subject to these arrangements.

Institutional Shares may also be available on certain brokerage platforms. An investor transacting in Institutional Shares through a broker that is acting as an agent for the investor may be required by such broker to pay a separate commission and/or other forms of compensation to their broker. Such broker commissions are not reflected in the Fund’s fee table or expense examples.

Purchase by Mail. Follow the instructions outlined in the table above. The Fund does not consider the U.S. Postal Service or other independent delivery services to be their agents. Therefore, deposits in the mail or with such services, or receipt at the Transfer Agent’s post office box of purchase orders or redemption requests, do not constitute receipt by the Transfer Agent. Receipt will be deemed to occur when the Transfer Agent physically picks up such mailings.

Purchase by Wire. If you are making your first investment in the Fund, before you wire funds, please contact the Transfer Agent by phone to make arrangements with a telephone service representative to submit your completed Account Application via mail, overnight delivery or facsimile. Upon receipt of your completed application, your account will be established and a service representative will contact you to provide your new account number and wiring instructions. If you do not receive this


Your Account – How to Buy Shares

information within one business day, you may call the Transfer Agent at 1-800-540-6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064. Once your account has been established, you may instruct your bank to initiate the wire using the instructions you were given.

For either initial or subsequent investments, prior to sending the wire, please call the Transfer Agent at 1‑800‑540‑6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064 to advise the Transfer Agent of your wire to ensure proper credit upon receipt. Your bank must include the name of the Fund, your name and account number so that your wire can be correctly applied.


Instruct your bank to send the wire to:
U.S. Bank, N.A. 777 East Wisconsin Avenue Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 ABA #075000022 Credit: U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC Account #112-952-137 Further Credit: Brown Advisory Funds, [Insert Fund Name and Class] (Shareholder Name, Shareholder Account #)

Your bank may impose a fee for investments by wire. Wired funds must be received prior to 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time, to be eligible for same day pricing. The Fund and the Transfer Agent are not responsible for the consequences of delays resulting from the banking or Federal Reserve wire system or from incomplete wiring instructions. If you have questions about how to invest by wire, you may call the Fund at 1‑800‑540‑6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064.

Purchase by Telephone. If your account has been open for at least 7 business days, and you did not decline telephone privileges on your Account Application, you may purchase additional shares in the amount of $100 or more from your bank account upon request by telephoning the Transfer Agent toll free at 1‑800‑540‑6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064. You may not make your initial purchase of the Fund’s shares by telephone. Telephone orders will be accepted via electronic funds transfer from your pre-designated bank account through the Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) network. You must have banking information established on your account prior to making a purchase. Only bank accounts held at domestic institutions that are ACH members may be used for telephone transactions. If your order is received prior to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, shares will be purchased at the price next calculated on that date. For security reasons, requests by telephone may be recorded.

Purchase by Internet (must have a United States bank account). You will automatically receive online privileges when you open your account, allowing you to obtain or view your account information, and conduct a number of transactions online, including: buy or sell shares of the Fund; use electronic funds transfer to buy or sell shares of the Fund.

To view your account information or request online transactions, you will first need to register for these services at the shareholder section of our website at www.brownadvisory.com/mf. You will be asked to accept the terms of an online agreement(s) and establish a password for online services. Using our shareholder website means you are consenting to sending and receiving personal financial information over the Internet, so you should be sure you are comfortable with the associated risks.

As long as we follow reasonable security procedures and act on instructions we reasonably believe are genuine, we will not be responsible for any losses that may occur from unauthorized requests. We will request passwords or other information, and may also record calls. To help safeguard your account, keep your password confidential and verify the accuracy of your confirmation statements immediately after you receive them. Contact us immediately if you believe someone has obtained unauthorized access to your account or password. For transactions done over the Internet, we recommend the use of an Internet browser with 128-bit


Your Account – How to Buy Shares

encryption. Certain methods of contacting us (such as by Internet) may be unavailable or delayed during periods of unusual market activity.

You can choose not to register for online privileges. If you have online privileges on your account and want to discontinue them, please contact us for instructions. You may reinstate these privileges at any time in writing.

Automatic Investment Plan (must have a United States bank account). For your convenience, the Fund offers an Automatic Investment Plan (“AIP”). Under the AIP, after you make your initial investment, you may authorize the Fund to withdraw automatically from your personal checking or savings account an amount that you wish to invest, which must be at least $100 on a monthly or quarterly basis. If you wish to enroll in the AIP, complete the “Automatic Investment Plan” section in the Account Application or call the Transfer Agent at 1‑800‑540‑6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064 for additional information. In order to participate in the AIP, your bank or financial institution must be a member of the ACH network. The Fund may terminate or modify this privilege at any time. You may terminate your participation in the AIP at any time by notifying the Transfer Agent at least five days prior to the effective date. A fee ($25) will be charged if your bank does not honor the AIP draft for any reason.

The AIP is a method of using dollar cost averaging as an investment strategy that involves investing a fixed amount of money at regular time intervals. However, a program of regular investment cannot ensure a profit or protect against a loss as a result of declining markets. By continually investing the same amount, you will be purchasing more shares when the price is low and fewer shares when the price is high. Please call 1‑800‑540‑6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064 for additional information regarding the Fund’s AIP.


Your Account – How to Sell Shares

How to Sell Shares

The Fund processes redemption orders received in good order, promptly. The Fund typically expects that it will take one to three days following the receipt of your redemption request to pay out redemption proceeds; however, while not expected, payment of redemption proceeds may take up to seven days. If the Fund class has not yet collected payment for the shares you are selling, it may delay sending redemption proceeds until it receives payment, which may be up to 15 calendar days.


Selling Shares
Through a Financial Intermediary			• Contact your Financial Intermediary
By Mail			• Prepare a written request including: • Your name(s) and signature(s) • Your account number • The Fund name and class • The dollar amount or number of shares you want to sell • How and where to send the redemption proceeds • Obtain a signature guarantee (if required) (See the section entitled “Signature Guarantee Requirements below”) • Obtain other documentation (if required) • Mail us your request and documentation.
By Wire			• Wire redemptions are only available if you did not decline telephone and Internet options on your Account Application and you provided a voided check or savings deposit slip • Call us with your request (unless you declined telephone and Internet options on your Account Application) (See the section entitled “By Telephone”) or • Mail us your request (See the section entitled “By Mail”).
By Telephone			• Call us with your request (unless you declined telephone and Internet options on your Account Application) • Provide the following information: • Your account number • Exact name(s) in which the account is registered • Additional form of identification • Redemption proceeds will be: • Mailed to you or • Electronically credited to your account at the financial institution identified on your Account Application.
By Internet			• Log onto the Fund’s website at www.brownadvisoryfunds.com • Click on “Client Login” • Provide your User ID and password. • Select the Transaction/Redemption menu option. • Follow the instructions provided. • Note – you may be responsible for any unauthorized Internet order as long as the Transfer Agent has taken reasonable measures to verify that the order is genuine.
Systematically			• Complete the systematic withdrawal program section of the application • Attach a voided check or savings deposit slip to your application • Mail us your completed application • Redemption proceeds will be electronically credited to your account at the financial institution identified on your Account Application or sent by check to your address of record.


Your Account – How to Sell Shares

General Notes for Selling Shares

In general, orders to sell or “redeem” shares may be placed either directly with the Fund, the Transfer Agent or with your Financial Intermediary. You may redeem part or all of the Fund’s shares at the next determined NAV after the Fund receives your order. You should request your redemption prior to the close of the applicable Fund, generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time, to obtain that day’s closing NAV. Redemption requests received after the close of the NYSE will be treated as though received on the next business day.

Through a Financial Intermediary. You may redeem Fund shares through your Financial Intermediary. Redemptions made through a Financial Intermediary may be subject to procedures established by that institution. Your Financial Intermediary is responsible for sending your order to the Fund and for crediting your account with the proceeds. For redemption through Financial Intermediaries, orders will be processed at the NAV per share next effective after receipt of the order by the Financial Intermediary. Please keep in mind that your Financial Intermediary may charge additional fees for its services. Investors should check with their Financial Intermediary to determine if it is subject to these arrangements.

By Mail. You may redeem Fund shares by simply sending a written request to the Transfer Agent. Please provide the name of the Fund, account number and state the number of shares or dollar amount you would like redeemed. The letter should be signed by all shareholders whose names appear on the account registration with a signature guarantee, if applicable. Redemption requests will not become effective until all documents have been received in good form by the Fund. Additional documents are required for certain types of shareholders, such as corporations, partnerships, executors, trustees, administrators, or guardians (i.e., corporate resolutions, or trust documents indicating proper authorization). Shareholders should contact the Fund for further information concerning documentation required for redemption of Fund shares.

Shareholders who have an IRA or other retirement plan must indicate on their written redemption request whether or not to withhold federal income tax. Redemption requests failing to indicate an election not to have tax withheld will generally be subject to a 10% withholding tax.

Shares held in IRA accounts or other retirement plan accounts may be redeemed by telephone at 1-800-540-6807. Investors will be asked whether or not to withhold taxes from any distribution.

Telephone or Wire Redemption. You may redeem Fund shares by telephone unless you declined telephone privileges on your Account Application. You may also request telephone privileges after your account is opened by calling the Transfer Agent at 1‑800‑540‑6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064 for additional information. A signature guarantee or a signature verification from a Signature Validation Program member or other acceptable form of authentication from a financial institution source may be required of shareholders in order to qualify for or to change telephone privileges on an existing account. During periods of high market activity, you may encounter higher than usual wait times. Please allow sufficient time to ensure that you will be able to complete your telephone transaction prior to market close. If you are unable to contact the Transfer Agent by telephone, you may also mail the requests to the Fund at the address listed under “Contacting the Fund.” Once a telephone transaction has been placed, it cannot be canceled or modified after the close of regular trading on the NYSE (generally, 4:00 p.m., Eastern time).

You may redeem Fund shares by calling the Transfer Agent at 1‑800‑540‑6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064 prior to the close of the applicable Fund, generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. Redemption proceeds will be sent on the next business day to the mailing address that appears on the Fund’s records. Per your request, redemption proceeds may be wired or may be sent by electronic funds transfer via the ACH network to your pre-designated bank account. The Transfer Agent will charge a $15 wire fee from your redemption proceeds from any complete share redemption. For partial redemptions, or share specific redemptions, any wire fee will be deducted from your remaining account balance. You will not incur any charge when proceeds are sent via the ACH network; however, most ACH transfers require two days for the bank account to receive credit. Telephone redemptions cannot be made if you notify the Transfer Agent of a change of address within 30 days before the redemption request.


Your Account – How to Sell Shares

Prior to executing instructions received to redeem shares by telephone, the Fund will use reasonable procedures to confirm that the telephone instructions are genuine. If an account has more than one owner or authorized person, the Fund will accept telephone instructions from any one owner or authorized person. The telephone call may be recorded and the caller may be asked to verify certain personal identification information. If the Fund or its agents follow these procedures, they cannot be held liable for any loss, expense, or cost arising out of any telephone redemption request that is reasonably believed to be genuine. This includes any fraudulent or unauthorized request. The Fund may change, modify or terminate these privileges at any time upon at least a 60-day notice to shareholders.

Systematic Withdrawal Program (must have a United States bank account). The Fund offers a Systematic Withdrawal Program (“SWP”) whereby shareholders or their representatives may request a redemption in a predetermined amount each month, calendar quarter or annually. Proceeds can be sent via check to the address on the account or proceeds can be sent by electronic funds transfer via the ACH network to a designated bank account. To start this program, your account must have Fund shares with a value of at least $2,500, and the minimum amount that may be withdrawn each month, quarter or annually is $50. This program may be terminated or modified by the Fund at any time. You may also elect to terminate your participation in the SWP at any time by contacting the Transfer Agent at least five calendar days prior to the next scheduled withdrawal.

A withdrawal under the SWP involves a redemption of Fund shares, and may result in a gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes. In addition, if the amount withdrawn exceeds the dividends credited to your account, the account ultimately may be depleted. To establish the SWP, complete the SWP section of the Account Application. Please call 1‑800‑540‑6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064 for additional information regarding the SWP.

Exchange Privileges

You may exchange your Fund shares for the same class of shares of certain other Brown Advisory Funds. Be sure to confirm with the Transfer Agent that the Fund into which you exchange is available for sale in your state. To obtain the necessary exchange authorization forms, call the Transfer Agent at 1‑800‑540‑6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064. The Fund may not be available for exchange may be available for purchase in your state. Because exchanges are a sale and purchase of shares, they may have tax consequences.

If you exchange Fund shares 14 days or less from the date of purchase, you will be charged a redemption fee of 1.00% of the current NAV of shares redeemed or exchanged, subject to limited exceptions. Please see the section entitled “Your Account – Account and Transaction Policies – Redemption/Exchange Fee” for additional information.

Requirements. You may make exchanges only between identically registered accounts (name(s), address, and taxpayer ID number). There is currently no limit on exchanges, but the Fund reserves the right to limit exchanges (see the section entitled “Tools to Combat Frequent Transaction”). You may exchange your shares by mail or telephone, unless you declined telephone privileges on your Account Application. You may be responsible for any unauthorized telephone order as long as the transfer agent takes reasonable measures to verify that the order is genuine.


Exchanging Shares
Through a Financial Intermediary			•Contact your Financial Intermediary
By Mail			•Prepare a written request including: •Your name(s) and signature(s) •Your account number •The name of the fund (and class) you are exchanging •The dollar amount or number of shares you want to sell (and exchange) •Open a new account and complete an Account Application if you are requesting different shareholder privileges •Mail us your request and documentation.
By Telephone			•Call us with your request (unless you declined telephone and Internet options on your Account Application) •Provide the following information: •Your account number •Exact name(s) in which account is registered •Additional form of identification.


Your Account – Account and Transaction Policies

Account and Transaction Policies

Redemption/Exchange Fee. The sale of Fund shares is subject to a redemption fee of 1.00% of the current NAV of shares redeemed or exchanged 14 days or less from the date of purchase. The Fund uses the “first in first out” (“FIFO”) method to determine the holding period; this means that if you purchase shares on different days, the shares you held longest will be redeemed first for purposes of determining whether the short-term trading fee applies. The redemption/exchange fee is charged for the benefit of its long-term shareholders and is deducted from your proceeds and retained by the Fund to help offset transaction costs. The Fund reserves the right to waive redemption/exchange fees, withdraw exceptions, or otherwise modify the terms of the redemption/exchange fee at its discretion at any time, to the extent permitted by law.

There are limited exceptions to the imposition of the redemption fee. The following redemptions are exempt from application of the redemption fee:

•Redemptions in a deceased shareholder account if such an account is registered in the deceased’s name;

•Redemptions in the account of a disabled individual (disability of the shareholder as determined by the Social Security Administration);

•Redemptions of shares purchased through a dividend reinvestment program;

•Redemptions pursuant to the Fund’s systematic programs; or

•Redemptions in qualified retirement plans under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”), and plans operating consistent with 401(k), 403(a), 403(b), 408, 408A, 457, and 223(d) of the IRC.

Although the Fund has the goal of applying this redemption/exchange fee to most redemptions of shares held for 14 days or less, the Fund may not always be able to track short-term trading effected through Financial Intermediaries in non-disclosed or omnibus accounts. While the Fund has entered into information sharing agreements with such Financial Intermediaries as described under “Tools to Combat Frequent Transactions” which contractually require such Financial Intermediaries to provide the Fund with information relating to its customers investing in the Fund through non-disclosed or omnibus accounts, the Fund cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided to them from Financial Intermediaries and may not always be able to track short-term trading effected through these Financial Intermediaries. In addition, because the Fund is required to rely on information provided by the Financial Intermediary as to the applicable redemption/exchange fee, the Fund cannot ensure that the Financial Intermediary is always imposing such fee on the underlying shareholder in accordance with the Fund’s policies.

Tools to Combat Frequent Transactions. The Fund is intended for long-term investors and does not accommodate frequent transactions. Short-term “market-timers” who engage in frequent purchases and redemptions can disrupt the Fund’s investment program and create additional transaction costs that are borne by all of the Fund’s shareholders. The Board has adopted policies and procedures that are designed to discourage excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices that may disrupt portfolio management strategies and harm performance. In addition, the Fund discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices and the Fund may use a variety of techniques to monitor trading activity and detect abusive trading practices. These steps may include, among other things, the imposition of redemption fees, if applicable, monitoring trading activity, or using fair value pricing when appropriate, under procedures as adopted by the Board when the Adviser or Wellington Management, subject to the Adviser’s approval, determines current market prices are not readily available. As approved by the Board, these techniques may change from time to time as determined by the Fund in its sole discretion.

In an effort to discourage abusive trading practices and minimize harm to the Fund and its shareholders, the Fund reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject any purchase order, in whole or in part, for any reason (including, without limitation, purchases by persons whose trading activity in Fund shares is believed by the Adviser to be harmful to the Fund) and without prior notice. The Fund may decide to restrict purchase and sale activity in its shares based on various factors, including whether frequent purchase and sale activity will disrupt portfolio management strategies and adversely affect the Fund’s performance. Although these efforts are designed to discourage abusive trading practices, these tools cannot eliminate the possibility that such


Your Account – Account and Transaction Policies

activity will occur. The Fund seeks to exercise its judgment in implementing these tools to the best of its ability in a manner that it believes is consistent with shareholder interests. Except as noted in the Prospectus, the Fund applies all restrictions uniformly in all applicable cases.

Due to the complexity and subjectivity involved in identifying abusive trading activity and the volume of shareholder transactions the Fund handles, there can be no assurance that the Fund’s efforts will identify all trades or trading practices that may be considered abusive. In particular, since the Fund receives purchase and sale orders through Financial Intermediaries that use group or omnibus accounts, the Fund cannot always detect frequent trading. However, the Fund will work with Financial Intermediaries as necessary to discourage shareholders from engaging in abusive trading practices and to impose restrictions on excessive trades. In this regard, the Fund has entered into information sharing agreements with Financial Intermediaries pursuant to which these intermediaries are required to provide to the Fund, at the Fund’s request, certain information relating to its customers investing in the Fund through non-disclosed or omnibus accounts. The Fund will use this information to attempt to identify abusive trading practices. Financial Intermediaries are contractually required to follow any instructions from the Fund to restrict or prohibit future purchases from shareholders that are found to have engaged in abusive trading in violation of the Fund’s policies. However, the Fund cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided to them from Financial Intermediaries and cannot ensure that they will always be able to detect abusive trading practices that occur through non-disclosed and omnibus accounts. As a consequence, the Fund’s ability to monitor and discourage abusive trading practices in omnibus accounts may be limited.

Proceeds. You may receive proceeds of your sale in a check, ACH, or federal wire transfer. The Fund typically expects that it will take one to three days following the receipt of your redemption request to pay out redemption proceeds; however, while not expected, payment of redemption proceeds may take up to seven days. The Fund typically expects that it will hold cash or cash equivalents to meet redemption requests. The Fund may also use the proceeds from the sale of portfolio securities to meet redemption requests if consistent with the management of the Fund. These redemption methods will be used regularly and may also be used in stressed market conditions. The Fund reserves the right to redeem in-kind as described under “Redemption In-Kind” below. Redemptions in-kind are typically used to meet redemption requests that represent a large percentage of the Fund’s net assets in order to minimize the effect of large redemptions on the Fund and its remaining shareholders. Redemptions in-kind may be used regularly in circumstances as described above, and may also be used in stressed market conditions. The Fund has a line of credit in place that may be used to meet redemption requests during stressed market conditions.

Share Class Conversion within Certain Intermediary Accounts. Investors who hold shares of the Fund through a fee-based program at a financial intermediary but who subsequently become ineligible to participate in the program, withdraw from the program, or change to a non-fee based program, may be subject to conversion of their shares by their financial intermediary to another class of shares of the Fund having expenses (potentially including Rule 12b-1 fees) that may be higher than the expenses of their original class of shares. Investors should contact their financial intermediary to obtain information about their eligibility for the intermediary’s program, whether the intermediary prescribes any circumstances which may result in the type of share class conversion described herein, and the class of shares they would receive upon such a conversion. A conversion from one share class to another share class of the same Fund should generally not be a taxable exchange for Federal income tax purposes. Any such conversion by a financial intermediary will be made in accordance with the terms of the Prospectus, and investors would not be charged a redemption/exchange fee by the Fund in connection with such a conversion.

Check and ACH Clearance. The proceeds from a redemption request may be delayed up to 15 calendar days from the date of the receipt of a purchase by check or electronic funds transfer through the ACH network until the payment for the purchase clears. If the purchase amount does not clear, you will be responsible for any losses suffered by the relevant Fund as well as a $25 service charge imposed by the Transfer Agent. This delay can be avoided by purchasing shares by wire.


Your Account – Account and Transaction Policies

Suspension of Redemptions. We may temporarily suspend the right of redemption or postpone payments under certain emergency circumstances or when the SEC orders a suspension.

Signature Guarantees. The Transfer Agent may require a signature guarantee for certain requests. A signature guarantee assures that your signature is genuine and protects you from unauthorized account transactions. A signature guarantee, from either a Medallion program member or a non-Medallion program member, of each owner is required in the following situations:

•When a redemption is received by the Transfer Agent and the account address has changed within the last 30 calendar days;

•When requesting a change in ownership on your account; or

•When redemption proceeds are payable or sent to any person, address or bank account not on record.

In addition to the situations described above, the Fund and/or the Transfer Agent may require a signature guarantee in other instances based on the circumstances relative to the particular situation. Non-financial transactions including establishing or modifying certain services on an account may require a signature guarantee, signature verification from a Signature Validation Program member, or other acceptable form of authentication from a financial institution source. Signature guarantees will generally be accepted from domestic banks, brokers, dealers, credit unions, national securities exchanges, registered securities associations, clearing agencies and savings associations, as well as from participants in the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program and the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (“STAMP”). A notary public is not an acceptable signature guarantor.

The Fund reserves the right to waive any signature requirement at its discretion.

Customer Identification Program. Please note that, in compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, the Transfer Agent will verify certain information on your Account Application as part of the Fund’s Anti-Money Laundering Program. As requested on the Account Application, you must supply your full name, date of birth, social security number and permanent street address. If you are opening the account in the name of a legal entity (e.g., partnership, limited liability company, business trust, corporation, etc.), you must also supply the identity of the beneficial owners. Mailing addresses containing only a P.O. Box will not be accepted. If you do not supply the necessary information, the Transfer Agent may not be able to open your account. Please contact the Transfer Agent at 1‑800‑540‑6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064 if you need additional assistance when completing your application. If the Transfer Agent is unable to verify your identity or that of another person authorized to act on your behalf, or if it believes it has identified potentially criminal activity, the Fund reserves the right to temporarily limit additional share purchases, close your account or take any other action they deem reasonable or required by law. The Trust has appointed an Anti-Money Laundering Officer to oversee the operation of and compliance with the Trust’s Anti-Money Laundering Program.

No Certificates. The Fund does not issue share certificates.

Right to Reject Purchases. The Fund reserves the right to reject or cancel within one business day, without any prior notice, any purchase order, including transactions that, in the judgment of the Sub-Adviser, represent excessive trading, may be disruptive to the management of the Fund’s portfolio, may increase the Fund’s transaction costs, administrative costs or taxes, and those that may otherwise be detrimental to the interests of the Fund and its shareholders. The purpose of such action is to limit increased Fund expenses incurred when certain investors buy and sell shares of the Fund for the short-term when the markets are highly volatile. The Fund’s right to cancel or revoke such purchase orders would be limited to within one business day following receipt by the Fund of such purchase orders.

Redemption In-Kind. The Fund generally pays redemption proceeds in cash. However, the Fund reserves the right to pay redemption proceeds to you by a distribution of liquid securities from the Fund’s portfolio (a “redemption in-kind”). It is not


Your Account – Account and Transaction Policies

expected that the Fund would do so except during unusual market conditions. If the Fund pays your redemption proceeds by a distribution of liquid securities, you could incur brokerage or other charges in subsequently converting the securities to cash and will bear any market risks associated with such securities until they are converted into cash. The securities delivered in a redemption in-kind transaction will be selected in the sole discretion of the Fund and will not necessarily be representative of the Fund’s entire portfolio and they will be valued in the same manner that the Fund’s portfolio securities are valued for purposes of calculating the Fund’s NAV. A redemption in-kind is treated as a taxable transaction and a sale of the redeemed shares, generally resulting in capital gain or loss to you, subject to certain loss limitation rules.

Small Accounts. To reduce our expenses, if the value of your account falls below $1,000 (excluding Qualified Retirement Accounts) with respect to Institutional Shares, or $500 (excluding Qualified Retirement Accounts) with respect to Investor Shares, the Fund may ask you to increase your balance. If after 60 days, the account value is still below $1,000 (excluding Qualified Retirement Accounts) for Institutional Shares, or $500 (excluding Qualified Retirement Accounts) for Investor Shares, the applicable Fund may close your account and send you the proceeds. The Fund will not close your account if it falls below these amounts solely as a result of a reduction in your account’s market value. There are no minimum balance requirements for Qualified Retirement Accounts.

Internet Transactions. You may open a Fund account as well as purchase or sell Fund shares online at www.brownadvisory.com/mf. Establishing an account online is permitted only for individual, IRA, joint and UGMA/UTMA accounts. If you conduct transactions or open an account online, you are consenting to sending and receiving personal financial information over the Internet.

Electronic Delivery. Consistent with the Fund’s commitment to environmental sustainability, you may sign up to receive daily transaction confirmations, quarterly statements, and tax form statements electronically. You may also sign up to receive the Fund’s financial statements and Prospectuses electronically on www.brownadvisory.com/mf. You may change your delivery preference and resume receiving these documents through the mail at any time by updating your electronic delivery preferences on www.brownadvisory.com/mf or contacting the Fund at 1‑800‑540‑6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064.

Householding. In an effort to decrease costs, the Fund will reduce the number of duplicate Prospectuses, and other similar documents that you receive by sending only one copy of each to those addresses shown by two or more accounts. Please call the Transfer Agent toll free at 1‑800‑540‑6807 to request individual copies of these documents. The Fund will begin sending individual copies 30 days after receiving your request. This policy does not apply to account statements.

Confirmations. If you purchase shares directly from the Fund, you will receive a confirmation statement detailing the transaction. Automatic reinvestments of distributions may be confirmed via a monthly or quarterly statement. Systematic investments/withdrawals will be confirmed only on a quarterly statement. You may consent to receive confirmations and quarterly statements electronically at www.brownadvisory.com/mf, otherwise your confirmation and quarterly statements will be sent in the mail. You should verify the accuracy of all transactions in your account as soon as you receive your confirmations and quarterly statements.

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

Policy on Prohibition of Foreign Shareholders. Shares of the Fund have not been registered for sale outside of the United States. Accordingly, the Fund generally requires that all shareholders must be U.S. persons with a valid U.S. taxpayer identification number to open an account with the Fund. The Fund generally does not sell shares to investors residing outside the United States, even if they are United States citizens or lawful permanent residents, except to investors with United States military APO or FPO addresses, investors who are clients of the Adviser or its affiliates, or other investors meeting eligibility requirements


Your Account – Account and Transaction Policies

as determined by the Adviser. The Fund reserves the right to close the account within 5 business days if clarifying information or documentation is not received.

Canceled or Failed Payments. The Fund accepts checks and ACH transfers at full value subject to collection. If the Fund does not receive your payment for shares or you pay with a check or ACH transfer that does not clear, your purchase will be canceled within 2 business days of bank notification. You will be responsible for any actual losses or expenses incurred by the Fund or the Transfer Agent as a result of the cancellation, and the Fund may redeem shares you own in the account (or another identically registered account that you maintain with the Transfer Agent) as reimbursement. The Fund and its agents have the right to reject or cancel any purchase or exchange (purchase side only) due to nonpayment.

Lost Shareholders, Inactive Accounts and Unclaimed Property. It is important that the Fund maintain a correct address for each shareholder. An incorrect address may cause a shareholder’s account statements and other mailings to be returned to the Fund. Based upon statutory requirements for returned mail, the Fund will attempt to locate the shareholder or rightful owner of the account. If the Fund is unable to locate the shareholder, then it will determine whether the shareholder’s account can legally be considered abandoned. Your mutual fund account may be transferred to the state government of your state of residence if no activity occurs within your account during the “inactivity period” specified in your state’s abandoned property laws. The Fund is legally obligated to escheat (or transfer) abandoned property to the appropriate state’s unclaimed property administrator in accordance with statutory requirements. The shareholder’s last known address of record determines which state has jurisdiction. Please proactively contact the Transfer Agent at 800-540-6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064 at least annually to ensure your account remains in active status.

If you are a resident of the state of Texas, you may designate a representative to receive notifications that, due to inactivity, your mutual fund account assets may be delivered to the Texas Comptroller. Please contact the Transfer Agent if you wish to complete a Texas Designation of Representative form.

Additional Information

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

This prospectus provides information concerning the Fund that you should consider in determining whether to purchase Fund shares. Neither this prospectus, the Statement of Additional Information, any documents filed as exhibits, nor any other communications, disclosure documents or regulatory filings from or on behalf of the Trust or the Fund is intended, or should be read, to be or give rise to an agreement or contract between the Trust, the Trustees or the Fund and any investor, or to give rise to any rights in any shareholder or other person other than any rights under federal or state law that may not be waived.


Distributions and Taxes

Distributions

The Fund declares distributions from net investment income, if any, at least annually. Any net capital gain realized by the Fund will be distributed at least annually. The Fund may make an additional payment of dividends or distributions if it deems it desirable at other times during any year.

All distributions of the Fund are reinvested in additional shares, unless you choose one of the following options:

(1)receive dividends in cash, while reinvesting capital gain distributions in additional Fund shares;

(2)receive all distributions in cash; or

(3)reinvest dividends in additional Fund shares while receiving capital gain distributions in cash.

You may change your dividend and capital gain distribution election in writing or by calling the Transfer Agent in advance of the next distribution.

For Federal income tax purposes, distributions are treated the same whether they are received in cash or reinvested. Shares become entitled to receive distributions on the day after the shares are issued.

If an investor elects to receive distributions in cash and the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver your check, or if a check remains uncashed for six months, the Fund reserves the right to reinvest the distribution check in the shareholder’s account at the Fund’s then current NAV and to reinvest all subsequent distributions.

Taxes

The Fund intends to qualify to be taxed as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally will not be subject to tax if it distributes its income as required by the tax law and satisfies certain other requirements that are described in the SAI.

You will generally be taxed on the Fund’s taxable distributions, regardless of whether you reinvest them or receive them in cash. The Fund’s taxable distributions of net investment income and short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. The Fund’s distributions of long-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held your shares. Distributions may also be subject to certain state and local taxes. Some Fund distributions may also include nontaxable returns of capital. Return of capital distributions reduce your tax basis in your Fund shares and are treated as gain from the sale of the shares to the extent your basis would be reduced below zero.

A portion of the Fund’s taxable distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income,” taxable to individuals at a maximum federal tax rate of 15% or 20%, depending on whether the individual’s income exceeds certain threshold amounts. A distribution may be treated as qualified dividend income to the extent that the Fund receives dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations, provided that certain holding period and other requirements are met by the Fund and the shareholder. To the extent the Fund’s distributions are attributable to other sources, such as interest or capital gains, the distributions are not treated as qualified dividend income. The Fund’s distributions of dividends that it receives from REITs generally do not constitute “qualified dividend income.”

The maximum federal tax rate for individual taxpayers applicable to long-term capital gains and income from certain qualifying dividends on certain corporate stock is generally either 15% or 20%, depending on whether the individual’s income exceeds certain threshold amounts. A shareholder will also have to satisfy a more than 60-day holding period for the Fund shares with respect to any distributions of qualifying dividends in order to obtain the benefit of the lower tax rates. These rate reductions do not apply to corporate taxpayers. A portion of the Fund’s taxable distributions, to the extent attributable to dividends from U.S.


Distributions and Taxes

corporations, may be eligible for the dividends received deduction for Fund shareholders that are corporations, subject to certain holding period and other requirements.

A 3.8% Medicare tax will be imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person’s “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.

Distributions of capital gain and distributions of net investment income reduce the NAV of the Fund’s shares by the amount of the distribution. If you purchase shares prior to these distributions, you are taxed on the distributions even though the distributions represent a return of your investment.

The sale or exchange of Fund shares is a taxable transaction for Federal income tax purposes. You will recognize a gain or loss on such transactions equal to the difference, if any, between the amount of your net sales proceeds and your tax basis in the Fund shares. Such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss if you held your Fund shares as capital assets. Any capital gain or loss will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if you held the Fund shares for more than one year at the time of the sale or exchange, and otherwise as short-term capital gain or loss.

The Fund may be required to withhold Federal income tax at the Federal backup withholding rate on all taxable distributions and redemption proceeds otherwise payable to you if you fail to provide the Fund with your correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or if you have been notified by the IRS that you are subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, any amounts withheld may be credited against your Federal income tax liability, so long as you provide the required information or certification.

After December 31 of each year, the Fund will mail you reports containing information about the income tax classification of distributions paid during the year.

Dividends paid by the Fund will not qualify as “exempt-interest dividends,” and will not be excludable from gross income by its shareholders, because the Fund will not invest at least 50% of the value of its total assets in securities the interest on which is excludable from gross income.

Investment income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source. If more than 50% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of its taxable year consists of foreign stock or securities, the Fund may elect to “pass through” to its investors certain foreign income taxes paid by the Fund, with the result that each investor will (i) include in gross income, even though not actually received, the investor’s pro rata share of the Fund’s foreign income taxes, and (ii) either deduct (in calculating U.S. taxable income) or credit (in calculating U.S. federal tax), subject to certain limitations, the investor’s pro rata share of the Fund’s foreign income taxes. See the discussion in the SAI under “Taxation – Foreign Income Tax” for more information.

If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the U.S. or if you are a non-U.S. entity (other than a pass-through entity to the extent owned by U.S. persons), the Fund’s ordinary income dividends (which include distributions of net short-term capital gains) will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies, provided that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund. Non-U.S. shareholder should consult their tax advisers regarding U.S. and foreign tax consequences of ownership of shares of the Fund.


Distributions and Taxes

Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Fund to determine whether withholding is required.

Generally, you are not subject to Federal income tax on the Fund’s distributions of its tax-exempt interest income, although such distributions may be subject to the Federal alternative minimum tax (“AMT”). Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income from other sources and net short-term capital gain, if any, generally will be taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions will generally be subject to state and local taxes.

For further information about the tax effects of investing in the Fund, including state and local tax matters, please see the SAI and consult your tax adviser.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

No financial highlights are presented because the Fund had not commenced investment operations prior to the date of this Prospectus.

At Brown Advisory, we believe that you deserve frank and open communication on all aspects of our relationship. In this spirit, we provide this annual summary of our policies relating to confidentiality and privacy of client information, mutual funds, conflicts of interest, trading commissions, proxy voting and Form ADV annual notice.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY POLICY

Brown Advisory takes the confidentiality of your personal information and the privacy of your account very seriously. Our commitment to safeguard your personal information goes beyond our legal obligation to process your transactions accurately and securely. Whether we serve you online, in person, on the telephone or by mail, the principles that guide the way in which we conduct business are built upon the core values of trust and integrity.

We limit access to your personal information to only those employees with a business reason to know such information. We train and consistently remind all employees to respect client privacy and to recognize the importance of the confidentiality of such information. Those who violate our privacy policy are subject to disciplinary action. This commitment also applies to the sharing of information among Brown Advisory and its affiliates.

We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with applicable laws and regulations to protect your personal information, including various measures to protect your personal information while it is stored electronically.

Federal law requires us to inform you that we have on record personal information about you and that we obtain such information from you directly (e.g., information you provide to us on account applications and other forms, such as your name, address, social security number, occupation, assets and income) and indirectly (e.g., information on our computer systems about your transactions with us, such as your account balance and account holdings). Any personal information you choose to provide is kept confidential and allows us to: (i) provide better and more complete investment and strategic advice; (ii) develop new services that meet additional needs you may have; and, (iii) comply with legal and regulatory requirements.

In addition, in the normal conduct of our business, it may become necessary for us to share information relating to our clients that we have on record, as described above, with companies not affiliated with us who are under contract to perform services on our behalf. For example, we have contracted with companies to assist us in complying with anti-terrorist and anti-money laundering statutory requirements (including the identification and reporting of activities that may involve terrorist acts or money laundering activities), companies that provide clearing services, and other vendors that provide services directly related to your account relationship with us. Our agreements with these companies require that they keep your information confidential and not use such information for any unrelated purpose.

We do not sell information about you to third parties, and we do not otherwise disclose information to third parties without your permission or unless required by law.

PN-

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Annual/Semi-Annual Reports and Form N-CSR

As of the date of this Prospectus, annual and semi-annual reports for the Fund are not yet available as the Fund had not yet commenced operations. The annual and semi-annual reports and Form N-CSR will provide additional information about the Fund’s investments. The Fund’s N-CSR will provide the most recent financial reports and portfolio listings. The annual report will contain a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that affected the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year.

Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”)

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

Contacting the Fund

You can get free copies of the Prospectus, SAI and annual/semi-annual reports or other information by visiting the Fund's website at www.brownadvisory.com/mf or by contacting the Fund at:

Brown Advisory Funds

c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services

P.O. Box 701

Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701

800-540-6807 (toll free) or 414-203-9064

Securities and Exchange Commission Information

You may also view and copy information about the Trust and the Fund, including the SAI and Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders, by visiting the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov. You may also obtain copies of Fund documents by paying a duplicating fee and sending an electronic request to the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

Distributor

ALPS Distributors, Inc.

1290 Broadway Street, Suite 1100

Denver, CO 80203

Investment Company Act File No. 811-22708


BROWN ADVISORY - WMC JAPAN EQUITY FUND Institutional Shares ([ ]) Investor Shares ([ ]) Advisor Shares (Not Available for Sale)

The information in this Statement of Additional Information is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Statement of Additional Information is not an offer to sell securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to Completion - dated July 15, 2024

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

BROWN ADVISORY FUNDS

[ ], 2024


Investment Adviser: Brown Advisory LLC 901 South Bond Street Suite 400 Baltimore, MD 21231						Account Information and Shareholder Services: Brown Advisory Funds c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services P.O. Box 701 Milwaukee, WI 53201 (800) 540-6807 (toll free) or (414) 203-9064
BROWN ADVISORY – WMC Japan Equity Fund Institutional Shares ([ ]) Investor Shares ([ ]) Advisor Shares (Not Available for Sale)

This Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) provides additional information to the Prospectus dated [ ], 2024, as may be amended from time to time. 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 U.S. Bank Global Fund Services at the address or telephone number listed above or by visiting the Fund's website at www.brownadvisory.com/mf.

Investors in the Fund will be informed of the Fund’s progress through periodic reports. Financial statements certified by an independent registered public accounting firm will be submitted to shareholders at least annually. Since the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, financial statements are not currently available. The Annual Report for this Fund will become available after the Fund has commenced investment operations and has completed its fiscal year.

Once available, copies of the Annual Report may be obtained, without charge, upon request by contacting U.S. Bank Global Fund Services at the address or telephone number listed above.

TABLE OF CONTENTS


GLOSSARY			1
THE TRUST			2
INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS			2
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS			18
MANAGEMENT			20
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS			44
ADDITIONAL PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION INFORMATION			49
TAXATION			52
OTHER MATTERS			60
APPENDIX A – DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS			A-1
APPENDIX B – PROXY VOTING POLICIES			B-1

GLOSSARY

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

“Accountant” means U.S. Bank Global Fund Services.

“Administrator” means U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services.

“Adviser” means Brown Advisory LLC, the Fund's investment adviser.

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

“CFTC” means Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended the rules thereunder, IRS interpretations and any private letter rulings or similar authority upon which the Fund may rely.

“Custodian” means U.S. Bank National Association.

“Distributor” means ALPS Distributors, Inc.

“Fund” means the Brown Advisory – WMC Japan Equity Fund.

“Fund Services” means U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services.

“Independent Trustee” means a Trustee that is not an interested person of the Trust as that term is defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act.

“IRS” means U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service.

“NAV” means net asset value per share.

“NRSRO” means a nationally recognized statistical rating organization.

“SAI” means Statement of Additional Information.

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

“S&P” means S&P Global Ratings.

“Sub-Adviser” means Wellington Management Company LLP.

“Transfer Agent” means U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services.

“Trust” means Brown Advisory Funds.

“U.S.” means United States.

“U.S. Government Securities” means obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities.

“1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and including rules and regulations as promulgated thereunder.

“1934 Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and including rules and regulations as promulgated thereunder.

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

THE TRUST

The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust organized on May 1, 2012, and is registered with the SEC as an open-end management investment company. The Trust’s Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration of Trust”) permits the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest, without par value, which may be issued in any number of series and classes, with each series representing a separate portfolio of investments with its own investment objectives, policies and restrictions. The Board may, from time to time, issue additional series, the assets and liabilities of which will be separate and distinct from any other series.

As a Delaware statutory trust, the Trust is subject to Delaware law, including the Delaware Statutory Trust Act. The Delaware Statutory Trust Act provides that a shareholder of a Delaware statutory trust shall be entitled to the same limitation of personal liability extended to shareholders of Delaware corporations, and the Declaration of Trust further provides that no shareholder of the Trust shall be personally liable for the obligations of the Trust or of any series or class thereof except by reason of his or her own acts or conduct.

Fund History

The Fund is a diversified series of the Trust. Please see the Prospectus for a discussion of the principal investment policies and risks of investing in the Fund.

The Fund's Prospectus and this SAI are a part of the Trust’s Registration Statement filed with the SEC. Copies of the Trust’s complete Registration Statement may be obtained from the SEC upon payment of the prescribed fee or may be accessed free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS

The Fund’s principal investment strategies and the risks associated with the same are described in the “Summary Section,” “Additional Information about the Fund's Principal Investment Strategies” and “Principal Risks” sections of the Prospectus. The following discussion provides additional information about those principal investment strategies and related risks, as well as information about investment strategies (and related risks) that the Fund may utilize, even though they are not considered to be “principal” investment strategies. Accordingly, an investment strategy (and related risk) that is described below, but which is not described in the Fund’s Prospectus, should not be considered to be a principal strategy (or related risk) applicable to the Fund.

Equity Securities

Common and Preferred Stock

General. The Fund may invest in common stock. Common stock represents an equity (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 stock price.

The Fund may invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock is a class of stock having a preference over common stock as to the payment of dividends and 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 and its market value may change based on changes in interest rates.

Risks. 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 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 measures 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

General. The Fund may invest in convertible securities. The Fund may also invest in U.S. or foreign securities convertible into foreign common stock. Convertible securities include debt 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 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 nonconvertible securities. Convertible securities have unique investment characteristics in that they generally: (1) have higher yields than common stocks, but lower yields than comparable non-convertible securities; (2) are less subject to fluctuation in value than the underlying stocks 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.

Risks. 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 nonconvertible 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.

Security Ratings Information. The Fund’s investments in convertible securities are subject to the credit risk relating to the financial condition of the issuers of the securities that the Fund holds. The Fund may purchase convertible securities of any rating – investment grade or non-investment grade. The Fund may purchase unrated convertible securities and preferred stock if, at the time of purchase, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser believes that they are of comparable quality to rated securities that the Fund may purchase.

Unrated securities may not be as actively traded as rated securities. The Fund may retain securities whose rating has been lowered below the lowest permissible rating category (or that are unrated and determined by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser to be of comparable quality to securities whose rating has been lowered below the lowest permissible rating category) if the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser determine that retaining such security is in the best interests of the Fund. Because a downgrade often results in a reduction in the market price of the security, the sale of a downgraded security may result in a loss.

Moody’s, S&P and other NRSROs 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 bonds and other

securities by several NRSROs is included in Appendix A to this SAI. The Fund may use these ratings to determine whether to purchase, sell or hold a security. Ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Securities with the same maturity, interest rate and rating may have different market prices. To the extent that the ratings given by an NRSRO may change as a result of changes in such organizations or their rating systems, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser will attempt to substitute comparable ratings. Credit ratings attempt to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments and do not evaluate the risks of fluctuations in market value. Also, rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings. An issuer’s current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates.

Credit ratings for debt securities provided by rating agencies evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not market value risk. The rating of an issuer is a rating agency’s view of past and future potential developments related to the issuer and may not necessarily reflect actual outcomes. There can be a lag between the time of developments relating to an issuer and the time a rating is assigned and updated. See Appendix A for additional information on credit ratings.

Warrants

General. 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 of the warrant 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.

Risks. 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.

Depositary Receipts

General. The Fund may invest in sponsored and unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), Holding Company Depositary Receipts (“HOLDRs”), New York Registered Shares (“NYRs”) American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”), or Non-Voting Depositary Receipts (“NVDRs”). ADRs typically are issued by a U.S. bank or trust company, evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign company, and are designed for use in U.S. securities markets. EDRs are issued by European financial institutions and typically trade in Europe and GDRs are issued by European financial institutions and typically trade in both Europe and the United States. HOLDRs trade on the American Stock Exchange and are fixed baskets of U.S. or foreign stocks that give an investor an ownership interest in each of the underlying stocks. NYRs, also known as Guilder Shares since most of the issuing companies are Dutch, are dollar-denominated certificates issued by foreign companies specifically for the U.S. market. ADSs are shares issued under a deposit agreement that represents an underlying security in the issuer’s home country. (An ADS is the actual share trading, while an ADR represents a bundle of ADSs). NVDRs are listed securities through which investors receive the same financial benefits as those who invest directly in a company’s common stock; however, unlike common stockholders, NVDR holders cannot be involved in proxy voting if the company solicits votes from stockholders.

The Fund invests in depositary receipts in order to obtain exposure to foreign securities markets. For purposes of the Fund’s investment policies, the Fund’s investment in an ADR will be considered an investment in the underlying securities of the applicable foreign company.

Risks. Unsponsored depositary receipts may be created without the participation of the foreign issuer. Holders of these receipts generally bear all the costs of the depositary receipt facility, whereas foreign issuers typically bear

certain costs of a sponsored depositary receipt. The bank or trust company depositary of an unsponsored depositary receipt may be under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the foreign issuer or to pass through voting rights. Accordingly, available information concerning the issuer may not be current and the prices of unsponsored depositary receipts may be more volatile than the prices of sponsored depositary receipts.

Foreign Securities

The Fund may invest in foreign securities. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers may involve risks in addition to those normally associated with investments in the securities of U.S. issuers. All foreign investments are subject to risks of: (1) foreign political and economic instability such as war, hyperinflation, currency devaluations and overdependence on particular industries; (2) adverse movements in foreign exchange rates; (3) the imposition or tightening of exchange controls or other limitations on repatriation of foreign capital; and (4) changes in foreign governmental attitudes towards private investment, including potential nationalization, increased taxation or confiscation of the Fund’s assets. The Fund may invest in non-US dollar denominated securities including debt obligations denominated in foreign or composite currencies (such as the European Currency Unit) issued by (1) foreign national, provincial, state or municipal governments or their political subdivisions; (2) international organizations designated or supported by governmental entities (e.g., the World Bank and the European Community); (3) non-dollar securities issued by the U.S. Government; and (4) foreign corporations. Economic sanctions could among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund's ability to purchase or sell securities or groups of securities for a substantial period of time, and may make the Fund’s investments in such securities harder to value.

International trade tensions may arise from time to time which could result in trade tariffs, embargoes or other restrictions or limitations on trade. The imposition of any actions on trade could trigger a significant reduction in international trade, an oversupply of certain manufactured goods, substantial price reductions of goods and possible failure of individual companies or industries which could have a negative impact on Fund's performance. Events such as these are difficult to predict and may or may not occur in the future.

In addition, interest and dividends payable on foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes, thereby reducing the income available for distribution to you. Some foreign brokerage commissions and custody fees are higher than those in the U.S. Foreign accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards differ from those in the U.S. and therefore, less information may be available about foreign companies than is available about issuers of comparable U.S. companies. Foreign securities also may trade less frequently and with lower volume and may exhibit greater price volatility than U.S. securities.

Changes in foreign exchange rates will affect the U.S. dollar value of all foreign currency-denominated securities held by the Fund. Exchange rates are influenced generally by the forces of supply and demand in the foreign currency markets and by numerous other political and economic events occurring outside the United States, many of which may be difficult, if not impossible, to predict.

Income from foreign securities will be received and realized in foreign currencies and the Fund is required to compute and distribute income in U.S. dollars. Accordingly, a decline in the value of a particular foreign currency against the U.S. dollar after the Fund’s income has been earned and computed in U.S. dollars may require the Fund to liquidate portfolio securities to acquire sufficient U.S. dollars to make a distribution. Similarly, if the exchange rate declines between the time the Fund incurs expenses in U.S. dollars and the time such expenses are paid, the Fund may be required to liquidate additional foreign securities to purchase the U.S. dollars required to meet such expenses.

Emerging Markets

Investing in emerging markets can have more risk than investing in developed foreign markets. The risks of investing in these markets may be exacerbated relative to investments in foreign markets. Governments of developing and emerging market countries may be more unstable as compared to more developed countries. Developing and emerging market countries may have less developed securities markets or exchanges, and legal and accounting systems. In addition, companies in emerging market countries may not be subject to accounting, auditing, financial reporting and recordkeeping requirements that are as robust as those in more developed countries, and therefore, material information about a company may be unavailable or unreliable, and U.S. regulators may be unable to enforce a company’s regulatory obligations. It may be more difficult to sell securities at acceptable prices and security prices may be more volatile than in countries with more mature markets. Currency values may fluctuate more in developing or emerging markets. Developing or emerging market countries may be more likely to impose government restrictions, including confiscatory taxation, expropriation or nationalization of a company’s assets, and restrictions on foreign ownership of local companies. In addition, emerging markets may impose restrictions on the Fund’s ability to repatriate investment income or capital and thus, may adversely affect the operations of the Fund. Certain emerging markets may impose constraints on currency exchange and some currencies in emerging markets may have been devalued significantly against the U.S. dollar. For these and other reasons, the prices of securities in emerging markets can fluctuate more significantly than the prices of securities of companies in developed countries. The less developed the country, the greater effect these risks may have on the Fund. Investors should be able to tolerate sudden, sometimes substantial, fluctuations in the value of their investments.

Japanese Securities Risks

Investment in securities of Japanese issuers involves risks that may be greater than if the Fund’s investments were more geographically diverse. Japan’s economy is heavily dependent on international trade. As such, economic growth may be heavily dependent on continued growth in international trade, government support of the financial services sector, among other sectors, and consistent government policy. Meanwhile, Japan’s aging and decreasing population increases the cost of Japan’s pension and public welfare system and lowers domestic demand, making Japan more dependent on exports to sustain its economy. Therefore, developments that negatively affect Japan’s exports could present risks to the Fund’s investments in Japan. For example, tension in the region, including matters related to China, may adversely impact Japan’s economy. Japan’s economy is also closely tied to its two largest trading partners, the U.S. and China. Economic volatility in either nation may create volatility for Japan’s economy as well. Additionally, as China has increased its role with Japan as a trading partner, political tensions between the countries have been strained. Any increase or decrease in such tension may have consequences for investment in Japanese issuers. The Japanese economy faces a number of long-term problems, including substantial government debt, the aging and shrinking of the population, and low domestic consumption. Japan has experienced natural disasters of varying degrees of severity, and the risks of such phenomena, and damage resulting therefrom, continue to exist. The Japanese yen has also fluctuated widely during recent periods and may be affected by currency volatility elsewhere in Asia, especially Southeast Asia.

Derivatives

Some of the instruments in which the Fund may invest may be referred to as “derivatives,” because their value “derives” from the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. These instruments include options, futures contracts, forward currency contracts, swaps and other similar instruments. For regulatory reasons, certain structured securities that may involve a future payment obligation for a Fund may also be classified as derivatives. The market value of derivative instruments and securities sometimes may be more volatile than those of other instruments and each type of derivative instrument may have its own special risks. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves strategies and risks that are different from those involving ordinary portfolio securities transactions, and generally depends on the manager’s ability to predict market movements. Moreover,

even if the Sub-Adviser is correct in its forecast, there is still a risk that a derivative position may not perform as initially anticipated. Participation in the markets for derivative instruments involves investment risks and transaction costs to which a Fund may not be subject absent the use of these strategies.

Some over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivative instruments may expose the Fund to the credit risk of its counterparty. In the event the counterparty to such a derivative instrument becomes insolvent, the Fund potentially could lose all or a large portion of its investment in the derivative instrument.

Investing for hedging purposes or to increase the Fund’s return may result in certain additional transaction costs that may reduce the Fund’s performance. In addition, when used for hedging purposes, no assurance can be given that each derivative position will achieve a close correlation with the security or currency that is the subject of the hedge, or that a particular derivative position will be available when sought by the Adviser. While hedging strategies involving derivatives can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. Certain derivatives may create a risk of loss greater than the amount invested.

It is possible that additional government regulation of various types of derivative instruments, including futures, options and swap agreements, and regulation of certain market participants’ use of the same, may limit or prevent a Fund from using such instruments as a part of its investment strategy. It is not possible to fully predict the effects of current or future legislation and regulation by multiple regulators in this area, but the effects could be substantial and adverse. The futures, options and swaps markets are subject to comprehensive statutes, regulations, and margin requirements. The SEC recently implemented new regulations governing the use of derivatives by registered investment companies. Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act imposes limits on the amount of derivatives transactions a fund can enter into and requires funds whose use of derivatives is more than a limited specified exposure to establish and maintain a comprehensive derivatives risk management program and appoint a derivatives risk manager.

In addition, the SEC, CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency, including, for example, the implementation or reduction of speculative position limits, the implementation of higher margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of trading. The regulation of futures, options and swaps transactions in the United States is a changing area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action.

Swaps

The Fund may engage in swap transactions, including OTC swaps. OTC swaps are bilateral contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few weeks to more than one year. In a standard OTC swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. Whether the Fund’s use of swaps will be successful will depend on the Adviser’s or Sub-Adviser’s ability to predict correctly whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Moreover, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. Swaps are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques, risk analyses, and tax planning different from those associated with traditional investments. The use of a swap requires an understanding not only of the reference asset, reference rate, or index but also of the swap itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the swap under all possible market conditions. Additionally, because OTC swaps are bilateral contracts, they may be subject to contractual restrictions on transferability and termination.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”) and related regulatory developments require the clearing and exchange-trading of certain standardized OTC derivative instruments that the

CFTC and SEC have defined as “swaps” and “security-based swaps.” The CFTC has implemented mandatory exchange-trading and clearing requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act and the CFTC continues to approve contracts for central clearing. Central clearing is designed to reduce counterparty credit risk compared to uncleared OTC swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterparty to each participant’s swap, but it does not eliminate those risks completely. Uncleared swaps and uncleared security-based swaps are subject to certain margin requirements that mandate the posting and collection of minimum margin amounts on certain uncleared transactions, which may result in the Fund and its counterparties posting higher margin amounts for uncleared swaps and uncleared security-based swaps than would otherwise be the case.

Options and Futures Contracts

Options on Securities. A call option is a contract under which the purchaser of the call option, in return for a premium paid, has the right to buy the security (or index) underlying the option at a specified price at any time during the term of the option. The writer of the call option, who receives the premium, has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security against payment of the exercise price. A put option gives its purchaser, in return for a premium, the right to sell the underlying security at a specified price during the term of the option. The writer of the put, who receives the premium, has the obligation to buy, upon exercise of the option, the underlying security (or a cash amount equal to the value of the index) at the exercise price. The amount of a premium received or paid for an option is based upon certain factors including the market price of the underlying security, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price, the historical price volatility of the underlying security, the option period and interest rates.

Options on Foreign Currency. Options on foreign currency operate in the same way as more traditional options on securities except that currency options are settled exclusively in the currency subject to the option. The value of a currency option is dependent upon the value of the currency relative to the U.S. dollar and has no relationship to the investment merits of a foreign security. Because foreign currency transactions occurring in the interbank market involve substantially larger amounts than those that may be involved in the use of foreign currency options, the Fund may be disadvantaged by having to deal in an odd lot market (generally consisting in transactions of less than $1 million) for the underlying currencies at prices that are less favorable than round lots. To the extent that the U.S. options markets are closed while the market for the underlying currencies are open, significant price and rate movements may take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the options markets.

Options on Stock Indices. A stock index assigns relative values to the stock included in the index, and the index fluctuates with changes in the market values of the stocks included in the index. Stock index options operate in the same way as the more traditional options on securities except that stock index options are settled exclusively in cash and do not involve delivery of securities. Thus, upon exercise of stock index options, the purchaser and writer of the option will exchange an amount based on the differences between the exercise price and the closing price of the stock index.

Options on Futures. Options on futures contracts are similar to options on securities except that an option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in a futures contract rather than to purchase or sell a security, at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the futures position to the holder of the option will be accompanied by transfer to the holder of an accumulated balance representing the amount by which the market price of the futures contract exceeds, in the case of a call, or is less than, in the case of a put, the exercise price of the option on the future.

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 asset, 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.

A municipal bond futures contract is based on the value of the Bond Buyer Index (“BBI”) which is comprised of 40 actively traded general obligation and revenue bonds. The rating of a BBI issue must be at least “A.” To be considered, the issue must have at least 19 years remaining to maturity, a first call date between 7 and 16 years, and at least one call at par prior to redemption. No physical delivery of the securities is made in connection with municipal bond futures. Rather these contracts are usually settled in cash if they are not closed out prior to their expiration date.

A Treasury bond futures contract is based on the value of an equivalent 20-year, 6% Treasury bond. Generally, any Treasury bond with a remaining maturity or term to call of 15 years as of the first day of the month in which the contracts are scheduled to be exercised will qualify as a deliverable security pursuant to a Treasury bond futures contract. A Treasury note futures contract is based on the value of an equivalent 10-year, 6% Treasury note. Generally, any Treasury note with a remaining maturity or term to call of 6 1/2 years or 10 years, respectively, as of the first day of the month in which the contracts are scheduled to be exercised will qualify as a deliverable security pursuant to Treasury note futures contract.

Since a number of different Treasury notes will qualify as a deliverable security upon the exercise of the option, the price that the buyer will actually pay for those securities will depend on which Treasury notes are actually delivered. Normally, the exercise price of the futures contract is adjusted by a conversion factor that takes into consideration the value of the deliverable security if it were yielding 6% as of the first day of the month in which the contract is scheduled to be exercised.

Risks of Options and Futures Transactions

There are certain investment risks associated with options and futures transactions. These risks include: (1) dependence on the Sub-Adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities and fluctuations in the general securities markets; (2) imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of options or futures contracts and movements in the price of the securities (or indices) underlying the instrument; (3) the fact that the skills and techniques needed to trade these instruments are different from those needed to select the securities in which the Fund invests; and (4) lack of assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular instrument at any particular time, which, among other things, may hinder the Fund’s ability to limit exposures by closing its positions. The potential loss to the Fund from investing in certain types of futures transactions is unlimited.

Other risks include the inability of the Fund, as the writer of covered call options, to benefit from any appreciation of the underlying securities above the exercise price, and the possible loss of the entire premium paid for options purchased by the Fund. In addition, the futures exchanges may limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in certain futures contract prices or related options during a single trading day. The Fund may be forced, therefore, to liquidate or close out a futures contract position at a disadvantageous price. There is no assurance that a counterparty in an over-the-counter option transaction will be able to perform its obligations. 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 and options markets may result in higher portfolio turnover rates and additional brokerage costs, which could reduce the Fund’s yield.

Short Sales

The Fund may make short sales as a part of overall portfolio management or to offset a potential decline in the value of a security. A short sale involves the sale of a security that the Fund does not own, or if the Fund owns the security, is not to be delivered upon consummation of the sale. When the Fund makes a short sale of a security that it does not own, it must borrow from a broker-dealer the security sold short and deliver the security to the broker-dealer upon conclusion of the short sale.

If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time the Fund replaces the borrowed security, the Fund will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Fund will realize a short-term capital gain. Although the Fund’s gain is limited to the price at which it sold the security short, its potential loss is theoretically unlimited.

The Fund will fully-collateralize its shorts sales.

Typically, the Fund will only make short sales “against the box,” which occurs when the Fund enters into a short sale transaction with respect to a security it either owns or has the right to obtain at no additional cost. However, with respect to the Fund the dollar amount of short sales at any one time (not including short sales against the box) may not exceed 25% of the net assets of the Fund, and it is expected that normally the dollar amount of such sales will not exceed 10% of the net assets of the Fund.

Illiquid and Restricted Securities

Illiquid Investments. The Fund may not acquire any illiquid investment if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets. An “illiquid investment” is any investment that may not reasonably be expected to 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. The Adviser will monitor the amount of illiquid investments in the Fund’s portfolio, under the supervision of the Board, to ensure compliance with the Fund’s investment restrictions. If securities that were liquid at the time of purchase subsequently become illiquid and result in the Fund holding illiquid investments in excess of 15% of its net assets, the Fund will no longer purchase additional illiquid investments and will reduce its holdings of illiquid investments in an orderly manner, but it is not required to dispose of illiquid holdings immediately if it is not in the interest of the Fund.

Historically, illiquid investments have included securities subject to contractual or legal restrictions on resale because they have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), securities which are otherwise not readily marketable and repurchase agreements having a maturity of longer than seven days. As described below, in some cases, securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resales may not be deemed to be illiquid (see “Restricted Securities” below). Mutual funds do not typically hold a significant amount of these illiquid securities because of the potential for delays on resale and uncertainty in valuation. Limitations on resale may have an adverse effect on the marketability of portfolio securities, and the Fund might be unable to dispose of illiquid investment promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty satisfying redemption requests within seven days.

The Fund has adopted a liquidity risk management program (the “LRM Program”) pursuant to which the Fund identifies illiquid investments. Under the LRM Program, the Adviser has been designated to administer the LRM

Program and the Adviser has in turn delegated certain responsibilities to a Liquidity Risk Management Committee, which is comprised of certain operations, compliance, trading, and portfolio management representatives of the Adviser. The Adviser preliminarily identifies illiquid investments based on, among other things, the trading characteristics and market depth of a particular investment.

The Adviser classifies all portfolio holdings of the Fund at least monthly into one of four liquidity classifications pursuant to the procedure set forth in the LRM Program. The liquidity classifications, which are defined in Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act, are highly liquid, moderately liquid, less liquid, and illiquid investments. In determining these classifications, the Adviser will consider the relevant market, trading, and investment-specific considerations for a particular investment. Moreover, in making such classification determinations, the Adviser must determine whether trading varying portions of a position in a particular portfolio investment or asset class would be reasonably expected to significantly affect the Fund’s liquidity. In addition, the Adviser may also consider the following factors in its liquidity determinations: (i) the existence of an active market; (ii) whether the investment is exchange-traded; (iii) frequency of trades or quotes and average daily trading volume; (iv) volatility of trading prices; (v) bid-ask spreads; (vi) whether the asset has a relatively standardized and simple structure; (vii) the maturity and date of issue (as applicable); and (viii) any restrictions on transfer.

Restricted Securities. The Fund may invest in securities that are subject to restrictions on resale because they have not been registered under the Securities Act. These securities are sometimes referred to as private placements. Although securities which may be resold only to “qualified institutional buyers” in accordance with the provisions of Rule 144A under the Securities Act are technically considered “restricted securities,” the Fund may purchase Rule 144A securities without regard to the limitation on investments in illiquid securities described above in the “Illiquid Investments” section, provided that a determination is made that such securities have a readily available trading market. The Fund may also purchase certain commercial paper issued in reliance on the exemption from regulations in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act (“4(a)(2) Paper”). The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser, as appropriate, will determine the liquidity of Rule 144A securities and 4(a)(2) Paper under the supervision of the Adviser and the Board. The liquidity of Rule 144A securities and 4(a)(2) Paper will be monitored by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser, as appropriate, and if as a result of changed conditions it is determined that a Rule 144A security or 4(a)(2) Paper is no longer liquid, the Fund’s holdings of illiquid securities will be reviewed to determine what action, if any, is appropriate. The Fund may determine that it is appropriate to continue to hold such instrument for a period of time to avoid a distressed sale which would be harmful to shareholders.

Limitations on the resale of restricted securities may have an adverse effect on the marketability of portfolio securities and the Fund might be unable to dispose of restricted securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty satisfying redemption requirements. The Fund might also have to register such restricted securities in order to dispose of them, resulting in additional expense and delay. Adverse market conditions could impede such a public offering of securities.

Determination of Liquidity

The Board has the ultimate responsibility for determining whether specific securities are liquid or illiquid and has delegated the function of making determinations of liquidity to the Valuation Committee and the Adviser, pursuant to guidelines approved by the Board. The Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser (under the supervision of the Adviser) determines and monitors the liquidity of the portfolio securities and reports periodically on their decisions to the Board. In making such determinations they take into account a number of factors in reaching liquidity decisions, including but not limited to: (1) the frequency of trades and quotations for the security; (2) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security and the number of other potential buyers; (3) the willingness of dealers to undertake to make a market in the security; and (4) the nature of the marketplace trades, including the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers and the mechanics of the transfer.

Private placement and other restricted securities may be considered illiquid securities as they typically are subject to restrictions on resale as a matter of contract or under federal securities laws. Restricted securities that are “illiquid” are subject to the Fund’s policy of not investing more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser will evaluate the liquidity characteristics of restricted securities on a case-by-case basis and will consider the factors described above in connection with its evaluation.

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 and/or Sub-Adviser may determine that the securities are liquid.

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

Investment Company Securities

Open-End and Closed-End Investment Companies

General. The Fund may invest in other open-end and closed-end investment companies consistent with the Fund’s investment objectives and strategies. The Fund may also invest in money market mutual funds, pending investment of cash balances. The Fund will limit its investment in the securities of other open-end and closed-end investment companies to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules, regulations and exemptive orders thereuender. With certain exceptions, such provisions generally permit the Fund to invest up to 5% of its assets in another investment company, up to 10% of its assets in investment companies generally and hold up to 3% of the shares of another investment company, and may invest greater than 10% of its assets in other investment companies subject to applicable provisions of the 1940 Act and the rules adopted thereunder. The Fund’s investment in other investment companies may include money market mutual funds, which are not subject to certain of the percentage limitations set forth above. The Fund may invest in investment companies in excess of the statutory limits imposed by the 1940 Act in reliance on Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act. These investments in other investment companies are subject to the applicable conditions of Rule 12d1-4, which, among other things, imposes certain limits on the investments and operations of the underlying investment company (including such underlying fund’s ability to invest in other investment companies and certain structured finance vehicles).

Risks. The 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 the Fund invests in closed-end companies that invest primarily in the common stock of companies located outside the United States, see the risks related to foreign securities set forth in the section entitled “Investment Policies and Risks – Equity Securities – Foreign Securities Risks” above.

Exchange-Traded Funds and Exchange-Traded Notes

General. The Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). ETFs are investment companies that are bought and sold on a securities exchange. An ETF represents a fixed portfolio of securities designed to track a particular market segment or index. The Fund may also invest in exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”), which are 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. The Fund’s investments in ETFs are also subject to the limitations on investments in other investment companies discussed above.

Risks. The risks of owning an ETF or ETN generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying market segment or index it is designed to track. Lack of liquidity in an ETF, however, could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. In addition, the Fund will incur expenses in connection with investing in ETFs and ETNs that may increase the cost of investing in the ETF or ETN versus the cost of directly owning the securities in the ETF or an ETN. The value of an ETN security should also be expected to fluctuate with the credit rating of the issuer.

Trust Securities and Unit Investment Trusts

General. The Fund may invest in trusts and unit investment trusts (“UITs”), including HOLDRS. HOLDRS are trust-issued receipts that represent beneficial ownership in the specific group of stocks held by the issuing trust. UITs are registered investment companies that are similarly unmanaged, or passively managed, and as such generally hold a static portfolio of securities, or track an index. The liabilities of trusts (including HOLDRS trusts) and UITs incur some expenses in connection with their operations; thus, when the Fund invests in a trust, HOLDR or UIT, in addition to directly bearing expenses associated with its own operations, it will bear its pro rata portion of the trust’s, HOLDRS’ or UIT’s expenses. Like ETFs, HOLDRS are exchange-listed and, therefore, may be purchased and sold on the secondary market. The Fund will limit its investment in the securities of trusts and unit investment trusts to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act.

Risks. The risks of owning a trust security (including a HOLDR) or a UIT security generally reflect the risks of owning the securities in the trust or UIT’s portfolio. Due to the unmanaged or passively managed nature or such vehicles, the relative weights of their portfolio securities may change over time, resulting in a change in the nature of the investment. In addition, due to the additional expenses associated with trusts (including HOLDRS trusts) and UITs, it may be more costly to own their securities than it would be directly to own their portfolio securities. In addition, there could be a lack of liquidity in the secondary market for HOLDRS, which could cause the market for HOLDRS to be more volatile than the market for the underlying portfolio securities.

Other Pooled Investment Vehicles

General. The Fund may invest in pooled investment vehicles, including limited partnerships. Examples of such vehicles include private equity funds and private equity funds of funds. A private equity fund generally invests in non-public companies that the fund’s manager believes will experience significant growth over a certain time period. A private equity fund of funds invests in other private equity funds of the type described. Investments in private equity funds, once made, typically may not be redeemed for several years, though they may be sold to other investors under certain circumstances. The Fund will limit its investment in the securities of pooled investment vehicles, including limited partnerships, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act.

Risks. To the extent that the Fund invests in Pooled Investment Vehicles, such investments generally will be deemed illiquid. (See “Illiquid and Restricted Securities” for the risks of investing in illiquid securities above). If such an investment is determined by the Adviser or Sub-Adviser to be illiquid, it is subject to the Fund’s policy of not investing more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. In addition, the Fund will bear its ratable share of such vehicles’ expenses, including its management expenses and performance fees. Performance fees are fees paid to the vehicle’s manager based on the vehicle’s investment performance (or returns) as compared to some

benchmark. The fees the Fund pays to invest in a Pooled Investment Vehicle may be higher than the fees it would pay if the manager of the Pooled Investment Vehicle managed the Fund’s assets directly. Further, the performance fees payable to the manager of a Pooled Investment Vehicle may create an incentive for the manager to make investments that are riskier or more speculative than those it might make in the absence of an incentive fee.

Foreign Currencies Transactions

General

The Fund may temporarily hold funds in bank deposits in foreign currencies during the completion of investment programs and may conduct foreign currency exchange transactions either on a cash basis or at the rate prevailing in the foreign exchange market.

The Fund may enter into a forward foreign currency contract. A forward currency contract (“forward contract”) involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific amount of a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days (usually less than one year) from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. At or before settlement of a forward currency contract, the Fund may either deliver the currency or terminate its contractual obligation to deliver the currency by purchasing an offsetting contract. If the Fund makes delivery of the foreign currency at or before the settlement of a forward contract, it may be required to obtain the currency through the conversion of assets of the Fund into the currency. The Fund may close out a forward contract obligating it to purchase currency by selling an offsetting contract, in which case, it will realize a gain or a loss.

Forward contracts are considered derivatives. The Fund enters into forward contracts in order to “lock in” the exchange rate between the currency it will deliver and the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. In addition, the Fund may enter into forward contracts to hedge against risks arising from securities the Fund owns or anticipates purchasing, or the U.S. dollar value of interest and dividends paid on those securities. The Fund does not intend to enter into forward contracts on a regular or continuing basis and the Fund will not enter these contracts for speculative purposes.

The Fund will not have more than 10% of its total assets committed to forward contracts, or maintain a net exposure to forward contracts that would obligate the Fund to deliver an amount of foreign currency in excess of the value of the Fund’s investment securities or other assets denominated in that currency.

Risks

Foreign currency transactions involve certain costs and risks. The Fund incurs foreign exchange expenses in converting assets from one currency to another. Forward contracts involve a risk of loss if the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser is inaccurate in its prediction of currency movements. The projection of short-term currency market movements is extremely difficult and the successful execution of a short-term hedging strategy is highly uncertain. The precise matching of forward contract amounts and the value of the securities involved is generally not possible. Accordingly, it may be necessary for the Fund to purchase additional foreign currency if the market value of the security is less than the amount of the foreign currency the Fund is obligated to deliver under the forward contract and the decision is made to sell the security and make delivery of the foreign currency. The use of forward contracts as a hedging technique does not eliminate fluctuations in the prices of the underlying securities the Fund owns or intends to acquire, but it does fix a rate of exchange in advance. Although forward contracts can reduce the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currencies, they also limit any potential gain that might result from an increase in the value of the currencies. There is also the risk that the other party to the transaction may fail to deliver currency when due which may result in a loss to the Fund.

Leverage Transactions

General

The Fund may use leverage to increase potential returns. The Fund does not currently intend to use leverage in excess of 15% of total assets. Leverage involves special risks and may involve speculative investment techniques. Leverage exists when cash made available to the Fund through an investment technique is used to make additional Fund investments. Leverage transactions include borrowing for other than temporary or emergency purposes, lending portfolio securities, entering into reverse repurchase agreements, and purchasing securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis. The 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 with a potentially higher return. (See “Risks” below.)

Borrowing. The Fund may borrow money as a temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes in amounts up to 331/3% of the Fund’s total assets at the time of borrowing. The Fund may invest in reverse repurchase agreements for other than temporary or emergency purposes, but such investments in reverse repurchase agreements are limited to 331/3% of the Fund’s total assets at the time of investments. Entering into reverse repurchase agreements and purchasing securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward delivery basis may be limited by collateral requirements to cover these positions, as disclosed below under “Reverse Repurchase Agreements.”

Senior Securities. Pursuant to Section18(f)(1) of the 1940 Act, the Fund may not issue any class of senior security or sell any senior security of which it is the issuer, except that the Fund shall be permitted to borrow from any bank so long as immediately after such borrowings, there is an asset coverage of at least 300% and that in the event such asset coverage falls below this percentage, the Fund shall reduce the amount of its borrowings, within 3 days, excluding holidays and Sundays, to an extent that the asset coverage shall be at least 300%. In accordance with Section 18 of the 1940 Act, the Fund will not mortgage, pledge or hypothecate its assets in an amount exceeding 331/3% of the value of its total assets.

Securities Lending. The Fund may lend portfolio securities in an amount up to 331/3% of its total assets to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions.

In a portfolio securities lending transaction, the 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. The Fund may share the interest it receives on the collateral securities with the borrower. The terms of the Fund’s loans permit the Fund to reacquire loaned securities on five business days’ notice or in time to vote on any important matter. Loans are subject to termination at the option of the Fund or the borrower at any time, and the borrowed securities must be returned when the loan is terminated. The Fund may pay fees to arrange for securities loans.

The SEC currently requires that the following conditions must be met whenever a Fund’s portfolio securities are loaned: (1) the Fund must receive at least 100% cash collateral from the borrower; (2) the borrower must increase such collateral whenever the market value of the securities rises above the level of such collateral; (3) the Fund must be able to terminate the loan at any time; (4) the Fund must receive reasonable interest on the loan, as well as any dividends, interest or other distributions on the loaned securities, and any increase in market value; (5) the Fund may pay only reasonable custodian fees approved by the Board in connection with the loan; (6) while voting rights on the loaned securities may pass to the borrower, the Board must terminate the loan and regain the right to vote the securities if a material event adversely affecting the investment occurs, and (7) the Fund may not loan its portfolio securities so that the value of the loaned securities is more than one-third of its total asset value, including collateral received from such loans. These conditions may be subject to future modification. Such loans will be terminable at

any time upon specified notice. A Fund might experience the risk of loss if the institution with which it has engaged in a portfolio loan transaction breaches its agreement with the Fund. In addition, a Fund will not enter into any portfolio security lending arrangement having a duration of longer than one year. The principal risk of portfolio lending is potential default or insolvency of the borrower. In either of these cases, a Fund could experience delays in recovering securities or collateral or could lose all or part of the value of the loaned securities. All of the collateral received in connection with securities lending transactions is held as cash or cash equivalents or in the form received from the borrower (if securities) or invested in other funds that are managed in accordance with the investment restrictions of Rule 2a-7 under the1940 Act. In addition, all investments made with the collateral received are subject to the risks associated with such investments. If such investments lose value, the Fund will have to cover the loss when repaying the collateral.

Any loans of portfolio securities are fully collateralized based on values that are marked-to-market daily. Any securities that the Fund may receive as collateral will not become part of the Fund’s investment portfolio at the time of the loan and, in the event of a default by the borrower, the Fund will, if permitted by law, dispose of such collateral except for such part thereof that is a security in which the Fund is permitted to invest. During the time securities are on loan, the borrower will pay the Fund any accrued income on those securities, and the Fund may invest the cash collateral and earn income or receive an agreed-upon fee from a borrower that has delivered cash-equivalent collateral.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements which are transactions in which the Fund sells a security and simultaneously agrees to repurchase that security from the seller at an agreed upon price on an agreed upon future date, normally, one to seven days later. Such reverse repurchase agreements would represent no more than 15% of the Fund’s assets.

Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of securities retained in lieu of sale by the Fund may decline below the price of the securities the Fund has sold but is obliged to repurchase. If the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, such buyer or its trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities. During that time, the Fund’s use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement effectively may be restricted.

When-Issued Securities and Forward Commitments. The Fund may invest in securities offered on a “when-issued” and “forward commitment” basis (including a delayed delivery basis). Securities purchased on a “when-issued” or “forward commitment basis” are securities not available for immediate delivery despite the fact that a market exists for those securities. A purchase is made on a “delayed delivery” basis when the transaction is structured to occur sometime in the future.

When these transactions are negotiated, the price, which is generally expressed in yield terms, is fixed at the time the commitment is made, but delivery and payment for the securities take place at a later date. Normally, the settlement date occurs within two months after the transaction, but delayed settlements beyond two months may be negotiated. During the period between a commitment and settlement, no payment is made for the securities purchased by the purchaser and, thus, no interest accrues to the purchaser from the transaction. At the time the Fund makes the commitment to purchase securities on a when-issued basis or forward commitment, the Fund will record the transaction as a purchase and thereafter reflect the value each day of such securities in determining its NAV. No when-issued or forward commitments will be made by the Fund if, as a result, more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets would be committed to such transactions.

Risks

Leverage creates the risk of magnified capital losses. Leverage may involve the creation of a liability that requires the Fund to pay interest (for instance, reverse repurchase agreements) 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 NAV of the Fund’s securities which may be magnified 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 the 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 the Fund 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 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 the Fund’s investment portfolio, the benefit of leveraging will be reduced, and, if the interest expense incurred as a result of leveraging 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 an inappropriate time.

Repurchase Agreements

General

The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements which are transactions in which the Fund purchases a security and simultaneously agrees to resell that security to the seller at an agreed upon price on an agreed upon future date, normally, one to seven days later. If the Fund enters into a repurchase agreement, it will maintain possession of the purchased securities and any underlying collateral. For purposes of the 1940 Act, a repurchase agreement is deemed to be a loan from the Fund to the seller of the security subject to the repurchase agreement. Repurchase agreements are not considered to be the making of loans for purposes of the Fund’s fundamental investment limitations.

Risks

Repurchase transactions also involve credit risk. Credit risk is the risk that a counterparty to a transaction will be unable to honor its financial obligation. In the event that bankruptcy, insolvency or similar proceedings are commenced against a counterparty, the Fund may have difficulties in exercising its rights to the underlying securities or currencies, as applicable. The Fund may incur costs and expensive time delays in disposing of the underlying securities and it may suffer a loss of principal or a decline in interest payments regarding affected securities. Failure by the other party to deliver a security or currency purchased by the Fund may result in a missed opportunity to make an alternative investment. Certain repurchase agreements that the Fund may enter into may or may not be subject to an automatic stay in bankruptcy proceedings. Favorable insolvency laws that allow the Fund, among other things, to liquidate the collateral held in the event of the bankruptcy of the counterparty reduce counterparty insolvency risk.

Real Estate Investment Trusts

The Fund may invest in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). Equity REITs invest directly in real property while mortgage REITs invest in mortgages on real property. REITs may be subject to certain risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate, including declines in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses

and variations in rental income. To the extent the Fund invests in REITs, the Fund will also be subject to risks associated with extended vacancies of properties or defaults by borrowers or tenants, particularly during periods of disruptions to business operations or an economic downturn. REITs pay dividends to their shareholders based upon available funds from operations. It is quite common for these dividends to exceed a REIT’s taxable earnings and profits, resulting in the excess portion of such dividends being designated as a return of capital. The Fund intends to include the gross dividends from such REITs in its distribution to its shareholders and, accordingly, a portion of the Fund’s distributions may also be designated as a return of capital.

Temporary Defensive Position

Under normal circumstances, the Fund may have money received from the purchase of Fund shares, or money received on the sale of its portfolio securities for which suitable investments consistent with such Fund’s investment objectives are not immediately available. Under these circumstances, the Fund may have such monies invested in cash or cash equivalents in order to earn income on this portion of its assets. Cash equivalents include investments such as short-term U.S. Government Securities, commercial paper, bankers’ acceptances, certificates of deposit, interest-bearing savings deposits of commercial banks, repurchase agreements concerning securities in which the Fund may invest and money market mutual funds.

In addition, the Fund may reduce its holdings in equity and other securities and may invest in cash, prime quality cash equivalents such as prime commercial paper and other money market instruments, for temporary defensive purposes, during periods in which the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser believes changes in economic, financial or political conditions make it advisable. Prime quality instruments are those instruments that are rated in one of the two highest short-term rating categories by an NRSRO or, if not rated, determined by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser to be of comparable quality.

Cyber Security Risk

As technology becomes more integrated into the Fund’s operations, the Fund will face greater operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, or lose operational capacity. This in turn could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures, and/or financial loss. Cyber security threats may result from unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). In addition, because the Fund works closely with third-party service providers (e.g., administrators, transfer agents, custodians and sub-advisers), cyber security breaches at such third-party service providers may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. The Fund may experience investment losses in the event of cyber security breaches at any of the issuers in which the Fund may invest. While the Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security, there can be no assurance that such measures will succeed.

INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS

For purposes of all investment policies of the Fund: (1) the term “1940 Act” includes the rules thereunder, SEC interpretations and any exemptive order upon which the Fund may rely; and (2) the term “Code” includes the rules thereunder, IRS interpretations and any private letter ruling or similar authority upon which the Fund may rely.

The Fund has adopted the following policies and investment restrictions as fundamental policies (unless otherwise noted), which may not be changed without the affirmative vote of the holders of a “majority” of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. Under the 1940 Act, the “vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting

securities” means the vote of the holders of the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares of the Fund represented at a meeting at which the holders of more than 50% of the Fund’s outstanding shares are represented or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

Except with respect to borrowing, if a percentage or rating restriction on investment or use of assets set forth herein or in the Prospectus is adhered to at the time a transaction is effected, later changes in the percentage or rating resulting from any cause other than actions by the Fund will not be considered a violation of the Fund’s investment restrictions. If the value of the Fund’s holdings of illiquid securities at any time exceeds the percentage limitation applicable due to subsequent fluctuations in value or other reasons, the Board will consider what actions, if any, are appropriate to maintain adequate liquidity.

Fundamental Limitations

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

1.Borrowing Money

The Fund may not borrow money if, as a result, outstanding borrowings would exceed an amount equal to 331/3% of the Fund’s total assets.

2.Concentration

The Fund may not purchase a security if, as a result, more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in securities of issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry. For purposes of this limitation, there is no limit on: (1) investments in U.S. government securities, in repurchase agreements covering U.S. government securities, in tax-exempt securities issued by the states, territories or possessions of the United States (“municipal securities”) or in foreign government securities; or (2) investments in issuers domiciled in a single jurisdiction. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the Fund may invest in one or more investment companies; provided that, except to the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(A) or (F) of the 1940 Act, the Fund treats the assets of the investment companies in which it invests as its own for purposes of this policy.

3.Diversification

With respect to 75% of the Fund’s total assets, the Fund may not purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities, or, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief, securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, (1) more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer; or (2) the Fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer.

The District of Columbia, each state and territory, each political subdivision, agency, instrumentality and authority thereof, and each multi-state agency of which the District of Columbia, a state or territory is a member is deemed to be a separate “issuer.” When the assets and revenues of an agency, authority, instrumentality or other political subdivision are separate from the government creating the subdivision and the security is backed only by the assets and revenues of the subdivision, such subdivision is treated as the issuer. Similarly, in the case of private activity bonds, if the bond is backed only by the assets and revenues of the non-governmental user, then the non-governmental user is treated as the issuer. If in either case, however, the creating government or some other agency

guarantees a security, that guarantee is considered a separate security and is treated as an issue of such government or other agency.

4.Underwriting Activities

The Fund may not underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that the Fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 in the disposition of restricted securities or in connection with investments in other investment companies.

5.Making Loans

The Fund may not make loans to other parties. For purposes of this limitation, entering into repurchase agreements, lending securities and acquiring any debt security are not deemed to be the making of loans.

6.Purchases and Sales of Real Estate

The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate, except that, to the extent permitted by law, the Fund may (a) invest in securities or other instruments directly or indirectly secured by real estate, and (b) invest in securities or other instruments issued by issuers that invest in real estate.

7.Purchases and Sales of Commodities

The Fund may not purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments issued by persons that purchase or sell commodities or commodities contracts; but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing, selling and entering into financial futures contracts (including futures contracts on indices of securities, interest rates and currencies), options on financial futures contracts (including futures contracts on indices of securities, interest rates and currencies), warrants, swaps, forward contracts, foreign currency spot and forward contracts or other derivative instruments that are not related to physical commodities.

8.Issuance of Senior Securities

The Fund may not issue senior securities except pursuant to Section 18 of the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder, and any applicable exemptive or interpretive relief.

_____

With respect to Fundamental Limitation #2, the Fund will limit investments in foreign government securities to no more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets.

MANAGEMENT

Trustees and Executive Officers

The Board is responsible for the overall management of the Trust, including general supervision and review of the investment activities of the Fund managed by the Adviser. The Board, in turn, elects the Officers of the Trust, who are responsible for administering the day-to-day operations of the Trust and the Fund. The current Trustees and Officers of the Trust, their ages and positions with the Trust, term of office with the Trust and length of time served, their principal occupations for the past five years and other directorships held during the past five years are set forth in the following table.

Name, Address

And Age

Position with

the Trust

Term of Office and Length of Time Served

Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years

Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustees

Other Directorships Held During the Past 5 Years(2)

Independent Trustees of the Trust(1)

Henry H. Hopkins

Age: 81

c/o Brown Advisory LLC

901 South Bond Street

Suite 400

Baltimore, MD 21231

Trustee

Indefinite Term; Since 2012

Retired; Formerly, Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (investment management firm)(1998 to 2008)

None

Georgette D. Kiser

Age: 56

c/o Brown Advisory LLC

901 South Bond Street

Suite 400

Baltimore, MD 21231

Trustee

Indefinite Term; Since November 2021

Operating Executive, The Carlyle Group (investment management firm) (since 2019); Operating Partner, Broad Sky Partners LLC (private equity firm) (since 2021); formerly, Chief Information Officer, The Carlyle Group (2015 to 2019); Vice President and Head of Enterprise Solutions and Capabilities, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (investment management firm) (2012 to 2015) and executive officer, various positions, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (1996 to 2012)

Aflac Inc.; (insurance firm) Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (technical professional and consulting services firm); NCR Corp. (enterprise technology firm); Adtalem Global Education Inc. (workforce solutions firm)

Kyle Prechtl Legg

Age: 71

c/o Brown Advisory LLC

901 South Bond Street

Suite 400

Baltimore, MD 21231

Trustee

Indefinite Term;

Since 2012

Retired; Formerly President and Chief Executive Officer, Legg Mason Capital Management, LLC (investment management firm)(2006 to 2009)

Director, SunTrust Banks, Inc. (bank holding company) (2011 to 2018)

Director, BrightSphere Investment Group plc (asset management holding company) (2014 to 2018)

Thomas F. O’Neil III

Age: 66

c/o Brown Advisory LLC

901 South Bond Street

Suite 400

Baltimore, MD 21231

Board Chair

Trustee

Since 2023

Indefinite Term:

Since 2012

Managing Director, Berkeley Research Group (global management consulting firm) (since 2021); Governance and Compliance Adviser (for healthcare, financial services and retail businesses) and President, The Saranac Group LLC (strategic consulting firm) (2010 to 2016 and since 2021). Formerly, Global Chief Compliance Officer, Cigna Corporation (health services company) (2016 to 2020)

None

Neal F. Triplett, CFA

Age: 53

c/o Brown Advisory LLC

901 South Bond Street

Suite 400

Baltimore, MD 21231

Trustee

Indefinite Term;

Since 2012

President, DUMAC, Inc. (university endowment investment organization) (since 1999)

None

Interested Trustees and Officers of the Trust

Margaret W. Adams, CAIA(3)

Age: 62

c/o Brown Advisory LLC

901 South Bond Street

Suite 400

Baltimore, MD 21231

Trustee

Indefinite Term

Since March 2023

Managing Director, Membership Engagement, FCLT Global (non-profit organization focused on innovative global investment-related initiatives) (since 2018);formerly, Partner and Senior Managing Director, Wellington Management Company LLP (institutional investment management firm) (2006-2017)

None

Michael D. Hankin(3)

Age: 66

c/o Brown Advisory Incorporated

901 South Bond Street

Suite 400

Baltimore, MD 21231

Trustee

Indefinite Term

Since 2012

President and Chief Executive Officer, Brown Advisory Incorporated and affiliates (investment management firm)(since 1993)

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (industrial tools and hardware) (since 2016)

Paul J. Chew

Age: 58

c/o Brown Advisory Incorporated

901 South Bond Street

Suite 400

Baltimore, MD 21231

President/ Principal Executive Officer

Indefinite Term;

Since October 2018

Chief Investment Officer, Brown Advisory Incorporated and affiliates (investment management firm) (since 1995)

Not Applicable

Senior Vice President

2016 to October 2018

Carey E. Buxton

Age: 37

c/o Brown Advisory Incorporated

901 South Bond Street

Suite 400

Baltimore, MD 21231

Vice President

Indefinite Term;

Since 2015

Head of Sustainable Investing Business (since 2020); Chief Operating Officer, Institutional Investing (since 2018); Product Manager, Brown Advisory Incorporated and affiliates (investment management firm)(2013 to 2018).

Not Applicable

Nicole Nesbitt

Age: 52

c/o Brown Advisory LLC

901 South Bond Street

Suite 400

Baltimore, MD 21231

Vice President

Indefinite Term;

Since November

2022

Head of U.S. Institutional

Sales and Client Service

(since 2018); Head of

Institutional Relationship

Management, Brown

Advisory Incorporated and

affiliates (investment

management firm) (2008 to

2018).

Not Applicable

Jason T. Meix

Age: 45

c/o Brown Advisory LLC

901 South Bond Street

Suite 400

Baltimore, MD 21231

Treasurer / Principal Financial Officer

Indefinite Term;

Since 2012

Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (fund administrative services firm)(since 2008)

Not Applicable

Edward L. Paz

Age: 53

c/o Brown Advisory LLC

901 South Bond Street

Suite 400

Baltimore, MD 21231

Secretary

Indefinite Term;

Since 2012

Vice President and Counsel, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (fund administrative services firm) (since 2007)

Not Applicable

Brett D. Rogers

Age: 48

c/o Brown Advisory Incorporated

901 South Bond Street

Suite 400

Baltimore, MD 21231

Chief Compliance Officer

Indefinite Term;

Since 2012

General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Brown Advisory Incorporated and affiliates (investment management firm) (since 2009)

Not Applicable

Anti-Money Laundering Officer

Indefinite Term:

Since 2012

1.The Trustees of the Trust who are not “interested persons” of the Trust as defined in the 1940 Act (“Independent Trustees”).

2.The directorships disclosed in this column include only the directorships of those companies that a Trustee serves on that are required to report to the SEC under applicable Federal securities laws including publicly traded corporations that are registered with the SEC under the 1934 Act and investment companies that are registered with the SEC under the 1940 Act, and it therefore excludes various other types of directorships that the Trustees of the Trust may currently hold in other types of organizations, including private companies and not-for-profit organizations, which are expressly excluded from the disclosure requirements for mutual fund board members.

3.Mr. Hankin is considered an “interested person” of the Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act, because of his current position with Brown Advisory Incorporated, the parent company of the Adviser and Ms. Adams is considered an “interested person” of the Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act, because of the financial interest that she currently has in Wellington Management Company LLP (“Wellington”), a sub-adviser to three of the series in the Trust, as the result of certain payments that she is entitled to receive from Wellington as the result of her previous employment with the firm. Ms. Adams has not been employed by Wellington during the past five years.

Additional Information Concerning the Board of Trustees

The Role of the Board

The Board oversees the management and operations of the Trust. Like all mutual funds, the day-to-day management and operation of the Trust is the responsibility of the various service providers to the Trust, such as the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, the Distributor, the Administrator, the Custodian and the Transfer Agent, each of whom are discussed in greater detail in this Statement of Additional Information. The Board has appointed various senior employees of the Adviser and Administrator as officers of the Trust, with responsibility to monitor and report to the Board on the Trust’s operations. In conducting this oversight, the Board receives regular reports from these officers and the service providers. For example, the Treasurer reports as to financial reporting matters. In addition, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser provide regular reports on the investment strategy and performance of the Fund. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who administers the Trust’s compliance program and regularly reports to the Board as to compliance matters. These reports are provided as part of the Board’s regular quarterly Board Meetings, which are typically held quarterly, in person, and involve the Board’s review of recent operations.

Board Structure, Leadership

The Board has structured itself in a manner that it believes allows it to perform its oversight function effectively. It has established four standing committees – (1) an Audit Committee; (2) a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee; (3) a Compliance Oversight Committee; and (4) a Valuation Committee – which are discussed in greater detail below under “Trust Committees.” A majority of the Board is comprised of Independent Trustees who are not affiliated with the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, the principal underwriter, or their affiliates. The Nominating and

Corporate Governance Committee, Audit Committee, Compliance Oversight Committee and Valuation Committee are each comprised of a majority of Independent Trustees.

Except for any duties specified herein or pursuant to the Trust’s Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, the designation of Board Chair for Mr. O’Neil does not impose any duties, obligations or liabilities that are greater than the duties, obligations or liabilities imposed on each such person as a member of the Board. The majority of the Board is comprised of Independent Trustees and the Board believes that maintaining a Board that has a majority of Independent Trustees allows the Board to operate in a manner that provides for an appropriate level of independent oversight and action. In accordance with applicable regulations regarding the governance of the Trust, the Independent Trustees meet in a separate quarterly session in conjunction with each quarterly meeting of the Board during which they review matters relating to their independent oversight of the Trust. In addition, each of the Board committees is comprised of a majority of Independent Trustees and the Chair of each of the Board committees is an Independent Trustee. The Board reviews annually the structure and operation of the Board and its committees.

Board Oversight of Risk Management

As part of its oversight function, the Board of Trustees receives and reviews various risk management reports and discusses these matters with appropriate management and other personnel. Because risk management is a broad concept comprised of many elements (e.g., investment risk, issuer and counterparty risk, compliance risk, operational risks, business continuity risks, etc.), the oversight of different types of risks is handled in different ways. For example, the Audit Committee meets with the Treasurer and the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm to discuss, among other things, the internal control structure of the Trust’s financial reporting function. The Board meets regularly with the Chief Compliance Officer to discuss compliance and operational risks and how they are managed. The Board also receives reports from the Adviser and Sub-Adviser as to investment risks of the Fund.

Information about Each Trustee’s Qualification, Experience, Attributes or Skills

The Board believes that each of the Trustees has the qualifications, experience, attributes and skills (“Trustee Attributes”) appropriate to their continued service as Trustees of the Trust in light of the Trust’s business and structure. In addition to a demonstrated record of business and/or professional accomplishment, each of the Trustees has demonstrated a commitment to discharging their oversight duties as trustees in the interests of shareholders. The Board annually conducts a “self-assessment” wherein the effectiveness of the Board is reviewed.

In addition to the information provided in the chart above, below is certain additional information concerning each particular Trustee and their Trustee Attributes.

Ms. Adams’ Trustee Attributes. Ms. Adams has extensive experience in the investment management industry and is an accomplished global financial services executive. Ms. Adams currently serves as Managing Director for Member Engagement for a non-profit organization that is focused on innovative global investment-related initiatives by engaging top tier global asset management industry leaders and corporations in actionable research and idea exchanges. Prior to this position, Ms. Adams served as a Partner and Senior Managing Director at Wellington, a global institutional investment management firm that provides advisory and sub-advisory services to mutual funds and other types of institutional clients, where she was employed from2006 through 2017. Ms. Adams is also a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (“CAIA”) Charterholder. Prior to joining Wellington, Ms. Adams had held positions as a portfolio manager at large asset management organizations, including MFS Investment Management and JP Morgan & Co., Inc. The Board believes Ms. Adams’ qualifications, attributes and skills and diverse experiences on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion

that she possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.

Mr. Hankin’s Trustee Attributes. As President and Chief Executive Officer of Brown Advisory Incorporated, the ultimate parent of the Adviser, Mr. Hankin is ultimately responsible for the management of the Fund’s day-to-day operations. Mr. Hankin has spent over 20 years assisting a wide range of individuals and institutions on their investment and financial matters. Mr. Hankin also currently serves on the board of Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. an industrial tool and hardware company. Prior to working in the investment management industry, Mr. Hankin was a Partner with the law firm of Piper & Marbury LLP (now DLA Piper US LLP). The Board believes that Mr. Hankin’s experience, qualifications, attributes and skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.

Mr. Hopkins’ Trustee Attributes. Mr. Hopkins brings over 35 years of prior legal experience in the mutual fund industry. In particular, Mr. Hopkins served as a legal counsel with T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., a publicly traded investment management firm, from 1972 until 2008, where he held the position of Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel from 1998 until 2008, and Mr. Hopkins served as Chair of the firm’s Ethics Committee for 35 years. During that time, he also served in various capacities and on various committees for the Investment Company Institute, the primary mutual fund trade association and the Investment Adviser Association, the primary investment adviser trade association. Mr. Hopkins is the former Chair of ICI Mutual Insurance Company, the captive insurance company for the mutual fund industry. From 2015 to April 2023, Mr. Hopkins served as Lead Independent Trustee. The Board believes Mr. Hopkins’ experience, qualifications, attributes and skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.

Ms. Kiser’s Trustee Attributes. Ms. Kiser has senior executive experience in the investment management industry through her current experience as an Operating Executive, and previously as a Managing Director and the Chief Information Officer, at The Carlyle Group, an investment management firm. In addition, prior to joining The Carlyle Group, Ms. Kiser served in various executive positions at T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., another investment management firm, including serving most recently as Vice President and Head of Enterprise Solutions and Capabilities within the Services and Technology Organization. Ms. Kiser also currently serves as a director of several corporations, including for Aflac Inc. (a global insurance company), Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (a technical professional and consulting services firm), NCR Corporation (an enterprise technology provider) and Adtalem Global Education Inc. (a workforce solutions provider). The Board believes Ms. Kiser’s qualifications, attributes and skills and diverse experiences on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion that she possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.

Ms. Legg’s Trustee Attributes. Ms. Legg has senior executive experience in the investment management industry through her experience as the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Legg Mason Capital Management (“LMCM”), an investment management firm. Prior to joining LMCM, Ms. Legg was a securities analyst with Alex. Brown & Sons, an investment banking firm. In total, Ms. Legg has more than 30 years of professional experience in the investment management and investment banking industries. Ms. Legg previously served as a director of BrightSphere Investment Group plc, an asset management holding company, and also served as a director of Sun Trust Banks, Inc., a bank holding company, and Eastman Kodak Co., a printing equipment and supplies company. The Board believes Ms. Legg’s experience, qualifications, attributes and skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion that she possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.

Mr. O’Neil’s Trustee Attributes. Mr. O’Neil, the Chair of the Board of Trustees, currently serves as Managing Director of Berkely Research Group, a global management consulting firm serving multiple industries and markets, which he joined in 2021, and he also serves as a governance and compliance adviser and has served as a member of the boards of various private companies. Prior to January 2020, Mr. O’Neal served as the Global Chief Compliance Officer of Cigna Corporation, a health services company. Mr. O’Neil is the Founder and President of The Saranac Group LLC, a strategic consulting firm that advises boards of directors, board committees and senior management in the areas of business ethics, corporate crises, governance and compliance, resolutions of complex government controversies and monitoring. Prior to founding The Saranac Group LLC, Mr. O’Neil served in various senior management positions at WellCare Health Plans, Inc. and as a Partner and Joint Global Practice Group Leader at the international law firm DLA Piper US LLP. The Board believes Mr. O’Neil’s experience, qualifications, attributes and skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.

Mr. Triplett’s Trustee Attributes. Mr. Triplett is the President of DUMAC, Inc. (“DUMAC”), a professionally-staffed investment management organization controlled by Duke University that manages the school’s endowment funds. He joined DUMAC in July 1999 and he was appointed President in January 2007. Since joining DUMAC Mr. Triplett has been directly involved with managing securities. Prior to completing business school, Mr. Triplett was a credit officer for the corporate and real estate portfolios at Wachovia Bank. Mr. Triplett holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. The Board believes Mr. Triplett’s experience, qualifications, attributes and skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.

Trust Committees

The Trust has four standing committees: (1) the Audit Committee; (2) the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee; (3) the Compliance Oversight Committee; and (4) the Valuation Committee.

The Audit Committee is comprised of all of the Independent Trustees. The function of the Audit Committee is to review the scope and results of the annual audit of the Fund and any matters bearing on the audit or a Fund’s financial statements and to ensure the integrity of the Fund’s financial reporting. The Audit Committee also recommends to the Board of Trustees the annual selection of the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund and it reviews and pre-approves audit and certain non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, the Audit Committee met four times.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, comprised of all of the Independent Trustees, is responsible for seeking and reviewing candidates for consideration as nominees for Trustees and overseeing Board governance matters. Although the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee does not have a policy with respect to the consideration of candidates for Trustee submitted by shareholders, if the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee determined that it would be in the best interests of the Trust to fill a vacancy on the Board of Trustees, and a shareholder submitted a candidate for consideration by the Board of Trustees to fill the vacancy, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee would evaluate that candidate in the same manner as it evaluates nominees identified by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Nominee recommendations may be submitted to the Secretary of the Trust at the Trust’s principal business address. The Committee meets on an as needed basis. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met two times.

The Compliance Oversight Committee is comprised of all of the Independent Trustees and Ms. Adams. The function of the Compliance Oversight Committee is to review and monitor compliance matters relating to the Funds and to

oversee the functions of the Fund’s compliance program. The Committee meets on an as-needed basis. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, the Compliance Oversight Committee met twice.

The Valuation Committee includes all of the Independent Trustees and Ms. Adams. The function of the Valuation Committee is to review quarterly reports from the Adviser, as the Funds’ valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, pursuant to the procedures used by the Adviser to value securities held by any of the Funds for which current and reliable market quotations are not “readily available” (as defined by Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act). The actions of the Valuation Committee are subsequently reviewed and ratified by the Board. The Valuation Committee meets quarterly and also on an as needed basis when deemed necessary. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, the Valuation Committee met four times.

The Board has designated the Adviser as the Fund’s valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act and has delegated fair value determinations to the Adviser, subject to the supervision of the Board. 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 has a pricing committee which assists with its designated responsibilities as valuation designee.

Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares and Other Interests

As the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, none of the Trustees beneficially own shares of the Fund. The following table shows the aggregate dollar range of equity securities in all registered investment companies overseen by the Trustees in the family of investment companies owned by the Trustees as of December 31, 2023 using the following ranges: None, $1-$10,000, $10,001-$50,000, $50,001-$100,000, and Over $100,000.

Name of Fund(1)

Margaret W. Adams

Interested

Trustee

Michael D. Hankin

Interested

Trustee

Henry H. Hopkins

Independent

Trustee

Georgette D.

Kiser

Independent

Trustee

Kyle Prechtl

Legg

Independent

Trustee

Thomas F.

O’Neil III

Independent

Trustee

Neal F.

Triplett

Independent

Trustee

Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Trustee in Family of Investment Companies

Over

$100,000

Over 100,000

(1)Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Neither the Independent Trustees nor members of their immediate family, own securities beneficially or of record in the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, the Fund’s principal underwriter, or any of their affiliates. Accordingly, during the two most recently completed calendar years neither the Independent Trustees nor members of their immediate family have had a direct or indirect interest, the value of which exceeds $120,000, in the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, the Trust’s principal underwriter or any of its affiliates. Ms. Adams had an indirect interest, the value of which exceeded $120,000, in Wellington, the Sub-Adviser, as the result of certain payments that Ms. Adams is entitled to receive in connection with her previous employment with the firm.

Compensation

Effective as of January 1, 2024, those Trustees who are not employees of the Adviser receive a retainer fee of $142,000 per year and $6,000 for each meeting attended, as well as reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred in connection with attendance at meetings. In addition, the Board Chair, the Audit Committee Chair, the

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Chair, the Valuation Committee Chair and the Compliance Oversight Committee Chair receive additional annual compensation of $20,000, $12,500, $10,000, $10,000 and $10,000, respectively. No other compensation or retirement benefits are received by any Trustee or officer from the Funds.

The following compensation figures represent compensation for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024 for each of the Trustees:


Name of Person/Position	Aggregate Compensation from the Funds(1)	Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of Fund Expenses	Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement	Total Compensation from the Funds and Fund Complex(2) Paid to Trustees
Henry H. Hopkins, Trustee	$154,000	$0	$0	$154,000
Georgette D. Kiser, Trustee	$154,000	$0	$0	$154,000
Kyle Prechtl Legg, Trustee	$153,375	$0	$0	$153,375
Thomas F. O’Neil III, Trustee	$159,000	$0	$0	$159,000
Neal F. Triplett, Trustee	$154,625	$0	$0	$154,625
Margaret W. Adams, Trustee	$146,500	$0	$0	$146,500
Michael D. Hankin, Trustee(3)	$0	$0	$0	$0

(1)Trustee fees and expenses are allocated among the Funds in the Trust.

(2)The Fund Complex currently consists of the 21 Funds in the Trust.

(3)As an employee of the Adviser, Mr. Hankin does not receive any compensation for his service on the Board..

Investment Adviser

Services of the Adviser

The Adviser serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement with the Trust (the “Advisory Agreement”). The Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fund was initially approved by the Board of Trustees on [ ], 2024 for an initial two year period. After the initial two year term, the Advisory Agreement will continue in effect from year to year as long as the continuance is approved at least annually (i) by the Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, and (ii) by a vote of the majority of the Independent Trustees. The Adviser monitors the performance of the Fund and continuously reviews, supervises and administers its investment program, subject to the direction of, and policies established by, the Board.

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 also pay fees to certain brokers/dealers to have the Fund available for sale through such institutions as well for certain shareholder services provided to customers purchasing Fund shares through such institutions.

Ownership of the Adviser

The Adviser is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brown Advisory Management, LLC, a Maryland limited liability company. Brown Advisory Management, LLC is controlled by Brown Advisory Incorporated, a holding company incorporated under the laws of Maryland in 1998. The Adviser does business under the name of Brown Advisory. The Adviser and its affiliates (“Brown Advisory”) have provided investment advisory and management services to clients for over 25 years.

Investment Sub-Adviser

Services of the Sub-Adviser – Wellington Management Company LLP

Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement (“Sub-Advisory Agreement”) entered into between the Adviser and Wellington Management Company LLP (“Wellington Management”) on behalf of the Fund, Wellington Management manages the securities of the Fund and makes investment decisions for the Fund subject to such policies as the Board of Trustees may determine. By its terms, the Sub-Advisory Agreement will continue in effect for so as long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board of Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, and, in either case, by a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Sub-Advisory Agreement or interested persons of any such party, at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Sub-Advisory Agreement. The Sub-Advisory Agreement can be terminated at any time by the Board of Trustees, the Adviser, or by a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, without payment of any penalty, on not less than 60 days’ written notice to Wellington Management, and Wellington Management may at any time, without the payment of any penalty, terminate the Sub-Advisory Agreement on not less than 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser. The Sub-Advisory Agreement automatically and immediately will terminate in the event of its assignment (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act). The Adviser pays Wellington Management a fee equal to an annual rate of [ ]% of the average daily net assets of the Fund.

Wellington Management’s activities are subject to general supervision by the Adviser and the Board of Trustees. Although the Adviser and the Board do not evaluate the investment merits of each of Wellington Management’s specific securities selections, they do review the performance of Wellington Management relative to the selection criteria.

The Adviser has ultimate responsibility for the investment performance of the Fund pursuant to its responsibility to oversee Wellington Management and recommend its hiring and/or replacement.

Ownership of the Sub-Adviser

Wellington Management Company LLP, is a Delaware limited liability partnership with principal offices at 280 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210. Wellington Management is a professional investment counseling firm which provides investment services to investment companies, employee benefit plans, endowments, foundations and other institutions. Wellington Management and its predecessor organizations have provided investment advisory services for over 80 years. Wellington Management is owned by the partners of Wellington Management Group LLP, a Massachusetts limited liability partnership.

Information Regarding the Portfolio Manager

The following information regarding the Fund’s portfolio manager has been provided by Wellington Management.

Other Accounts Under Management. The table below identifies for the portfolio manager of the Fund the number of other accounts managed (excluding the Fund) and the total assets in such accounts, within each of the following categories: registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles, and other accounts. Information in the table is shown as of December 31, 2023. Asset amounts are approximate and have been rounded.

Number of Other Accounts Managed

and Assets by Account Type

Number of Accounts and Assets for which Advisory Fee is Performance Based

Portfolio Manager

Registered Investment Companies

Other Pooled Investment Vehicles

Other

Accounts

Registered Investment Companies

Other Pooled Investment Vehicles

Other Accounts

Katsuhro Iwai

[ ]

Conflicts of Interest for the Portfolio Manager

Individual investment professionals at Wellington Management manage multiple accounts for multiple clients. These accounts may include mutual funds, separate accounts (assets managed on behalf of institutions such, as pension funds, insurance companies, foundations, or separately managed account programs sponsored by financial intermediaries), bank common trust accounts, and hedge funds. The Fund’s portfolio manager is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of that Fund and may manage accounts in several different investment styles. These accounts may have investment objectives, strategies, time horizons, tax considerations, and risk profiles that differ from those of the Fund. The portfolio managers make investment decisions for each account, including the Fund, based on the investment objectives, policies, practices, benchmarks, cash flows, tax, and other relevant investment considerations applicable to that account. Consequently, the portfolio manager may purchase or sell securities, including IPOs, for one account and not another account, and the performance of securities purchased for one account may vary from the performance of securities purchased for other accounts. Alternatively, these accounts may be managed in a similar fashion to the Fund and thus the accounts may have similar, and in some cases nearly identical, objectives, strategies, and/or holdings to the Fund.

The portfolio manager or other investment professional at Wellington Management may place transactions on behalf of other accounts that are directly or indirectly contrary to investment decisions made on behalf of the Fund, or make investment decisions that are similar to those made for the Fund, both of which have the potential to adversely impact the relevant Fund depending on market conditions. For example, an investment professional may purchase a security in one account while appropriately selling that same security in another account. Similarly, the portfolio manager may purchase the same security for the Fund and one or more other accounts at or about the same time. In those instances, the other accounts will have access to their respective holdings prior to the public disclosure of the Fund’s holdings. In addition, some of these accounts have fee structures, including performance fees, which are or have the potential to be higher, in some cases significantly higher, than the fees Wellington Management receives for managing the Fund. Mr. Iwai also manages accounts which pay performance allocations to Wellington Management or its affiliates. Because incentive payments paid by Wellington Management to the portfolio manager are tied to revenues earned by Wellington Management and, where noted, to the performance achieved by the manager in each account, the incentives associated with any given account may be significantly higher or lower than those associated with other accounts managed by a given portfolio manager. Finally, the portfolio manager may hold shares or investments in the other pooled investment vehicles and/or other accounts identified above.

Wellington Management’s goal is to meet its fiduciary obligation to treat all clients fairly and provide high quality investment services to all of its clients. Wellington Management has adopted and implemented policies and procedures, including brokerage and trade allocation policies and procedures that it believes address the conflicts associated with managing multiple accounts for multiple clients. In addition, Wellington Management monitors a variety of areas, including compliance with primary account guidelines, the allocation of IPOs, and compliance with the firm’s Code of Ethics, and places additional investment restrictions on investment professionals who manage hedge funds and certain other accounts. Furthermore, senior investment and business personnel at Wellington

Management periodically review the performance of Wellington Management’s investment professionals. Although Wellington Management does not track the time an investment professional spends on a single account, Wellington Management does periodically assess whether an investment professional has adequate time and resources to effectively manage the investment professional’s various client mandates.

Information Concerning Compensation of the Portfolio Manager

Wellington Management receives a fee based on the assets under management of the Fund as set forth in the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Wellington Management and the Adviser on behalf of the Fund. Wellington Management pays its investment professionals out of its total revenues, including the advisory fees earned with respect to the Fund.

Wellington Management’s compensation structure is designed to attract and retain high-caliber investment professionals necessary to deliver high quality investment management services to its clients. Wellington Management’s compensation of the Fund’s manager listed in the prospectus who is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund (“Portfolio Manager”) includes a base salary and incentive components. The base salary for each Portfolio Manager who is a partner (a “Partner”) of Wellington Management Group LLP, the ultimate holding company of Wellington Management, is generally a fixed amount that is determined by the managing partners of Wellington Management Group LLP. The Portfolio Manager is eligible to receive an incentive payment based on the revenues earned by Wellington Management from the Fund and generally each other account managed by the Portfolio Manager. The Portfolio Manager’s incentive payment relating to the Fund is linked to the gross pre-tax performance of the portion of the Fund compared to the benchmark index and/or peer group identified below over one, three and five-year periods, with an emphasis on five-year results. Wellington Management applies similar incentive compensation structures (although the benchmarks or peer groups, time periods and rates may differ) to other accounts managed by the Portfolio Manager, including accounts with performance fees.

Portfolio-based incentives across all accounts managed by an investment professional can, and typically do, represent a significant portion of an investment professional’s overall compensation; incentive compensation varies significantly by individual and can vary significantly from year to year. A Portfolio Manager may also be eligible for bonus payments based on their overall contribution Wellington Management’s business operations. Senior management at Wellington Management may reward individuals as it deems appropriate based on other factors. Each Partner is eligible to participate in a Partner-funded tax qualified retirement plan, the contributions to which are made pursuant to an actuarial formula.

Portfolio Manager Ownership in the Fund. No portfolio manager ownership information is provided for the Fund because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.

Advisory Fees

The Adviser’s fee is calculated as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. The fee is accrued daily by the Fund and is assessed to each class based on average net assets for the previous month. The Adviser’s fee is paid monthly based on average net assets for the prior month, subject to certain fee waiver provisions in accordance with the Expense Limitation Agreement that has been entered into by the Adviser with the Trust with respect to the Fund.

In addition to receiving its advisory fee from the Fund, the Adviser may also act and be compensated as investment manager for its clients with respect to assets they invested in the Fund. If you have a separately managed account with the Adviser with assets invested in the Fund, the Adviser will credit an amount equal to all or a portion of the fees received by the Adviser against any investment management fee received from you.

The Adviser may also receive compensation from certain omnibus account providers for providing shareholder services to Fund shareholders.

No advisory fee information is provided for the Fund because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.

Sub-Advisory Fees

The Adviser pays Wellington Management a fee out of its advisory fee that is based on a percentage of the average daily net assets managed by Wellington Management.

No sub-advisory fee information is provided for the Fund because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.

Expense Limitation Agreement

The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or reimburse certain expenses (excluding taxes, interest, portfolio transaction expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses) in order to limit the Fund’s total annual operating expenses as follows:


Fund	Institutional Shares	Investor Shares	Advisor Shares
Brown Advisory – WMC Japan Equity Fund	1.00%	1.15%	1.40%

Under the Expense Limitation Agreement, the Adviser may recapture waived fees and expenses borne for a three-year period under specified conditions.

The Expense Limitation Agreement will remain in effect until October 31, 2026. The contractual waivers and expense reimbursements may be changed or eliminated at any time by the Board of Trustees upon 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser with the consent of the Board of Trustees.

Other Provisions of the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement

The Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement remain in effect for a period of two years from the date of their initial effectiveness. Subsequently, the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-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 agreements or interested persons of any such party (other than as Trustees of the Trust). Neither the Adviser nor the Sub-Adviser are affiliated with Fund Services, the Trust’s administrator, fund accountant and transfer agent, or any company affiliated with Fund Services.

The Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement are 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 and/or Sub-Adviser on 60 days’ written notice to the Trust. The Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement terminate immediately upon assignment (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act).

Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is not liable for any error of judgment, mistake of law, or in any event whatsoever except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the agreement. Likewise, under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Sub-Adviser is not liable for any error of judgment, mistake of law, or in any event whatsoever

except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the agreement.

Distributor

Distribution Services

ALPS Distributors, Inc., 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203 (“ALPS”), serves as the Fund’s principal underwriter in a continuous public offering of the Fund’s shares. Pursuant to the distribution agreement between the Trust and ALPS adopted on February 20, 2019 (the “Distribution Agreement”), ALPS acts as the Fund’s principal underwriter and distributor and provides certain administration services and promotes and arranges for the sale of the Fund’s shares. ALPS is a registered broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). ALPS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SS&C Technologies, Inc., a publicly-traded company providing global investment and financial services.

The Distribution Agreement between the Trust and ALPS has an initial term of two years and subsequently will continue in effect only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities and, in either case, by a majority of the Independent Trustees. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on behalf of the Fund on a 60-day written notice when authorized either by a majority vote of the Fund’s shareholders or by vote of a majority of the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by ALPS on a 60-day written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act).

Distribution Plan – (Advisor Shares)

The Trust has adopted a distribution plan for the Advisor Shares of the Trust pursuant to Rule 12b‑1 under the 1940 Act (the “12b-1 Plan”). Under the 12b-1 Plan, the Fund pays a fee to the Distributor for distribution services (the “Distribution Fee”) at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net asset value of the Fund’s Advisor Shares. The 12b-1 Plan provides that the Distributor may use all or any portion of such Distribution Fee to finance any activity that is principally intended to result in the sale of the Fund’s Advisor Shares, subject to the terms of the 12b-1 Plan, or to provide certain shareholder services.

The Distribution Fee is payable to the Distributor regardless of the distribution-related expenses actually incurred. Because the Distribution Fee is not directly tied to expenses, the amount of distribution fees paid by the Advisor Shares of the Fund during any year may be more or less than actual expenses incurred pursuant to the 12b-1 Plan. For this reason, this type of distribution fee arrangement is characterized by the staff of the SEC as a “compensation” plan.

The Distributor may use the Distribution Fee to pay for services covered by the 12b-1 Plan including, but not limited to, advertising, compensating underwriters, dealers and selling personnel engaged in the distribution of the Fund’s shares, the printing and mailing of prospectuses, statements of additional information and reports, the printing and mailing of sales literature pertaining to the Fund, and obtaining whatever information, analyses and reports with respect to marketing and promotional activities that the Fund may, from time to time, deem advisable.

The 12b-1 Plan provides that it will continue from year to year upon approval by the majority vote of the Board, including a majority of the trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act, and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operations of the 12b-1 Plan or in any agreement related to such plan (the “Qualified Trustees”), as required by the 1940 Act, currently cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose, provided that such trustees have made a determination that there is a reasonable likelihood that the

12b-1 Plan will benefit the Fund and its shareholders. It is also required that the trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, select and nominate all other trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund. The 12b-1 Plan and any related agreements may not be amended to materially increase the amounts to be spent for distribution expenses without approval of shareholders holding a majority of the Fund shares outstanding. All material amendments to the 12b-1 Plan or any related agreements must be approved by a vote of a majority of the Board and the Qualified Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on any such amendment.

The 12b-1 Plan requires that the Distributor provide to the Board, at least quarterly, a written report on the amounts and purpose of any payment made under the 12b-1 Plan. The Distributor is also required to furnish the Board with such other information as may reasonably be requested in order to enable the Board to make an informed determination of whether the 12b-1 Plan should be continued.

As noted above, the 12b-1 Plan provides for the ability to use Fund assets to pay financial intermediaries (including those that sponsor mutual fund supermarkets), plan administrators and other service providers to finance any activity that is principally intended to result in the sale of Fund shares (distribution services) and for the provision of personal services to shareholders. The payments made by the Fund to financial intermediaries are based primarily on the dollar amount of assets invested in the Fund through the financial intermediaries. These financial intermediaries may pay a portion of the payments that they receive from the Fund to their investment professionals. In addition to the ongoing asset-based fees paid to these financial intermediaries under the Fund's 12b-1 Plan, the Fund may, from time to time, make payments under the 12b-1 Plan that help defray the expenses incurred by these intermediaries for conducting training and educational meetings about various aspects of the Fund for their employees. In addition, the Fund may make payments under the 12b-1 Plan for exhibition space and otherwise help defray the expenses these financial intermediaries incur in hosting client seminars where the Fund is discussed.

In addition, the Fund may participate in various “fund supermarkets” in which a mutual fund supermarket sponsor (usually a broker-dealer) offers many mutual funds to the sponsor’s customers without charging the customers a sales charge. In connection with its participation in such platforms, the Distributor may use all or a portion of the Distribution Fee to pay one or more supermarket sponsors a negotiated fee for distributing the Fund's shares. In addition, in its discretion, the Adviser may pay additional fees to such intermediaries from its own assets.

Any material amendment to the 12b-1 Plan must be approved by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by a vote of a “majority” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the outstanding voting securities of the applicable class or classes. The 12b-1 Plan may be terminated, with respect to a class or classes of the Fund, without penalty at any time: (1) by vote of a majority of the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees; or (2) by a vote of a “majority” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the outstanding voting securities of the applicable class or classes.

No 12b-1 Plan fee information is provided for the Fund because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.

Shareholder Servicing Plan – (Advisor and Investor Shares)

Pursuant to the Shareholder Servicing Plan (the “Plan”) adopted by the Trust with respect to the Advisor and Investor Shares of the Fund, the Adviser is authorized to provide, or arrange for others to provide specified shareholder services relating to the servicing and maintenance of shareholder accounts not otherwise provided to the Fund the (“Shareholder Servicing Activities”). Under the Plan, the Adviser may enter into shareholder service agreements with securities broker-dealers and other securities professionals (“Service Organizations”) who provide Shareholder Servicing Activities for their clients invested in the Fund.

Shareholder Servicing Activities shall include one or more of the following: (1) establishing and maintaining accounts and records relating for shareholders of the Fund; (2) aggregating and processing orders involving the shares of the Fund; (3) processing dividend and other distribution payments from the Fund on behalf of shareholders; (4) providing information to shareholders as to their ownership of Fund shares or about other aspects of the operations of the Fund; (5) preparing tax reports or forms on behalf of shareholders; (6) forwarding communications from the Fund to shareholders; (7) assisting shareholders in changing the Fund's records as to their addresses, dividend options, account registrations or other data; (8) providing sub-accounting with respect to shares beneficially owned by shareholders, or the information to the Fund necessary for sub-accounting; (9) responding to shareholder inquiries relating to the services performed; (10) providing shareholders with a service that invests the assets of their accounts in shares pursuant to specific or pre-authorized instructions; and (11) providing such other similar services as the Adviser may reasonably request to the extent the Service Organization is permitted to do so under applicable statutes, rules or regulations.

As compensation for the Shareholder Servicing Activities, the Fund pays the Adviser a fee of up to 0.15% of the average daily net assets of the Advisor Shares and the Investor Shares for Shareholder Servicing Activities.

Business Management Services

Pursuant to the Business Management Agreement, the Adviser also provides certain business management services to the Fund, including, without limitation, monitoring of the Fund's relationships with third-party service providers, and assisting with necessary and appropriate services to the Board of the Trust. For these services, the Adviser is entitled to receive a fee from the Fund at a rate of 0.05% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

No business management services fee information is provided for the Fund because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.

Securities Lending Activities

No securities lending information is provided for the Fund because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.

Other Fund Service Providers

Administrator and Accountant

U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services (“Fund Services”), 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, acts as administrator to the Fund pursuant to an administration agreement (the “Administration Agreement”). Fund Services provides certain administrative services to the Fund, including, among other responsibilities, coordinating the negotiation of contracts and fees with, and the monitoring of performance and billing of, the Fund's independent contractors and agents; preparation for signature by an officer of the Trust of all documents required to be filed for compliance by the Trust and the Fund with applicable laws and regulations excluding those of the securities laws of various states; arranging for the computation of performance data, including NAV and yield; responding to shareholder inquiries; and arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund, and providing, at its own expense, office facilities, equipment and personnel necessary to carry out its duties. In this capacity, Fund Services does not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Fund, the determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of Fund shares.

Pursuant to the Administration Agreement, the Administrator will receive a portion of fees from the Fund as part of a bundled-fees agreement for services performed as fund administrator, fund accountant and transfer agent to the Trust.

No administration fee information is provided for Fund because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.

Custodian

U.S. Bank, National Association is the custodian for the Fund (the “Custodian”) and safeguards and controls the Fund's cash and securities, determines income and collects interest on Fund investments. The Custodian’s address is 1555 North RiverCenter Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212. The Custodian does not participate in decisions relating to the purchase and sale of securities by the Fund. Fund Services and the Custodian are affiliated entities under the common control of U.S. Bancorp. The Custodian and its affiliates may participate in revenue sharing arrangements with the service providers of mutual funds in which the Fund may invest.

Legal Counsel

Dechert LLP, 1900 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

[ ], located at [ ], is the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm, providing audit services, tax services and assistance with respect to the preparation of filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

The Adviser is responsible for the placement of the Fund’s securities business, the negotiation of the commissions to be paid on such transactions and the allocation of portfolio brokerage and principal business. The Sub-Adviser is responsible for portfolio transactions for the Fund.

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 whom the Fund purchases or to whom 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 are usually no stated brokerage commissions paid for these securities, but the price usually includes an undisclosed commission or markup.

Purchases and sales of portfolio securities that are equity securities (for instance common stock and preferred stock) are generally effected: (1) if the security is traded on an exchange, through brokers who charge commissions; and (2) if 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 and/or Sub-Adviser will seek to deal with the primary market makers; but when necessary in order to obtain best execution, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser and 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 reflects 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 or markup.

Commissions Paid

No brokerage commissions information is provided for the Fund because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.

Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser Responsibility for Purchases and Sales

The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser place orders for the purchase and sale of securities with broker-dealers selected by and in the discretion of the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser, as applicable. 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 and/or Sub-Adviser in their best judgment and in a manner deemed to be in the best interest of the Fund rather than by any formula.

The Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser seek “best execution” for all portfolio transactions. This means that the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser seek the most favorable price and execution available. The Adviser’s and/or the Sub-Adviser’s primary consideration in executing transactions for the Fund is prompt execution of orders in an effective manner and at the most favorable price available.

Choosing Broker-Dealers

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 and/or the Sub-Adviser take into account factors such as size of the order, difficulty of execution, efficiency of the executing broker’s facilities (including the research services described below) and any risk assumed by the executing broker.

Consistent with applicable rules and the Adviser’s and/or the Sub-Adviser’s duties, the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser may consider payments made by brokers effecting transactions for the Fund. These payments may be made to the Fund or to other persons on behalf of the Fund for services provided to the Fund for which those other persons would be obligated to pay.

The Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser may also utilize a broker and pay a slightly higher commission if, for example, the broker has specific expertise in a particular type of transaction (due to factors such as size or difficulty), or it is efficient in trade execution.

Obtaining Research from Brokers

The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser, as appropriate, have full brokerage discretion. The Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser evaluates the range and quality of a broker’s services in placing trades such as securing best price, confidentiality, clearance and settlement capabilities, promptness of execution and the financial stability of the broker-dealer. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser may give consideration to research services furnished by brokers to the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser for its use and may cause the Fund to pay these brokers a higher amount of commission than may be charged by other brokers. This research is designed to augment the Adviser’s and/or Sub-Adviser’s own internal research and investment strategy capabilities. This research may include reports that are common in the industry such as industry research reports and periodicals, quotation systems, software for portfolio management and formal databases. Typically, the research will be used to service all of the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser accounts, although a particular client may not benefit from all the research received on each occasion. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser fees are not reduced by reason of receipt of research services. Most of the brokerage commissions for research are for investment research on specific companies or industries. And, because the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser will

follow a limited number of securities most of the commission dollars spent research will directly benefit clients and the Fund’s investors.

No soft-dollar arrangement information is provided for the Fund because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.

Counterparty Risk

The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser monitor the creditworthiness of counterparties to the Fund’s transactions and intends to enter into a transaction only when it believes that the counterparty presents minimal and appropriate credit risks.

Transactions through Affiliates

The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser may effect brokerage transactions through affiliates of the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser (or affiliates of those persons) pursuant to procedures adopted by the Trust.

Other Accounts of the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser

Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those for any other account or investment company that is or may in the future become advised by the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser or their affiliates. 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. Likewise, a particular security may be bought for one or more clients when one or more clients are selling the security. In some instances, 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 and/or Sub-Adviser’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 and/or Sub-Adviser occurs contemporaneously, the purchase or sale orders may be aggregated in order to obtain any price advantages available to large denomination purchases or sales.

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, the Fund may engage in active short-term trading to take advantage of price movements affecting individual issues, groups of issues or markets. 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. Higher portfolio turnover rates may result in increased brokerage costs to the Fund and a possible increase in short-term capital gains or losses.

No portfolio turnover information is provided for the Fund because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.

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 10 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.

No ownership information of regular broker-dealers is provided for the Fund because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.

Portfolio Holdings

The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has adopted a portfolio holdings disclosure policy that governs the timing and circumstances of disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Fund. The Adviser has also adopted a policy with respect to disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Fund (the “Adviser’s Policy”), as has the Sub-Adviser (the “Sub-Adviser’s Policy”). Information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings will not be distributed to any third party except in accordance with the Trust’s portfolio holdings policies and the Adviser’s Policy and the Sub-Adviser’s Policy (the “Disclosure Policies”). The Adviser and the Board considered the circumstances under which the Fund’s portfolio holdings may be disclosed under the Disclosure Policies and the actual and potential material conflicts that could arise in such circumstances between the interests of the Fund’s shareholders and the interests of the Adviser, the distributor or any other affiliated person of the Fund. After due consideration, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and the Board determined that the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for disclosing portfolio holdings to persons described in the Disclosure Policies, including mutual fund rating or statistical agencies, or persons performing similar functions, and internal parties involved in the investment process, administration or custody of the Fund. Pursuant to the Disclosure Policies, the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”), President and Treasurer are each authorized to consider and authorize dissemination of portfolio holdings information to additional third parties, after considering the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders and potential conflicts of interest in making such disclosures. The Disclosure Policies are each consistent with the Trust’s portfolio holdings disclosure policy and are used in furtherance of the Trust’s policy.

The Board exercises continuing oversight of the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings by (1) overseeing the implementation and enforcement of the Disclosure Policies, Codes of Ethics and other relevant policies of the Fund and its service providers by the Trust’s CCO, (2) by considering reports and recommendations by the Trust’s CCO concerning any material compliance matters (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act), and (3) by considering to approve any amendment to the Disclosure Policies. The Board reserves the right to amend the Disclosure Policies at any time without prior notice to shareholders in its sole discretion.

Disclosure of the Fund’s complete holdings is required to be made after the periods covered by the Fund's Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report to Fund shareholders and in the quarterly holdings report on Form N-PORT. These reports are available, free of charge, on the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The Fund discloses its complete portfolio holdings on its website within 10 business days after the calendar quarter-end. In addition, the top 10 holdings are updated and posted monthly on the Fund’s website within 10 days of the month-end. Portfolio holdings information posted on the Fund's website may be separately provided to any person, commencing on the day after it is first published on the Fund's website. In addition, the Fund may provide its complete portfolio holdings at the same time that it is filed with the SEC.

In the event of a conflict between the interests of the Fund and the interests of the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser or an affiliated person of the Adviser or Sub-Adviser, the CCO of the Adviser, in consultation with the Trust’s CCO, shall make a determination in the best interests of the Fund, and shall report such determination to the Board at the end of the quarter in which such determination was made. Any employee of the Adviser who suspects a breach of this obligation must report the matter immediately to the Adviser’s CCO or to his or her supervisor.

In addition, material non-public holdings information may be provided without lag as part of the normal investment activities of the Fund to each of the following entities, which, by explicit agreement or by virtue of their respective duties to the Fund, are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information disclosed, including a duty not to trade on non-public information: the fund administrator, fund accountant, custodian, transfer agent, auditors, counsel to the Fund or the Board, broker-dealers (in connection with the purchase or sale of securities or requests for price quotations or bids on one or more securities), distributor, proxy services, printers, liquidity, classification agents, and regulatory authorities. Portfolio holdings information not publicly available with the SEC or through the Fund's website may only be provided to additional third parties, including mutual fund ratings or statistical agencies, in accordance with the Disclosure Policies, when the Fund has a legitimate business purpose and the third party recipient is subject to a confidentiality agreement that includes a duty not to trade on non-public information.

Service providers are subject to a duty of confidentiality pursuant to contract, applicable policies and procedures, or professional code and may not disclose non-public portfolio holdings information unless specifically authorized. In some cases, a service provider may be required to execute a non-disclosure agreement. Non-disclosure agreements include the following provisions:

•The recipient agrees to keep confidential any portfolio holdings information received.

•The recipient agrees not to trade on the non-public information received.

•The recipient agrees to refresh its representation as to confidentiality and abstention from trading upon request from the Adviser.

Portfolio holdings disclosure may also be made pursuant to prior written approval by the CCO. Prior to approving any such disclosure, the CCO will ensure that procedures, processes and agreements are in place to provide reasonable assurance that the portfolio holdings information will only be used in accordance with the objectives of the Disclosure Policies.

In no event shall the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, their affiliates or employees, the Fund, or any other party receive any direct or indirect compensation in connection with the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings.

There can be no assurance that the Disclosure Policies will protect the Fund from potential misuse of portfolio holdings information by individuals or entities to which it is disclosed.

In connection with providing investment advisory services to its clients, Wellington Management has ongoing arrangements to disclose non-public portfolio holdings information to the following parties: (1) Accenture performs certain operational functions on behalf of Wellington Management and has access to portfolio holdings on a daily basis, (2) Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. performs certain operational functions for Wellington Management and receives portfolio holdings information on a daily basis, (3) Acuity Knowledge Partners (formerly Moody’s Analytics Knowledge Service) performs certain investment guideline monitoring and coding activities on behalf of Wellington Management and has access to holdings information on a daily basis, (4) FactSet Research Systems Inc. provides analytical services for Wellington Management and receives portfolio holdings information on a daily basis, (5) Glass, Lewis & Co. provides proxy voting services for Wellington Management and receives portfolio holdings information on a daily basis, (6) Markit WSO Corporation performs certain operational functions on behalf of Wellington Management and receives syndicated bank loan portfolio holdings information on a daily basis, (7) MSCI, Inc. provides analytical services for Wellington Management and receives portfolio holdings information on a daily basis, and (8) State Street Bank and Trust Company performs certain operational functions on behalf of Wellington Management and receives portfolio holdings information on a daily basis. Wellington also makes disclosures of portfolio holdings to other third parties where it does not identify specific clients.

From time to time, the Adviser may make additional disclosure of the Fund's portfolio holdings on the Fund's website. Shareholders can access the Fund's website at www.brownadvisory.com/mf for additional information about the Fund, including, without limitation, the periodic disclosure of its portfolio holdings.

ADDITIONAL PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION INFORMATION

The information provided below supplements the information contained in the Prospectus regarding the purchase and redemption of the Fund’s shares.

How to Buy Shares

In addition to purchasing shares directly from the Fund, you may purchase shares of the Fund through certain financial intermediaries and their agents that have made arrangements with the Fund and are authorized to buy and sell shares of the Fund (collectively, “Financial Intermediaries”). Investors should contact their Financial Intermediary directly for appropriate instructions, as well as information pertaining to accounts and any service or transaction fees that may be charged. If you transmit your order to these Financial Intermediaries before the Fund’s close, which is the close of regular trading (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on a day that the NYSE is open for business, your order will be priced based on the Fund’s NAV next computed after it is received by the Financial Intermediary. Investors should check with their Financial Intermediary to determine if it participates in these arrangements.

Shares are purchased at the Fund’s NAV next determined after Fund Services receives your order in proper form, as discussed in the Fund's Prospectus. The Fund and the Transfer Agent will be deemed to have received a purchase or redemption order when an authorized broker or, if applicable, a broker’s authorized designee receives the order. In order to receive that day’s NAV, Fund Services must receive your order in proper form before the close of regular trading on the NYSE, generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time. If the NYSE is closed due to inclement weather, technology problems or any other reason on a day it would normally be open for business, or the NYSE has an unscheduled early closing on a day it has opened for business, the Fund reserves the right to treat such day as a business day and accept purchase and redemption orders until, and calculate the Fund’s NAV as of, the normally scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE for that day, so long as the Adviser believes there remains an adequate market to meet purchase and redemption orders for that day. On any business day when the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association recommends that the bond markets close trading early, the Fund reserves the right to close at such earlier closing time, and therefore accept purchase and redemption orders until, and calculate the Fund’s NAV as of, such earlier closing time.

The Trust reserves the right in its sole discretion (i) to suspend the continued offering of the Fund’s shares, (ii) to reject purchase orders in whole or in part when in the judgment of the Adviser or the distributor such rejection is in the best interest of the Fund, and (iii) to reduce or waive the minimum for initial and subsequent investments for certain fiduciary accounts or under circumstances where certain economies can be achieved in sales of the Fund’s shares.

In addition to cash purchases, the Fund’s shares may be purchased by tendering payment in-kind in the form of shares of stock, bonds or other securities. Any securities used to buy the Fund’s shares must be readily marketable, their acquisition consistent with the Fund’s objective and otherwise acceptable to the Adviser and the Board.

Automatic Investment Plan

As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund provides an Automatic Investment Plan (“AIP”) for the convenience of investors who wish to purchase shares of the Fund on a regular basis. All record keeping and custodial costs of the

AIP are paid by the Fund. The market value of the Fund’s shares is subject to fluctuation. Prior to participating in the AIP the investor should keep in mind that this plan does not assure a profit nor protect against depreciation in declining markets.

How to Sell Shares and Delivery of Redemption Proceeds

You can sell your Fund shares any day the NYSE is open for regular trading, either directly to the Fund or through your Financial Intermediary.

Payments to shareholders for shares of the Fund redeemed directly from the Fund will be made as promptly as possible, but no later than seven days after receipt by the Fund’s transfer agent of the written request in proper form, with the appropriate documentation as stated in the Prospectus, except that the Fund may suspend the right of redemption or postpone the date of payment during any period when (a) trading on the NYSE is restricted as determined by the SEC or the NYSE is closed for other than weekends and holidays; (b) an emergency exists as determined by the SEC making disposal of portfolio securities or valuation of net assets of the Fund not reasonably practicable; or (c) for such other period as the SEC may permit for the protection of the Fund’s shareholders. Under unusual circumstances, the Fund may suspend redemptions, or postpone payment for more than seven days, but only as authorized by SEC rules.

The value of shares on redemption or repurchase may be more or less than the investor’s cost, depending upon the market value of the Fund’s portfolio securities at the time of redemption or repurchase.

Telephone Redemptions

Shareholders with telephone transaction privileges established on their account may redeem the Fund’s shares by telephone. Upon receipt of any instructions or inquiries by telephone from the shareholder the Fund or its authorized agents may carry out the instructions and/or to respond to the inquiry consistent with the shareholder’s previously established account service options. For joint accounts, instructions or inquiries from either party will be carried out without prior notice to the other account owners. In acting upon telephone instructions, the Fund and its agents use procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that such instructions are genuine. These include recording all telephone calls, requiring pertinent information about the account and sending written confirmation of each transaction to the registered owner.

Fund Services will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine. If Fund Services fails to employ reasonable procedures, the Fund and Fund Services may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions. If these procedures are followed, however, that to the extent permitted by applicable law, neither the Fund nor its agents will be liable for any loss, liability, cost or expense arising out of any redemption request, including any fraudulent or unauthorized request. For additional information, contact Fund Services.

Redemptions In-Kind

The Trust has filed an election under Rule 18f-1 of the 1940 Act committing to pay in cash all redemptions by a shareholder of record up to amounts specified by the rule (in excess of the lesser of (i) $250,000 or (ii) 1% of the Fund’s assets). The Fund has reserved the right to pay the redemption price of its shares in excess of the amounts specified by the rule, either totally or partially, by a distribution in-kind of portfolio securities (instead of cash). The securities so distributed would be valued at the same amount as that assigned to them in calculating the NAV for the shares being sold. If a shareholder receives a distribution in-kind, the shareholder could incur subsequent brokerage or other charges in converting the securities to cash and will bear any market risks associated with such securities

until they are converted into cash. A redemption in-kind is treated as a taxable transaction and a sale of the redeemed shares, generally resulting in capital gain or loss to you, subject to certain loss limitation rules.

The Fund does not intend to hold any significant percentage of its portfolio in illiquid securities, although the Fund, like virtually all mutual funds, may from time to time hold a small percentage of securities that are illiquid. In the unlikely event the Fund were to elect to make an in-kind redemption, the Fund expects that it would follow the normal protocol of making such distribution by way of a pro rata distribution based on its entire portfolio. If the Fund held illiquid securities, such distribution may contain a pro rata portion of such illiquid securities or the Fund may determine, based on a materiality assessment, not to include illiquid securities in the in-kind redemption. The Fund does not anticipate that it would ever selectively distribute a greater than pro rata portion of any illiquid securities to satisfy a redemption request. If such securities are included in the distribution, shareholders may not be able to liquidate such securities and may be required to hold such securities indefinitely. Shareholders’ ability to liquidate such securities distributed in-kind may be restricted by resale limitations or substantial restrictions on transfer imposed by the issuers of the securities or by law. Shareholders may only be able to liquidate such securities distributed in-kind at a substantial discount from their value, and there may be higher brokerage costs associated with any subsequent disposition of these securities by the recipient.

Distributions

Distributions of net investment income will be reinvested at the Fund’s NAV (unless you elect to receive distributions in cash) as of the payment date. Distributions of capital gain will be reinvested at the NAV of the Fund (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.

Additional Payments to Dealers

The Adviser, out of its own resources and without additional cost to the Fund or its shareholders, may provide additional cash payments or other compensation to certain financial intermediaries who sell shares of the Fund. You may wish to take such payment arrangements into account when considering and evaluating any recommendations relating to the Fund's shares.

Set forth below is a list of the member firms of FINRA to which the Adviser, the Distributor or their affiliates made payments out of their revenues in connection with the sale and distribution of shares of the Fund or for services to the Fund and its shareholders in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024 (“Additional Payments”). Such payments are in addition to any amounts paid to such FINRA firms in the form of fees for shareholder servicing or distribution. The payments are discussed in further detail in the Prospectus in the section entitled “Choosing a Shares Class - Additional Payments to Dealers”. Any additions, modification, or deletions to the member firms identified in this list that have occurred since June 30, 2024, are not reflected:

FINRA MEMBER FIRMS:

•Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC

•Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

•Commonwealth Financial

•Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.

•Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Company, Inc.

•Goldman Sachs & Co.

•J.P. Morgan Securities

•LPL Financial

•Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

•Morgan Stanley & Co.

•National Financial Services, LLC

•Principal Financial Group

•Pershing LLC

•Raymond James & Associates, Inc.

•RBC Capital Markets, LLC

•TD Ameritrade, Inc.

•TIAA-REF Individual and Institutional Services, LLC

•UBS Financial Services Inc.

•Vanguard Marketing Corporation

•Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC

The prospect of receiving, or the receipt of, additional payments or other compensation as described above by financial intermediaries may provide such intermediaries and/or their salespersons with an incentive to favor sales of shares of the Fund, and other mutual funds whose affiliates make similar compensation available, over sale of shares of mutual funds (or non-mutual fund investments) not making such payments. You may wish to take such payment arrangements into account when considering and evaluating any recommendations relating to Fund shares.

TAXATION

The tax information set forth in the Prospectus and the information in this section relates solely to Federal income tax law and assumes that the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company (as discussed below). Such 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 Code and applicable regulations in effect on the date of the Prospectus. Future legislative 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.

All investors should consult their own tax advisors as to the Federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of an investment in the Fund.

Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company

The Fund intends, for each tax year, to qualify as a “regulated investment company” under the Code.

Federal Income Tax Consequences of Qualification

As a regulated investment company, the Fund will not be subject to Federal income tax on the portion of its investment company taxable income (that is, taxable interest, dividends, net short-term capital gains and other taxable ordinary income, net of expenses) and net capital gain (that is, the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that it distributes to shareholders. In order to qualify to be taxed as a regulated investment company, generally the Fund must satisfy the following requirements:

•The Fund must distribute an amount at least equal to the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income, determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid, plus 90% of its net tax-exempt interest, if any, each tax year (certain distributions made by the Fund after the close of its tax year are

considered distributions attributable to the previous tax year for purposes of satisfying this requirement (the “Distribution Requirement”)).

•The Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income each year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stocks, securities, and currencies, or other income (including gains from options and futures contracts) derived from its business of investing in such stocks, securities, and currencies and net income derived from interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships.

•The Fund must satisfy the following asset diversification tests at the close of each quarter of the Fund’s tax year: (1) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets must consist of cash, cash items, U.S. Government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies, and securities of other issuers (as to which the Fund has not invested more than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets in securities of an issuer and as to which the Fund does not hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer); and (2) no more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies), or in two or more issuers which the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or in the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships.

While the Fund presently intends to make cash distributions (including distributions reinvested in Fund shares) for each tax year of an aggregate amount sufficient to satisfy the Distribution Requirement and eliminate Federal income tax, the Fund may use “equalization accounting” (in lieu of making some or all cash distributions) for those purposes. The Fund that uses equalization accounting will allocate a portion of its undistributed investment company taxable income and net capital gain to redemptions of Fund shares and will correspondingly reduce the amount of such income and gain that it distributes in cash. If the IRS determines that the Fund’s allocation is improper and that the Fund has under-distributed its income and gain for any tax year, the Fund may be liable for Federal income and/or excise tax, and, if the Distribution Requirement has not been met, may also be unable to continue to qualify for tax treatment as a regulated investment company (see discussion below on what happens if the Fund fails to qualify for that treatment).

Failure to Qualify

If for any tax year the Fund does not qualify for tax treatment as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends will generally be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits.

Failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would thus have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance. It is possible that the Fund will not qualify as a regulated investment company in any given tax year.

Fund Distributions

The Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income and net tax-exempt interest (if any) for each tax year. These distributions are taxable to you as ordinary income.

A portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income,” taxable to individuals, under current law, at a maximum Federal income tax rate of either 15% or 20% (depending on whether the individual’s income exceeds certain threshold amounts). A distribution is treated as qualified dividend income to the extent that the Fund receives dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations, provided that holding period and other requirements are met by the Fund and the shareholder. To the extent the

Fund’s distributions are attributable to other sources, such as interest or capital gains, the distributions are not treated as qualified dividend income. The Fund’s distributions of dividends that it received from REITs generally do not constitute “qualified dividend income.”

A portion of the Fund’s distributions, to the extent derived from dividends from domestic corporations, may be eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction if certain holding period and other requirements are met.

Individuals (and certain other non-corporate entities) are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to taxable ordinary REIT dividends and taxable income from master limited partnerships (“MLPs”). Treasury regulations allow the Fund to pass through to its shareholders such taxable ordinary REIT dividends. Accordingly, individual (and certain other non-corporate) shareholders of the Fund that have received such taxable ordinary REIT dividends may be able to take advantage of this 20% deduction with respect to any such amounts passed through. However, the regulations do not provide a mechanism for the Fund to pass through to its shareholders MLP net income, if any, or the 20% deduction with respect to taxable income from MLPs.

Certain distributions reported by the Fund as Section 163(j) interest dividends may be treated as interest income by shareholders for purposes of the tax rules applicable to interest expense limitations under Section 163(j) of the Code. Such treatment by the shareholder is generally subject to holding period requirements and other potential limitations, although the holding period requirements are generally not applicable to dividends declared by money market funds and certain other funds that declare dividends daily and pay such dividends on a monthly or more frequent basis. The amount that the Fund is eligible to report as a Section 163(j) dividend for a tax year is generally limited to the excess of the Fund’s business interest income over the sum of the Fund’s (i) business interest expense and (ii) other deductions properly allocable to the Fund’s business interest income.

A 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person’s “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.

The Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its net capital gain for each tax year. These distributions generally are made only once a year, usually in November or December, but the Fund may make additional distributions of net capital gain at any time during the year. These distributions are taxable to you as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long you have held shares. These distributions do not qualify for the dividends-received deduction. If the Fund retains for investment an amount equal to all or a portion of its net capital gain, it will be taxed on the amount retained (except to the extent of any available capital loss carryovers) at the highest corporate tax rate (currently 21%). In that event, the Fund will designate such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (a) will be required to include in income for Federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains, their proportionate shares of the undistributed amount, (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their Federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent their credits exceed their liabilities, if any, and (c) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for Federal income tax purposes, in their Fund shares by an amount equal to the excess of the amount in clause (a) over the amount in clause (b). Organizations or persons not subject to Federal income tax on such capital gains will be entitled to a refund of their pro rata share of such taxes paid by the Fund upon filing appropriate returns or claims for refund with the IRS.

The Fund may have capital loss carryovers (unutilized capital losses from prior years). Net capital losses can be carried forward without expiration.

No capital loss carryover information is provided because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.

In determining its net capital gain, including also in connection with determining the amount available to support a capital gain dividend, its taxable income and its earnings and profits, the Fund generally may elect to treat part or all of any post-October capital loss (defined as any net capital loss attributable to the portion, if any, of the taxable year after October 31 or, if there is no such loss, the net long-term capital loss or net short-term capital loss attributable to any such portion of the taxable year) or late-year ordinary loss (generally, the sum of its (i) net ordinary loss, if any, from the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of property, attributable to the portion, if any, of the taxable year after October 31, and its (ii) other net ordinary loss, if any, attributable to the portion, if any, of the taxable year after December 31) as if incurred in the succeeding taxable year.

The Fund’s ability to use certain tax benefits could be limited if the Fund experiences an “ownership change” within the meaning of Section 382 of the Code. Such tax benefits include net capital losses and certain built-in losses. An ownership change may occur if there is a greater than 50% change in the value of the stock of the Fund owned by five percent shareholders during the testing period (generally three years). An ownership change may be triggered by the purchase and sale, redemption, or new issuance of Fund shares or by a merger of the Fund with another regulated investment company.

The Fund operates using a fiscal and taxable year ending on June 30 of each year.

Distributions by the Fund that do not constitute ordinary income dividends or capital gain dividends will be treated as a return of capital. Return of capital distributions reduce your tax basis in the shares and are treated as gain from the sale of the shares to the extent your basis would be reduced below zero.

All distributions by the Fund will be treated in the manner described above regardless of whether the distribution is paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Fund (or of another fund). If you receive distributions in the form of additional shares, you will be treated as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the amount of cash that would have been received instead of such shares.

You may purchase shares with a NAV at the time of purchase that reflects undistributed net investment income or recognized capital gain, or unrealized appreciation in the value of the assets of the Fund. Distributions of these amounts are taxable to you in the manner described above, although the distribution economically constitutes a return of capital to you.

Ordinarily, you are required to take distributions by the Fund into account in the tax year in which they are received. However, a distribution declared in October, November or December of any year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in those months, however, is deemed to be paid by the Fund and received by you on December 31 of that calendar year if the distribution is actually paid in January of the following year.

The Fund will send you information annually as to the Federal income tax consequences of distributions made (or deemed made) during the year.

Certain Tax Rules Applicable to the Fund’s Transactions

For Federal income tax purposes, when put and call options purchased by the Fund expire unexercised, the premiums paid by the Fund give rise to short- or long-term capital losses at the time of expiration (depending on the length of the respective exercise periods for the options). When put and call options written by the Fund expire unexercised, the premiums received by the Fund give rise to short-term capital gains at the time of expiration. When the Fund exercises a call, the purchase price of the underlying security is increased by the amount of the premium

paid by the Fund. When the Fund exercises a put, the proceeds from the sale of the underlying security are decreased by the premium paid. When a put or call written by the Fund is exercised, the purchase price (selling price in the case of a call) of the underlying security is decreased (increased in the case of a call) for tax purposes by the premium received.

Some of the debt securities that may be acquired by the Fund may be treated as debt securities that are issued with original issue discount (“OID”). Generally, the amount of the OID is treated as interest income and is included in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. Additionally, some of the debt securities that may be acquired by the Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having market discount. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt security having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the “accrued market discount” on such debt security. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having market discount, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income. The Fund generally will be required to distribute dividends to shareholders representing discount on debt securities that is currently includable in income, even though cash representing such income may not have been received by the Fund. Cash to pay such dividends may be obtained from sales proceeds of securities held by the Fund.

The Fund may invest a portion of its net assets in below investment grade instruments. Investments in these types of instruments may present special tax issues for the Fund. Federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless instruments, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. These and other issues will be addressed by the Fund to the extent necessary in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to maintain its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) and that it does not become subject to U.S. Federal income or excise tax.

Certain listed options, regulated futures contracts and forward currency contracts are considered “Section 1256 contracts” for Federal income tax purposes. Section 1256 contracts held by the Fund at the end of each tax year are “marked to market” and treated for Federal income tax purposes as though sold for fair market value on the last business day of the tax year. Gains or losses realized by the Fund on Section 1256 contracts generally are considered 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses. The Fund can elect to exempt its Section 1256 contracts that are part of a “mixed straddle” (as described below) from the application of Section 1256 of the Code.

Any option, futures contract or other position entered into or held by the Fund in conjunction with any other position held by the Fund may constitute a “straddle” for Federal income tax purposes. A straddle of which at least one, but not all, the positions are Section 1256 contracts, may constitute a “mixed straddle.” In general, straddles are subject to certain rules that may affect the character and timing of the Fund’s gains and losses with respect to straddle positions by requiring, among other things, that: (1) the loss realized on disposition of one position of a straddle may not be recognized to the extent that the Fund has unrealized gains with respect to the other position in such straddle; (2) the Fund’s holding period in straddle positions be suspended while the straddle exists (possibly resulting in a gain being treated as short-term capital gain rather than long-term capital gain); (3) the losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions which are part of a mixed straddle and which are non-Section 1256 contracts be treated as 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital loss; (4) losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions which would otherwise constitute short-term capital losses be treated as long-term capital losses; and (5) the deduction of interest and carrying charges attributable to certain straddle positions may be deferred. Various elections are available to the Fund, which may mitigate the effects of the straddle rules, particularly with respect to mixed straddles. In general, the straddle rules described above do not apply to any straddles held by the Fund if all of the offsetting positions consist of Sectionv1256 contracts.

Certain rules may affect the timing and character of gain if the Fund engages in transactions that reduce or eliminate its risk of loss with respect to appreciated financial positions. If the Fund enters into certain transactions in property while holding substantially identical property, the Fund would be treated as if it had sold and immediately repurchased the property and would be taxed on any gain (but not loss) from the constructive sale. The character of gain from a constructive sale would depend upon the Fund’s holding period in the property. Loss from a constructive sale would be recognized when the property was subsequently disposed of, and its character would depend on the Fund’s holding period and the application of various loss deferral provisions of the Code.

Under the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates which occur between the time the Fund accrues interest or other receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities are treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. Similarly, gains or losses from the disposition of foreign currencies, from the disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency, or from the disposition of a forward contract, certain financial contracts or options denominated in a foreign currency which are attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the asset and the date of disposition also are treated as ordinary income or loss. These gains or losses, referred to under the Code as “Section 988” gains or losses, generally 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.

The Fund may invest in shares of foreign corporations which may be classified under the Internal Revenue Code as passive foreign investment companies (“PFICs”). In general, a foreign corporation is classified as a PFIC if at least one-half of its assets constitute investment-type assets or 75% or more of its gross income is investment-type income. If the Fund receives a so-called “excess distribution” with respect to PFIC stock, the Fund itself may be subject to a tax on a portion of the excess distribution, whether or not the corresponding income is distributed by the Fund to shareholders. In general, under the PFIC rules, an excess distribution is treated as having been realized ratably over the period during which the Fund held the PFIC shares. The Fund itself will be subject to tax on the portion, if any, of an excess distribution that is so allocated to prior Fund taxable years and an interest factor will be added to the tax, as if the tax had been payable in such prior taxable years. Certain distributions from a PFIC as well as gain from the sale of PFIC shares are treated as excess distributions. Excess distributions are characterized as ordinary income even though, absent application of the PFIC rules, certain excess distributions might have been classified as capital gain.

The Fund may be eligible to elect alternative tax treatment with respect to PFIC shares. Under an election that currently is available in some circumstances, the Fund generally would be required to include in its gross income its share of the earnings of a PFIC on a current basis, regardless of whether distributions are received from the PFIC in a given year. If this election were made, the special rules, discussed above, relating to the taxation of excess distributions, would not apply.

Alternatively, the Fund may elect to mark-to-market its PFIC shares at the end of each tax year (as well as on certain other dates as prescribed in the Code), with the result that unrealized gains would be treated as though they were realized and reported as ordinary income. Any mark-to-market losses would be deductible as ordinary losses to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains included in income in prior tax years.

Because the application of the PFIC rules may affect, among other things, the character of gains, the amount of gain or loss and the timing of the recognition of income with respect to PFIC shares, as well as subject the Fund itself to tax on certain income from PFIC shares, the amount that must be distributed to shareholders, and which will be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income or long-term capital gain, may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to the fund that did not invest in PFIC shares. Note that distributions from a PFIC are not eligible for the reduced rate of tax on “qualified dividend income”.

The Fund or some of the REITs in which the Fund may invest will be permitted to hold residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMIC”s). Under Treasury regulations not yet issued, but that may apply retroactively, a portion of the Fund’s income from a REIT that is attributable to the REIT’s residual interest in a REMIC (referred to in the Code as an “excess inclusion”) will be subject to federal income tax in all events. These regulations are expected to provide that excess inclusion income of a regulated investment company, such as the Fund, will be allocated to shareholders of the regulated investment company in proportion to the dividends received by shareholders, with the same consequences as if shareholders held the related REMIC residual interest directly.

In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or other tax-exempt entity) subject to tax on unrelated business income, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and that otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income, and (iii) in the case of a non-U.S. shareholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax.

If at any time during any taxable year a “disqualified organization” (as defined in the Code) is a record holder of a share in a regulated investment company, then the regulated investment company will be subject to a tax equal to that portion of its excess inclusion income for the taxable year that is allocable to the disqualified organization, multiplied by the highest federal income tax rate imposed on corporations. It is not expected that a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets will be residual interests in REMICs. Additionally, the Fund does not intend to invest in REITs in which a substantial portion of the assets will consist of residual interests in REMICs.

The Fund may invest in MLPs that are expected to be treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The cash distributions received by the Fund from an MLP may not correspond to the amount of income allocated to the Fund by the MLP in any given taxable year. If the amount of income allocated by an MLP to the Fund exceeds the amount of cash received by the Fund from such MLP, the Fund may have difficulty making distributions to its shareholders in the amounts necessary to satisfy the requirements for maintaining its status as a regulated investment company or avoiding U.S. federal income or excise taxes. Accordingly, the Fund may have to dispose of securities under disadvantageous circumstances in order to generate sufficient cash to satisfy such requirements.

Federal Excise Tax

A 4% nondeductible excise tax is imposed on a regulated investment company that fails to distribute in each calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of: (1) 98% of its ordinary taxable income (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) for the calendar year; (2) 98.2% of its capital gain net income (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the one-year period ended on October 31 of the calendar year; plus (3) all ordinary taxable income and capital gains for previous years that were not distributed during such years. The balance of the Fund’s income must be distributed during the next calendar year. The Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it is subject to income tax for any tax 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 foreign currency gains and losses (and certain other ordinary gains and losses) incurred after October 31 of any year in determining the amount of ordinary taxable income for the current calendar year. The Fund will include foreign currency gains and losses incurred after October 31 in determining ordinary taxable income for the succeeding calendar year.

The Fund intends to make sufficient distributions of its ordinary taxable income and capital gain net income prior to the end of each calendar year to avoid liability for the excise tax. Investors should note, however, that the Fund

might in certain circumstances be required to liquidate portfolio investments to make sufficient distributions to avoid excise tax liability.

Sale, Exchange or Redemption of Shares

In general, you will recognize gain or loss on the sale, exchange or redemption of shares of the Fund in an amount equal to the difference between the proceeds of the sale, exchange or redemption and your adjusted tax basis in the shares. All or a portion of any loss so recognized may be disallowed if you purchase (for example, by reinvesting dividends) Fund shares within 30 days before or after the sale, exchange or redemption (a “wash sale”). If disallowed, the loss will be reflected in an upward adjustment to the basis of the shares purchased. In general, any gain or loss arising from the sale, exchange or redemption of shares of the Fund will be considered 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 the sale, 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 received on such shares. In determining the holding period of such 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.

The Fund (or its administrative agent) is required to report to the IRS and furnish to shareholders the cost basis information for sale transactions of shares. Shareholders may elect to have one of several cost basis methods applied to their account when calculating the cost basis of shares sold, including average cost, FIFO (“first-in, first-out”) or some other specific identification method. Unless you instruct otherwise, the Fund will use average cost as its default cost basis method. The cost basis method a shareholder elects may not be changed with respect to a redemption of shares after the settlement date of the redemption. Shareholders should consult with their tax advisors to determine the best cost basis method for their tax situation. Shareholders that hold their shares through a financial intermediary should contact such financial intermediary with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for their accounts.

Backup Withholding

The Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury at a rate under current law of 24% of taxable distributions and the proceeds of redemptions of shares paid to you if you: (1) have failed to provide your correct taxpayer identification number; (2) are otherwise subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure to report the receipt of interest or dividend income properly; or (3) have failed to certify to the Fund that you are not subject to backup withholding or that you are a corporation or other “exempt recipient.” Backup withholding is not an additional tax; rather any amounts so withheld may be credited against your Federal income tax liability or refunded if proper documentation is provided.

State and Local Taxes

The tax rules of the various states of the U.S. and their local jurisdictions with respect to an investment in the Fund can differ from the Federal income taxation 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.

Foreign Income Tax

Investment income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source. 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. 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. If more than 50% of the value of the Fund's total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stocks or securities of foreign corporations, or if at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year is represented by interests in other regulated investment companies, the Fund will be eligible and intends to file an election with the IRS to pass through to its shareholders the amount of foreign taxes paid by the Fund subject to certain exceptions. However, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to do so. Pursuant to this election, you will be required to (1) include in gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) your pro rata share of foreign taxes paid by the Fund, (2) treat your pro rata share of such foreign taxes as having been paid by you and (3) either deduct such pro rata share of foreign taxes in computing your taxable income or treat such foreign taxes as a credit against Federal income taxes. You may be subject to rules which limit or reduce your ability to fully deduct, or claim a credit for, your pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund.

Foreign Shareholders

The foregoing discussion relates only to U.S. Federal income tax law as applicable to U.S. persons (i.e., U.S. citizens and residents and U.S. domestic corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates). Shareholders who are not U.S. persons (“foreign shareholders”) should consult their tax advisers regarding U.S. and foreign tax consequences of ownership of shares of a Fund including the likelihood that taxable distributions to them would be subject to withholding of U.S. tax at a rate of 30% (or a lower treaty rate for eligible investors). Two categories of dividends, “short-term capital gain dividends” and “interest-related dividends,” if reported by the Fund in writing to its shareholders, are generally exempt from such withholding tax. “Short-term capital gain dividends” are dividends that are attributable to net short-term capital gain, computed with certain adjustments. “Interest-related dividends” are dividends that are attributable to “qualified net interest income” (i.e., “qualified interest income,” which generally consists of certain original issue discount, interest on obligations “in registered form,” and interest on deposits, less allocable deductions) from sources within the United States. Depending on the circumstances, the Fund may report all, some or none of the Fund’s potentially eligible dividends as eligible for exemption from withholding tax, and a portion of the Fund’s distributions (e.g., interest and dividends from non-U.S. sources or any non-U.S. currency gains) would be ineligible for such exemption. In order to qualify for this exemption from withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder must have provided appropriate withholding certificates (e.g., an executed W-8BEN, etc.) certifying foreign status. An investment in the Fund may also be included in determining a foreign shareholder’s U.S. estate tax liability.

The Fund is required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends made to certain non-U.S. 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. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to the Fund to enable the Fund to determine whether withholding is required.

OTHER MATTERS

Control Persons and Principal Shareholders

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 one who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of the Fund or acknowledges the existence of control.

No information about ownership of the Fund by the Trustees and officers, as a group, is provided because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.

No principal shareholder information is provided for the Fund because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.

Proxy Voting Procedures

The Board has adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (the “Trust Proxy Voting Policies”) on behalf of the Trust which delegate the responsibility for voting proxies to the Adviser or Sub-Adviser, as applicable, subject to the Board’s continuing oversight. The Trust Proxy Voting Policies require that the Adviser or Sub-Adviser vote proxies received in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. The Adviser has adopted its own separate Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (the “Adviser’s Proxy Voting Policies”) and the Sub-Adviser has adopted its own respective Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (the “Sub-Adviser Proxy Voting Policies”), and copies of the Adviser’s Proxy Voting Policies and the Sub-Adviser Proxy Voting Policies are attached hereto in Appendix B to this SAI.

The Adviser and the Sub-Adviser each recognize that under certain circumstances it may have a conflict of interest in voting proxies on behalf of the Fund. A “conflict of interest,” means any circumstance when the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser (including their respective officers, directors, agents 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 the Fund and its shareholders in how proxies of that particular issuer are voted. The Adviser and the Sub-Adviser will comply with the Trust Proxy Voting Procedures as they relate to the resolution of conflicts of interest with respect to voting shares of the Fund.

The Trust will file a Form N-PX containing the Fund’s complete proxy voting record for the 12-months ended June 30, no later than August 31st of each year. When available, Form N-PX for the Fund will be provided without charge, upon request, by calling (800) 540-6807 (toll free) or (414) 203-9064 and also on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Code of Ethics

The Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and the Distributor 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, the Sub-Adviser and the Distributor. The codes permit such personnel to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund, subject to certain limitations.

Registration Statement

This SAI and the Prospectus do not contain all 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, are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Statements contained herein and in the Prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other documents are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, are qualified by, reference to the copy of such contract or other documents filed as exhibits to the registration statement.

Capital Stock

The Declaration of Trust authorizes the Board of Trustees to issue an unlimited number of shares, which are shares of beneficial interest. The Trust’s Declaration of Trust authorizes the Board of Trustees to divide or redivide any unissued shares of the Trust into one or more additional series by setting or changing in any one or more respects their respective preferences, conversion or other rights, voting power, restrictions, limitations as to dividends, qualifications, and terms and conditions of redemption, and to establish separate classes of shares. Shares have no subscription or preemptive rights and only such conversion or exchange rights as the Board of Trustees may grant in its discretion. When issued for payment as described in the Prospectus and this SAI, the shares will be fully paid and non-assessable.

The Board of Trustees has authorized three separate classes of shares for the Fund - Institutional Shares, Investor Shares and Advisor Shares. The shares of each class of the Fund represent an interest in the same portfolio of investments of the Fund. Some classes may currently not be available for sale by the Fund.

With respect to voting rights of shareholders, each share outstanding entitles the holder to one vote. On certain issues, such as the election of Trustees, all shares of the Trust vote together. The shareholders of the Fund, however, would vote separately on issues affecting only the Fund, such as the approval of a change in the fundamental investment restriction for the Fund. Also, the shareholders of a particular class will vote separately on issues affecting only that particular class.

With respect to dividend rights, the shareholders of each class of the Fund are entitled to receive dividends or other distributions declared by the Fund for each such class. No shares of the Fund have priority or preference over any other shares of the Fund with respect to distributions. Distributions will be made from the assets of the Fund and will be paid pro rata to all shareholders of a particular class according to the number of shares of the class held by shareholders on the record date. The amount of dividends per share may vary between separate share classes of the Fund based upon differences in the net asset values of the different classes and differences in the way that expenses are allocated between share classes pursuant to a multiple class plan approved by the Fund's Board of Trustees.

Financial Statements

Financial statements certified by the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm will be submitted to shareholders at least annually. The Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI and does not yet have financial statements.

Once available, copies of the Annual Report to Shareholders may be obtained, without charge, upon request by contacting U.S. Bank Global Fund Services at the address or telephone number listed on the cover of this SAI.

APPENDIX A – DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS

Short-Term Credit Ratings

An S&P Global Ratings short-term issue credit rating is generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. The following summarizes the rating categories used by S&P Global Ratings for short-term issues:

“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 commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

“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. A rating on an obligation is lowered to “D” if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.

Local Currency and Foreign Currency Ratings - S&P Global Ratings’ issuer credit ratings make a distinction between foreign currency ratings and local currency ratings. A foreign currency rating on an issuer can differ from the local currency rating on it when the obligor has a different capacity to meet its obligations denominated in its local currency, versus obligations denominated in a foreign currency.

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

Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) short-term ratings are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect both on the likelihood of a default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment.

Moody’s employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

A-1

“P-1” - Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 reflect a superior ability to repay short-term obligations.

“P-2” - Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 reflect a strong ability to repay short-term obligations.

“P-3” - Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated 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.

“NR” - Is assigned to an unrated issuer, obligation and/or program.

Fitch, Inc. / Fitch Ratings Ltd. (“Fitch”) short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-term ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as “short-term” based on market convention.1 Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets. The following summarizes the rating categories used by Fitch for short-term obligations:

“F1” - Securities possess the highest short-term credit quality. This designation indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

“F2” - Securities possess good short-term credit quality. This designation indicates good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

“F3” - Securities possess fair short-term credit quality. This designation indicates that the intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

“B” - Securities possess speculative short-term credit quality. This designation indicates minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

“C” - Securities possess 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.

“NR” - Is assigned to an issue of a rated issuer that are not and have not been rated.

The DBRS Morningstar® Ratings Limited (“DBRS Morningstar”) short-term obligation ratings provide DBRS Morningstar’s opinion on the risk that an issuer will not meet its short-term financial obligations in a timely manner. The obligations rated in this category typically have a term of shorter than one year. The R-1 and R-2 rating categories are further denoted by the subcategories “(high)”, “(middle)”, and “(low)”.

1 A long-term rating can also be used to rate an issue with short maturity.

A-2

The following summarizes the ratings used by DBRS Morningstar for commercial paper and short-term debt:

“R-1 (high)” - Short-term debt rated “R-1 (high)” is of the highest credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is exceptionally high. Unlikely to be adversely affected by future events.

“R-1 (middle)” - Short-term debt rated “R-1 (middle)” is of superior credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is very high. Differs from “R-1 (high)” by a relatively modest degree. Unlikely to be significantly vulnerable to future events.

“R-1 (low)” - Short-term debt rated “R-1 (low)” is of good credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is substantial. Overall strength is not as favorable as higher rating categories. May be vulnerable to future events, but qualifying negative factors are considered manageable.

“R-2 (high)” - Short-term debt rated “R-2 (high)” is considered to be at the upper end of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events.

“R-2 (middle)” - Short-term debt rated “R-2 (middle)” is considered to be of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events or may be exposed to other factors that could reduce credit quality.

“R-2 (low)” - Short-term debt rated “R-2 (low)” is considered to be at the lower end of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events. A number of challenges are present that could affect the issuer’s ability to meet such obligations.

“R-3” - Short-term debt rated “R-3” is considered to be at the lowest end of adequate credit quality. There is a capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due. May be vulnerable to future events and the certainty of meeting such obligations could be impacted by a variety of developments.

“R-4” - Short-term debt rated “R-4” is considered to be of speculative credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is uncertain.

“R-5” - Short-term debt rated “R-5” is considered to be of highly speculative credit quality. There is a high level of uncertainty as to the capacity to meet short-term financial obligations as they fall due.

“D” - Short-term debt rated “D” is assigned when the issuer has filed under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or winding-up statute or there is a failure to satisfy an obligation after the exhaustion of grace periods. DBRS Morningstar may also use “SD” (Selective Default) in cases where only some securities are impacted, such as the case of a “distressed exchange”.

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings

The following summarizes the ratings used by S&P Global Ratings for long-term issues:

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

A-3

“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 exposure 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 (-) - 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-4

Local Currency and Foreign Currency Risks - S&P Global Ratings’ issuer credit ratings make a distinction between foreign currency ratings and local currency ratings. A foreign currency rating on an issuer can differ from the local currency rating on it when the obligor has a different capacity to meet its obligations denominated in its local currency, versus obligations denominated in a foreign currency.

Moody’s long-term ratings are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations with an original maturity of eleven months or more. Such ratings reflect both on the likelihood of default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment. The following summarizes the ratings used by Moody’s for long-term debt:

“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 judged to be 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 and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Note: 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.

“NR” - Is assigned to an unrated issuer, obligation and/or program.

The following summarizes long-term ratings used by Fitch:

“AAA” - Securities considered to be of the 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” - Securities considered to be of 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-5

“A” - Securities considered to be of 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” - Securities considered to be of 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” - Securities considered to be speculative. “BB” ratings indicates 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” - Securities considered to be highly speculative. “B” ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

“CCC” - A “CCC” rating indicates that substantial credit risk is present.

“CC” - A “CC” rating indicates very high levels of credit risk.

“C” - A “C” rating 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 on their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. Fitch believes that this approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

Plus (+) or minus (-) 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”.

“NR” - Is assigned to an unrated issue of a rated issuer.

The DBRS Morningstar long-term obligation ratings provide DBRS Morningstar’s opinion on the risk that investors may not be repaid in accordance with the terms under which the long-term obligation was issued. The obligations rated in this category typically have a term of one year or longer. All rating categories other than AAA and D also contain subcategories “(high)” and “(low)”. The absence of either a “(high)” or “(low)” designation indicates the rating is in the middle of the category. The following summarizes the ratings used by DBRS Morningstar for long-term debt:

“AAA” - Long-term debt rated “AAA” is of the highest credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is exceptionally high and unlikely to be adversely affected by future events.

“AA” - Long-term debt rated “AA” is of superior credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is considered high. Credit quality differs from “AAA” only to a small degree. Unlikely to be significantly vulnerable to future events.

“A” - Long-term debt rated “A” is of good credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is substantial, but of lesser credit quality than “AA.” May be vulnerable to future events, but qualifying negative factors are considered manageable.

“BBB” - Long-term debt rated “BBB” is of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is considered acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events.

A-6

“BB” - Long-term debt rated “BB” is of speculative, non-investment grade credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is uncertain. Vulnerable to future events.

“B” - Long-term debt rated “B” is of highly speculative credit quality. There is a high level of uncertainty as to the capacity to meet financial obligations.

“CCC”, “CC” and “C” - Long-term debt rated in any of these categories is of very highly speculative credit quality. In danger of defaulting on financial obligations. There is little difference between these three categories, although “CC” and “C” ratings are normally applied to obligations that are seen as highly likely to default, or subordinated to obligations rated in the “CCC” to “B” range. Obligations in respect of which default has not technically taken place but is considered inevitable may be rated in the “C” category.

“D” - A security rated “D” is assigned when the issuer has filed under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or winding up statute or there is a failure to satisfy an obligation after the exhaustion of grace periods. DBRS Morningstar may also use “SD” (Selective Default) in cases where only some securities are impacted, such as the case of a “distressed exchange”.

Municipal Note Ratings

An S&P Global Ratings U.S. municipal note rating reflects S&P Global Ratings’ opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, S&P Global Ratings’ analysis will review the following considerations:

Amortization schedule - the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and

Source of payment - the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.

Municipal Short-Term Note rating symbols are as follows:

“SP-1” - A municipal note rated “SP-1” exhibits a 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.

“SP-2” - A municipal note rated “SP-2” exhibits a satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.

“SP-3” - A municipal note rated “SP-3” exhibits a speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.

“D” - This rating 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 uses the global short-term Prime rating scale (listed above under Short-Term Credit Ratings) for commercial paper issued by U.S. municipalities and nonprofits. These commercial paper programs may be backed by external letters of credit or liquidity facilities, or by an issuer’s self-liquidity.

A-7

For other short-term municipal obligations, Moody’s uses one of two other short-term rating scales, the Municipal Investment Grade (“MIG”) and Variable Municipal Investment Grade (“VMIG”) scales provided below.

Moody’s uses the MIG scale for U.S. municipal cash flow notes, bond anticipation notes and certain other short-term obligations, which typically mature in three years or less. Under certain circumstances, Moody’s uses the MIG scale for bond anticipation notes with maturities of up to five years.

MIG Scale

“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.

“NR” - Is assigned to an unrated issuer, obligation and/or program.

In the case of variable rate demand obligations (“VRDOs”), Moody’s assigns both a long-term rating and a short-term payment obligation rating. The long-term rating addresses the issuer’s ability to meet scheduled principal and interest payments. The short-term payment obligation rating addresses the ability of the issuer or the liquidity provider to meet any purchase price payment obligation resulting from optional tenders (“on demand”) and/or mandatory tenders of the VRDO. The short-term payment obligation rating uses the VMIG scale. Transitions of VMIG ratings with conditional liquidity support differ from transitions of Prime ratings reflecting the risk that external liquidity support will terminate if the issuer’s long-term rating drops below investment grade.

Moody’s typically assigns the VMIG rating if the frequency of the payment obligation is less than every three years. If the frequency of the payment obligation is less than three years but the obligation is payable only with remarketing proceeds, the VMIG short-term rating is not assigned and it is denoted as “NR”.

“VMIG-1” - This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections.

“VMIG-2” - This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections.

“VMIG-3” - This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections.

“SG” - This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have a sufficiently strong short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections.

“NR” - Is assigned to an unrated issuer, obligation and/or program.

About Credit Ratings

A-8

An S&P Global Ratings issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion reflects S&P Global Ratings’ view of the obligor’s capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and this opinion may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.

Ratings assigned on Moody’s global long-term and short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities.

Fitch’s credit ratings are forward-looking opinions on the relative ability of an entity or obligation to meet financial commitments. Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) are assigned to corporations, sovereign entities, financial institutions such as banks, leasing companies and insurers, and public finance entities (local and regional governments). Issue-level ratings are also assigned, and often include an expectation of recovery, which may be notched above or below the issuer-level rating. Issue ratings are assigned to secured and unsecured debt securities, loans, preferred stock and other instruments. Credit ratings are indications of the likelihood of repayment in accordance with the terms of the issuance. In limited cases, Fitch may include additional considerations (i.e., rate to a higher or lower standard than that implied in the obligation’s documentation).

DBRS Morningstar offers independent, transparent, and innovative credit analysis to the market. Credit ratings are forward-looking opinions about credit risk that reflect the creditworthiness of an issuer, rated entity, security and/or obligation based on DBRS Morningstar’s quantitative and qualitative analysis in accordance with applicable methodologies and criteria. They are meant to provide opinions on relative measures of risk and are not based on expectations of, or meant to predict, any specific default probability. Credit ratings are not statements of fact. DBRS Morningstar issues credit ratings using one or more categories, such as public, private, provisional, finalized, solicited, or unsolicited. From time to time, credit ratings may also be subject to trends, placed under review, or discontinued. DBRS Morningstar credit ratings are determined by credit rating committees.

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APPENDIX B – PROXY VOTING POLICIES

BROWN ADVISORY LLC AND BROWN ADVISORY LIMITED

PROXY VOTING POLICY ON SECURITIES

Brown Advisory (hereafter ‘the firm’) considers proxy voting to be an important part of executing our responsibilities to our clients. When clients designate voting authority to the Firm, we seek to vote proxies in line with our fiduciary duty. Overall, the Firm aims to vote in favor of proposals that we believe will maximize shareholder value over time.

This policy contains the considerations and preferences that guide our proxy voting on securities—including differences between our process for institutional strategies and for advisory clients—followed by our general Proxy Voting Guidelines, developed in consultation with Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS).

This Policy is designed to ensure that the Firm votes proxies in the best interest of clients, so as to promote the long-term economic value of the underlying securities. These votes are informed by the consideration of any material and applicable information.

Governance and Oversight

Proxy voting is overseen by a Proxy Voting Committee consisting of colleagues from teams around the Firm including equity research, legal and compliance, sustainable investing, client service and operations. The Proxy Voting Committee is responsible for approving any changes to the Proxy Voting Policy. The Proxy Voting Policy is reviewed on at least an annual basis.

Proxy Advisory Services

To facilitate the proxy voting process, the Firm has engaged Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”), an unaffiliated, third-party proxy voting service, to provide proxy research and voting recommendations. In addition, the Firm subscribes to ISS’s proxy vote management system, which provides a means to receive and vote proxies, as well as services for record-keeping, auditing, reporting and disclosure regarding votes. However, securities held within institutional equity strategies are voted on a case-by-case basis, meaning, we do not rely exclusively on the proxy policy, and complement our proxy provider’s research with our own in-house research to arrive at independent decisions, when needed. The Firm will regularly review our relationship with ISS in order to assess its capacity and competency to provide services to the Firm and to review certain of its significant policies and procedures, including those governing conflicts of interests, error identification and correction and processes to evaluate additional information received during the proxy process.

Voting Responsibilities

With respect to securities held in our institutional equity strategies, determining how a vote will be cast begins with our research analysts and, ultimately, rests with the portfolio managers for each Brown Advisory strategy. While we use the recommendations of ISS as a baseline for our voting, especially for routine management proposals, we vote each proposal after consideration on a case-by-case basis.

Client Specific Guidelines

From time to time, clients may prefer to elect alternative voting guidelines. In cases where a client desires to elect alternative voting guidelines, the Firm will work with the client and ISS to identify appropriate alternative voting guidelines. Where no appropriate pre-defined alternative guidelines are available, the Firm will endeavor to work with the client to define and set up guidelines to vote proxies on a case-by-case basis. If pre- defined alternative ISS policy guidelines are selected that the Firm has not previously implemented, members of the Firm’s proxy voting committee will review the policy and determine whether it may be offered to a broader array of clients as part of the on-boarding process. The Firm may recommend a departure from specific aspects of the selected policy’s guidelines when it deems such a departure to be in the client’s best interest.

Institutional Proxy Voting Process

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Proxy voting for our institutional investment strategies is overseen by a Proxy Voting Committee consisting of colleagues from teams around the Firm including equity research, legal and compliance, sustainable investing and operations.

The Committee is responsible for overseeing the proxy voting process. Determining how a vote will be cast begins with the research analysts and, ultimately, rests with the portfolio managers for each Brown Advisory equity investment strategy. While we use the recommendations of ISS as a baseline for our voting, especially for routine management proposals, we vote each proposal after consideration on a case-by-case basis.

Advisory Client Proxy Voting Process

Proxy voting for our Advisory clients (meaning clients for whom we manage customized accounts in a discretionary relationship according to their goals) is facilitated and monitored by our Proxy Voting Operations team. The team is responsible for arrangements with all custodial partners to have accounts set to electronic omnibus ballot distribution to our proxy voting agency, ISS. When omnibus ballot distribution is not supported, individualized account set up and distribution will be arranged.

Unless otherwise agreed with a client, Brown Advisory’s Proxy Voting Policy is assigned by default to our Advisory client accounts.

Decision Not to Vote

In recognition of its fiduciary obligations, the Firm generally endeavors to vote the proxies it receives. However, the Firm may abstain from voting proxies in certain circumstances. For example, the Firm may determine that abstaining from voting is appropriate if voting is not in the best interest of the client. In addition to abstentions due to material conflicts of interest, situations in which we would not vote proxies might include:

■Circumstances where the cost of voting the proxy exceeds the expected benefits to the client.

■Circumstances where there are significant impediments to an efficient voting process, including with respect to non-US issuers where the vote requires translations or other burdensome conditions.

■Circumstances where the vote would not reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the value of the client’s investment.

Reporting and Transparency

Brown Advisory publishes proxy voting activity for our internally managed mutual funds on its website and provides reporting to clients as required or requested.

BROWN ADVISORY PROXY VOTING POLICY ON SECURITIES

Proxy Voting Principles for Securities Held within our Institutional Strategies

The following principles serve as a foundation of our approach to proxy voting for securities held within our institutional strategies. For these securities, Brown Advisory’s equity research team has researched the company and generally is well-informed of any issues that are material to the company’s business model and practices. As such, we believe we are in a position to engage with companies on these issues both through proxy voting and other engagement practices.

■Proxy voting is our fiduciary duty. We hold ourselves responsible for aligning our investment decision- making process and our proxy voting, in order to be consistent about what we seek from companies we hold in our institutional portfolios. We seek investments that are building and protecting long-term shareholder value, and we align all proxy voting activity with this goal. Responsible management of sustainability issues may be one input to achieving long-term shareholder value, and as such, we may support those shareholder proposals that encourage company action on what we believe are material risks or opportunities. However, no goal – sustainability-related or otherwise – will supplant the goal of seeking long-term financial performance.

■Transparency is essential. Brown Advisory is committed to providing proxy reporting and standardized disclosure of our voting history, as well as publishing N-PX filings for our mutual funds as required by law. Transparency is an important step in helping our clients evaluate whether we uphold our stated principles.

■Bottom-up due diligence should inform voting decisions. We seek to review each proposal that comes up for vote. Our analysts seek to dive below the surface and fully understand the implications of especially

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complex and material proposals. The recommendations of our proxy voting partner, ISS, are taken into consideration but do not determine our final decisions.

■Proxy voting can be a part of a larger program to encourage better management risks and opportunities that may affect the investment return. Proxy voting is one way to communicate with companies on risks and opportunities that may present a challenge or present an opportunity for a business, and in turn its investment returns. To complement our proxy voting process, and sometimes as result of it, our investment team might choose to pursue an extended engagement with a company as it relates to any information found during the due-diligence process for determining the vote.

Institutional Proxy Voting Process

Members of the Firm’s equity research team receive weekly notification of all upcoming meetings taking place at companies in their coverage. Fundamental research analysts guide vote recommendations on management proposals, and sustainable investment research analysts guide vote recommendations on shareholder proposals, with both groups working together to think through the relevant issues. Final vote decisions ultimately are made by the portfolio manager.

Proposals may require additional due diligence and benefit from collaborative investigation, and this is determined on a case-by-case basis. Where necessary, our analysts will conduct research on each proposal, which may include information contained in public filings, policy recommendations and management conversations. To enhance our analysis, we may collaborate with our internal and external networks, the resolution filer and/ or associated coalition, ISS analysts about their recommendation, the company itself and relevant industry experts. If our additional due diligence uncovers factual errors, incompleteness or inaccuracies in the analysis or recommendation underpinning our vote, the Firm will seek to bring this to the attention of ISS.

In cases where the final voting recommendation is in line with our Proxy Voting Policy, the vote is cast automatically. When our recommendation diverges from the Policy the responsible analyst will contact the portfolio managers who own the company and who have final decision-making power to share their rationale. In most cases, the portfolio managers agree with the analyst’s recommendation, in rare cases they may overrule. In either case, the final recommendation is provided to Brown Advisory’s operations team, which documents the rationale for the vote and ensures vote execution. All votes cast against policy require approval from the Firm’s General Counsel or designee.

In the event that portfolio managers of different strategies disagree on the vote recommendation for a company they all own, a split vote may be conducted. In general, this disagreement is due to portfolio managers having unique views on an issue. A split vote divides all of the company’s shares held by Brown Advisory and splits the vote in accordance with the strategy’s share ownership to reflect the individual preferences of each strategy’s portfolio manager(s). Split votes trigger a review from the Proxy Voting Committee, and such votes must be approved by the Firm’s General Counsel or designee.

Advisory Client Voting Process

Proxy voting for our Advisory clients is facilitated and monitored by our Proxy Voting Operations team. The team is responsible for arrangements with all custodial partners to have accounts set to electronic omnibus ballot distribution to our proxy voting agency, ISS. When omnibus ballot distribution is not supported, individualized account set up and distribution will be arranged. Unless otherwise agreed with a client, Brown Advisory’s Proxy Voting Policy is assigned by default to our Advisory client accounts.

The following exceptions can apply to standard voting for Advisory clients:

•Client Directed: A client will always retain her or his authority to request verbally and confirm in writing their request to:

•Attend a meeting and vote

•Vote in line with account owner request

•Request a take no action or abstention

•No Voting: A client, during on-boarding, will have the ability to request accounts to be set to have voting ballots mailed directly to the account owner’s address.

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•Holdings in Mutual Funds: All holdings owned by our Advisory client base also held in our fund complexes are overseen and governed by the voting practices detailed in the Institutional section.

•Client-specific Guidelines: Whereas we have a standard policy default, we have the capability to provide our Advisory clients with the option to customize their voting preferences. Should a client desire a customized approach, the Brown Advisory client team will work directly with the client, Brown Advisory Operations, and ISS to establish and implement client-specific guidelines.

•No ISS Recommendations: If a client is invested in a company where ISS will not be supplying voting recommendations (e.g., privately held companies), the analyst covering the company will supply voting recommendations. Should the company not be covered internally, the client’s portfolio manager will be notified and asked to instruct the vote.

The following voting practices are applied to separately managed portfolios:

•Brown Advisory institutional strategies held in a separately managed account (SMA): Holdings within Brown Advisory SMAs are overseen and governed by the Proxy Voting Committee and follow all protocols detailed in the Institutional section.

•Externally managed strategies held in a SMA: Holdings within an externally managed strategy held as a SMA are set up with the delegated and/or appointed manager for voting. In other terms, Brown Advisory yields voting authority to the appointed manager.

GENERAL POSITIONS

Below is a summary of Brown Advisory’s general positions for voting on common proxy questions when Brown Advisory is authorized to vote shares at its discretion rather than by a client’s specific guidelines. Given the dynamic and wide-ranging nature of corporate governance issues that may arise, this summary is not intended to be exhaustive.

Management Recommendations

Since the quality and depth of management is a primary factor considered when investing in an issuer, the recommendation of the issuer’s management on any issue will be given substantial weight. Furthermore, Brown Advisory runs concentrated equity portfolios which we believe generally results in holding high quality companies that have strong and trustworthy management teams. This quality bias results in our portfolio managers generally supporting management proposals. Although proxies with respect to most issues are voted in line with the recommendation of the issuer’s management, the Firm will not blindly vote in favor of management. The Firm will not support proxy proposals or positions that it believes compromise clients’ best interests or that the Firm determines may be detrimental to the underlying value of client positions.

Election of Directors

Although proxies will typically be voted for a management-proposed slate of directors, the Firm may vote against (or withhold votes for) such directors if there are compelling corporate governance reasons for doing so. Some of these reasons may include where a director: attends less than 75% of board and relevant committee meetings; is the CEO of a company where a serious restatement occurred after the CEO certified the financial statements; served at a time when a poison pill was adopted without shareholder approval within the prior year; is the CFO of the company; has an interlocking directorship; has a perceived conflict of interest (or the director’s immediate family member has a perceived conflict of interest); or serves on an excessive number of boards.

The Firm seeks to support independent boards of directors comprised of members with diverse backgrounds (including gender and race), a breadth and depth of relevant experience (including sustainability), and a track record of positive, long-term performance. We believe that diverse boards, which incorporate a broad range of perspectives, lead to better investment performance. Therefore, we are committed to using our vote to support this principle. The Firm may vote against any boards that do not have the following levels of diversity (i.e. directors who are women or other underrepresented groups):

■For boards consisting of six or fewer directors, the Firm may vote against the Nominating Committee Chair where the board does not have two diverse directors by 2024.

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■For boards consisting of more than six directors, the Firm may vote against the Nominating Committee Chair where the board does not have 30% diverse directors by 2024.

■In cases where the Nominating Committee Chair is not up for re-election, the Firm may vote against other board members including the Chair of the board.

Separation of the roles of Chairperson and CEO is generally supported, but the Firm will not vote against a CEO who serves as chairperson or director on this basis alone. In the absence of an independent chairperson, however, the Firm generally supports the appointment of a lead director with authority to conduct sessions outside the presence of the insider chairperson.

The Firm will typically vote against any inside director seeking appointment to a key committee (audit, compensation, nominating or governance), since the Firm believes that the service of independent directors on such committees best protects and enhances the interests of shareholders. Where insufficient information is provided regarding performance metrics, or where pay is not tied to performance (e.g., where management has excessive discretion to alter performance terms or previously defined targets), the Firm will typically vote against the chair of the compensation committee.

Appointment and Rotation of Auditors

Management recommendations regarding selection of an auditor shall generally be supported, but the Firm will not support the ratification of an auditor when there appears to be a hindrance on auditor independence, intentional accounting irregularity or negligence by the auditor. Some examples include: when an auditing firm has other relationships with the company that may suggest a conflict of interest; when the auditor bears some responsibility for a restatement by the company; when a company has aggressive accounting policies or lack of transparency in financial statements; and when a company changes auditors as a result of disagreement between the company and the auditor regarding accounting principles or disclosure issues. The firm will generally support proposals for voluntary auditor rotation with reasonable frequency and/or rationale.

Changes in State of Incorporation or Capital Structure

Management recommendations about reincorporation are generally supported unless the new jurisdiction in which the issuer is reincorporating has laws that would dilute the rights of shareholders of the issuer. The Firm will generally vote against reincorporation where it believes the financial benefits are minimal and there is a decrease in shareholder rights. Shareholder proposals to change the company’s place of incorporation generally will only be supported in exceptional circumstances.

Proposals to increase the number of authorized shares will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Because adequate capital stock is important to the operation of a company, the Firm will generally support the authorization of additional shares, unless the issuer has not disclosed a detailed plan for use of the shares, or where the number of shares far exceeds those needed to accomplish a detailed plan. Additionally, if the issuance of new shares will limit shareholder rights or could excessively dilute the value of outstanding shares, then such proposals will be supported only if they are in the best interest of the client.

Corporate Restructurings, Mergers and Acquisitions

All proposed transactions are reviewed on a case-by-case basis according to their specific merits and drawbacks. Vote recommendations are made based on the review of various factors. Factors that may be considered within the analysis include the reasonableness of the valuation, market response to the announcement of the proposed deal, the fit of the proposed transaction within the company’s long-term strategy, management's track record for successful transaction implementation, changes to the governance profile of the company post transaction, and any conflicts of interest that may be present.

Proposals Affecting Shareholder Rights

The Firm generally favors proposals that are likely to promote shareholder rights and/or increase shareholder value. Proposals that seek to limit shareholder rights, such as the creation of dual classes of stock, generally will not be supported.

Anti-takeover Issues

Measures that impede takeovers or entrench management will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, considering the rights of shareholders, since the financial interest of shareholders regarding buyout offers is so substantial.

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Although the Firm generally opposes anti-takeover measures because they tend to diminish shareholder rights and reduce management accountability, the Firm generally supports proposals that allow shareholders to vote on whether to implement a “poison pill” plan (shareholder rights plan). In certain circumstances, the Firm may support a limited poison pill to accomplish a particular objective, such as the closing of an important merger, or a pill that contains a reasonable ‘qualifying offer’ provision. The Firm generally supports anti-greenmail proposals, which prevent companies from buying back company stock at significant premiums from a large shareholder.

Shareholder Action

The Firm generally supports proposals that allow shareholders to call special meetings, with a minimum threshold of shareholders requesting such a meeting. The Firm believes that best practice for a minimum threshold of shareholders required to call a special meeting is generally considered to be between 20-25%, however the Firm assesses this on a company-by-company basis. Proposals that allow shareholders to act by written consent are also generally supported, if there is a threshold of the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize the action at a meeting at which all shareholders entitled to vote were present and voting. The Firm believes that best practice for a minimum threshold of shareholders required to act by written consent is generally considered to be between 20-25%, however the Firm assesses this on a company-by-company basis. In order to assess the appropriateness of special meeting and written consent provisions the Firm would, for example, consider the make-up of the existing investor base/ownership, to determine whether a small number of investors could easily achieve the required threshold, as well as what other mechanisms or governance provisions already exist for shareholders to access management.

Proxy Access

The Firm believes that shareholders should, under reasonable conditions, have the right to nominate directors of a company. The Firm believes that it is generally in the best interest of shareholders for companies to provide shareholders with reasonable opportunity to exercise this right, while also ensuring that short-term investors or investors without substantial investment in the company cannot abuse this right. In general, we believe that the appropriate threshold for proxy access should permit up to 20 shareholders that collectively own 3% or more of the company’s outstanding shares for 3 or more years to nominate the greater of 2 directors or 20% of the board’s directors, however the Firm assesses this on a case-by-case basis.

Executive Compensation

Although management recommendations should be given substantial weight, proposals relating to executive compensation plans, including stock option plans and other equity-based compensation, should be examined on a case-by- case basis to ensure that the long-term interests of management and shareholders are properly aligned. This alignment includes assessing whether compensation is tied to both material sustainability and financial KPIs. Share count and voting power dilution should be limited.

The Firm generally favors the grant of restricted stock units (RSUs) to executives, since RSUs are an important component of compensation packages that link executives’ compensation with their performance and that of the company. The Firm typically opposes caps on executive stock RSUs, since tying an executive’s compensation to the performance of the company provides incentive to maximize share value. The Firm also supports equity grants to directors, which help align the interests of outside directors with those of shareholders, although such awards should not be performance-based, so that directors are not incentivized in the same manner as executives.

Proposals to reprice or exchange RSUs are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but are generally opposed. The Firm generally will support a repricing only in limited circumstances, such as if the stock decline mirrors the market or industry price decline in terms of timing and magnitude and the exchange is not value destructive to shareholders.

Although matters of executive compensation should generally be left to the board’s compensation committee, proposals to limit executive compensation will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

The Firm generally supports shareholder proposals to allow shareholders an advisory vote on compensation. Absent a compelling reason, companies should submit say-on-pay votes to shareholders every year, since such votes promote valuable communication between the board and shareholders regarding compensation. Where there is an issue involving egregious or excessive bonuses, equity awards or severance payments (including golden parachutes), the Firm will generally vote against a say-on-pay proposal. The Firm may oppose the election of compensation committee members at companies that do not satisfactorily align executive compensation with the interests of shareholders.

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Sustainability-Related Proposals

Brown Advisory seeks to cast all votes prudently and in line with long-term shareholder value, regardless of the topic on which a particular proposal focuses. Shareholder proposals regarding sustainability issues are evaluated in the same manner as all other proposals. We seek to support those proposals that our evaluation shows will likely have a clear and direct positive financial effect on shareholder value and would not impose unnecessary or excessive costs on the issuer. The sustainability-related proposals we support often result in increased reporting and disclosure, which we believe will benefit investors’ due diligence. In rare cases where the Firm believes a company has not adequately mitigated significant and material sustainability risks, the Firm may vote against directors.

Non-U.S. Proxy Proposals

For actively recommended issuers domiciled outside the United States, the Firm may follow ISS’s international proxy voting guidelines, including, in certain circumstances, country-specific guidelines.

Conflicts of Interest

A “conflict of interest” means any circumstance when the Firm or one of its affiliates (including officers, directors and employees), or in the case where the Firm serves as investment adviser to a Brown Advisory Fund, when the Fund or the principal underwriter, or one or more of their affiliates (including officers, directors and employees), knowingly does a material amount of business with, receives material 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 clients or Fund shareholders in how proxies of that issuer are voted. For example, a perceived conflict of interest may exist if an employee of the Firm serves as a director of an actively recommended issuer, or if the Firm is aware that a client serves as an officer or director of an actively recommended issuer. Conflicts of interest will be resolved in a manner the Firm believes is in the best interest of the client.

The firm should vote proxies relating to such issuers in accordance with the following procedures:

Routine Matters and Immaterial Conflicts: The Firm may vote proxies for routine matters, and for non-routine matters that are considered immaterial conflicts of interest, consistent with this Policy. A conflict of interest will be considered material to the extent that it is determined that such conflict has the potential to influence the Firm’s decision-making in voting a proxy. Materiality determinations will be made by the Chief Compliance Officer or designee based upon an assessment of the particular facts and circumstances.

Material Conflicts and Non-Routine Matters: If the firm believes that (a) it has a material conflict and (b) that the issue to be voted upon is non-routine or is not covered by this Policy, then to avoid any potential conflict of interest:

■In the case of a Fund, the Firm shall contact the Fund board for a review and determination.

■In the case of all other conflicts or potential conflicts, the Firm may “echo vote” such shares, if possible, which means the Firm will vote the shares in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of the issuer’s shares; OR in cases when echo voting is not possible, the Firm may defer to ISS recommendations, abstain or vote in a manner that the Firm, in consultation with the General Counsel, believes to be in the best interest of the client.

If the aforementioned options would not address or ameliorate the conflict or potential conflict, then the Firm may abstain from voting.

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Wellington Management Company LLP

Global Proxy Policy and Procedures

WELLINGTON’S PHILOSOPHY

Wellington Management is a long-term steward of our clients’ assets and aims to vote proxies for which we have voting authority in the best financial interest of clients.

These guidelines are based on Wellington Management’s fiduciary obligation to act in the best financial interest of its clients as shareholders and while written to apply globally, we consider jurisdictional differences to make informed decisions. Enumerated below are issues specific to the Japanese market given we have formulated more detailed expectations of this region.

It should be noted that the following are guidelines, not rigid rules, and Wellington Management reserves the right in all cases to deviate from the general direction set out below where doing so is in the best interest of its clients.

OUR APPROACH TO STEWARDSHIP

The goal of our stewardship activities is to support decisions that we believe will maximize investment returns for our clients over the long term.

The mechanisms we use to implement our stewardship activities vary by asset class. Engagement applies to all our investments across equity and credit, in both private and public markets. Proxy voting applies mostly to public equities.

Stewardship extends to any area that may affect the long-term sustainable financial return of an investment. Stewardship can be accomplished through research and constructive dialogue with company management and boards, by monitoring company behavior through informed active ownership, and by emphasizing management accountability for important issues via our proxy votes, which have long been part of Wellington’s investment ethos. Please refer to our Engagement Policy for more information on how engagement is conducted at Wellington.

OUR APPROACH TO VOTING

We vote proxies in what we consider to be the best financial interests of our clients. Our approach to voting is investment-led and serves as an influential component of our engagement and escalation strategy. The Investment Stewardship Committee, a cross-functional group of experienced professionals, oversees Wellington Management’s stewardship activities with regard to proxy voting and engagement practices.

Generally, routine issues that can be addressed by the proxy voting guidance below are voted by means of standing instructions communicated to our primary voting agent. Some votes warrant analysis of specific facts and circumstances and therefore are reviewed individually. We examine such proposals on their merits and take voting action in a manner that best serves the financial interests of our clients. When forming our voting decisions, we may leverage sources including internal research notes, third-party voting research, and company engagement. While manual votes are often resolved by investment research teams, each portfolio manager is empowered to make a final decision for their relevant client portfolio(s), absent a material conflict of interest. Proactive portfolio manager input is sought under certain circumstances, which may include consideration of position size and proposal subject matter and nature. Where portfolio manager input is proactively sought, deliberation across the firm may occur. This collaboration does not prioritize consensus across the firm above all other interests but rather seeks to inform portfolio managers’ decisions by allowing them to consider multiple perspectives. Consistent with our community-of- boutiques model, portfolio managers may occasionally arrive at different voting conclusions for their clients, resulting in different decisions for the same vote. Robust voting procedures and the deliberation that occurs before a vote decision are aligned with our role as active owners and fiduciaries for our clients.

We generally support shareholder proposals if we determine that their adoption would promote long-term shareholder value. In making this determination, we consider numerous factors, including but not limited to the

anticipated benefits of the proposal to the company; whether the proposal addresses the general interests of the company’s shareholders and not just those of the shareholder proponents; whether the company is currently addressing the issue motivating the proposal or has engaged with the shareholder proponents; whether the company can implement the proposal effectively; and whether the proposal’s adoption would impose material costs on the company or result in unintended consequences.

In addition, because proxy voting provides only limited means (i.e., voting ‘‘for’’ or ‘‘against’’) to express our views on a particular issue, we may support shareholder proposals in cases where we do not support every recommended action or where the proposal is accompanied by a supporting statement that we do not support so long as we are directionally aligned with the issue motivating the proposal. In these cases, we aim to engage directly with the company to clarify the nuanced view our vote represents.

Please refer to our Global Proxy Policy and Procedures for further background on the process and governance of our voting approach.

Detailed below are the principles that we consider when deciding how to vote.

VOTING GUIDELINES

BOARD COMPOSITION AND ROLE OF DIRECTORS

Effective boards should act in shareholders’ best economic interests and possess the relevant skills to implement the company’s strategy.

We consider shareholders’ ability to elect directors annually an important right and, accordingly, generally support proposals to enable annual director elections and declassify boards.

We may withhold votes from directors for being unresponsive to shareholders or for failing to make progress on issues material to maximizing investment returns. We may also withhold votes from directors who fail to implement shareholder proposals that if adopted would promote long-term shareholder value and have received majority support or have implemented poison pills without shareholder approval.

Time commitments

We expect directors to have the time and energy to fully commit to their board-related responsibilities and not be overstretched with an excessive number of external directorships. We may vote against directors when serving on five or more public company boards, and public company executives when serving on three or more public company boards, including their own.

We consider the roles of board chair and chair of the audit committee as equivalent to an additional board seat when evaluating the overboarding matrix for nonexecutives. We may take into consideration that certain directorships, such as Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) and investment companies, are usually less demanding.

Directors should also attend at least 75% of scheduled board meetings. If they fail to do so, we may vote against their reelection.

Succession planning and board refreshment

We do not have specific voting policies relating to director age or tenure. We prefer to take a holistic view, evaluating whether the company is balancing the perspectives of new directors with the institutional knowledge of longer-serving board members. Succession planning is a key topic during many of our board engagements.

We expect companies to refresh their board membership every five years and may vote against the chair of the nominating committee for failure to implement. We believe a degree of director turnover allows companies to strengthen board diversity and add new skill sets to the board to enhance their oversight and adapt to evolving strategies.

Boards should offer transparency around their process to evaluate director performance and independence, conducting a rigorous regular evaluation of the board --- key committees as well as individual directors --- which is responsive to shareholder input. We believe externally facilitated board evaluations may contribute to companies retaining an appropriate mix of skills, experience, and diversity on their boards over time.

In certain markets companies are governed by multi-tiered boards, with each tier having different responsibilities. We hold supervisory board members to similar standards, subject to prevailing local governance best practices.

Board independence

In our view, boards perform best when composed of an appropriate combination of executive and nonexecutive (in particular, independent nonexecutive) directors to challenge and counsel management.

To determine appropriate minimum levels of board independence, we look to prevailing market best practices: two- thirds in the US, for example, and a majority in the UK and France. In addition to the overall independence at the board level, we also consider the independence of audit, compensation, and nominating committees. Where independence falls short of our expectations, we may withhold approval for non-independent directors or those responsible for the board composition. We typically vote in support of shareholder proposals calling for improved independence.

We believe that having an independent chair is the preferred structure for board leadership. Having an independent chair avoids the inherent conflict of self-oversight and helps ensure robust debate and diversity of thought in the boardroom. We will generally support proposals to separate the chair and CEO or establish a lead director but may support the involvement of an outgoing CEO as executive chair for a limited period to ensure a smooth transition to new management.

Board diversity

We believe boards that reflect a wide range of perspectives are best positioned to create shareholder value. Appointing boards that thoughtfully debate company strategy and direction is not possible unless boards elect highly qualified and diverse directors. By setting a leadership example, boardrooms with a wide range of experiences, expertise, and perspectives encourage an organizational culture that promotes diverse thinkers, enabling better strategic decisions and the navigation of increasingly complex issues facing companies today.

We think it is not in shareholders’ best interests for the full board to be comprised of directors who all share the same background, experience, and personal characteristics (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, and age). We expect our portfolio companies to be thoughtful and intentional in considering the widest possible pool of skilled candidates who bring diverse perspectives into the boardroom. We encourage companies to disclose the composition and qualifications of their board and to communicate their ambitions and strategies for creating and fostering a diverse board.

We reserve the right to vote against the reelection of the Nominating/Governance Committee Chair when the board is not meeting local market standards from a diversity perspective. We expect a minimum of 20% gender diversity at major indices such as the S&P 500 and encourage boards to strive for 30% gender diversity. From 2025, we may vote against the reelection of the Nominating/Governance Committee Chair at major indices not meeting this 30% goal.

Outside of the above major indices and absent a market-defined standard, we may vote against the reelection of the Nominating/Governance Committee Chair where no gender-diverse directors are represented on a board.

We reserve the right to vote against the reelection of the Nominating/Governance Committee Chair at US large-cap and FTSE 100 companies that failed to appoint at least one director from a minority ethnic group and fail to provide a clear and compelling reason for being unable to do so. We will continue to engage on diversity of the board in other markets and may vote against the reelection of directors where we fail to see improvements.

Majority vote on election of directors

Because we believe the election of directors by a majority of votes cast is the appropriate standard, we will generally support proposals that seek to adopt such a standard. Our support will typically extend to situations where the relevant company has an existing resignation policy for directors that receive a majority of ‘‘withhold’’ votes. We believe majority voting should be defined in the company’s charter and not simply in its corporate governance policy.

Generally, we oppose proposals that fail to provide for the exceptional use of a plurality standard in the case of contested elections. Further, we will not support proposals that seek to adopt a standard of majority of votes outstanding (total votes eligible as opposed to votes cast). We likely will support shareholder and management proposals to remove existing supermajority vote requirements.

Contested director elections

We approach contested director elections on a case-by-case basis, considering the specific circumstances of each situation to determine what we believe to be in the best financial interest of our clients. In each case, we welcome the opportunity to engage with both the company and the proponent to ensure that we understand both perspectives and are making an informed decision on our clients’ behalf.

COMPENSATION

Executive compensation plans establish the incentive structure that plays a role in strategy-setting, decision making, and risk management. While design and structure vary widely, we believe the most effective compensation plans attract and retain high-caliber executives, foster a culture of performance and accountability, and align management’s interests with those of long-term shareholders.

Due to each company’s unique circumstances and wide range of plan structures, Wellington determines support for a compensation plan on a case-by-case basis. We support plans that we believe lead to long-term value creation for our clients and the right to vote on compensation plans annually.

In evaluating compensation plans, we consider the following attributes in the context of the company’s business, size, industry, and geographic location:

Alignment — We believe in pay-for-performance and encourage plan structures that align executive compensation with shareholder experience. We compare total compensation to performance metrics on an absolute and relative basis over various time frames, and we look for a strong positive correlation. To ensure shareholder alignment, executives should maintain meaningful equity ownership in the company while they are employed, and for a period thereafter.

Transparency — We expect compensation committees to articulate the decision-making process and rationale behind the plan structure, and to provide adequate disclosure so shareholders can evaluate actual compensation relative to the committee’s intentions. Disclosure should include how metrics, targets, and time frames are chosen, and detail desired outcomes. We also seek to understand how the compensation committee determines the target level of compensation and constructs the peer group for benchmarking purposes.

Structure — The plan should be clear and comprehensible. We look for a mix of cash versus equity, fixed versus variable, and short- versus long-term pay that incentivizes appropriate risk-taking and aligns with industry practice. Performance targets should be achievable but rigorous, and equity awards should be subject to performance and/or vesting periods of at least three years, to discourage executives from managing the business with a near-term focus.

Unless otherwise specified by local market regulators, performance-based compensation should be based on metrics that are objective, rigorous, and tied to shareholder value creation. Qualitative goals, including material environmental and social considerations material to financial performance, may be acceptable if a compensation committee has demonstrated a fair and consistent approach to evaluating qualitative performance and applying discretion over time.

Accountability — Compensation committees should be able to use discretion, positive and negative, to ensure compensation aligns with performance and provide a cogent explanation to shareholders. We generally oppose one- time awards aimed at retention or achieving a predetermined goal. Barring an extenuating circumstance, we view retesting provisions unfavorably.

Approving equity incentive plans

A well-designed equity incentive plan facilitates the alignment of interests of long-term shareholders, management, employees, and directors. We evaluate equity-based compensation plans on a case-by-case basis, considering projected plan costs, plan features, and grant practices. We will reconsider our support for a plan if we believe these factors, on balance, are not in the best financial interest of shareholders. Specific items of concern may include excessive cost or dilution, unfavorable change-in-control features, insufficient performance conditions, holding/vesting periods, or stock ownership requirements, repricing stock options/stock appreciation rights (SARs) without prior shareholder approval, or automatic share replenishment (an ‘‘evergreen’’ feature).

Employee stock purchase plans

We generally support employee stock purchase plans, as they may align employees’ interests with those of shareholders. That said, we typically vote against plans that do not offer shares to a broad group of employees (e.g., if only executives can participate) or plans that offer shares at a significant discount.

Nonexecutive director compensation

We expect companies to disclose nonexecutive director compensation and we prefer the use of an annual retainer or fee, delivered as cash, equity, or a combination. We do not believe nonexecutive directors should receive performance- based compensation, as this creates a potential conflict of interest. Nonexecutive directors oversee executive compensation plans; their objectivity is compromised if they design a plan that they also participate in.

Severance arrangements

We are mindful of the board’s need for flexibility in recruitment and retention but will oppose excessively generous arrangements unless agreements encourage management to negotiate in shareholders’ best financial interest. We generally support proposals calling for shareholder ratification of severance arrangements.

Retirement bonuses (Japan)

Misaligned compensation that is based on tenure and seniority may compromise director independence. We generally vote against directors and statutory auditors if retirement bonuses are given to outgoing directors.

Clawback policies

We believe companies should be able to recoup incentive compensation from members of management who received awards based on fraudulent activities, accounting misstatements, or breaches in standards of conduct that lead to corporate reputational damage. We generally support shareholder proposals requesting that a company establish a robust clawback provision if existing policies do not cover these circumstances. We also support proposals seeking greater transparency about the application of clawback policies.

Audit quality and oversight

Scrutiny of auditors, particularly audit quality and oversight, has been increasing. When we assess financial statement reporting and audit quality, we will generally support management’s choice of auditors, unless the auditors have demonstrated failure to act in shareholders’ best economic interests. We also pay close attention to the nonaudit services provided by auditors and consider the potential for the revenue from those services to create conflicts of interest that could compromise the integrity of financial statement audits.

SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS

Shareholder rights plans

Also known as poison pills, these plans can enable boards of directors to negotiate higher takeover prices on behalf of shareholders. Such plans also may be misused, however, as a means of entrenching management. Consequently, we may support plans that include a shareholder approval requirement, a sunset provision, or a permitted bid feature (e.g., bids that are made for all shares and demonstrate evidence of financing must be submitted to a shareholder vote).

Because boards generally have the authority to adopt shareholder rights plans without shareholder approval, we are equally vigilant in our assessment of requests for authorization of blank-check preferred shares.

Multiple voting rights

We generally support one share, one vote structures. The growing practice of going public with a dual-class share structure can raise governance and performance concerns. In our view, dual-class shares can create misalignment between shareholders’ economic stake and their voting power and can grant control to a small number of insiders who may make decisions that are not in the interests of all shareholders.

We generally prefer that companies dispense with dual-class share structures but we recognize that newly listed companies may benefit from a premium by building in some protection for founders for a limited time after their IPO. The Council of Institutional Investors, a nonprofit association of pension funds, endowments, and foundations, recommends that newly public companies that adopt structures with unequal voting rights do away with the structure within seven years of going public. We believe such sunset clauses are a reasonable compromise between founders seeking to defend against takeover attempts in pivotal early years, and shareholders demanding a mechanism for holding management accountable, especially in the event of leadership changes.

Similarly, we generally do not support the introduction of loyalty shares, which grant increased voting rights to investors who hold shares over multiple years.

Proxy access

We believe shareholders should have the right to nominate director candidates on the management’s proxy card. We will generally support shareholder proposals seeking proxy access unless the existing policy is already in line with market norms.

Special meeting rights

We believe the right to call a special meeting is an important shareholder right, and we will generally support such proposals to establish this right at companies that lack this facility. We will generally support a proposal lowering thresholds where the current level exceeds 15% and the proposal calls for a 10%+ threshold, taking into consideration the makeup of the existing shareholder base and the company’s general responsiveness to shareholders. If shareholders are granted the right to call special meetings, we generally do not support written consent.

Virtual meetings

Many companies established virtual-only shareholder meetings over the course of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual attendance allows investors to participate in more meetings and reduces the need for travel. We generally prefer shareholder meetings to take place in a hybrid format (virtual and in-person) where possible, allowing all shareholders, whether they attend in person or virtually, to ask questions. We expect companies hosting virtual-only shareholder meetings to provide a clear rationale underpinning their decision to do so, provide a live video stream of proceedings, and offer transparency on how questions may be submitted and are selected for discussion.

We may oppose amendments to articles of association permitting virtual-only meetings where we perceive shareholder rights to be at risk. We may also support relevant shareholder proposals requesting companies to facilitate the ability to attend in person.

CAPITAL STRUCTURE AND CAPITAL ALLOCATION

Mergers and acquisitions

We approach votes to approve mergers and acquisitions on a case-by-case basis, considering the specific circumstances of each proposal to determine what we believe to be in the best financial interests of our clients.

Increases in authorized common stock

We generally support requests for increases up to 100% of the shares with preemption rights. Exceptions will be made when the company has clearly articulated a reasonable need for a greater increase. Conversely, at companies trading in less-liquid markets, we may impose a lower threshold. When companies seek to issue shares without preemptive rights, we consider potential dilution and generally support requests when dilution is below 20%. For issuance with preemptive rights, we review on a case-by-case basis, considering the size of issuance relative to peers.

ENVIRONMENTAL TOPICS

We assess portfolio companies’ performance on environmental issues we deem to be material to long-term financial performance and communicate our expectations for best practice.

Climate change

As an asset manager entrusted with investing on our clients’ behalf, we aim to assess, monitor, and manage the potential effects of climate change on our investment processes and financial returns of client portfolios. Proxy voting is a key tool we use for managing climate-related investment risks – as part of our stewardship escalation process.

We expect companies facing material climate risks to have credible transition plans communicated using the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Appropriate reporting on climate readiness will help stakeholders understand those companies’ willingness and ability to adapt to or mitigate material climate-related risks. In addition to the voting policies specifically mentioned, we may also vote against directors at companies facing material climate risks where climate plans and disclosures meaningfully lag our expectations for those companies.

Emissions disclosure

We generally encourage all companies to disclose Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. While we recognize the challenges associated with collecting Scope 3 emissions data, this disclosure is necessary for us to fully understand the transition risks applicable to an issuer. Disclosure of both overall categories of Scope 3 emissions – upstream and downstream – with context and granularity from companies about the most significant Scope 3 sources enhances our ability to evaluate investment risks and opportunities. We generally encourage companies to adopt emerging global standards for measurement and disclosure of emissions such as those being developed by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and believe companies will benefit from acting now and consequently evolving their approach in line with emerging global standards.

We view disclosure of Scope 1 and 2 emissions as a minimum expectation where measurement practices are well- defined and attainable. We will generally vote against the reelection of the chair of MSCI World companies and large- cap companies in emerging markets that do not disclose Scope 1 and 2 emissions, have not made a commitment to do so in the next year, and where emissions intensity is material to financial performance.

Net-zero targets

As an outcome of enterprise risk management and strategic planning to reduce the potential negative financial impacts of climate change on shareholder value, we encourage companies to set a credible, science-based decarbonization glidepath, with an interim and long-term target, that comprises all categories of material emissions and is consistent with the ambition to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner. For certain high-emitting companies, we reserve the right to vote against the company chair where quantitative emission reduction targets have not been defined. We consider it to be best practice for companies to pursue validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

We generally support shareholder proposals asking companies facing material climate risks for improved disclosure on climate risk management and we generally support those that request alignment of business strategies with the Paris Agreement or similar language.

Biodiversity

Many companies are dependent on natural capital and biodiversity as key inputs either through direct resource extraction or their supply chain. Business activities may also impact the capacity of nature to provide social and economic functions. We recognize that biodiversity impact and loss can be challenging to quantify and measure, but we believe companies should assess environmental inputs and outputs. We encourage companies to report on financially material impacts and dependencies on natural capital relevant to their business.

Other environmental shareholder proposals

For other environmental proposals covering themes including biodiversity, natural capital, deforestation, water usage, (plastic) packaging, as well as palm oil, we take a case-by-case approach and will generally support proposals calling for companies to provide disclosure where this is additive to the company’s existing efforts, the proposed information pertains to a material financial impact, and in our view is of economic benefit to investors.

SOCIAL TOPICS

Corporate culture, human capital, and diversity, equity, and inclusion

Through engagement we emphasize to management the importance of how they invest in and cultivate their human capital to perpetuate a strong culture. We assess culture holistically from an alignment of management incentives, responsiveness to employee feedback, evidence of an equitable and sound talent management strategy and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices that promote shareholder value. We value transparency and use of key performance indicators.

A well-articulated culture statement and talent attraction, retention, and development strategy suggest that a company appreciates culture and talent as competitive advantages that can drive long-term value creation. It also sends a strong message when management compensation is linked, when appropriate, to employee satisfaction. If the company conducts regular employee engagement surveys, we look for leadership to disclose the results both positive and negative – so we can monitor patterns and assess whether they are implementing changes based on the feedback they receive. We consider workplace locations and how a company balances attracting talent with the costs of operating in desirable cities.

We maintain that a deliberate human capital management strategy should foster a collaborative, productive workplace in which all talent can thrive. One ongoing engagement issue that pertains to human capital management is DEI. We see DEI practices as a material input to long-term financial performance, so as our clients’ fiduciaries, we seek to better understand how and to what extent a company’s approach to diversity is integrated with talent management at all levels. This is significantly aided when there is consistent, robust disclosure in place. A sound long-term plan holds more weight than a company’s current demographics, so we look for a demonstrable DEI strategy that seeks to improve shareholder value over time and align management incentives accordingly. To that end, we expect companies in the US to publicly disclose their EEO-1 reporting and all companies to disclose their DEI strategy.

Gender and racial pay equity are important parts of our assessment of a company’s diversity efforts. Pay inequity can impact shareholder value by exposing a company to challenges with recruiting and retaining talent, job dissatisfaction, workforce turnover, and costly lawsuits. Consequently, we may support proposals asking for improved transparency on a company’s gender and/or racial pay gap if existing disclosures are lagging best practice and if the company has not articulated its efforts to promote equal opportunities to advance to senior roles.

We believe diversity among directors, leaders, and employees contributes positively to shareholder value by imbuing a company with myriad perspectives that help it better navigate complex challenges. A strong culture of diversity and inclusion begins in the boardroom. See the Board Diversity section above for more on our approach.

Stakeholders and risk management

In recent years, discourse on opioids, firearms, and sexual harassment has brought the potential for social externalities - the negative effects that companies can have on society through their products, cultures, or policies - into sharp focus. These nuanced, often misunderstood issues can affect the value of corporate securities.

We encourage companies facing these risks to disclose related risk-management strategies. When a company faces litigation or negative press, we inquire about lessons learned and request evidence of substantive changes that aim to prevent recurrence and mitigate downside risk. In these cases, we may also support proposals requesting enhanced disclosure on actions taken by management.

Human rights

Following the 2015 passage of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act, a handful of countries have passed laws requiring companies to report on how they are addressing risks related to human rights abuses in their global supply chains. While human rights have been a part of our research and engagement in this context, we seek to assess companies’ exposures to these risks, determine the sectors for which this risk is most material (highest possibility of supply chain exposure), enhance our own engagement questions, and potentially work with external data providers to gain insights on specific companies or industries. To help us assess company practices and drive more substantive engagement with companies on this issue, we will generally support proposals requesting enhanced disclosure on companies’ approach to mitigating the risk of human rights violations in their business.

Cybersecurity

Robust cybersecurity practices are imperative for maintaining customer trust, preserving brand strength, and mitigating regulatory risk. Companies that fail to strengthen their cybersecurity platforms may end up bearing large costs. Through engagement, we aim to compare companies’ approaches to cyber threats, regardless of region or sector, to distinguish businesses that lag from those that are better prepared.

Political contributions and lobbying

We generally support shareholder proposals asking for enhanced disclosure and board oversight of a company’s political and lobbying activities where existing disclosure and board oversight are inadequate. This is because sufficient disclosure and board oversight are necessary to evaluate whether, and ensure that, these activities align with the company’s stated strategy and promote shareholder value.

JAPAN-SPECIFIC TOPICS

Capital allocation

We hold board chairs accountable for persistently low returns on equity (ROE) in Japan, using a five-year average ROE of below 5% as a guide. Our assessment of a company’s capital stewardship complements our assessment of board effectiveness without dictating specific capital allocation decisions. We may make exceptions where ROE is improving, where a long-cycle business warrants a different standard, or where new management is in place, and we feel they should not be punished for the past CEO/chair’s record.

Cross-shareholdings

Cross-shareholdings reduce management accountability by creating a cushion of crossover investor support. We may vote against the highest-ranking director up for reelection for companies where management has allocated a significant portion (20% or more) of net assets to cross-shareholdings. When considering this issue, we will take into account a company’s trajectory in reducing cross-shareholdings over time, as well as legitimate business reasons given to retain specific shareholdings.

Board diversity

We look for boards on the Japanese Prime Market to have a minimum 10% gender diversity, not inclusive of statutory auditors. For companies on the Non-Prime Market, we will also look for boards to have a minimum 10% gender diversity, inclusive of statutory auditors as applicable. We may vote against the chair of the board (or CEO in the absence of a board chair) where the board fails to meet this level. We expect to be able to support directors where a credible plan has been adopted to increase gender diversity ahead of the next meeting.

Board independence

We reserve the right to vote against the chair of the board or the most senior executive up for election at Japanese companies if the board of directors fails to meet the following independence expectations:

•For companies on the Prime Market without a controlling shareholder, we expect the board to be comprised of at least one-third independent directors.

•For companies on the Prime Market with a controlling shareholder, we expect the board to be majority independent.

•For companies on the Non-Prime Market with a controlling shareholder, we expect the board to be comprised of at least one-third independent directors.

•For companies on the Non-Prime Market without a controlling shareholder and a two-tiered board, we expect combined one-third independence of the board of directors and the board of statutory auditors, and at least two independent outside directors.

- For companies on the Non-Prime Market without a controlling shareholder and a one-tiered board (with either one or three committees), we expect one-third independence.

We continue to require a majority of the board of statutory auditors to be independent, regardless of the market segments. We further encourage Japanese companies to establish nomination/compensation committees, and to clearly describe the role of the board chair in terms of setting the board agenda and driving accountability.

BROWN ADVISORY FUNDS

PART C

OTHER INFORMATION

Item 28. Exhibits.


(a)	(1)	Certificate of Trust was previously filed with the Registrant’s Initial Registration on Form N-1A on May 7, 2012 and is incorporated by reference.

	(2)	Declaration of Trust dated May 1, 2012 was previously filed with the Registrant’s Initial Registration on Form N-1A on May 7, 2012 and is incorporated by reference.

	(3)	Amended Schedule A to Declaration of Trust will be filed by amendment.

(b)		By-Laws were previously filed with the Registrant’s Initial Registration on Form N-1A on May 7, 2012 and are incorporated by reference.

(c)		Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders – See relevant portions of Certificate of Trust, Declaration of Trust and By-Laws.

(d)	(1)	Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Brown Advisory LLC was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 22, 2012 and is incorporated by reference.

	(2)	Amended Schedule A to Investment Advisory Agreement will be filed by amendment.

	(3)	Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Registrant’s Brown Advisory – WMC Strategic European Equity Fund between Brown Advisory LLC and Wellington Management Company LLP (formerly, Wellington Management Company, LLP) was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 12 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on October 21, 2013 and is incorporated by reference.

	(4)	Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Registrant’s Brown Advisory Global Leaders Fund between Brown Advisory LLC and Brown Advisory Limited was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on May 7, 2015 and is incorporated by reference.

	(5)	Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Registrant’s Brown Advisory – Beutel Goodman Large-Cap Value Fund between Brown Advisory LLC and Beutel, Goodman & Company Ltd. was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 48 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 13, 2018 and is incorporated by reference.

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	(6)	Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Registrant’s Brown Advisory Emerging Markets Select Fund between Brown Advisory LLC and Wellington Management Company LLP was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on September 18, 2019 and is incorporated by reference.

	(7)	Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Registrant’s Brown Advisory Emerging Markets Select Fund between Brown Advisory LLC and Pzena Investment Management, LLC was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on September 18, 2019 and is incorporated by reference.

	(8)	Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Registrant's Brown Advisory Sustainable International Leaders Fund between Brown Advisory LLC and Brown Advisory Limited was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 68 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 28, 2022 and is incorporated by reference.

	(9)	Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Registrant's Brown Advisory - WMC Japan Equity Fund between Brown Advisory LLC and Wellington Management Company LLP will be filed by amendment.

(e)	(1)	Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc. was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on September 18, 2019 and is incorporated by reference.

	(2)	Amended Appendix A to Distribution Agreement will be filed by amendment.

	(3)	Amendment 1 to the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc. was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 15, 2021 and is incorporated by reference.

	(4)	Amendment 2 to the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc. was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 15, 2021 and is incorporated by reference.

	(5)	Amendment 3 to the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc. was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 15, 2021 and is incorporated by reference.

(f)		Bonus, profit sharing contracts – None

(g)	(1)	Second Amended and Restated Custody Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on July 25, 2018 and is incorporated by reference.

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	(2)	First Amendment to the Amended and Restated Custody Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on September 18, 2019 and is incorporated by reference.

	(3)	Second Amendment to the Amended and Restated Custody Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 60 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on October 30, 2020 and is incorporated by reference.

	(4)	Third Amendment to the Amended and Restated Custody Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association on November 4, 2020 was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 15, 2021 and is incorporated by reference.

	(5)	Fourth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Custody Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 64 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on September 30, 2021 and is incorporated by reference.

	(6)	Fifth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Custody Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 68 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 28, 2022 and is incorporated by reference.

	(7)	Sixth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Custody Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 72 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 28, 2023 and is incorporated by reference.

	(8)	Seventh Amendment to the Amended and Restated Custody Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association will be filed by amendment.

(h)	(1)	Amended and Restated Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on July 25, 2018 and is incorporated by reference.

	(2)	First Amendment to the Amended and Restated Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on September 18, 2019 and is incorporated by reference.

	(3)	Second Amendment to the Amended and Restated Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 60 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on October 30, 2020 and is incorporated by reference.

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			(4)			Third Amendment to the Amended and Restated Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC on November 4, 2020 was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 15, 2021 and is incorporated by reference.

			(5)			Fourth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 64 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on September 30, 2021 and is incorporated by reference.

			(6)			Fifth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 68 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 28, 2022 and is incorporated by reference.

			(7)			Sixth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 72 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 28, 2023 and is incorporated by reference.

			(8)			Seventh Amendment to the Amended and Restated Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC will be filed by amendment.

			(9)			Amended and Restated Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on July 25, 2018 and is incorporated by reference.

			(10)			First Amendment to the Amended and Restated Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on September 18, 2019 and is incorporated by reference.

			(11)			Second Amendment to the Amended and Restated Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 56 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on October 31, 2019 and is incorporated by reference.

			(12)			Amendment to the Amended and Restated Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 56 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A dated November 1, 2019 and is incorporated by reference.

			(13)			Third Amendment to the Amended and Restated Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC on November 4, 2020 was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 15, 2021 and is incorporated by reference.

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			(14)			Fourth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 64 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on September 30, 2021 and is incorporated by reference.

			(15)			Fifth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 68 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 28, 2022 and is incorporated by reference.

			(16)			Sixth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 72 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 28, 2023 and is incorporated by reference.

			(17)			Seventh Amendment to the Amended and Restated Transfer Agent Servicing agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC will be filed by amendment.

			(18)			Amended and Restated Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on July 25, 2018 and is incorporated by reference.

			(19)			First Amendment to the Amended and Restated Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on September 18, 2019 and is incorporated by reference.

			(20)			Second Amendment to the Amended and Restated Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 60 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on October 30, 2020 and is incorporated by reference.

			(21)			Third Amendment to the Amended and Restated Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC on November 4, 2020 was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 15, 2021 and is incorporated by reference.

			(22)			Fourth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 64 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on September 30, 2021 and is incorporated by reference.

			(23)			Fifth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 68 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 28, 2022 and is incorporated by reference.

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	(24)	Sixth Amendment to the Amended and Restated Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 72 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 28, 2023 and is incorporated by reference.

	(25)	Seventh Amendment to the Amended and Restated Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC will be filed by amendment.

	(26)	Business Management Agreement between the Registrant and Brown Advisory LLC was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 22, 2012 and is incorporated by reference.

	(27)	Amended Schedule A to Business Management Agreement will be filed by amendment.

	(28)	Operating Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Brown Advisory LLC was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 22, 2012 and is incorporated by reference.

	(29)	Amended Schedule A to Operating Expense Limitation Agreement will be filed by amendment.

	(30)	Shareholder Servicing Plan was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 22, 2012 and is incorporated by reference.

	(31)	Amended Schedule A to Shareholder Servicing Plan will be filed by amendment.

	(32)	Addendum to Fund Administration Servicing Agreement (Confluence) between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated July 20, 2022 was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 72 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 28, 2023 and is incorporated by reference.

	(33)	Addendum to Amended and Restated Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement (Rule 2a-5 Services) between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC dated July 29, 2022 was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 72 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 28, 2023 and is incorporated by reference.

	(34)	First Amendment to the Addendum to the Amended and Restated Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement dated March 28, 2023 was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on October 27, 2023 and is incorporated by reference.

(i)		Opinion and Consent of Counsel will be filed by amendment.

(j)		Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm will be filed by amendment.

(k)		Financial statements omitted from prospectus – None

C-6


(l)		Initial Capital Agreement was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 22, 2012 and is incorporated by reference.

(m)	(1)	Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plan pursuant to Rule 12b‑1 was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 22, 2012 and is incorporated by reference.

	(2)	Amended Schedule A to Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plan will be filed by amendment.

(n)	(1)	Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 22, 2012 and is incorporated by reference.

	(2)	Amended Appendix A to Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan will be filed by amendment.

(o)		Reserved

(p)	(1)	Code of Ethics of Brown Advisory Funds was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 22, 2012 and is incorporated by reference.

	(2)	Code of Ethics of Brown Advisory LLC and Brown Advisory Limited was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 22, 2012 and is incorporated by reference.

	(3)	Code of Ethics of Wellington Management Company LLP was previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 72 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 28, 2023 and is incorporated by reference.

	(4)	Code of Ethics of Pzena Investment Management, LLC was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on September 18, 2019 and is incorporated by reference.

	(5)	Code of Ethics of ALPS Distributors, Inc. was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on September 18, 2019 and is incorporated by reference.

	(6)	Code of Ethics of Beutel, Goodman & Company Ltd. was previously filed with Post‑Effective Amendment No. 48 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 13, 2018 and is incorporated by reference.

	(7)	Powers of Attorney were previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on October 27, 2023 and is incorporated by reference.

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Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with Registrant

None.

Item 30. Indemnification

Reference is made to Article VII, Section III of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust. The general effect of this provision is to indemnify the Trustees, officers, employees and other agents of the Trust who are parties pursuant to any proceeding by reason of their actions performed in their scope of service on behalf of the Trust.

Pursuant to Rule 484 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the Registrant furnishes the following undertaking: “Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that, in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.”

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser

Brown Advisory LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Maryland, is an investment adviser registered as such with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission having its principal place of business at 901 South Bond Street, Suite 400, Baltimore, Maryland 21231, and serves as investment adviser to the Registrant. Brown Advisory LLC is primarily engaged in providing investment management services. Additional information regarding Brown Advisory LLC, and information as to the officers and directors of the firm, including information as to any business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by those officers and directors during the past two years, is included in its Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration on Form ADV, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (File No. 801-38826), which is incorporated herein by reference.

Brown Advisory Limited, an entity organized under the laws of the United Kingdom, is an investment adviser registered as such with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission having its principal place of business at 18 Hanover Square, London, W1S 1JY, United Kingdom, and serves as sub-investment adviser to the Registrant’s Brown Advisory Global Leaders Fund and Brown Advisory Sustainable International Leaders Fund. Brown Advisory Limited is primarily engaged in providing investment

C-8

management services. Additional information regarding Brown Advisory Limited, and information as to the officers and directors of the firm, including information as to any business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by those officers and directors during the past two years, is included in its Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration on Form ADV, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (File No. 801-80609), which is incorporated herein by reference.

Wellington Management Company LLP, a limited liability partnership organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, is an investment adviser registered as such with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission having its principal place of business at 280 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210, and serves as sub-investment adviser to the Registrant’s Brown Advisory – WMC Strategic European Equity Fund, Brown Advisory Emerging Markets Select Fund, and Brown Advisory – WMC Japan Equity Fund. Wellington Management Company LLP is primarily engaged in providing investment management services. Additional information regarding Wellington Management Company LLP, and information as to the officers and directors of the firm, including information as to any business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by those officers and directors during the past two years, is included in its Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration on Form ADV, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (File No. 801-15908), which is incorporated herein by reference.

Pzena Investment Management, LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, is an investment adviser registered as such with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission having its principal place of business at 320 Park Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, New York 10022, and serves as sub-investment adviser to the Registrant’s Brown Advisory Emerging Markets Select Fund. Pzena Investment Management, LLC is primarily engaged in providing investment management services. Additional information regarding Pzena Investment Management, LLC, and information as to the officers and directors of the firm, including information as to any business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by those officers and directors during the past two years, is included in its Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration on Form ADV, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (File No. 801-50838), which is incorporated herein by reference.

Beutel, Goodman & Company Ltd., a corporation organized under the laws of Canada, is an investment adviser registered as such with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission having its principal place of business at 20 Eglinton Avenue West, Suite 2000, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4R 1K8, and serves as sub-investment adviser to the Registrant’s Brown Advisory – Beutel Goodman Large-Cap Value Fund. Beutel, Goodman & Company Ltd. is primarily engaged in providing investment management services. Additional information regarding Beutel, Goodman & Company Ltd., and information as to the officers and directors of the firm, including information as to any business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by those officers and directors during the past two years, is included in its Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration on Form ADV, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (File No. 801-64420), which is incorporated herein by reference.

C-9

Item 32. Principal Underwriter

(a)Affiliates of the Distributor include, but are not limited to the following entities:

ALPS Advisers, Inc., ALPS Fund Services, Inc., ALPS Holdings, Inc., ALPS Portfolio Solutions Distributor, Inc., SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc., and DST Systems, Inc.

ALPS Distributors, Inc. acts as the distributor for the Registrant and the following investment companies:

1290 Funds

1WS Credit Income Fund

abrdn ETFs

Accordant ODCE Index Fund

Alpha Alternative Assets Fund

ALPS Series Trust

Alternative Credit Income Fund

Apollo Diversified Credit Fund

Apollo Diversified Real Estate Fund

AQR Funds

Axonic Alternative Income Fund

Axonic Funds

BBH Trust

Bluerock High Income Institutional Credit Fund

Bluerock Total Income+ Real Estate Fund

Brandes Investment Trust

Bridge Builder Trust

Cambria ETF Trust

Centre Funds

CION Ares Diversified Credit Fund

Columbia ETF Trust

Columbia ETF Trust I

Columbia ETF Trust II

CRM Mutual Fund Trust

DBX ETF Trust

ETF Series Solutions (Vident Series)

Financial Investors Trust

Firsthand Funds

Flat Rock Core Income Fund

Flat Rock Opportunity Fund

FS Credit Income Fund

FS Energy Total Return Fund

FS Multi-Alternative Income Fund

FS Series Trust

FS MVP Private Markets Fund

Goehring & Rozencwajg Investment Funds

Goldman Sachs ETF Trust

Goldman Sachs ETF Trust II

Graniteshares ETF Trust

C-10

Hartford Funds Exchange-Traded Trust

Heartland Group, Inc.

IndexIQ Active ETF Trust

IndexIQ ETF Trust

Investment Managers Series Trust II (AXS-Advised Funds)

Janus Detroit Street Trust

Lattice Strategies Trust

Litman Gregory Funds Trust

Manager Directed Portfolios (Spyglass Growth Fund)

Meridian Fund, Inc.

Natixis ETF Trust

Natixis ETF Trust II

Opportunistic Credit Interval Fund

PRIMECAP Odyssey Funds

Principal Exchange-Traded Funds

RiverNorth Funds

RiverNorth Opportunities Fund, Inc.

RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc.

RiverNorth Opportunistic Municipal Income Fund, Inc.

RiverNorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund, Inc.

RiverNorth Flexible Municipal Income Fund, Inc.

RiverNorth Capital and Income Fund, Inc.

RiverNorth Flexible Municipal Income Fund II, Inc.

RiverNorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund II, Inc.

SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust

Sprott Funds Trust

Stone Ridge Trust

Stone Ridge Trust II

Stone Ridge Trust IV

Stone Ridge Trust V

Stone Ridge Trust VIII

The Arbitrage Funds

Themes ETF Trust

Thrivent ETF Trust

USCF ETF Trust

Valkyrie ETF Trust II

Wasatch Funds

WesMark Funds

Wilmington Funds

X-Square Balanced Fund

X-Square Series Trust

C-11

(b) To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of ALPS Distributors, Inc., are as follows:

Name*

Position with Underwriter

Positions with Fund

Stephen J. Kyllo

President, Chief Operating Officer, Director, Chief Compliance Officer

None

Brian Schell **

Vice President & Treasurer

None

Eric Parsons

Vice President, Controller and Assistant Treasurer

None

Jason White***

Secretary

None

Richard C. Noyes

Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Assistant Secretary

None

Eric Theroff^

Assistant Secretary

None

Adam Girard^^

Tax Officer

None

Liza Price

Vice President, Managing Counsel

None

Jed Stahl

Vice President, Managing Counsel

None

Terence Digan

Vice President

None

James Stegall

Vice President

None

Gary Ross

Senior Vice President

None

Hilary Quinn

Vice President

None

* Except as otherwise noted, the principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80203.

** The principal business address for Mr. Schell is 100 South Wacker Drive, 19th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606.

*** The principal business address for Mr. White is 4 Times Square, New York, NY 10036.

^ The principal business address for Mr. Theroff is 1055 Broadway Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64105

^^ The principal business address for Mr. Girard is 80 Lamberton Road, Windsor, CT 06095

(c)Not applicable.

Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records

The books, accounts and other documents required by Section 31(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder will be maintained at the offices of:

Brown Advisory LLC, 901 South Bond Street, Suite 400, Baltimore, Maryland 21231 (records relating to its function as investment adviser of the Brown Advisory Funds)

Brown Advisory Limited, 18 Hanover Square, London, W1S 1JY, United Kingdom (records relating to its function as investment sub-adviser of the Brown Advisory Global Leaders Fund and the Brown Advisory Sustainable International Leaders Fund)

Wellington Management Company LLP, 280 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210 (records relating to its function as investment sub-adviser of the Brown Advisory – WMC Strategic European

C-12

Equity Fund, Brown Advisory Emerging Markets Select Fund, and Brown Advisory – WMC Japan Eqiuty Fund)

Pzena Investment Management, LLC, 320 Park Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, New York 10022 (records relating to its function as investment sub-adviser of the Brown Advisory Emerging Markets Select Fund)

Beutel, Goodman & Company Ltd. 20 Eglinton Avenue West, Suite 2000, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4R 1K8 (records relating to its function as investment sub-adviser of the Brown Advisory – Beutel Goodman Large-Cap Value Fund)

U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 (records relating to its function as administrator, transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent)

U.S. Bank, N.A., 1555 North River Center Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212 (records relating to its function as custodian)

ALPS Distributors, Inc., 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203 (records relating to its function as distributor)

Item 34. Management Services

Not applicable.

Item 35. Undertakings

None.

C-13

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Amendment to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland on July 15, 2024.


			Brown Advisory Funds

			By: /s/ Paul J. Chew
			Paul J. Chew
			President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Amendment to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.


Signature	Title	Date

/s/ Paul J. Chew	President	July 15, 2024
Paul J. Chew

/s/ Jason T. Meix	Treasurer	July 15, 2024
Jason T. Meix

Margaret W. Adams*	Trustee	July 15, 2024
Margaret W. Adams

Michael D. Hankin*	Trustee	July 15, 2024
Michael D. Hankin

Henry H. Hopkins*	Trustee	July 15, 2024
Henry H. Hopkins

Georgette D. Kiser*	Trustee	July 15, 2024
Georgette D. Kiser

Kyle Prechtl Legg*	Trustee	July 15, 2024
Kyle Prechtl Legg

Thomas F. O’Neil III*	Trustee and Chairman of	July 15, 2024
Thomas F. O’Neil III	the Board

Neal F. Triplett*	Trustee	July 15, 2024
Neal F. Triplett

* By: /s/ Patrick W.D. Turley

Patrick W.D. Turley

As Attorney-in-Fact pursuant to Powers of Attorney previously filed and incorporated herein by reference.

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