Form 485APOS Federated Hermes Equity

Article

September 16, 2025 6:01 AM EDT

E-mail

1933 Act File No. 002-91090

1940 Act File No. 811-04017

As Filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on September 15, 2025

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

Form N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

☒

Pre-Effective Amendment No.

☐

Post-Effective Amendment No. 232

☒

and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940

☒

Amendment No. 226

☒

Federated Hermes Equity Funds

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive

Warrendale, PA 15086-7561

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

(412) 288-1900

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)

Peter J. Germain, Esquire
1001 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-3779

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

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

☐	immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
☐	On __________ pursuant to paragraph (b)
☐	60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
☒	On November 26, 2025 pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
☐	75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
☐	On __________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485
	If appropriate, check the following:

☐	This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

Prospectus

November 30, 2025

Disclosure contained herein relates to all classes of the Fund, as listed below, unless otherwise noted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
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.

Share Class | Ticker

A | VSFAX

C | VSFCX

R | VSFRX

Institutional | VSFIX

R6 | VSFSX

Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Value Fund

(formerly, Federated Hermes Clover Small Value Fund)

A Portfolio of Federated Hermes Equity Funds

A mutual fund seeking capital appreciation by investing primarily in common stocks and other equity securities of U.S. companies with small market capitalizations.

As with all mutual funds, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Not FDIC Insured ▪ May Lose Value ▪ No Bank Guarantee

CONTENTS

Fund Summary Information	1
What are the Fund’s Investment Strategies?	6
What are the Fund’s Principal Investments?	7
What are the Specific Risks of Investing in the Fund?	7
What Do Shares Cost?	9
How is the Fund Sold?	15
Payments to Financial Intermediaries	16
How to Purchase Shares	19
How to Redeem and Exchange Shares	21
Security and Privacy Protection	24
Account and Share Information	25
Who Manages the Fund?	27
Financial Information	28
Appendix A: Hypothetical Investment and Expense Information	34
Appendix B: Sales Charge Waivers and Exchange Features for Shareholders Purchasing Through Certain Financial Intermediaries	37

Fund Summary Information

Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”)

RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund’s investment objective is to seek capital appreciation.

[TO BE FILED BY AMENDMENT]

RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: FEES AND EXPENSES

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell the Fund’s Class A Shares (A), Class C Shares (C), Class R Shares (R), Institutional Shares (IS) and Class R6 Shares (R6). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in certain classes (e.g., A class) of Federated Hermes Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional, in the “What Do Shares Cost?” section of the Prospectus on page 14 and in “Appendix B” to this Prospectus.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

	A	C	R	IS	R6
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	5.50%	None	None	None	None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, as applicable)	0.00%	1.00%	None	None	None
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends (and other Distributions) (as a percentage of offering price)	None	None	None	None	None
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if applicable)	None	None	None	None	None
Exchange Fee	None	None	None	None	None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

	A	C	R	IS	R6
Management Fee	0.85%	0.85%	0.85%	0.85%	0.85%
Distribution (12b-1) Fee	0.00%1	0.75%	0.50%	None	None
Other Expenses	0.63%	0.63%	0.37%	0.39%	0.29%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	1.48%	2.23%	1.72%	1.24%	1.14%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements2	(0.34)%	(0.27)%	(0.49)%	(0.35)%	(0.32)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	1.14%	1.96%	1.23%	0.89%	0.82%

The Fund has adopted a Distribution (12b-1) Plan for its A class pursuant to which the A class of the Fund may incur and pay a Distribution (12b-1) Fee of up

to a maximum amount of 0.05%. No such fee is currently incurred and paid by the A class of the Fund. The A class of the Fund will not incur and pay such a

Distribution (12b-1) Fee until such time as approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Trustees”).

The Adviser and certain of its affiliates on their own initiative have agreed to waive certain amounts of their respective fees and/or reimburse expenses. Total

annual fund operating expenses (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, extraordinary expenses and proxy-related expenses, if any)

paid by the Fund’s A, C, R, IS and R6 classes (after the voluntary waivers and/or reimbursements) will not exceed 1.13%, 1.95%, 1.22%, 0.88%, and 0.81% (the

“Fee Limit”), respectively, up to but not including the later of (the “Termination Date”): (a) December 1, 2025; or (b) the date of the Fund’s next effective Prospectus. While the Adviser and its affiliates currently do not anticipate terminating or increasing these arrangements prior to the Termination Date, these arrangements may only be terminated or the Fee Limit increased prior to the Termination Date with the agreement of the Trustees.

Example

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. Expenses assuming no redemption are also shown. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not reflect sales charges (loads) on reinvested dividends. If these sales charges (loads) were included, your costs would be higher. Although your actual costs and returns may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Share Class	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
A:
Expenses assuming redemption	$692	$992	$1,313	$2,221
Expenses assuming no redemption	$692	$992	$1,313	$2,221
C:
Expenses assuming redemption	$326	$697	$1,195	$2,376
Expenses assuming no redemption	$226	$697	$1,195	$2,376
R:
Expenses assuming redemption	$175	$542	$933	$2,030
Expenses assuming no redemption	$175	$542	$933	$2,030
IS:
Expenses assuming redemption	$126	$393	$681	$1,500
Expenses assuming no redemption	$126	$393	$681	$1,500
R6:
Expenses assuming redemption	$116	$362	$628	$1,386
Expenses assuming no redemption	$116	$362	$628	$1,386

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was XX% of the average value of its portfolio.

RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: INVESTMENTS, RISKS and PERFORMANCE

What are the Fund’s Main Investment Strategies?

The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in the common stock of small U.S. companies. The Fund’s investment adviser’s (“Adviser”) investment strategy utilizes a small capitalization (“small-cap”) value approach by selecting most of its investments from companies listed in the Russell 2000® Value Index, an index that measures the performance of those companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values within the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe, which includes the 2,000 smallest companies by market capitalization within the Russell 3000® Index (an index that includes the 3,000 largest U.S. companies by market capitalization representing approximately 98% of the investable domestic equity market). As of July 31, 2025, companies in the Russell 2000® Value Index ranged in market capitalization from $56.2 million to $19.1 billion. The Fund’s investments may include, but are not limited to, equity securities of domestic issuers and real estate investment trusts (REITs). As the Fund’s sector exposure approximates the Russell 2000® Value Index, the Fund may, from time to time, have larger allocations to certain broad market sectors, such as financials and industrials.

The Adviser implements its strategy using a quantitative model driven by fundamental and technical stock selection variables. This process seeks to impose strict discipline over stock selection, unimpeded by market or manager psychology. It seeks to maximize compound annual return while controlling risk. The process also takes into account trading costs in an effort to ensure that trades are generated only to the extent they are expected to be profitable on an after-trading cost basis. Additionally, risk is controlled through diversification constraints which limit exposure to individual companies as well as groups of correlated companies.

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest its assets so that at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) are invested in small cap value investments. For purposes of this policy, small-cap investments will be defined as companies with market capitalizations within the range of companies in the Russell 2000 Index, and value investments will be defined as companies with value characteristics that meet the applicable parameters for inclusion in the Russell 3000 Value Index. The Fund will notify shareholders at least 60 days in advance of any change in its investment policy.

The Fund actively trades its portfolio securities in an attempt to achieve its investment objective. Active trading will cause the Fund to have an increased portfolio turnover rate and increase the Fund’s trading costs, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s performance. An active trading strategy will likely result in the Fund generating more short-term capital gains or losses. Short-term gains are generally taxed at a higher rate than long-term gains. Any short-term losses are used first to offset short-term gains.

What are the Main Risks of Investing in the Fund?

All mutual funds take investment risks. Therefore, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. The primary factors that may reduce the Fund’s returns include:

■ Stock Market Risk. The value of equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio will fluctuate and, as a result, the Fund’s Share price may decline suddenly or over a sustained period of time. Information publicly available about a company, whether from the company’s financial statements or other disclosures or from third parties, or information available to some but not all market participants, can affect the price of a company’s shares in the market. Among other factors, equity securities may decline in value because of an increase in interest rates or changes in the stock market. Recent and potential future changes in industry and/or economic trends, as well as changes in monetary policy made by central banks and/or their governments, also can affect the level of interest rates and contribute to the development of or increase in volatility, illiquidity, shareholder redemptions and other adverse effects (such as a decline in a company’s stock price), which could negatively impact the Fund’s performance.

■ Small-Cap Company Risk. The Fund invests in small capitalization (or “small-cap”) companies. Small-cap companies may have less liquid stock, a more volatile share price, unproven track records, a limited product or service base, and limited access to capital. The above factors could make small-cap companies more likely to fail than larger companies, and increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio, performance and Share price. The Adviser and its affiliated investment advisers also can manage other funds and accounts that use small-cap or similar investment strategies, and investments in small-cap securities by multiple funds and accounts, including those managed by the Adviser and its affiliates, could impact the availability of suitable small-cap securities and cause a capacity constraint associated with the Fund’s small-cap investment strategy.

■ Risk Related to the Economy. The value of the Fund’s portfolio may decline in tandem with a drop in the overall value of the markets in which the Fund invests and/or other markets. Global economic, political and financial conditions including geopolitical conflicts, legislative changes, industry or economic trends and developments or public health risks, such as epidemics or pandemics, may, from time to time, and for varying periods of time have a significant effect on financial markets generally and cause the Fund to experience volatility, illiquidity, shareholder redemptions, and/or other potentially adverse effects.

■ Real Estate Investment Trust Risk. Real estate investment trusts (REITs) carry risks associated with owning real estate, including the potential for a decline in value due to economic or market conditions.

■ Risk Related to Investing for Value. Due to their relatively low valuations, value stocks are typically less volatile than growth stocks. Additionally, value stocks tend to have higher dividends than growth stocks. This means they depend less on price changes for returns and may lag behind growth stocks in an up market.

■ Sector Risk. Because the Fund may allocate relatively more assets to certain industry sectors than others, the Fund’s performance may be more susceptible to any developments which affect those sectors emphasized by the Fund.

■ Quantitative Modeling Risk. The Fund employs quantitative models as a management technique. These models examine multiple economic factors using various proprietary and third-party data. The results generated by quantitative analysis may perform differently than expected and may negatively affect Fund performance for various reasons (for example, human judgment, data imprecision, software or other technology malfunctions, or programming inaccuracies).

The Shares offered by this Prospectus are not deposits or obligations of any bank, are not endorsed or guaranteed by any bank and are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency.

Performance: Bar Chart and Table

[TO BE FILED BY AMENDMENT]

Risk/Return Bar Chart

The bar chart and performance table below reflect historical performance data for the Fund and are intended to help you analyze the Fund’s investment risks in light of its historical returns. The bar chart shows the variability of the Fund’s A class total returns on a calendar year-by-year basis. The Average Annual Total Return Table shows returns averaged over the stated periods, and includes comparative performance information with a broad-based securities market index.

The Fund’s performance is also compared to a secondary index to show how the Fund’s performance compares with the returns of an index with similar investments. The Fund’s performance will fluctuate, and past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of future results. Updated performance information for the Fund is available under the “Products” section at FederatedHermes.com/us or by calling 1-800-341-7400.

The total returns shown in the bar chart do not reflect the payment of any sales charges or recurring shareholder account fees. If these charges or fees had been included, the returns shown would have been lower.

The Fund’s A class total return for the nine-month period from January 1, 2024 to September 30, 2024, was 10.97%.

Within the periods shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s A class highest quarterly return was 32.43% (quarter ended December 31, 2020). Its lowest quarterly return was (35.28)% (quarter ended March 31, 2020).

Average Annual Total Return Table

The R6 class commenced operations on March 29, 2016. For the period prior to the commencement of operations of R6 class, the performance information shown is for A class adjusted to remove any voluntary waiver of Fund expenses related to the A class that may have occurred during the period prior to the commencement of R6 class. Additionally, the performance information shown below has been adjusted to reflect the absence of sales charges applicable to A class.

In addition to Return Before Taxes, Return After Taxes is shown for the Fund’s A class to illustrate the effect of federal taxes on Fund returns. After-tax returns are shown only for A class, and after-tax returns for the C, R and IS classes will differ from those shown for A class. Actual after-tax returns depend on each investor’s personal tax situation, and are likely to differ from those shown. After-tax returns are calculated using a standard set of assumptions. The stated returns assume the highest historical federal income and capital gains tax rates. These after-tax returns do not reflect the effect of any applicable state and local taxes. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors holding Shares through a 401(k) plan, an Individual Retirement Account or other tax-advantaged investment plans.

(For the Period Ended December 31, 2023)

Share Class	1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
A:
Return Before Taxes	4.35%	10.11%	6.07%
Return After Taxes on Distributions	3.42%	8.96%	4.13%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	2.86%	7.87%	4.27%
C:
Return Before Taxes	8.51%	10.49%	6.03%
R:
Return Before Taxes	10.32%	11.31%	6.60%
IS:
Return Before Taxes	10.64%	11.63%	6.93%
R6:
Return Before Taxes	10.75%	11.71%	6.92%
Russell 3000® Index1 (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)	25.96%	15.16%	11.48%
Russell 2000® Value Index2 (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)	14.65%	10.00%	6.76%
Morningstar Small Value Funds Average3	16.61%	11.60%	6.81%

The Fund has designated the Russell 3000® Index as its new broad-based securities market index in accordance with the SEC’s revised definition for

such an index. The Russell 3000® Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 98% of the

investable U.S. equity market.

The Russell 2000® Value Index measures the performance of the small-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe.

Morningstar figures represent the average of the total returns reported by all the mutual funds designated by Morningstar as falling into the respective

category indicated. They do not reflect sales charges.

FUND MANAGEMENT

The Fund’s Investment Adviser is Federated MDTA LLC.

Daniel J. Mahr, CFA, Head of MDT, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since November 2025.

Damien Zhang, CFA, Head of MDT Research, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since November 2025.

Frederick L. Konopka, CFA, Portfolio and Trading Manager, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since November 2025.

John Paul Lewicke, Research Manager, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since November 2025.

purchase and sale of fund shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange Shares of the Fund on any day the New York Stock Exchange is open. Shares may be purchased through a financial intermediary firm that has entered into a Fund selling and/or servicing agreement with the Distributor or an affiliate (“Financial Intermediary”) or directly from the Fund, by wire or by check. Please note that certain purchase restrictions may apply. Redeem or exchange Shares through a financial intermediary or directly from the Fund by telephone at 1-800-341-7400 or by mail.

A & C Classes

The minimum investment amount for the Fund’s A and C classes is generally $1,500 for initial investments and $100 for subsequent investments. The minimum initial and subsequent investment amounts for Individual Retirement Accounts are generally $250 and $100, respectively. There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment amount required for employer-sponsored retirement plans. Certain types of accounts are eligible for lower minimum investments. The minimum investment amount for Systematic Investment Programs is $50.

R Class

The minimum initial and subsequent investment amounts for Individual Retirement Account rollovers into the Fund’s R class are generally $250 and $100, respectively. There is no minimum initial or subsequent amount for employer-sponsored retirement plans. Certain types of accounts are eligible for lower minimum investments. The minimum investment amount for Systematic Investment Programs is $50.

IS Class

The minimum initial investment amount for the Fund’s IS class is generally $1,000,000 and there is no minimum subsequent investment amount. Certain types of accounts are eligible for lower minimum investments. The minimum investment amount for Systematic Investment Programs is $50.

R6 Class

There are no minimum initial or subsequent investment amounts required. The minimum investment amount for Systematic Investment Programs is $50.

Tax Information

IS Class

The Fund’s distributions are taxable as ordinary income or capital gains except when your investment is through a 401(k) plan, an Individual Retirement Account or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

R6 Class

The Fund’s distributions are taxable as ordinary income or capital gains except when your investment is through a tax-advantaged investment plan.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

A, C, R & IS Classes

If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and/or 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.

R6 Class

Class R6 Shares do not make any payments to financial intermediaries, either from Fund assets or from the investment adviser and its affiliates.

What are the Fund’s Investment Strategies?

The Fund’s investment objective is to seek capital appreciation. While there is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, it endeavors to do so by following the strategies and policies described in this Prospectus. The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in the common stock of small U.S. companies. The Fund may also invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs). The Fund considers small-cap companies to be companies of a size similar to companies listed in the Russell 2000® Value Index. The strategy seeks to maximize compound annual return while controlling risk. Individual stocks are selected for inclusion in the Fund based upon a proprietary quantitative model that is designed to facilitate an objective, disciplined, quantitative analysis of every stock in the Fund’s investment universe.

The quantitative model constructs the portfolio by considering fundamental and technical measures, analyzing expected trading costs and employing risk controls to promote diversification. The process also takes into account trading costs in an effort to ensure that trades are generated only to the extent they are expected to be profitable on an after-trading cost basis. Additionally, risk is controlled through diversification constraints which limit exposure to individual companies as well as groups of correlated companies. The Adviser reviews the proposed trades produced by the process in an effort to ensure that they are based on accurate and current information. If a proposed trade is deemed to be based on inaccurate or stale information, the trade decision is deferred until the model incorporates timely and accurate information.

The Adviser may sell securities from the Fund’s portfolio for reasons including, but not limited to: (i) identification of deteriorating stock selection factors; (ii) identification of replacement securities with higher perceived value; and (iii) compliance with the Fund’s investment objectives, strategy, limitations and other parameters.

The Adviser selects most of its investments from companies listed in the Russell 2000 Value Index, an index that measures the performance of those companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values within the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe, which includes the 2,000 smallest companies by market capitalization within the Russell 3000 Index (an index that includes the 3,000 largest U.S. companies by market capitalization representing approximately 98% of the investable domestic equity market). Because the Fund primarily invests in companies that are defined by reference to the Russell 2000 Value Index, the market capitalization of companies in which the Fund may invest will vary with market conditions. The Russell 2000 Value Index is reconstituted on an annual basis. As of July 31, 2025, companies in the Russell 2000 Value Index ranged in market capitalization from $56.2 million to $19.1 billion. As the Fund’s sector exposure approximates the Russell 2000 Value Index, the Fund may, from time to time, have larger allocations to certain broad market sectors, such as financials and industrials.

Portfolio Turnover

TEMPORARY INVESTMENTS

The Fund may temporarily depart from its principal investment strategies by investing its assets in shorter-term debt securities and similar obligations or holding cash. It may do this in response to unusual circumstances, such as: adverse market, economic or other conditions (for example, to help avoid potential losses or during periods when there is a shortage of appropriate securities); to maintain liquidity to meet shareholder redemptions; or to accommodate cash inflows. It is possible that such investments could affect the Fund’s investment returns and/or the ability to achieve the Fund’s investment objectives.

What are the Fund’s Principal Investments?

The following provides general information on the Fund’s principal investments. The Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (SAI) provides information about the Fund’s non-principal investments and may provide additional information about the Fund’s principal investments.

Equity Securities

Equity securities represent a share of an issuer’s earnings and assets, after the issuer pays its liabilities. The Fund cannot predict the income it will receive from equity securities because issuers generally have discretion as to the payment of any dividends or distributions. However, equity securities offer greater potential for appreciation than many other types of securities, because their value is expected to increase directly with the value of the issuer’s business. The following describes the equity securities in which the Fund principally invests.

Common Stocks

Common stocks are the most prevalent type of equity security. Common stocks receive the issuer’s earnings after the issuer pays its creditors and any preferred stockholders. As a result, changes in an issuer’s earnings directly influence the value of its common stock.

Preferred Stocks

Preferred stocks have the right to receive specified dividends or distributions before the issuer makes payments on its common stock. Some preferred stocks also participate in dividends and distributions paid on common stock. Preferred stocks may also permit the issuer to redeem the stock.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

REITs are real estate investment trusts (including foreign REITs and REIT-like entities) that lease, operate and finance commercial real estate. REITs in the United States are exempt from federal corporate income tax if they limit their operations and distribute most of their income. Such tax requirements limit a U.S. REIT’s ability to respond to changes in the commercial real estate market.

Additional Information Regarding the Security Selection Process

As part of analysis in its security selection process, among other factors, the Adviser also evaluates whether environmental, social and governance factors could have a positive or negative impact on the risk/return profiles of many issuers in the universe of securities in which the Fund may invest. This analysis does not automatically result in including or excluding specific securities but may be used by Federated Hermes as an additional input to improve portfolio risk/return characteristics.

What are the Specific Risks of Investing in the Fund?

The following provides general information on the risks associated with the Fund’s principal investments. Any additional risks associated with the Fund’s non-principal investments are described in the Fund’s SAI. The Fund’s SAI also may provide additional information about the risks associated with the Fund’s principal investments.

Stock Market Risk

The value of equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio will rise and fall over time. These fluctuations could be a sustained trend or a drastic movement. Historically, the equity market has moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s securities may fluctuate from day to day. The Fund’s portfolio will reflect changes in prices of individual portfolio stocks or general changes in stock valuations. Consequently, the Fund’s Share price may decline. The Adviser attempts to manage market risk by limiting the amount the Fund invests in each company’s equity securities. However, diversification will not protect the Fund against widespread or prolonged declines in the stock market.

Information publicly available about a company, whether from the company’s financial statements or other disclosures or from third parties, or information available to some but not all market participants, can affect the price of a company’s shares in the market. The price of a company’s shares depends significantly on the information publicly available about the company. The reporting of poor results by a company, the restatement of a company’s financial statements or corrections to other information regarding a company or its business may adversely affect the price of its shares, as would allegations of fraud or other misconduct by the company’s management. The Fund may also be disadvantaged if some market participants have access to material information not readily available to other market participants, including the Fund.

Small-Cap Company Risk

The Fund may invest in small capitalization (“small-cap”) companies. Market capitalization is determined by multiplying the number of a company’s outstanding shares by the current market price per share. Generally, the smaller the market capitalization of a company, the fewer the number of shares traded daily, the less liquid its stock and the more volatile its price. Companies with smaller market capitalizations also tend to have unproven track records, a limited product or service base and limited access to capital. Newer companies with unproven business strategies also tend to be smaller companies. The above factors increase risks and make these companies more likely to fail than companies with larger market capitalizations, and could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio and performance. Shareholders should expect that the value of the Fund’s Shares will be more volatile than a fund that invests exclusively in mid-cap or large-cap companies. The Adviser and its affiliated investment advisers also can manage other funds and accounts that use small-cap or similar investment strategies, and investments in small-cap securities by multiple funds and accounts, including those managed by the Adviser and its affiliates, could impact the availability of suitable small-cap securities and cause a capacity constraint associated with the Fund’s small-cap investment strategy. The capacity-analysis process comprises a broad array of factors, including, but not limited to, the liquidity of individual holdings, concentration in holdings, target universe of available securities, availability of close substitutes, average daily volume, bid-ask spreads, market depth, trading methodology, momentum and overall market conditions.

Risk Related to the Economy

The value of the Fund’s portfolio may decline in tandem with a drop in the overall value of the markets in which the Fund invests and/or other markets based on negative developments in the U.S. and global economies. Global economic, political and financial conditions including geopolitical conflicts, legislative changes, industry or economic trends and developments or public health risks, such as epidemics or pandemics, may, from time to time, and for varying periods of time, have a significant effect on financial markets generally and cause volatility, illiquidity and/or other potentially adverse effects in the financial markets. The commencement or threat thereof, continuation or ending of government policies and economic stimulus programs, changes in monetary policy, tariffs and other trade restrictions, political or economic sanctions, increases or decreases in interest rates, or other factors or events that affect the financial markets, may contribute to the development of or increase in volatility, illiquidity, shareholder redemptions and other adverse effects (such as a decline in a company’s stock price), which could negatively impact the Fund’s performance. For example, the value of equity securities may rise and fall in response to changes in interest rates. Market factors, such as the demand for particular equity securities, may cause the price of certain equity securities to fall while the prices of other securities rise or remain unchanged.

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST (REIT) RISK

Real estate investment trusts (REITs), including foreign REITs and REIT-like entities, are subject to risks associated with the ownership of real estate. Some REITs experience market risk due to investment in a limited number of properties, in a narrow geographic area, or in a single property type, which increases the risk that such REIT could be unfavorably affected by the poor performance of a single investment or investment type. These companies are also sensitive to factors such as changes in real estate values and property taxes, interest rates, cash flow of underlying real estate assets, supply and demand, and the management skill and creditworthiness of the issuer. Borrowers could default on or sell investments that a REIT holds, which could reduce the cash flow needed to make distributions to investors. In addition, REITs may also be affected by tax and regulatory requirements impacting the REITs’ ability to qualify for preferential tax treatments or exemptions. REITs require specialized management and pay management expenses. REITs also are subject to physical risks to real property, including weather, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, war or other events that destroy real property. Foreign REITs and REIT-like entities can also be subject to currency risk, emerging market risk, limited public information, illiquid trading and the impact of local laws.

REITs include equity REITs and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. Further, equity and mortgage REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. Equity and mortgage REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidations. In addition, equity and mortgage REITs could possibly fail to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under applicable tax laws or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The above factors may also adversely affect a borrower’s or a lessee’s ability to meet its obligations to the REIT. In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting its investments. In addition, even many of the larger REITs in the industry tend to be small to medium-sized companies in relation to the equity markets as a whole.

Effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, and before January 1, 2026, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 generally allows individuals and certain non-corporate entities, such as partnerships, a deduction for 20% of qualified REIT dividends. Related regulations allow a regulated investment company to pass the character of its qualified REIT dividends through to its shareholders provided certain holding period requirements are met.

Risk Related to Investing for Value

Due to their relatively low valuations, value stocks are typically less volatile than growth stocks. For instance, the price of a value stock may experience a smaller increase on a forecast of higher earnings, a positive fundamental development or positive market development. Further, value stocks tend to have higher dividends than growth stocks. This means they depend less on price changes for returns and may lag behind growth stocks in an up market. The value approach to stock selection also carries the risk that the market will not recognize a security’s intrinsic value for a long time (if ever), or that a stock judged to be undervalued may actually be appropriately priced.

Sector Risk

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. Sector risk is the possibility that a certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. To the extent the Fund invests in a particular sector or sectors, its performance will be more susceptible to economic, business or other developments and risks affecting that sector. Such factors may vary depending upon the sector and economic conditions at the time, but may include, for example, the availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, currency fluctuations, credit conditions or government regulation.

Quantitative MOdeling Risk

The Fund employs quantitative models as a management technique. These models examine multiple economic and market factors using large data sets. The results generated by quantitative analysis may be different than expected and may negatively affect Fund performance for a variety of reasons. For example, human judgment plays a role in building, utilizing, testing and modifying the financial algorithms and formulas used in these models. Additionally, the data, which is typically supplied by third parties, can be imprecise or become stale due to new events or changing circumstances. Market performance can be affected by non-quantitative factors (for example, investor fear or over-reaction or other emotional considerations) that are not easily integrated into quantitative analysis. There may also be technical issues with the construction and implementation of quantitative models (for example, software or other technology malfunctions, or programming inaccuracies).

What Do Shares Cost?

CALCULATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

When the Fund receives your transaction request in proper form (as described in this Prospectus under the sections entitled “How to Purchase Shares” and “How to Redeem and Exchange Shares”), it is processed at the next calculated net asset value of a Share (NAV) plus any applicable front-end sales charge (“public offering price”). A Share’s NAV is determined as of the end of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time), each day the NYSE is open. The Fund calculates the NAV of each class by valuing the assets allocated to the Share’s class, subtracting the liabilities allocated to each class and dividing the balance by the number of Shares of the class outstanding. The NAV for each class of Shares may differ due to the level of expenses allocated to each class as well as a result of the variance between the amount of accrued investment income and capital gains or losses allocated to each class and the amount actually distributed to shareholders of each class. The Fund’s current NAV and/or public offering price may be found at FederatedHermes.com/us, via online news sources and in certain newspapers.

You can purchase, redeem or exchange Shares any day the NYSE is open.

When the Fund holds securities that trade principally in foreign markets on days the NYSE is closed, the value of the Fund’s assets may change on days you cannot purchase or redeem Shares. This may also occur when the U.S. markets for fixed-income securities are open on a day the NYSE is closed.

In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values investments as follows:

■ Equity securities [var:and exchange-traded funds,0000x2] listed on an exchange or traded through a regulated market system are valued at their last reported sale price or official closing price in their principal exchange or market.

■ Derivative contracts listed on exchanges are valued at their reported settlement or closing price, except that options are valued at the mean of closing bid and ask quotations.

■ Over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contracts are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Adviser.

If any price, quotation, price evaluation or other pricing source is not readily available when the NAV is calculated, if the Fund cannot obtain price evaluations from a pricing service or from more than one dealer for an investment within a reasonable period of time as set forth in the Adviser’s valuation policies and procedures, or if information furnished by a pricing service, in the opinion of the Valuation Committee, is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the Fund uses the fair value of the investment determined in accordance with the procedures generally described below. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if it sold the investment at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share.

Shares of other mutual funds are valued based upon their reported NAVs. The prospectuses for these mutual funds explain the circumstances under which they will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.

Fair Valuation and Significant Events Procedures

Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Board has designated the Adviser as the Fund’s valuation designee to perform the fair valuation determination for securities and other assets held by the Fund. The Adviser, acting through its “Valuation Committee,” is responsible for determining the fair value of investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Valuation Committee is comprised of officers of the Adviser and certain of the Adviser’s affiliated companies and determines fair value and oversees the calculation of the NAV. The Valuation Committee is subject to Board oversight and certain reporting and other requirements intended to provide the Board the information it needs to oversee the Adviser’s fair value determinations.

The Valuation Committee is also authorized to use pricing services to provide fair price evaluations of the current fair value of certain investments for purposes of calculating the NAV. In the event that market quotations and price evaluations are not available for an investment, the Valuation Committee determines the fair value of the investment in accordance with procedures adopted by the Adviser as the valuation designee. The Board periodically reviews the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee. The Board has also approved the Adviser’s fair valuation and significant events procedures as part of the Fund’s compliance program and will review any changes made to the procedures. The Fund’s SAI discusses the methods used by pricing services and the Valuation Committee in valuing investments.

Using fair value to price investments may result in a value that is different from an investment’s most recent closing price and from the prices used by other registered funds to calculate their NAVs. The application of the fair value procedures to an investment represents a good faith determination of such investment’s fair value. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if it sold the investment at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share, and the actual value could be materially different.

The Adviser also has adopted procedures requiring an investment to be priced at its fair value whenever the Valuation Committee determines that a significant event affecting the value of the investment has occurred between the time as of which the price of the investment would otherwise be determined and the time as of which the NAV is computed. An event is considered significant if there is both an affirmative expectation that the investment’s value will change in response to the event and a reasonable basis for quantifying the resulting change in value.

Examples of significant events that may occur after the close of the principal market on which a security is traded, or after the time of a price evaluation provided by a pricing service or a dealer, include:

■ With respect to securities traded principally in foreign markets, significant trends in U.S. equity markets or in the trading of foreign securities index futures contracts;

■ Political or other developments affecting the economy or markets in which an issuer conducts its operations or its securities are traded; and

■ Announcements concerning matters such as acquisitions, recapitalizations or litigation developments or a natural disaster affecting the issuer’s operations or regulatory changes or market developments affecting the issuer’s industry.

The Adviser has adopted procedures whereby the Valuation Committee uses a pricing service to provide factors to update the fair value of equity securities traded principally in foreign markets from the time of the close of their respective foreign stock exchanges to the pricing time of the Fund. For other significant events, the Fund may seek to obtain more current quotations or price evaluations from alternative pricing sources. If a reliable alternative pricing source is not available, the Valuation Committee will determine the fair value of the investment. The Board periodically reviews fair valuations made in response to significant events.

The fair valuation of securities following a significant event can serve to reduce arbitrage opportunities for short-term traders to profit at the expense of long-term investors in the Fund. For example, such arbitrage opportunities may exist when the market on which portfolio securities are traded closes before the Fund calculates its NAV, which is typically the case with Asian and European markets. However, there is no assurance that these significant event procedures will prevent dilution of the NAV by short-term traders. See “Account and Share Information–Frequent Trading Policies” for other procedures the Fund employs to deter such short-term trading.

Sales Charge Information

The following table summarizes the minimum investment amount and the maximum sales charge, if any, that you will pay on an investment in the Fund. Keep in mind that financial intermediaries may charge you fees for their services in connection with your Share transactions.

	Minimum Initial/Subsequent Investment Amounts1	Maximum Sales Charges
Shares Offered	Minimum Initial/Subsequent Investment Amounts1	Front-End Sales Charge2	Contingent Deferred Sales Charge3
A	$1,500/$100	5.50%	0.00%
C	$1,500/$100	None	1.00%

The minimum initial and subsequent investment amounts for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are generally $250 and $100, respectively. There is

no minimum initial or subsequent investment amount required for employer-sponsored retirement plans; however, such accounts remain subject to the

Fund’s policy on “Accounts with Low Balances” as discussed later in this Prospectus. Please see “By Systematic Investment Program” for applicable

minimum investment. Financial intermediaries may impose higher or lower minimum investment requirements on their customers than those imposed by

the Fund. To maximize your return and minimize the sales charges and marketing fees, purchases of the C class are generally limited to $1,000,000.

Purchases equal to or in excess of these limits may be made in the A class. If your Shares are held on the books of the Fund in the name of a financial

intermediary, you may be subject to rules of your financial intermediary that differ from those of the Fund. See “Purchase Restrictions on C Class”

below. After C Shares have been held for eight years from the date of purchase, they will automatically convert to Class A Shares on the next monthly

conversion processing date, provided that certain conditions are satisfied. See “How is the Fund Sold?” This conversion is a non-taxable event.

Front-End Sales Charge is expressed as a percentage of public offering price. See “Sales Charge When You Purchase.”

See “Sales Charge When You Redeem.”

As shown in the table above, each class of Shares has a different sales charge structure. In addition, the ongoing annual operating expenses (expense ratios), as well as the compensation payable to financial intermediaries, also vary among the classes. Before you decide which class to purchase, you should review the different charges and expenses of each class carefully, in light of your personal circumstances, and consult with your financial intermediary.

Among the important factors to consider are the amount you plan to invest and the length of time you expect to hold your investment (for example, whether the investment is in connection with a long-term retirement program). You should also consider, for example, that it may be possible to reduce or eliminate the front-end sales charges imposed on purchases of the A class. Among other ways, the A class has a series of “breakpoints,” which means that the front-end sales charges decrease (and can be eliminated entirely) as the amount invested increases. (The breakpoint schedule is set out below, along with detailed information on ways to reduce, or eliminate, front-end sales charges.) On the other hand, the C class does not have front-end sales charges but does impose a contingent deferred sales charge only if redeemed within one year after purchase; however, the asset-based 12b-1 fees charged to the C class are greater than those charged to the A class.

You should also consider that the expense ratio for the A class will be lower than that for the C class. Thus, the fact that no front-end charge is imposed on purchases of the C class does not always make them preferable to the A class.

SALES CHARGE WHEN YOU PURCHASE

The following table lists the sales charges which will be applied to your Share purchase, subject to the breakpoint discounts indicated in the table and described below.

A:
Purchase Amount	Sales Charge as a Percentage of Public Offering Price	Sales Charge as a Percentage of NAV
Less than $50,000	5.50%	5.82%
$50,000 but less than $100,000	4.50%	4.71%
$100,000 but less than $250,000	3.75%	3.90%
$250,000 but less than $500,000	2.50%	2.56%
$500,000 but less than $1 million	2.00%	2.04%
$1 million or greater1	0.00%	0.00%

A contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) of 0.75% of the redemption amount applies to Shares originally purchased in an amount of $1 million or

more and redeemed up to 24 months after purchase under certain investment programs where a financial intermediary received an advance payment on

the transaction. CDSC exceptions may apply. See “Sales Charge When You Redeem.”

REDUCING THE SALES CHARGE WITH BREAKPOINT DISCOUNTS

Your investment may qualify for a reduction or elimination of the sales charge, also known as a breakpoint discount. The breakpoint discounts offered by the Fund are indicated in the table above. You or your financial intermediary must notify the Fund’s Transfer Agent of eligibility for any applicable breakpoint discount at the time of purchase.

In order to receive the applicable breakpoint discount, it may be necessary at the time of purchase for you to inform your financial intermediary or the Transfer Agent of the existence of other accounts in which there are holdings eligible to be aggregated to meet a sales charge breakpoint (“Qualifying Accounts”). Qualifying Accounts mean those Share accounts in the Federated Hermes funds held directly or through a financial intermediary or through a single-participant retirement account by you, your spouse, your parents (if you are under age 21) and/or your children under age 21, which can be linked using tax identification numbers (TINs), social security numbers (SSNs) or broker identification numbers (BINs). Accounts held through 401(k) plans and similar multi-participant retirement plans, or through “Section 529” college savings plans or those accounts which cannot be linked using TINs, SSNs or BINs, are not Qualifying Accounts.

In order to verify your eligibility for a breakpoint discount, you will be required to provide to your financial intermediary or the Transfer Agent certain information on your New Account Form and may be required to provide account statements regarding Qualifying Accounts. If you purchase through a financial intermediary, you may be asked to provide additional information and records as required by the financial intermediary. Failure to provide proper notification or verification of eligibility for a breakpoint discount may result in your not receiving a breakpoint discount to which you are otherwise entitled. Breakpoint discounts apply only to your current purchase and do not apply retroactively to previous purchases. The sales charges applicable to the Shares offered in this Prospectus, and the breakpoint discounts offered with respect to such Shares, are described in full in this Prospectus. Because the Prospectus is available on FederatedHermes.com/us free of charge, Federated Hermes does not disclose this information separately on the website.

Contingent upon notification to the Transfer Agent, the sales charge at purchase of the A class only, may be reduced or eliminated by:

Larger Purchases

■ Purchasing the A class in greater quantities to reduce the applicable sales charge;

Concurrent and Accumulated Purchases

■ Excluding any Federated Hermes Fund A class without a sale charge (“no-load A class”), combining concurrent purchases of and/or current investments in the A class, B class, C class, F class and R class of any Federated Hermes fund made or held by Qualifying Accounts; the purchase amount used in determining the sales charge on your additional Share purchase will be calculated by multiplying the respective maximum public offering price times the number of the A class, B class, C class, F class and R class of any Federated Hermes fund currently held in Qualifying Accounts and adding the dollar amount of your current purchase; or

Letter of Intent

■ Signing a letter of intent to purchase a qualifying amount of the A class within 13 months. (Call your financial intermediary or the Fund for more information.) The Fund’s custodian will hold Shares in escrow equal to the maximum applicable sales charge. If you complete the Letter of Intent, the Custodian will release the Shares in escrow to your account. If you do not fulfill the Letter of Intent, the Custodian will redeem the appropriate amount from the Shares held in escrow to pay the sales charges that were not applied to your purchases.

PURCHASE restrictions ON C CLASS

In order to maximize shareholder returns and minimize sales charges and marketing fees, an investor’s purchases of the C class are generally limited to $1,000,000 (except for employer-sponsored retirement plans held in omnibus accounts). In applying the limit, the dollar amount of the current purchase is added to the product obtained by multiplying the respective maximum public offering price times the number of the A class, C class, F class and R class of any Federated Hermes fund currently held in linked Qualifying Accounts, as defined in the section entitled “Reducing the Sales Charge with Breakpoint Discounts.” If the sum of these two amounts would equal or exceed the limit, then the current purchase order will not be processed. Instead, the Distributor will attempt to contact the investor or the investor’s financial intermediary to offer the opportunity to convert the order to the A class.

If your Shares are held on the books of the Fund in the name of a financial intermediary, you may be subject to rules of your financial intermediary that differ from those of the Fund.

ELIMINATING THE SALES CHARGE

Your investment may qualify for a sales charge waiver. Sales charge waivers offered by the Fund are listed below. In order to receive a sales charge waiver, you must inform your financial intermediary or the Transfer Agent at the time of each purchase that your investment is eligible for a waiver. It is possible that your financial intermediary may not, in accordance with its policies, procedures and system limitations, be able to ensure your receipt of one or more of these waiver categories. In this situation, you would need to invest directly through the Fund’s Transfer Agent. If you do not let your financial intermediary or the Transfer Agent know that your investment is eligible for a sales charge waiver at the time of purchase, you may not receive the waiver to which you may otherwise be entitled.

Contingent upon notification to the Transfer Agent, the sales charge will be eliminated when you purchase or acquire Shares:

■ within 120 days of redeeming Shares of an equal or greater amount (see “120 Day Reinstatement Program” below);

■ through an eligible program offered by a Financial Intermediary that provides for the purchase of Shares without imposition of a sales charge (for example, a wrap account, self-directed brokerage account, retirement or other fee-based program offered by the Financial Intermediary);

■ with reinvested dividends or capital gains;

■ issued in connection with the merger, consolidation or acquisition of the assets of another fund. Further, the sales charge will be eliminated on purchases of Shares made by a shareholder that originally became a shareholder of a Federated Hermes Fund pursuant to the terms of an agreement and plan of reorganization which permits shareholders to acquire Shares at NAV, provided that such purchased Shares are held directly with the Fund’s transfer agent. If the Shares are held through a financial intermediary, the sales charge waiver will not apply (A class only);

■ as a Federated Life Member (Federated shareholders who originally were issued shares through the “Liberty Account,” which was an account for the Liberty Family of Funds on February 28, 1987, or who invested through an affinity group prior to August 1, 1987, into the Liberty Account) (A class only);

■ as a Trustee, employee or former employee of the Fund, the Adviser, the Distributor and their affiliates, an employee of any financial intermediary that sells Shares according to a sales agreement with the Distributor, an immediate family member of these individuals or a trust, pension or profit-sharing plan for these individuals; or

■ pursuant to the exchange privilege.

The sales charge will not be eliminated if you purchase Shares of the Fund through an exchange of shares of any no-load A class unless your no-load A class shares were acquired through an exchange of shares on which the sales charge had previously been paid.

120 Day reinstatement program

Within 120 days of redeeming Class A Shares and Class C Shares of the Fund, upon proper notification to the Fund’s Transfer Agent, you may reinvest all or a portion of the redemption proceeds in Class A Shares and Class C Shares of the Fund at net asset value, without the imposition of a sales charge or CDSC. Please note:

■ The ownership of the account receiving the purchase is not required to be identical to that of the account in which the redemption was placed; however, the registration of the account receiving the purchase must include at least one registered shareholder of the account from which the redemption occurred.

■ You will not be reimbursed for any fees originally incurred on the redemption (e.g., CDSC or redemption fees) by subsequently participating in the 120 Day Reinstatement Program.

■ The 120 Day Reinstatement Program does not supersede or override any restrictions placed on an account due to frequent trading and/or client contractual issues.

Additional operational restrictions may apply, please contact a Client Service Representative at 1-800-341-7400 for more information.

sales charge when you redeem

Your redemption proceeds may be reduced by a sales charge, commonly referred to as a contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC). Shares otherwise subject to a CDSC will not be charged a CDSC at the time of an exchange; however, the CDSC will continue to be measured from the date of your original purchase. The CDSC schedule applicable to your original purchase will continue to apply to the shares you receive in an exchange.

To keep the sales charge as low as possible, the Fund redeems your Shares in this order:

■ Shares that are not subject to a CDSC; and

■ Shares held the longest. (To determine the number of years your Shares have been held, include the time you held shares of other Federated Hermes funds that have been exchanged for Shares of this Fund.)

The CDSC is then calculated using the Share price at the time of purchase or redemption, whichever is lower.

A:
If you make a purchase of the A class in the amount of $1 million or more and your financial intermediary received an advance commission on the sale, you will pay a 0.75% CDSC on any such Shares redeemed within 24 months of the purchase.
C:
You will pay a 1.00% CDSC if you redeem Shares within 12 months of the purchase date.

Your redemption may qualify for a waiver of the CDSC. The CDSC waivers offered by the Fund are listed below. In order to receive a waiver of the CDSC, you must inform your financial intermediary or the Transfer Agent at the time of each redemption that your investment is eligible for a waiver. It is possible that your financial intermediary may not, in accordance with its policies, procedures and system limitations, be able to ensure your receipt of one or more of these waiver categories. In this situation, you would need to invest directly through the Fund’s Transfer Agent in order to take advantage of the waiver. If you do not let your financial intermediary or the Transfer Agent know that your redemption is eligible for a CDSC waiver at the time of redemption, you may not receive the waiver to which you may otherwise be entitled.

Contingent upon notification to the Transfer Agent, you will not be charged a CDSC when redeeming Shares:

■ following the death of the last surviving shareholder on the account or the post-purchase disability of all registered shareholders, as defined in Section 72(m)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the beneficiary on an account with a Transfer on Death registration is deemed the last surviving shareholder on the account);

■ due to the termination of a trust following the death of the trustor/grantor or beneficiary, provided that the trust document specifically states that the trust is terminated upon the death;

■ representing minimum required distributions from an IRA or other retirement plan as required under the Internal Revenue Code;

■ purchased by Trustees, employees of the Fund, the Adviser, the Distributor and their affiliates, by employees of a financial intermediary that sells Shares according to a sales agreement with the Distributor, by the immediate family members of the above persons and by trusts, pension or profit-sharing plans for the above persons;

■ purchased through an eligible program offered by a Financial Intermediary that provides for the purchase of Shares without imposition of a sales charge (for example, a wrap account, self-directed brokerage account, retirement or other fee-based program offered by the Financial Intermediary);

■ purchased with reinvested dividends or capital gains;

■ redeemed by the Fund when it closes an account for not meeting the minimum balance requirements.

■ purchased pursuant to the exchange privilege if the Shares were held for the applicable CDSC holding period (the holding period on the Shares purchased in the exchange will include the holding period of the Shares sold in the exchange); or

A Class Only

■ purchased in the amount of $1 million or more and redeemed within 24 months of purchase if the Shares were originally purchased through an eligible program offered by a Financial Intermediary that provides for the purchase of Shares without imposition of a sales charge (for example, a wrap account, self-directed brokerage account, retirement or other fee-based program offered by the Financial Intermediary).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE AVAILABILITY OF CERTAIN WAIVERS AND DISCOUNTS

The availability of certain sales charge waivers and discounts will depend on whether you purchase your shares directly from the Fund or through a financial intermediary. Certain financial intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales load waivers or CDSC waivers which are discussed in Appendix B to this Prospectus. The information contained in Appendix B is provided by these financial intermediaries. Please contact your financial intermediary to ensure that you have the information regarding the sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and that you understand the steps you must take to qualify for available waivers and discounts. In all instances, it is the shareholder’s responsibility to notify the Fund or the shareholder’s Financial Intermediary at the time of purchase of any relationship or other facts qualifying the investor for sales charge waivers or discounts. For waivers and discounts not available through a particular financial intermediary, shareholders will have to purchase Fund shares directly from the Fund or through another financial intermediary to receive these waivers or discounts.

COMMISSIONS ON CERTAIN SHARES

The Fund does not charge any front-end load, deferred sales charge or other asset-based fee for sales or distribution of Institutional or R6 Shares. However, if you purchase Institutional or R6 Shares through a broker acting solely as an agent on behalf of its customers, you may be required to pay a commission to the broker in an amount determined and separately disclosed to you by the broker.

Because the Fund is not a party to any such commission arrangement between you and your broker, any purchases and redemptions of Institutional or R6 Shares will be made at the applicable net asset value (before imposition of the sales commission). Any such commissions charged by a broker are not reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the “Risk/Return Summary: Fees and Expenses” section of the Fund’s Prospectus and described above nor are they reflected in the “Performance: Bar Chart and Table,” because they are not charged by the Fund.

Shares of the Fund are available in other share classes that have different fees and expenses.

How is the Fund Sold?

The Fund offers the following Share classes: Class A Shares (A), Class C Shares (C), Class R Shares (R), Institutional Shares (IS) and Class R6 Shares (R6), each representing interests in a single portfolio of securities. All Share classes have different sales charges and other expenses which affect their performance. Please note that certain purchase restrictions may apply.

Under the Distributor’s Contract with the Fund, the Distributor, Federated Securities Corp., offers Shares on a continuous, best-efforts basis. The Distributor is a subsidiary of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes,” formerly, Federated Investors, Inc.).

A & C Classes

The Fund’s Distributor markets the Fund’s A class and C class to institutions or to individuals, directly or through financial intermediaries.

R Class

The Fund’s Distributor markets the R class to: 401(k) plans; 457 plans; employer sponsored 403(b) plans; profit sharing and money purchase pension plans; defined benefit plans; non-qualified deferred compensation plans and IRA Rollovers from such plans; Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRA); SEP or SIMPLE IRAs held directly or through financial intermediaries, as well as IRAs and investment-only 403(b) plans held through financial intermediaries.

IS Class

The Fund’s Distributor markets the IS class to Eligible Investors, as described below. In connection with a request to purchase the IS class, you should provide documentation sufficient to verify your status as an Eligible Investor. As a general matter, the IS class is not available for direct investment by natural persons.

The following categories of Eligible Investors are not subject to any minimum initial investment amount for the purchase of the IS class (however, such accounts remain subject to the Fund’s policy on “Accounts with Low Balances” as discussed later in this Prospectus):

■ An investor participating in a no-load platform, network or other fee-based program offered by a financial intermediary, for example, a wrap-account or retirement platform where Federated Hermes has entered into an agreement with the intermediary;

■ A trustee/director or former trustee/director (e.g., Trustee/Director Emeritus), employee or former employee of the Fund, the Adviser, the Distributor and their affiliates; an immediate family member of these individuals or a trust, pension or profit-sharing plan for these individuals;

■ An employer-sponsored retirement plan;

■ A trust institution investing on behalf of its trust customers;

■ Additional sales to an investor (including a natural person) who owned the IS class of the Fund as of December 31, 2008;

■ A Federated Hermes Fund;

■ An investor (including a natural person) who acquired the IS class of a Federated Hermes fund pursuant to the terms of an agreement and plan of reorganization which permits the investor to acquire such shares; and

■ In connection with an acquisition of an investment management or advisory business, or related investment services, products or assets, by Federated Hermes or its investment advisory subsidiaries, an investor (including a natural person) who: (1) becomes a client of an investment advisory subsidiary of Federated Hermes; or (2) is a shareholder or interest holder of a pooled investment vehicle or product that becomes advised or sub-advised by a Federated Hermes investment advisory subsidiary as a result of such an acquisition other than as a result of a fund reorganization transaction pursuant to an agreement and plan of reorganization.

The following categories of Eligible Investors are subject to applicable minimum initial investment amounts for the purchase of the IS class (see “How to Purchase Shares” below):

■ An investor, other than a natural person, purchasing the IS class directly from the Fund; and

■ In connection with an initial purchase of the IS class through an exchange, an investor (including a natural person) who owned the IS class of another Federated Hermes fund as of December 31, 2008.

R6 Class

The Fund’s Distributor markets the R6 class to Eligible Investors, as described below. The Class R6 Shares are sold at net asset value and are not subject to any minimum initial or subsequent investment amounts. In connection with a request to purchase the R6 class, you should provide documentation sufficient to verify your status as an Eligible Investor.

Class R6 Shares do not carry sales commissions or pay Rule 12b-1 fees, or make similar payments to financial intermediaries. As a general matter, the R6 class is not available for direct investment by natural persons. Individual shareholders who purchase Class R6 Shares through retirement platforms or other intermediaries will not be eligible to hold Class R6 Shares outside of their respective plan or intermediary platform.

Following are categories of Eligible Investors:

■ An employer-sponsored retirement plan;

■ A trust institution investing on behalf of its trust customers;

■ An investor, other than a natural person, purchasing Shares directly from the Fund;

■ A Federated Hermes Fund;

■ An investor (including a natural person) who acquired the R6 class of a Federated Hermes fund pursuant to the terms of an agreement and plan of reorganization which permits the investor to acquire such shares; and

Intra-Fund Share Conversion Program

A shareholder in the Fund’s Shares may convert their Shares at net asset value to any other share class of the Fund if the shareholder meets the investment minimum and eligibility requirements for the share class into which the conversion is sought, as applicable. The share conversion program is not applicable to the Fund’s Class A Shares and Class C Shares subject to a contingent deferred sales charge, if applicable. For Class C Shares purchased through a financial intermediary after June 30, 2017, such shares may only be converted to another share class of the same Fund if: (i) the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC or the financial intermediary agrees to reimburse the Fund’s distributor the CDSC otherwise payable upon the sale of such shares; (ii) the shareholder meets the investment minimum and eligibility requirements for the share class into which the conversion is sought, as applicable; and (iii) (a) the conversion is made to facilitate the shareholder’s participation in a self-directed brokerage (non-advice) account or a fee-based advisory program offered by the intermediary; or (b) the conversion is part of a multiple-client transaction through a particular financial intermediary as pre-approved by the Fund’s Administrator. Such conversion of classes should not result in a realization event for tax purposes. Contact your financial intermediary or call 1-800-341-7400 to convert your Shares.

Class C Share Automatic Conversion Feature

After Class C Shares have been held for eight years from the date of purchase, they will automatically convert into Class A Shares on the next monthly conversion processing date, provided that the Fund or financial intermediary has records confirming that the Class C Shares have been held for at least eight years and that the Class A Shares are available for purchase. For Class C Shares acquired in an exchange from another Federated Hermes fund, the date of purchase will be based on the initial purchase of the Class C Shares of the prior Federated Hermes fund. Certain financial intermediaries, record keepers and platforms do not track shareholder level share lot aging for certain types of accounts. These Class C Shares would not satisfy the conditions for the conversion. Contact your financial intermediary or call 1-800-341-7400 for more information.

Payments to Financial Intermediaries

The Fund and its affiliated service providers may pay fees as described below to financial intermediaries (such as broker-dealers, banks, investment advisers or third-party administrators) whose customers are shareholders of the Fund.

The Fund’s Class R6 Shares do not make any payments to financial intermediaries, either from Fund assets or from the investment adviser and its affiliates.

FRONT-END SALES CHARGE REALLOWANCES

The Distributor receives a front-end sales charge on certain Share sales. The Distributor pays a portion of this charge to financial intermediaries that are eligible to receive it (the “Dealer Reallowance”) and retains any remaining portion of the front-end sales charge.

When a financial intermediary’s customer purchases Shares, the financial intermediary may receive a Dealer Reallowance as follows:

A:
Purchase Amount		Dealer Reallowance as a Percentage of Public Offering Price
Less than $50,000		5.00%
$50,000 but less than $100,000		4.00%
$100,000 but less than $250,000		3.25%
$250,000 but less than $500,000		2.25%
$500,000 but less than $1 million		1.80%
$1 million or greater		0.00%

ADVANCE COMMISSIONS

When a financial intermediary’s customer purchases Shares, the financial intermediary may receive an advance commission as follows:

A (for purchases over $1 million):
Purchase Amount		Advance Commission as a Percentage of Public Offering Price
First $1 million - $5 million		0.75%
Next $5 million - $20 million		0.50%
Over $20 million		0.25%

Advance commissions are calculated on a year-by-year basis based on amounts invested during that year. Accordingly, with respect to additional purchase amounts, the advance commission breakpoint resets annually to the first breakpoint on the anniversary of the first purchase.

A class purchases under this program may be made by Letter of Intent or by combining concurrent purchases. The above advance commission will be paid only on those purchases that were not previously subject to a front-end sales charge or dealer advance commission. Certain retirement accounts may not be eligible for this program.

C:
		Advance Commission as a Percentage of Public Offering Price
All Purchase Amounts		1.00%

RULE 12b-1 FEES

A, C & R Classes

The Board has adopted a Rule 12b-1 Plan, which allows payment of marketing fees of up to 0.05% for A class, 0.50% for R class and up to 0.75% for C class to the Distributor for the sale, distribution, administration and customer servicing of the Fund’s A, C and R classes. When the Distributor receives Rule 12b-1 Fees, it may pay some or all of them to financial intermediaries whose customers purchase Shares. The Fund’s A class has no present intention of paying, accruing or incurring any Rule 12b-1 Fees until such time as approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees. In addition, in connection with the sale of the C class, Federated Hermes and its subsidiaries make advance commission payments to

financial intermediaries and in return may receive Rule 12b-1 Fees and contingent deferred sales loads for the C class. Federated Hermes and its subsidiaries may benefit or sustain losses from such arrangements. Because these Shares pay marketing fees on an ongoing basis, your investment cost may be higher over time than other shares with different sales charges and marketing fees.

service fees

A & C Classes

The Fund may pay Service Fees of up to 0.25% of average net assets to financial intermediaries or to Federated Shareholder Services Company (FSSC), a subsidiary of Federated Hermes, for providing services to shareholders and maintaining shareholder accounts. Intermediaries that receive Service Fees may include a company affiliated with management of Federated Hermes. If a financial intermediary receives Service Fees on an account, it is not eligible to also receive Account Administration Fees on that same account.

ACCOUNT ADMINISTRATION FEES

A & C Classes

The Fund may pay Account Administration Fees of up to 0.25% of average net assets to banks that are not registered as broker-dealers or investment advisers for providing administrative services to the Fund and its shareholders. If a financial intermediary receives Account Administration Fees on an account, it is not eligible to also receive Service Fees or Recordkeeping Fees on that same account.

RECORDKEEPING FEES

A, C, R & IS Classes

The Fund may pay Recordkeeping Fees on an average-net-assets basis or on a per-account-per-year basis to financial intermediaries for providing recordkeeping services to the Fund and its shareholders. If a financial intermediary receives Recordkeeping Fees on an account, it is not eligible to also receive Account Administration Fees or Networking Fees on that same account.

networking fees

A, C, R & IS Classes

The Fund may reimburse Networking Fees on a per-account-per-year basis to financial intermediaries for providing administrative services to the Fund and its shareholders on certain non-omnibus accounts. If a financial intermediary receives Networking Fees on an account, it is not eligible to also receive Recordkeeping Fees on that same account.

ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES AND OTHER PERSONS

A, C, R & IS Classes

The Distributor may pay out of its own resources amounts to certain financial intermediaries, including broker-dealers, banks, registered investment advisers, independent financial planners and retirement plan administrators, and other persons, that support the sale of Shares or provide services to the Fund and/or its shareholders. The amounts of these payments could be significant, and may create an incentive for the financial intermediary or its employees or associated persons or other persons to recommend or sell Shares of the Fund to you. Not all financial intermediaries and other persons receive such payments, and the amount of compensation may vary. In some cases, such payments may be made by or funded from the resources of companies affiliated with the Distributor (including the Adviser). These payments are not reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the fee table section of the Fund’s Prospectus and described above because they are not paid by the Fund.

These payments are negotiated and may be based on such factors as: the number or value of Shares that the financial intermediary or other person sells, may sell or arrange for the sale of Shares; the value of client assets invested; the level and types of services or support furnished by the financial intermediary; or the Fund’s and/or other Federated Hermes funds’ relationship with the financial intermediary. These payments may be in addition to payments, as described above, made by the Fund to the financial intermediary or other person. In connection with these payments, the financial intermediary may elevate the prominence or profile of the Fund and/or other Federated Hermes funds, within the financial intermediary’s organization by, for example, placement on a list of preferred or recommended funds and/or granting the Distributor preferential or enhanced opportunities to promote the funds in various ways within the financial intermediary’s organization. In addition, as discussed above in “Commissions on Certain Shares,” if you purchase IS or R6 Shares

through a broker acting solely as an agent on behalf of its customers, you may be required to pay a commission to the broker in an amount determined and separately disclosed to you by the broker. You can ask your financial intermediary, or any other person that provides services to you, for information about any payments it receives from the Distributor or the Fund and any services provided, as well as about fees and/or commissions it charges.

How to Purchase Shares

You may purchase Shares of the Fund any day the NYSE is open. Shares will be purchased at the NAV next calculated after your investment is received by the Fund, or its agent, in proper form. The Fund reserves the right to reject any request to purchase or exchange Shares. New investors must submit a completed New Account Form. All accounts, with the exception of R6 class accounts, including those for which there is no minimum initial investment amount required, are subject to the Fund’s policy on “Accounts with Low Balances” as discussed later in this Prospectus.

If you seek to purchase Shares directly from the Fund and do not specify the class choice on your New Account Form or form of payment (e.g., Federal Reserve wire or check), you automatically will receive the A class of the Fund.

For important account information, see the section “Security and Privacy Protection.”

A & C Classes

You may purchase Shares through a financial intermediary, directly from the Fund or through an exchange from another Federated Hermes fund.

R Class

You may purchase Shares through a financial intermediary, directly from the Fund or through an exchange from another Federated Hermes fund.

The minimum initial and subsequent investment amounts for IRA Rollovers from retirement plans are generally $250 and $100, respectively. There is no minimum initial or subsequent amount for employer-sponsored retirement plans; however, such accounts remain subject to the Fund’s policy on “Accounts with Low Balances” as discussed later in this Prospectus.

An institutional investor’s minimum investment is calculated by combining all accounts it maintains with the Fund.

IS Class

Eligible investors may purchase Shares through a financial intermediary, directly from the Fund or through an exchange from another Federated Hermes fund in the manner described above under “How is the Fund Sold?”

Where applicable, the required minimum initial investment for the IS class is generally $1,000,000. There is no minimum subsequent investment amount.

R6 Class

Eligible Investors may purchase Shares through a financial intermediary, directly from the Fund or through an exchange from another Federated Hermes fund in the manner described above under “How is the Fund Sold?”

There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment amount required.

THROUGH A FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARY

■ Establish an account with the financial intermediary; and

■ Submit your purchase order to the financial intermediary before the end of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). Certain financial intermediaries, however, may require submission of orders prior to that time.

The Fund has authorized certain intermediaries to accept Share purchase orders on its behalf. When authorized intermediaries receive an order in proper form, the order is considered as being placed with the Fund, and Shares will be bought at the NAV next calculated after such an order is received by the authorized intermediary. If your financial intermediary is not an authorized intermediary, the Fund or its agent must receive the purchase order in proper form from your financial intermediary by the end of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) in order for your transaction to be priced at that day’s NAV. In addition, your financial intermediary must forward your payment by the prescribed trade settlement date (typically within one to three business days) to the Fund’s transfer agent, SS&C GIDS, Inc. (“Transfer Agent”). You will become the owner of Shares and receive dividends when your payment is received in accordance with these time frames (provided that, if payment is received in the form of a check, the check clears). If your payment is not received in accordance with these time frames, or a check does not clear, your purchase will be canceled and you could be liable for any losses, fees or expenses incurred by the Fund or the Fund’s Transfer Agent.

Financial intermediaries should send payments according to the instructions in the sections “By Wire” or “By Check.”

Financial intermediaries may impose higher or lower minimum investment requirements on their customers than those imposed by the Fund. Keep in mind that financial intermediaries may charge you fees for their services in connection with your Share transactions.

Shareholders are encouraged to ask their financial intermediary if they are an authorized agent for the Fund and about any fees that may be charged by the financial intermediary.

DIRECTLY FROM THE FUND

■ Establish your account with the Fund by submitting a completed New Account Form; and

■ Send your payment to the Fund by Federal Reserve wire or check.

You will become the owner of Shares and your Shares will be priced at the next calculated NAV after the Fund receives your wire or your check. If your check does not clear, your purchase will be canceled and you could be liable for any losses or fees incurred by the Fund or the Fund’s Transfer Agent.

By Wire

To facilitate processing your order, please call the Fund before sending the wire. Send your wire to:

State Street Bank and Trust Company
Boston, MA
Dollar Amount of Wire
ABA Number 011000028
BNF: 23026552
Attention: Federated Hermes EDGEWIRE
Wire Order Number, Dealer Number or Group Number
Nominee/Institution Name
Fund Name and Number and Account Number

You cannot purchase Shares by wire on holidays when wire transfers are restricted.

By Check

Make your check payable to The Federated Hermes Funds, note your account number on the check, and send it to:

The Federated Hermes Funds
P.O. Box 219318
Kansas City, MO 64121-9318

If you send your check by a private courier or overnight delivery service that requires a street address, send it to:

The Federated Hermes Funds
801 Pennsylvania Avenue
Suite 219318
Kansas City, MO 64105-1307

Payment should be made in U.S. dollars and drawn on a U.S. bank. The Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase request. For example, to protect against check fraud the Fund may reject any purchase request involving a check that is not made payable to The Federated Hermes Funds (including, but not limited to, requests to purchase Shares using third-party checks) or involving temporary checks or credit card checks.

By Direct Deposit

You may establish Payroll Deduction/Direct Deposit arrangements for investments into the Fund by either calling a Client Service Representative at 1-800-341-7400; or by completing the Payroll Deduction/Direct Deposit Form, which is available on FederatedHermes.com/us under “Resources” and then “Literature and Forms,” then “Forms.” You will receive a confirmation when this service is available.

THROUGH AN EXCHANGE

You may purchase Fund Shares through an exchange from another Federated Hermes fund. To do this you must:

■ meet any applicable shareholder eligibility requirements;

■ ensure that the account registrations are identical;

■ meet any applicable minimum initial investment requirements; and

■ receive a prospectus for the fund into which you wish to exchange.

An exchange is treated as a redemption and a subsequent purchase, and is a taxable transaction. The Fund reserves the right to reject any request to purchase or exchange Shares. The Fund may modify or terminate the exchange privilege at any time.

A, C & R Classes

You may purchase Shares through an exchange from the same share class of another Federated Hermes fund.

IS & R6 Classes

You may purchase Shares through an exchange from any Federated Hermes fund or share class that does not have a stated sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge, except Shares of Federated Hermes Institutional Tax-Free Cash Trust, Federated Hermes Institutional Prime Obligations Fund, no-load Class A Shares and Class R Shares of any Fund.

By Online Account Services

You may access your accounts online to purchase Shares through FederatedHermes.com/us’s Shareholder Account Access system once you have registered for access. Online transactions may be subject to certain limitations including limitations as to the amount of the transaction. For more information about the services available through Shareholder Account Access, please visit FederatedHermes.com/us and select “Sign In” and “Access and Manage Investments,” or call 1-800-341-7400, Option #4 to speak with a Client Service Representative.

BY SYSTEMATIC INVESTMENT PROGRAM (SIP)

Once you have opened an account, you may automatically purchase additional Shares on a regular basis by completing the SIP section of the New Account Form or by contacting the Fund or your financial intermediary. The minimum investment amount for SIPs is $50.

BY AUTOMATED CLEARING HOUSE (ACH)

Once you have opened an account, you may purchase additional Shares through a depository institution that is an ACH member. This purchase option can be established by completing the appropriate sections of the New Account Form.

RETIREMENT INVESTMENTS

A & C Classes

You may purchase Shares as retirement investments (such as qualified plans and IRAs or transfer or rollover of assets). Call your financial intermediary or the Fund for information on retirement investments. We suggest that you discuss retirement investments with your tax adviser. You may be subject to an account fee charged by your financial intermediary.

R6 Class

You may purchase Shares as retirement investments (such as qualified plans or transfer of assets). Call your financial intermediary or the Fund for information on retirement investments. We suggest that you discuss retirement investments with your tax adviser. You may be subject to an account fee charged by your financial intermediary.

How to Redeem and Exchange Shares

You should redeem or exchange Shares:

■ through a financial intermediary if you purchased Shares through a financial intermediary; or

■ directly from the Fund if you purchased Shares directly from the Fund.

Shares of the Fund may be redeemed for cash, or exchanged for shares of other Federated Hermes funds as described herein, on days on which the Fund computes its NAV. Redemption requests may be made by telephone or in writing.

Redemption proceeds normally are wired or mailed within one business day for each method of payment after receiving a timely request in proper form. Depending upon the method of payment, when shareholders receive redemption proceeds can differ. Payment may be delayed for up to seven days under certain circumstances (see “Limitations on Redemption Proceeds”).

For important account information, see the section “Security and Privacy Protection.”

THROUGH A FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARY

Submit your redemption or exchange request to your financial intermediary by the end of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). Certain financial intermediaries, however, may require submission of orders prior to that time. The redemption amount you will receive is based upon the next calculated NAV after the Fund receives the order from your financial intermediary.

DIRECTLY FROM THE FUND

By Telephone

You may redeem or exchange Shares by simply calling the Fund at 1-800-341-7400.

If you call before the end of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time), you will receive a redemption amount based on that day’s NAV.

By Mail

You may redeem or exchange Shares by sending a written request to the Fund.

You will receive a redemption amount based on the next calculated NAV after the Fund receives your written request in proper form.

Send requests by mail to:

The Federated Hermes Funds
P.O. Box 219318
Kansas City, MO 64121-9318

Send requests by private courier or overnight delivery service to:

The Federated Hermes Funds
801 Pennsylvania Avenue
Suite 219318
Kansas City, MO 64105-1307

All requests must include:

■ Fund name and Share class, account number and account registration;

■ amount to be redeemed or exchanged;

■ signatures of all shareholders exactly as registered; and

■ if exchanging, the Fund name and Share class, account number and account registration into which you are exchanging.

Call your financial intermediary or the Fund if you need special instructions.

Signature Guarantees

Signatures must be guaranteed by a financial institution which is a participant in a Medallion signature guarantee program if:

■ your redemption will be sent to an address other than the address of record;

■ your redemption will be sent to an address of record that was changed within the last 30 days;

■ a redemption is payable to someone other than the shareholder(s) of record; or

■ transferring into another fund with a different shareholder registration.

A Medallion signature guarantee is designed to protect your account from fraud. Obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from a bank or trust company, savings association, credit union or broker, dealer or securities exchange member. A notary public cannot provide a signature guarantee.

By Online Account Services

You may access your accounts online to redeem or exchange Shares through FederatedHermes.com/us’s Shareholder Account Access system once you have registered for access. Online transactions may be subject to certain limitations including limitations as to the amount of the transaction. For more information about the services available through Shareholder Account Access, please visit FederatedHermes.com/us and select “Sign In” and “Access and Manage Investments,” or call 1-800-341-7400, Option #4 to speak with a Client Service Representative.

PAYMENT METHODS FOR REDEMPTIONS

Your redemption proceeds will be mailed by check to your address of record. The following payment options are available if you complete the appropriate section of the New Account Form or an Account Service Options Form. These payment options require a signature guarantee if they were not established when the account was opened:

■ An electronic transfer to your account at a financial institution that is an ACH member; or

■ Wire payment to your account at a domestic commercial bank that is a Federal Reserve System member.

Methods the Fund May Use to Meet Redemption Requests

The Fund intends to pay Share redemptions in cash. To ensure that the Fund has cash to meet Share redemptions on any day, the Fund typically expects to hold a cash or cash equivalent reserve or sell portfolio securities.

In unusual or stressed circumstances, the Fund may generate cash in the following ways:

■ Inter-fund Borrowing and Lending. The SEC has granted an exemption that permits the Fund and all other funds advised by subsidiaries of Federated Hermes (“Federated Hermes funds”) to lend and borrow money for certain temporary purposes directly to and from other Federated Hermes funds. Inter-fund borrowing and lending is permitted only: (a) to meet shareholder redemption requests; (b) to meet commitments arising from “failed” trades; and (c) for other temporary purposes. All inter-fund loans must be repaid in seven days or less.

■ Committed Line of Credit. The Fund participates with certain other Federated Hermes funds, on a several basis, in an up to $500,000,000 unsecured, 364-day, committed, revolving line of credit (LOC) agreement. The LOC was made available to temporarily finance the repurchase or redemption of shares of the funds, failed trades, payment of dividends, settlement of trades and for other short-term, temporary or emergency general business purposes. The Fund cannot borrow under the LOC if an inter-fund loan is outstanding.

■ Redemption in Kind. Although the Fund intends to pay Share redemptions in cash, it reserves the right to pay the redemption price in whole or in part by an “in-kind” distribution of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Because the Fund has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act, the Fund is obligated to pay Share redemptions to any one shareholder in cash only up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net assets represented by such Share class during any 90-day period. Redemptions in kind are made consistent with the procedures adopted by the Fund’s Board, which generally include distributions of a pro rata share of the Fund’s portfolio assets. Redemption in kind is not as liquid as a cash redemption. If redemption is made in kind, securities received may be subject to market risk and the shareholder could incur taxable gains and brokerage or other charges in converting the securities to cash.

LIMITATIONS ON REDEMPTION PROCEEDS

Redemption proceeds normally are wired or mailed within one business day after receiving a request in proper form. Payment may be delayed for up to seven days:

■ to allow your purchase to clear (as discussed below);

■ during periods of market volatility;

■ when a shareholder’s trade activity or amount adversely impacts the Fund’s ability to manage its assets; or

■ during any period when the Federal Reserve wire or applicable Federal Reserve banks are closed, other than customary weekend and holiday closings.

If you request a redemption of Shares recently purchased by check (including a cashier’s check or certified check), money order, bank draft or ACH, your redemption proceeds may not be made available for up to seven calendar days to allow the Fund to collect payment on the instrument used to purchase such Shares. If the purchase instrument does not clear, your purchase order will be canceled and you will be responsible for any losses incurred by the Fund as a result of your canceled order.

In addition, the right of redemption may be suspended, or the payment of proceeds may be delayed (including beyond seven days), during any period:

■ when the NYSE is closed, other than customary weekend and holiday closings;

■ when trading on the NYSE is restricted, as determined by the SEC;

■ in which an emergency exists, as determined by the SEC, so that disposal of the Fund’s investments or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or

■ as the SEC may by order permit for the protection of Fund shareholders.

You will not accrue interest or dividends on uncashed redemption checks from the Fund when checks are undeliverable and returned to the Fund.

redemptions from retirement accounts

A, C & R6 Classes

In the absence of your specific instructions, 10% of the value of your redemption from a retirement account in the Fund may be withheld for taxes. This withholding only applies to certain types of retirement accounts.

EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE

You may exchange Shares of the Fund. To do this, you must:

■ meet any applicable shareholder eligibility requirements;

■ ensure that the account registrations are identical;

■ meet any applicable minimum initial investment requirements; and

■ receive a prospectus for the fund into which you wish to exchange.

In addition, the Fund may terminate your exchange privilege if your exchange activity is found to be excessive under the Fund’s frequent trading policies. See “Account and Share Information–Frequent Trading Policies.”

Financial intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of intra-fund exchanges (“automatic exchanges”). These exchanges which are directed by the financial intermediary and not the Fund are discussed in Appendix B to this Prospectus.

A, C & R Classes

You may exchange Shares into shares of the same class of another Federated Hermes fund.

IS & R6 Classes

You may exchange Shares of the Fund for shares of any Federated Hermes fund or share class that does not have a stated sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge, except Shares of Federated Hermes Institutional Tax-Free Cash Trust, Federated Hermes Institutional Prime Obligations Fund, no-load Class A Shares and Class R Shares of any Fund.

Systematic Withdrawal/Exchange Program

You may automatically redeem or exchange Shares. The minimum amount for all new or revised systematic redemptions or exchanges of Shares is $50 per transaction per fund. Complete the appropriate section of the New Account Form or an Account Service Options Form or contact your financial intermediary or the Fund. Your account value must meet the minimum initial investment amount at the time the program is established. This program may reduce, and eventually deplete, your account. Payments should not be considered yield or income.

Generally, it is not advisable to continue to purchase Shares subject to a sales charge while redeeming Shares using this program.

ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS

Telephone Transactions

The Fund will record your telephone instructions. If the Fund does not follow reasonable procedures, it may be liable for losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone instructions.

Share Certificates

The Fund does not issue share certificates.

Security and Privacy Protection

ONLINE ACCOUNT and TELEPHONE ACCESS SECURITY

Federated Hermes will not be responsible for losses that result from unauthorized transactions, unless Federated Hermes does not follow procedures designed to verify your identity. When initiating a transaction by telephone or online, shareholders should be aware that any person with access to your account and other personal information including PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) may be able to submit instructions by telephone or online. Shareholders are responsible for protecting their identity by using strong usernames and complex passwords which utilize combinations of mixed case letters, numbers and symbols, and change passwords and PINs frequently.

Using FederatedHermes.com/us’s Account Access 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 risks. You will be required to accept the terms of an online agreement and to establish and utilize a password in order to access online account services. The Transfer Agent has adopted security procedures to confirm that Internet instructions are genuine. The Transfer Agent will also send you written confirmation of share transactions. The Transfer Agent, the Fund and any of its affiliates will not be liable for losses or expenses that occur from fraudulent Internet instructions reasonably believed to be genuine.

The Transfer Agent or the Fund will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that telephone transaction requests are genuine, which may include recording calls, asking the caller to provide certain personal identification information, sending you written confirmation, or requiring other confirmation security procedures. The Transfer Agent, the Fund and any of its affiliates will not be liable for relying on instructions submitted by telephone that the Fund reasonably believes to be genuine.

ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING COMPLIANCE

To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each new customer who opens a Fund account and to determine whether such person’s name appears on governmental lists of known or suspected terrorists or terrorist organizations. Pursuant to the requirements under the USA PATRIOT Act, the information obtained will be used for compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act or other applicable laws, regulations and rules in connection with money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.

Information required includes your name, residential or business address, date of birth (for an individual), and other information that identifies you, including your social security number, tax identification number or other identifying number. The Fund cannot waive these requirements. The Fund is required by law to reject your Account Application if the required information is not provided. If, after reasonable effort, the Fund is unable to verify your identity or that of any other person(s) authorized to act on your behalf, or believes it has identified potentially suspicious, fraudulent or criminal activity, the Fund reserves the right to close your account and redeem your shares at the next calculated NAV without your permission. Any applicable contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) will be assessed upon redemption of your shares.

The Fund has a strict policy designed to protect the privacy of your personal information. A copy of Federated Hermes’ privacy policy notice was given to you at the time you opened your account. The Fund sends a copy of the privacy notice to you annually. You may also obtain the privacy notice by calling the Fund, or through FederatedHermes.com/us.

Account and Share Information

CONFIRMATIONS AND ACCOUNT STATEMENTS

You will receive confirmation of purchases, redemptions and exchanges (except for systematic transactions). In addition, you will receive periodic statements reporting all account activity, including systematic transactions, dividends and capital gains paid.

DIVIDENDS AND CAPITAL GAINS

The Fund declares and pays any dividends annually to shareholders. Dividends are paid to all shareholders invested in the Fund on the record date. The record date is the date on which a shareholder must officially own Shares in order to earn a dividend.

In addition, the Fund pays any capital gains at least annually and may make such special distributions of dividends and capital gains as may be necessary to meet applicable regulatory requirements. Your dividends and capital gains distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional Shares without a sales charge unless you elect cash payments. Dividends may also be reinvested without sales charges in shares of any class of any other Federated Hermes fund of which you are already a shareholder.

If you purchase Shares just before the record date for a dividend or capital gain distribution, you will pay the full price for the Shares and then receive a portion of the price back in the form of a taxable distribution, whether or not you reinvest the distribution in Shares. Therefore, you should consider the tax implications of purchasing Shares shortly before the record date for a dividend or capital gain. Contact your financial intermediary or the Fund for information concerning when dividends and capital gains will be paid.

Under the federal securities laws, the Fund is required to provide a notice to shareholders regarding the source of distributions made by the Fund if such distributions are from sources other than ordinary investment income. In addition, important information regarding the Fund’s distributions, if applicable, is available via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us/FundInformation.

Small Distributions and Uncashed Checks

Generally, dividend and/or capital gain distributions payable by check in an amount of less than $25 will be automatically reinvested in additional shares. This policy does not apply if you have elected to receive cash distributions that are directly deposited into your bank account via wire or ACH.

Additionally, if one or more dividend or capital gain distribution checks are returned as “undeliverable,” or remain uncashed for 180 days, all subsequent dividend and capital gain distributions will be reinvested in additional shares. No interest will accrue on amounts represented by uncashed distribution checks. For questions on whether reinvestment applies to your distributions, please contact a Client Service Representative at 1-800-341-7400.

Certain states, including the State of Texas, have laws that allow shareholders to designate a representative to receive abandoned or unclaimed property (“escheatment”) notifications by completing and submitting a designation form that generally can be found on the official state website. If a shareholder resides in an applicable state and elects to designate a representative to receive escheatment notifications, escheatment notices generally will be delivered as required by such

state laws, including, as applicable, to both the shareholder and the designated representative. A completed designation form may be mailed to the Fund (if Shares are held directly with the Fund) or to the shareholder’s financial intermediary (if Shares are not held directly with the Fund). Shareholders should refer to relevant state law for the shareholder’s specific rights and responsibilities under his or her state’s escheatment law(s), which can generally be found on a state’s official website.

ACCOUNTS WITH LOW BALANCES

A, C, R & IS Classes

Federated Hermes reserves the right to close accounts if redemptions or exchanges cause the account balance to fall below:

■ $1,500 for the A and C classes (or in the case of IRAs, $250);

■ $250 for the R class; and

■ $25,000 for the IS class.

Before an account is closed, you will be notified and allowed at least 30 days to purchase additional Shares to meet the minimum.

TAX INFORMATION

The Fund and/or your financial intermediary provides year-end tax information and an annual statement of your account activity to assist you in completing your federal, state and local tax returns. Fund distributions of dividends and capital gains are taxable to you whether paid in cash or reinvested in the Fund. Dividends are taxable at different rates depending on the source of dividend income. Distributions of net short-term capital gains are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of net long-term capital gains are taxable to you as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your Shares.

Fund distributions are expected to be both dividends and capital gains. Redemptions and exchanges are taxable sales. Please consult your tax adviser regarding your federal, state and local tax liability.

FREQUENT TRADING POLICIES

Frequent or short-term trading into and out of the Fund can have adverse consequences for the Fund and shareholders who use the Fund as a long-term investment vehicle. Such trading in significant amounts can disrupt the Fund’s investment strategies (e.g., by requiring it to sell investments at inopportune times or maintain excessive short-term or cash positions to support redemptions), increase brokerage and administrative costs and affect the timing and amount of taxable gains distributed by the Fund. Investors engaged in such trading may also seek to profit by anticipating changes in the Fund’s NAV in advance of the time as of which NAV is calculated.

The Fund’s Board has approved policies and procedures intended to discourage excessive frequent or short-term trading of the Fund’s Shares. The Fund monitors trading in Fund Shares in an effort to identify disruptive trading activity. The Fund monitors trades into and out of the Fund within a period of 30 days or less. The Fund may also monitor trades into and out of the Fund for potentially disruptive trading activity over periods longer than 30 days. The size of Share transactions subject to monitoring varies. Where it is determined that a shareholder has exceeded the detection amounts twice within a period of 12 months, the Fund will temporarily prohibit the shareholder from making further purchases or exchanges of Fund Shares. If the shareholder continues to exceed the detection amounts for specified periods, the Fund will impose lengthier trading restrictions on the shareholder, up to and including permanently prohibiting the shareholder from making any further purchases or exchanges of Fund Shares. Whether or not the specific monitoring limits are exceeded, the Fund’s management or the Adviser may determine from the amount, frequency or pattern of purchases and redemptions or exchanges that a shareholder is engaged in excessive trading that is or could be detrimental to the Fund and other shareholders and may prohibit the shareholder from making further purchases or exchanges of Fund Shares. No matter how the Fund defines its limits on frequent trading of Fund Shares, other purchases and sales of Fund Shares may have adverse effects on the management of the Fund’s portfolio and its performance.

The Fund’s frequent trading restrictions do not apply to purchases and sales of Fund Shares by other Federated Hermes funds. These funds impose the same frequent trading restrictions as the Fund at their shareholder level. In addition, allocation changes of the investing Federated Hermes fund are monitored, and the managers of the recipient fund must determine that there is no disruption to their management activity. The intent of this exception is to allow investing fund managers to accommodate cash flows and other activity that result from non-abusive trading in the investing fund, without being stopped from such trading because the aggregate of such trades exceeds the monitoring limits. Nonetheless, as with any trading in Fund Shares, purchases and redemptions of Fund Shares by other Federated Hermes funds could adversely affect the management of the Fund’s portfolio and its performance.

The Fund will not restrict transactions made on a non-discretionary basis by certain asset allocation programs, wrap programs, fund of funds, collective funds or other similar accounts that have been pre-approved by Federated Hermes (“Approved Accounts”). The Fund will continue to monitor transactions by the Approved Accounts and will seek to limit or restrict even non-discretionary transactions by Approved Accounts that are determined to be disruptive or harmful to the Fund.

The Fund’s objective is that its restrictions on short-term trading should apply to all shareholders that are subject to the restrictions, regardless of the number or type of accounts in which Shares are held. However, the Fund anticipates that limitations on its ability to identify trading activity to specific shareholders, including where Shares are held through intermediaries in multiple or omnibus accounts, will mean that these restrictions may not be able to be applied uniformly in all cases.

Other funds in the Federated Hermes family of funds may impose different monitoring policies or in some cases, may not monitor for frequent or short-term trading. Under normal market conditions such monitoring policies are designed to protect the funds being monitored and their shareholders and the operation of such policies and shareholder investments under such monitoring are not expected to have materially adverse impact on the Federated Hermes funds or their shareholders. If you plan to exchange your Fund Shares for shares of another Federated Hermes fund, please read the prospectus of that other Federated Hermes fund for more information.

PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

Information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us/FundInformation. A complete listing of the Fund’s portfolio holdings as of the end of each month is posted on the website 15 days (or the next business day) after the end of the month and remains posted for six months thereafter. Summary portfolio composition information as of the close of each month is posted on the website 15 days (or the next business day) after month-end and remains posted until replaced by the information for the succeeding month. The summary portfolio composition information may include identification of the Fund’s top 10 holdings and a percentage breakdown of the portfolio by sector.

You may also access portfolio information as of the end of the Fund’s fiscal quarters via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us. The Fund’s Form N-CSR contains complete listings of the Fund’s portfolio holdings as of the end of the Fund’s second and fourth fiscal quarters. Fiscal quarter information is made available on the website within 70 days after the end of the fiscal quarter. This information is also available in reports filed with the SEC at the SEC’s website at sec.gov.

Each fiscal quarter, the Fund will file with the SEC a complete schedule of its monthly portfolio holdings on “Form N-PORT.” The Fund’s holdings as of the end of the third month of every fiscal quarter, as reported on Form N-PORT, will be publicly available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter upon filing. You may also access this information via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us.

In addition, from time to time (for example, during periods of unusual market conditions), additional information regarding the Fund’s portfolio holdings and/or composition may be posted to FederatedHermes.com/us. If and when such information is posted, its availability will be noted on, and the information will be accessible from, the home page of the website.

Who Manages the Fund?

The Board governs the Fund. The Board selects and oversees the Adviser, Federated MDTA LLC (“MDT Advisers”) which is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC. Federated Hermes acquired MDT Advisers in July 2006. MDT Advisers is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies (subject to the general supervision of the Fund’s Board). This includes designing, developing, periodically enhancing and implementing the quantitative model that drives investment decisions. Federated Advisory Services Company (FASC), an affiliate of the Adviser, provides security and market data and certain other support services to the Adviser. The fee for these services is paid by the Adviser and not by the Fund.

The address of the Adviser is 125 High Street, Oliver Tower, 21st Floor, Boston, MA 02110-2704. The address of FASC is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779.

The Adviser and other advisory subsidiaries of Federated Hermes combined, advise approximately 100 registered investment companies spanning equity, fixed-income and money market mutual funds and also manage a variety of other pooled investment vehicles, private investment companies and customized separately managed accounts (including non-U.S./offshore funds). Federated Hermes’ assets under management totaled approximately $829.6 billion as of December 31, 2024. Federated Hermes was established in 1955 as Federated Investors, Inc. and is one of the largest investment managers in the United States with more than 2,000 employees. Federated Hermes provides investment products to more than 10,000 investment professionals and institutions.

The Adviser advises approximately 12 registered investment companies and also manages a variety of institutional, separately managed and sub-advised accounts. The Adviser’s assets under management totaled approximately $14.3 billion as of December 31, 2024.

PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT INFORMATION

The Fund is managed by using a proprietary, quantitative model that drives investment selection, which is supported and implemented by the MDT Advisers Investment Team (“Investment Team”).

Daniel J. Mahr, CFA, joined the Investment Team in 2002 and has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since November 2025.

As Head of MDT, he is responsible for overseeing the Investment Team as it relates to the ongoing design, development and implementation of the investment model. He received his A.B., Computer Science from Harvard College and his S.M., Computer Science from Harvard University.

Damien Zhang, CFA, joined the Investment Team in 2009 and has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since November 2025.

As Head of MDT Research, he is responsible for day-to-day management of the Investment Team as it relates to the ongoing design, development and implementation of the investment model. Mr. Zhang received his A.B., Economics from Princeton University.

Frederick L. Konopka, CFA, joined the Investment Team in 1997 and has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since November 2025.

As Portfolio and Trading Manager, Mr. Konopka is responsible for the ongoing implementation of the investment model including trading impact evaluation and implementation. He received his A.B., Mathematics from Dartmouth College and his M.S., Concentration in Information Technology and Finance from MIT Sloan School of Management.

John Paul Lewicke joined the Investment Team in 2007 and has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since November 2025.

As Research Manager, Mr. Lewicke is responsible for ongoing evaluation and enhancement of the investment model, including software code design and development. Mr. Lewicke received his A.B., Mathematics and Computer Science from Dartmouth College.

The Fund’s SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers’ compensation, management of other accounts and ownership of securities in the Fund.

ADVISORY FEES

The Fund’s investment advisory contract provides for payment to the Adviser of an annual investment advisory fee of 0.85% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. The Adviser may voluntarily waive a portion of its fee or reimburse the Fund for certain operating expenses. The Adviser and its affiliates have also agreed to certain “Fee Limits” as described in the footnote to the “Risk/Return Summary: Fees and Expenses” table found in the “Fund Summary” section of the Prospectus.

A discussion of the Board’s review of the Fund’s investment advisory contract is available in the Fund’s Form N-CSR for the periods ended September 30 and March 31, respectively.

TO BE UPDATED BY AMENDMENT

Financial Information

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

The Financial Highlights will help you understand the Fund’s financial performance for its past five fiscal years. Some of the information is presented on a per Share basis. Total returns represent the rate an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of any dividends and capital gains.

This information has been audited by [to be filed by amendment], an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund’s audited financial statements, is included in the Fund’s filing on Form N-CSR.

Financial Highlights–Class A Shares

(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)

	Six Months Ended (unaudited) 3/31/2025	Year Ended September 30,
	Six Months Ended (unaudited) 3/31/2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period	$27.00	$22.30	$22.63	$28.03	$17.10	$19.23
Income From Investment Operations:
Net investment income (loss)1	0.14	0.27	0.26	0.16	0.10	0.03
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	(1.69)	5.14	1.48	(3.23)	10.86	(2.09)
Total From Investment Operations	(1.55)	5.41	1.74	(3.07)	10.96	(2.06)
Less Distributions:
Distributions from net investment income	(0.25)	(0.28)	(0.04)	(0.08)	(0.03)	(0.07)
Distributions from net realized gain	(2.34)	(0.43)	(2.03)	(2.25)	—	—
Total Distributions	(2.59)	(0.71)	(2.07)	(2.33)	(0.03)	(0.07)
Net Asset Value, End of Period	$22.86	$27.00	$22.30	$22.63	$28.03	$17.10
Total Return2	(6.70)%	24.74%	7.33%	(12.29)%	64.10%	(10.77)%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
Net expenses3	1.13%4	1.13%	1.13%	1.13%	1.23%	1.26%
Net investment income	1.07%4	1.10%	1.09%	0.62%	0.38%	0.16%
Expense waiver/reimbursement5	0.36%4	0.34%	0.32%	0.33%	0.30%	0.21%
Supplemental Data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)	$50,392	$57,842	$55,009	$58,331	$70,636	$45,527
Portfolio turnover6	30%	76%	92%	94%	86%	89%

1	Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2	Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent deferred sales charge, if applicable. Total returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.
3	Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
4	Computed on an annualized basis.
5	This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/ reimbursement recorded by investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
6	Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.

Further information about the Fund’s performance is contained in the Fund’s Annual Report, dated September 30, 2025, which can be obtained free of charge.

Financial Highlights–Class C Shares

(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)

	Six Months Ended (unaudited) 3/31/2025	Year Ended September 30,
	Six Months Ended (unaudited) 3/31/2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period	$24.04	$19.93	$20.53	$25.75	$15.81	$17.85
Income From Investment Operations:
Net investment income (loss)1	0.03	0.07	0.06	(0.04)	(0.09)	(0.10)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	(1.46)	4.58	1.37	(2.93)	10.03	(1.94)
Total From Investment Operations	(1.43)	4.65	1.43	(2.97)	9.94	(2.04)
Less Distributions:
Distributions from net investment income	(0.08)	(0.11)	—	—	—	—
Distributions from net realized gain	(2.34)	(0.43)	(2.03)	(2.25)	—	—
Total Distributions	(2.42)	(0.54)	(2.03)	(2.25)	—	—
Net Asset Value, End of Period	$20.19	$24.04	$19.93	$20.53	$25.75	$15.81
Total Return2	(7.04)%	23.79%	6.50%	(13.00)%	62.87%	(11.43)%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
Net expenses3	1.93%4	1.91%	1.92%	1.92%	2.00%	2.04%
Net investment income (loss)	0.27%4	0.33%	0.31%	(0.16)%	(0.40)%	(0.63)%
Expense waiver/reimbursement5	0.33%4	0.32%	0.30%	0.31%	0.28%	0.22%
Supplemental Data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)	$4,874	$6,032	$6,253	$6,498	$8,074	$5,716
Portfolio turnover6	30%	76%	92%	94%	86%	89%

1	Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2	Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent deferred sales charge, if applicable. Total returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.
3	Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
4	Computed on an annualized basis.
5	This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income (loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/ reimbursement recorded by investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
6	Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.

Further information about the Fund’s performance is contained in the Fund’s Annual Report, dated September 30, 2025, which can be obtained free of charge.

Financial Highlights–Class R Shares

(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)

	Six Months Ended (unaudited) 3/31/2025	Year Ended September 30,
	Six Months Ended (unaudited) 3/31/2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period	$26.27	$21.73	$22.10	$27.44	$16.74	$18.83
Income From Investment Operations:
Net investment income (loss)1	0.12	0.24	0.23	0.14	0.09	0.03
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	(1.62)	4.99	1.45	(3.15)	10.64	(2.05)
Total From Investment Operations	(1.50)	5.23	1.68	(3.01)	10.73	(2.02)
Less Distributions:
Distributions from net investment income	(0.23)	(0.26)	(0.02)	(0.08)	(0.03)	(0.07)
Distributions from net realized gain	(2.34)	(0.43)	(2.03)	(2.25)	—	—
Total Distributions	(2.57)	(0.69)	(2.05)	(2.33)	(0.03)	(0.07)
Net Asset Value, End of Period	$22.20	$26.27	$21.73	$22.10	$27.44	$16.74
Total Return2	(6.71)%	24.58%	7.23%	(12.36)%	64.12%	(10.78)%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
Net expenses3	1.22%4	1.22%	1.22%	1.22%	1.25%	1.27%
Net investment income	0.97%4	1.02%	1.01%	0.53%	0.38%	0.16%
Expense waiver/reimbursement5	0.52%4	0.49%	0.46%	0.46%	0.51%	0.46%
Supplemental Data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)	$10,873	$13,548	$12,179	$11,898	$14,260	$9,646
Portfolio turnover6	30%	76%	92%	94%	86%	89%

1	Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2	Based on net asset value. Total returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.
3	Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
4	Computed on an annualized basis.
5	This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/ reimbursement recorded by investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
6	Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.

Further information about the Fund’s performance is contained in the Fund’s Annual Report, dated September 30, 2025, which can be obtained free of charge.

Financial Highlights–Institutional Shares

(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)

	Six Months Ended (unaudited) 3/31/2025	Year Ended September 30,
	Six Months Ended (unaudited) 3/31/2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period	$27.08	$22.37	$22.69	$28.11	$17.13	$19.29
Income From Investment Operations:
Net investment income (loss)1	0.17	0.33	0.32	0.23	0.16	0.07
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	(1.68)	5.15	1.49	(3.24)	10.89	(2.08)
Total From Investment Operations	(1.51)	5.48	1.81	(3.01)	11.05	(2.01)
Less Distributions:
Distributions from net investment income	(0.32)	(0.34)	(0.10)	(0.16)	(0.07)	(0.15)
Distributions from net realized gain	(2.34)	(0.43)	(2.03)	(2.25)	—	—
Total Distributions	(2.66)	(0.77)	(2.13)	(2.41)	(0.07)	(0.15)
Net Asset Value, End of Period	$22.91	$27.08	$22.37	$22.69	$28.11	$17.13
Total Return2	(6.57)%	25.03%	7.64%	(12.10)%	64.63%	(10.57)%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
Net expenses3	0.88%4	0.88%	0.88%	0.88%	0.96%	1.01%
Net investment income	1.31%4	1.36%	1.36%	0.89%	0.64%	0.36%
Expense waiver/reimbursement5	0.37%4	0.35%	0.33%	0.33%	0.31%	0.22%
Supplemental Data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)	$79,479	$96,974	$105,927	$88,206	$97,317	$63,019
Portfolio turnover6	30%	76%	92%	94%	86%	89%

1	Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2	Based on net asset value. Total returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.
3	Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
4	Computed on an annualized basis.
5	This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/ reimbursement recorded by investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
6	Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.

Further information about the Fund’s performance is contained in the Fund’s Annual Report, dated September 30, 2025, which can be obtained free of charge.

Financial Highlights–Class R6 Shares

(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)

	Six Months Ended (unaudited) 3/31/2025	Year Ended September 30,
	Six Months Ended (unaudited) 3/31/2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period	$27.12	$22.40	$22.72	$28.13	$17.15	$19.21
Income From Investment Operations:
Net investment income (loss)1	0.18	0.35	0.35	0.24	0.18	0.09
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	(1.69)	5.16	1.47	(3.23)	10.89	(2.09)
Total From Investment Operations	(1.51)	5.51	1.82	(2.99)	11.07	(2.00)
Less Distributions:
Distributions from net investment income	(0.33)	(0.36)	(0.11)	(0.17)	(0.09)	(0.06)
Distributions from net realized gain	(2.34)	(0.43)	(2.03)	(2.25)	—	—
Total Distributions	(2.67)	(0.79)	(2.14)	(2.42)	(0.09)	(0.06)
Net Asset Value, End of Period	$22.94	$27.12	$22.40	$22.72	$28.13	$17.15
Total Return2	(6.53)%	25.12%	7.67%	(12.00)%	64.64%	(10.47)%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
Net expenses3	0.81%4	0.81%	0.81%	0.81%	0.91%	0.94%
Net investment income	1.42%4	1.42%	1.51%	0.91%	0.70%	0.53%
Expense waiver/reimbursement5	0.33%4	0.32%	0.30%	0.30%	0.28%	0.21%
Supplemental Data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)	$10,416	$10,485	$8,744	$5,200	$6,924	$4,644
Portfolio turnover6	30%	76%	92%	94%	86%	89%

1	Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2	Based on net asset value. Total returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.
3	Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
4	Computed on an annualized basis.
5	This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/ reimbursement recorded by investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
6	Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.

Further information about the Fund’s performance is contained in the Fund’s Annual Report, dated September 30, 2025, which can be obtained free of charge.

Appendix A: Hypothetical Investment and Expense Information

The following charts provide additional hypothetical information about the effect of the Fund’s expenses, including investment advisory fees and other Fund costs, on the Fund’s assumed returns over a 10-year period. The charts show the estimated expenses that would be incurred in respect of a hypothetical investment of $10,000, assuming a 5% return each year, and no redemption of Shares. Each chart also assumes that the Fund’s annual expense ratio stays the same throughout the 10-year period (except for the C class, which converts to the A class after you have held them for eight years) and that all dividends and distributions are reinvested. The annual expense ratios used in each chart are the same as stated in the “Fees and Expenses” table of this Prospectus (and thus do not reflect any fee waiver or expense reimbursement currently in effect). The maximum amount of any sales charge that might be imposed on the purchase of Shares (and deducted from the hypothetical initial investment of $10,000; the “Front-End Sales Charge”) is reflected in the “Hypothetical Expenses” column. The hypothetical investment information does not reflect the effect of charges (if any) normally applicable to redemptions of Shares (e.g., deferred sales charges, redemption fees). Mutual fund returns, as well as fees and expenses, may fluctuate over time, and your actual investment returns and total expenses may be higher or lower than those shown below.

[TO BE FILED BY AMENDMENT]

FEDERATED HERMES CLOVER SMALL VALUE FUND - A CLASS
ANNUAL EXPENSE RATIO: 1.48%
MAXIMUM FRONT-END SALES CHARGE: 5.50%
Year	Hypothetical Beginning Investment	Hypothetical Performance Earnings	Investment After Returns	Hypothetical Expenses	Hypothetical Ending Investment
1	$10,000.00	$472.50	$9,922.50	$692.32	$9,782.64
2	$9,782.64	$489.13	$10,271.77	$147.33	$10,126.99
3	$10,126.99	$506.35	$10,633.34	$152.52	$10,483.46
4	$10,483.46	$524.17	$11,007.63	$157.89	$10,852.48
5	$10,852.48	$542.62	$11,395.10	$163.44	$11,234.49
6	$11,234.49	$561.72	$11,796.21	$169.20	$11,629.94
7	$11,629.94	$581.50	$12,211.44	$175.15	$12,039.31
8	$12,039.31	$601.97	$12,641.28	$181.32	$12,463.09
9	$12,463.09	$623.15	$13,086.24	$187.70	$12,901.79
10	$12,901.79	$645.09	$13,546.88	$194.31	$13,355.93
Cumulative		$5,548.20		$2,221.18

FEDERATED HERMES CLOVER SMALL VALUE FUND - C CLASS
ANNUAL EXPENSE RATIO: 2.23%
MAXIMUM FRONT-END SALES CHARGE: NONE
Year	Hypothetical Beginning Investment	Hypothetical Performance Earnings	Investment After Returns	Hypothetical Expenses	Hypothetical Ending Investment
1	$10,000.00	$500.00	$10,500.00	$226.09	$10,277.00
2	$10,277.00	$513.85	$10,790.85	$232.35	$10,561.67
3	$10,561.67	$528.08	$11,089.75	$238.79	$10,854.23
4	$10,854.23	$542.71	$11,396.94	$245.40	$11,154.89
5	$11,154.89	$557.74	$11,712.63	$252.20	$11,463.88
6	$11,463.88	$573.19	$12,037.07	$259.19	$11,781.43
7	$11,781.43	$589.07	$12,370.50	$266.36	$12,107.78
8	$12,107.78	$605.39	$12,713.17	$273.74	$12,443.17
Converts from Class C to Class A				Annual Expense Ratio: 1.48%
9	$12,443.17	$622.16	$13,065.33	$187.40	$12,881.17
10	$12,881.17	$644.06	$13,525.23	$194.00	$13,334.59
Cumulative		$5,676.25		$2,375.52

FEDERATED HERMES CLOVER SMALL VALUE FUND - R CLASS
ANNUAL EXPENSE RATIO: 1.72%
MAXIMUM FRONT-END SALES CHARGE: NONE
Year	Hypothetical Beginning Investment	Hypothetical Performance Earnings	Investment After Returns	Hypothetical Expenses	Hypothetical Ending Investment
1	$10,000.00	$500.00	$10,500.00	$174.82	$10,328.00
2	$10,328.00	$516.40	$10,844.40	$180.55	$10,666.76
3	$10,666.76	$533.34	$11,200.10	$186.48	$11,016.63
4	$11,016.63	$550.83	$11,567.46	$192.59	$11,377.98
5	$11,377.98	$568.90	$11,946.88	$198.91	$11,751.18
6	$11,751.18	$587.56	$12,338.74	$205.44	$12,136.62
7	$12,136.62	$606.83	$12,743.45	$212.17	$12,534.70
8	$12,534.70	$626.74	$13,161.44	$219.13	$12,945.84
9	$12,945.84	$647.29	$13,593.13	$226.32	$13,370.46
10	$13,370.46	$668.52	$14,038.98	$233.74	$13,809.01
Cumulative		$5,806.41		$2,030.15

FEDERATED HERMES CLOVER SMALL VALUE FUND - IS CLASS
ANNUAL EXPENSE RATIO: 1.24%
MAXIMUM FRONT-END SALES CHARGE: NONE
Year	Hypothetical Beginning Investment	Hypothetical Performance Earnings	Investment After Returns	Hypothetical Expenses	Hypothetical Ending Investment
1	$10,000.00	$500.00	$10,500.00	$126.33	$10,376.00
2	$10,376.00	$518.80	$10,894.80	$131.08	$10,766.14
3	$10,766.14	$538.31	$11,304.45	$136.01	$11,170.95
4	$11,170.95	$558.55	$11,729.50	$141.12	$11,590.98
5	$11,590.98	$579.55	$12,170.53	$146.43	$12,026.80
6	$12,026.80	$601.34	$12,628.14	$151.94	$12,479.01
7	$12,479.01	$623.95	$13,102.96	$157.65	$12,948.22
8	$12,948.22	$647.41	$13,595.63	$163.58	$13,435.07
9	$13,435.07	$671.75	$14,106.82	$169.73	$13,940.23
10	$13,940.23	$697.01	$14,637.24	$176.11	$14,464.38
Cumulative		$5,936.67		$1,499.98

FEDERATED HERMES CLOVER SMALL VALUE FUND - R6 CLASS
ANNUAL EXPENSE RATIO: 1.14%
MAXIMUM FRONT-END SALES CHARGE: NONE
Year	Hypothetical Beginning Investment	Hypothetical Performance Earnings	Investment After Returns	Hypothetical Expenses	Hypothetical Ending Investment
1	$10,000.00	$500.00	$10,500.00	$116.20	$10,386.00
2	$10,386.00	$519.30	$10,905.30	$120.69	$10,786.90
3	$10,786.90	$539.35	$11,326.25	$125.34	$11,203.27
4	$11,203.27	$560.16	$11,763.43	$130.18	$11,635.72
5	$11,635.72	$581.79	$12,217.51	$135.21	$12,084.86
6	$12,084.86	$604.24	$12,689.10	$140.43	$12,551.34
7	$12,551.34	$627.57	$13,178.91	$145.85	$13,035.82
8	$13,035.82	$651.79	$13,687.61	$151.48	$13,539.00
9	$13,539.00	$676.95	$14,215.95	$157.32	$14,061.61
10	$14,061.61	$703.08	$14,764.69	$163.40	$14,604.39
Cumulative		$5,964.23		$1,386.10

Appendix B: Sales Charge Waivers and Exchange Features for Shareholders Purchasing Through Certain Financial Intermediaries

The term “fund family,” used herein, shall refer to the Federated Hermes mutual funds.

The following Appendix applies to certain share classes offered by the Fund.

Ameriprise Financial

Effective November 1, 2024, the following information applies to Class A shares purchases if you have an account with or otherwise purchase Fund shares through Ameriprise Financial:

Front-End Sales Charge Reductions on Class A Shares Purchased Through Ameriprise Financial

Shareholders purchasing Class A shares of the fund through an Ameriprise Financial platform or account are eligible only for the following sales charge reductions, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this prospectus or the SAI. Such shareholders can reduce their initial sales charge on the purchase of Class A shares as follows:

■ Transaction size breakpoints, as described in this prospectus or the SAI.

■ Rights of accumulation (ROA), as described in this prospectus or the SAI.

■ Letter of intent, as described in this prospectus or the SAI.

Front-End Sales Charge Waivers on Class A Shares Purchased Through Ameriprise Financial

Shareholders purchasing Class A shares of the fund through an Ameriprise Financial platform or account are eligible only for the following sales charge waivers, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this prospectus or the SAI. Such shareholders may purchase Class A shares at NAV without payment of a sales charge as follows:

■ shares purchased by employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer- sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs.

■ shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the same fund family).

■ shares exchanged from Class C shares of the same fund in the month of or following the seven-year anniversary of the purchase date. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to such shares following a shorter holding period, that waiver will apply to exchanges following such shorter period. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to exchanges of Class C shares for load waived shares, that waiver will also apply to such exchanges.

■ shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Ameriprise Financial or its affiliates and their immediate family members.

■ shares purchased by or through qualified accounts (including IRAs, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, 401(k)s, 403(b) TSCAs subject to ERISA and defined benefit plans) that are held by a covered family member, defined as an Ameriprise Financial advisor and/or the advisor’s spouse, advisor’s lineal ascendant (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, great grandmother, great grandfather), advisor’s lineal descendant (son, step-son, daughter, step-daughter, grandson, granddaughter, great grandson, great granddaughter) or any spouse of a covered family member who is a lineal descendant.

■ shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided: (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption; (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account; and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e. Rights of Reinstatement).

CDSC Waivers on Class A and C Shares Purchased Through Ameriprise Financial

Fund shares purchased through an Ameriprise Financial platform or account are eligible only for the following CDSC waivers, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this prospectus or the SAI:

■ redemptions due to death or disability of the shareholder

■ shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in this prospectus or the SAI

■ redemptions made in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account

■ shares purchased through a Right of Reinstatement (as defined above)

■ redemptions made as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code

Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc.

Effective June 15, 2020, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Baird platform or account will only be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this prospectus or the SAI.

Front-End Sales Charge Waivers on Investors A-shares Available at Baird

■ Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing share of the same fund;

■ Share purchase by employees and registered representatives of Baird or its affiliate and their family members as designated by Baird;

■ Shares purchase from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided: (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption; (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same accounts; and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as rights of reinstatement);

■ Class C (i.e., level-load) shares that are no longer subject to a CDSC and are exchanged to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the same fund pursuant to Baird’s intra-fund share class policies and procedures;

■ Employer-sponsored retirement plans or charitable accounts in a transactional brokerage account at Baird, including 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs.

CDSC Waivers on Investor A and C Shares Available at Baird

■ Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder;

■ Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s Prospectus;

■ Shares bought due to returns of excess contributions from an IRA Account;

■ Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code;

■ Shares sold to pay Baird fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Baird;

■ Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

Front-End Sales Charge Discounts Available at Baird: Breakpoints and/or Rights of Accumulations

■ Breakpoints as described in this prospectus;

■ Rights of accumulations which entitles shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Baird. Eligible fund family assets not held at Baird may be included in the rights of accumulations calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets;

■ Letters of Intent (LOI) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family through Baird, over a 13-month period of time.

Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. (EDWARD JONES)

Policies Regarding Transactions Through Edward Jones

Effective on or after September 1, 2024, the following information supersedes prior information with respect to transactions and positions held in fund shares through an Edward Jones system. Clients of Edward Jones (also referred to as “shareholders”) purchasing fund shares on the Edward Jones commission and fee-based platforms are eligible only for the following sales charge discounts (also referred to as “breakpoints”) and waivers, which can differ from discounts and waivers described elsewhere in the mutual fund prospectus or statement of additional information (“SAI”) or through another broker-dealer. In all instances, it is the shareholder’s responsibility to inform Edward Jones at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings of fund family, or other facts qualifying the purchaser for discounts or waivers. Edward Jones can ask for documentation of such circumstance. Shareholders should contact Edward Jones if they have questions regarding their eligibility for these discounts and waivers.

Breakpoints

■ Breakpoint pricing, otherwise known as volume pricing, at dollar thresholds as described in the prospectus.

Rights of Accumulation (“ROA”)

■ The applicable sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares is determined by taking into account all share classes (except certain money market funds and any assets held in group retirement plans) of the mutual fund family held by the shareholder or in an account grouped by Edward Jones with other accounts for the purpose of providing certain pricing considerations (“pricing groups”). If grouping assets as a shareholder, this includes all share classes held on the Edward Jones platform and/or held on another platform. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the ROA calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying Edward Jones of such assets at the time of calculation. Money market funds are included only if such shares were sold with a sales charge at the time of purchase or acquired in exchange for shares purchased with a sales charge.

■ The employer maintaining a SEP IRA plan and/or SIMPLE IRA plan may elect to establish or change ROA for the IRA accounts associated with the plan to a plan-level grouping as opposed to including all share classes at a shareholder or pricing group level.

■ ROA is determined by calculating the higher of cost minus redemptions or market value (current shares x NAV).

Letter of Intent (“LOI”)

■ Through a LOI, shareholders can receive the sales charge and breakpoint discounts for purchases shareholders intend to make over a 13-month period from the date Edward Jones receives the LOI. The LOI is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value of qualifying holdings at LOI initiation in combination with the value that the shareholder intends to buy over a 13-month period to calculate the front-end sales charge and any breakpoint discounts. Each purchase the shareholder makes during that 13-month period will receive the sales charge and breakpoint discount that applies to the total amount. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the LOI calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying Edward Jones of such assets at the time of calculation. Purchases made before the LOI is received by Edward Jones are not adjusted under the LOI and will not reduce the sales charge previously paid. Sales charges will be adjusted if LOI is not met.

■ If the employer maintaining a SEP IRA plan and/or SIMPLE IRA plan has elected to establish or change ROA for the IRA accounts associated with the plan to a plan-level grouping, LOIs will also be at the plan-level and may only be established by the employer.

Sales Charge Waivers

Sales charges are waived for the following shareholders and in the following situations:

■ Associates of Edward Jones and its affiliates and other accounts in the same pricing group (as determined by Edward Jones under its policies and procedures) as the associate. This waiver will continue for the remainder of the associate’s life if the associate retires from Edward Jones in good-standing and remains in good standing pursuant to Edward Jones’ policies and procedures.

■ Shares purchased in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

■ Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment.

■ Shares purchased from the proceeds of redeemed shares of the same fund family so long as the following conditions are met: the proceeds are from the sale of shares within 60 days of the purchase, the sale and purchase are made from a share class that charges a front load and one of the following (“Right of Reinstatement”):

– The redemption and repurchase occur in the same account.

– The redemption proceeds are used to process an: IRA contribution, excess contributions, conversion, recharacterizing of contributions, or distribution, and the repurchase is done in an account within the same Edward Jones grouping for ROA.

The Right of Reinstatement excludes systematic or automatic transactions including, but not limited to, purchases made through payroll deductions, liquidations to cover account fees, and reinvestments from non-mutual fund products.

■ Shares exchanged into Class A shares from another share class so long as the exchange is into the same fund and was initiated at the discretion of Edward Jones. Edward Jones is responsible for any remaining CDSC due to the fund company, if applicable. Any future purchases are subject to the applicable sales charge as disclosed in the prospectus.

■ Exchanges from Class C shares to Class A shares of the same fund, generally, in the 84th month following the anniversary of the purchase date or earlier at the discretion of Edward Jones.

■ Purchases of Class 529-A shares through a rollover from either another education savings plan or a security used for qualified distributions.

■ Purchases of Class 529-A shares made for recontribution of refunded amounts.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (“CDSC”) Waivers

If the shareholder purchases shares that are subject to a CDSC and those shares are redeemed before the CDSC is expired, the shareholder is responsible to pay the CDSC except in the following conditions:

■ The death or disability of the shareholder.

■ Systematic withdrawals with up to 10% per year of the account value.

■ Return of excess contributions from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

■ Shares redeemed as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations.

■ Shares redeemed to pay Edward Jones fees or costs in such cases where the transaction is initiated by Edward Jones.

■ Shares exchanged in an Edward Jones fee-based program. Edward Jones is responsible for any remaining CDSC due to the fund company, if applicable.

■ Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

■ Shares redeemed at the discretion of Edward Jones for Minimum Balances, as described below.

Other Important Information Regarding Transactions Through Edward Jones

Minimum Purchase Amounts

■ Initial purchase minimum: $250

■ Subsequent purchase minimum: none

Minimum Balances

■ Edward Jones has the right to redeem at its discretion fund holdings with a balance of $250 or less. The following are examples of accounts that are not included in this policy:

– A fee-based account held on an Edward Jones platform

– A 529 account held on an Edward Jones platform

– An account with an active systematic investment plan or LOI

Exchanging Share Classes

■ At any time it deems necessary, Edward Jones has the authority to exchange at NAV a shareholder’s holdings in a fund to Class A shares of the same fund.

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Effective May 1, 2020, if you purchase or redeem Fund shares through a Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (“Janney”) brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC), or back-end sales charge, waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

Front-end sales charge waivers on Class A Shares available at Janney

■ Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).

■ Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney.

■ Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided: (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following the redemption; (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account; and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e., right of reinstatement).

■ Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans.

■ Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

■ Class C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are exchanged to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the same fund pursuant to Janney’s intra-fund share class policies and procedures.

CDSC Waivers on Class A and C Shares available at Janney

■ Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.

■ Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund’s Prospectus.

■ Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.

■ Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations.

■ Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney.

■ Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

■ Shares exchanged into the same share class of a different Federated Hermes fund, if the shares were held for the applicable CDSC holding period (the holding period on the shares purchased in the exchange will include the holding period of the shares sold in the exchange).

Front-end sales charge discounts available at Janney: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation, and/or Letters of Intent

■ Breakpoints as described in the fund’s Prospectus.

■ Rights of accumulation (ROA), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Janney. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

■ Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

Effective September 29, 2023, if you purchase or hold Fund shares through an applicable J.P. Morgan Securities LLC brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC), or back-end sales charge, waivers), share class conversion policy and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI.

Front-end sales charge waivers on Class A shares available at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

■ Shares exchanged from Class C (i.e., level-load) shares that are no longer subject to a CDSC and are exchanged into Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to J.P. Morgan Securities LLC’s share class exchange policy.

■ Qualified employer-sponsored defined contribution and defined benefit retirement plans, nonqualified deferred compensation plans, other employee benefit plans and trusts used to fund those plans. For purposes of this provision, such plans do not include SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, SAR-SEPs or 501(c)(3) accounts.

■ Shares of funds purchased through J.P. Morgan Securities LLC Self-Directed Investing accounts.

■ Shares purchased through rights of reinstatement.

■ Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).

■ Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC or its affiliates and their spouse or financial dependent as defined by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC.

Class C to Class A share conversion

■ A shareholder in the Fund’s Class C shares will have their shares converted by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the same fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is consistent with J.P. Morgan Securities LLC’s policies and procedures.

CDSC waivers on Class A and C shares available at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

■ Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.

■ Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus.

■ Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.

■ Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code.

■ Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

Front-end load discounts available at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC: breakpoints, rights of accumulation & letters of intent

■ Breakpoints as described in the prospectus.

■ Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts as described in the Fund’s prospectus will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC. Eligible fund family assets not held at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (including 529 program holdings, where applicable) may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies their financial advisor about such assets.

■ Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, over a 13-month period of time (if applicable).

Merrill Lynch

Purchases or sales of front-end (i.e. Class A) or level-load (i.e., Class C) mutual fund shares through a Merrill platform or account will be eligible only for the following sales load waivers (front-end, contingent deferred, or back-end waivers) and discounts, which differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s prospectus. Purchasers will have to buy mutual fund shares directly from the mutual fund company or through another intermediary to be eligible for waivers or discounts not listed below.

It is the client’s responsibility to notify Merrill at the time of purchase or sale of any relationship or other facts that qualify the transaction for a waiver or discount. A Merrill representative may ask for reasonable documentation of such facts and Merrill may condition the granting of a waiver or discount on the timely receipt of such documentation.

Additional information on waivers and discounts is available in the Merrill Sales Load Waiver and Discounts Supplement (the “Merrill SLWD Supplement”) and in the Mutual Fund Investing at Merrill pamphlet at ml.com/funds. Clients are encouraged to review these documents and speak with their financial advisor to determine whether a transaction is eligible for a waiver or discount.

Front-end Load Waivers Available at Merrill

■ Shares of mutual funds available for purchase by employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation, and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans provided the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans

■ Shares purchased through a Merrill investment advisory program

■ Brokerage class shares exchanged from advisory class shares due to the holdings moving from a Merrill investment advisory program to a Merrill brokerage account

■ Shares purchased through the Merrill Edge Self-Directed platform

■ Shares purchased through the systematic reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same mutual fund in the same account

■ Shares exchanged from level-load shares to front-end load shares of the same mutual fund in accordance with the description in the Merrill SLWD Supplement

■ Shares purchased by eligible employees of Merrill or its affiliates and their family members who purchase shares in accounts within the employee’s Merrill Household (as defined in the Merrill SLWD Supplement)

■ Shares purchased by eligible persons associated with the fund as defined in this prospectus (e.g. the fund’s officers or trustees)

■ Shares purchased from the proceeds of a mutual fund redemption in front-end load shares provided (1) the repurchase is in a mutual fund within the same fund family; (2) the repurchase occurs within 90 calendar days from the redemption trade date, and (3) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account (known as Rights of Reinstatement). Automated transactions (i.e. systematic purchases and withdrawals) and purchases made after shares are automatically sold to pay Merrill’s account maintenance fees are not eligible for Rights of Reinstatement

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (“CDSC”) Waivers on Front-end, Back-end, and Level Load Shares Available at Merrill

■ Shares sold due to the client’s death or disability (as defined by Internal Revenue Code Section 22e(3))

■ Shares sold pursuant to a systematic withdrawal program subject to Merrill’s maximum systematic withdrawal limits as described in the Merrill SLWD Supplement

■ Shares sold due to return of excess contributions from an IRA account

■ Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the investor reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulation

■ Front-end or level-load shares held in commission-based, non-taxable retirement brokerage accounts (e.g. traditional, Roth, rollover, SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans) that are transferred to fee-based accounts or platforms and exchanged for a lower cost share class of the same mutual fund

Front-end Load Discounts Available at Merrill: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent

■ Breakpoint discounts, as described in this prospectus, where the sales load is at or below the maximum sales load that Merrill permits to be assessed to a front-end load purchase, as described in the Merrill SLWD Supplement

■ Rights of Accumulation (ROA), as described in the Merrill SLWD Supplement, which entitle clients to breakpoint discounts based on the aggregated holdings of mutual fund family assets held in accounts in their Merrill Household

■ Letters of Intent (LOI), which allow for breakpoint discounts on eligible new purchases based on anticipated future eligible purchases within a fund family at Merrill, in accounts within your Merrill Household, as further described in the Merrill SLWD Supplement

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney

Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Morgan Stanley Wealth Management transactional brokerage account will be eligible only for the following front-end sales charge waivers with respect to Class A shares, which may differ from and may be more limited than those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s Prospectus or SAI.

Front-End Sales Charge Waivers on Class A Shares Available at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

■ Morgan Stanley employee and employee-related accounts according to Morgan Stanley’s account linking rules;

■ Shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions when purchasing shares of the same fund;

■ Shares purchased through a Morgan Stanley self-directed brokerage account;

■ Class C (i.e., level-load) shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are exchanged to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s intra-fund share class exchange program;

■ Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (i) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (ii) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (iii) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge.

OPPENHEIMER & CO., INC.

Effective May 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. (OPCO) platform or account are eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI.

Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at OPCO

■ Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan

■ Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan

■ Shares purchased through an OPCO affiliated investment advisory program

■ Shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family)

■ Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided: (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption; (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account; and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement).

■ A shareholder in the Fund’s Class C shares will have their shares automatically exchanged at net asset value to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the automatic exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of OPCO

■ Employees and registered representatives of OPCO or its affiliates and their family members

■ Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund’s investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in this prospectus

CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at OPCO

■ Death or disability of the shareholder

■ Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus

■ Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account

■ Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code

■ Shares sold to pay OPCO fees but only if the transaction is initiated by OPCO

■ Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement

Front-end load Discounts Available at OPCO: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent

■ Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.

■ Rights of Accumulation (ROA), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at OPCO. Eligible fund family assets not held at OPCO may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets

Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. and each entity’s affiliates (“Raymond James”)

Effective March 1, 2019, shareholders purchasing and redeeming Fund shares through a Raymond James platform or account, or through an introducing broker-dealer or independent registered investment adviser for which Raymond James provides trade execution, clearance, and/or custody services, will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund’s prospectus or SAI.

Front-End Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares Available at Raymond James

■ Shares purchased in an investment advisory program.

■ Shares purchased within the same fund family through a systematic reinvestment of capital gains and dividend distributions.

■ Employees and registered representatives of Raymond James or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Raymond James.

CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares Available at Raymond James

■ Death or disability of the shareholder.

■ Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund’s prospectus.

■ Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.

■ Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the fund’s prospectus.

■ Shares sold to pay Raymond James fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Raymond James.

■ Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

Front-End Load Discounts Available at Raymond James: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation, and/or Letters of Intent

■ Breakpoints as described in this prospectus;

■ Rights of accumulation which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Raymond James. Eligible fund family assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of rights of accumulation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

■ Letters of Intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated

Effective July 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel”) platform or account or who own shares for which Stifel or an affiliate is the broker-dealer of record are eligible for the following additional sales charge waiver.

Front-End Sales Load Waiver on Class A Shares

■ Class C shares that have been held for more than seven (7) years will be converted to Class A shares of the same Fund pursuant to Stifel’s policies and procedures

All other sales charge waivers and reductions described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI still apply.

U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.

Effective November 1, 2021, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc. (USBI) platform or who own shares for which USBI is the broker-dealer, where the shares are held in an omnibus account, will be eligible for the following front-end sales charge waivers and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Funds’ Prospectus or SAI. All other sales charge waivers and reductions described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus or SAI still apply.

USBI Conversion of Class C Shares

Class C (i.e., level-load) shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge are systematically converted to the Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to USBI’s intra-fund share class policy. No front-end sales charge will apply to such conversions.

An SAI dated November 30, 2025, is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. Additional information about the Fund and its investments is contained in the Fund’s SAI, Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders and in Form N-CSR as they become available. In Form N-CSR, you will find, among other information, the Fund’s annual and semi-annual financial statements. The Annual Report’s Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance discusses market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year. The SAI contains a description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of its portfolio securities. To obtain the SAI, Annual Report, Semi-Annual Report and other information, such as financial statements, without charge, to make inquiries or request e-delivery, call your financial intermediary or the Fund at 1-800-341-7400. You may also access the Fund’s Prospectus, SAI, Annual Report, Semi-Annual Report, financial statements and other information on the Fund’s website at FederatedHermes.com/us/Fund Information.

These documents, as well as additional information about the Fund (including portfolio holdings, performance and distributions), are also available on FederatedHermes.com/us.

You can obtain information about the Fund (including the SAI) by accessing Fund information from the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at sec.gov. You can purchase copies of this information by contacting the SEC by email at [email protected].

Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Value Fund
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561

Federated Securities Corp., Distributor

Investment Company Act File No. 811-4017

CUSIP 314172289
CUSIP 314172271
CUSIP 314172172
CUSIP 314172263
CUSIP 31421N808

40074 (11/25)

Statement of Additional Information

November 30, 2025

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
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 THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.

Share Class | Ticker

A | VSFAX

C | VSFCX

R | VSFRX

Institutional | VSFIX

R6 | VSFSX

Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Value Fund

(Formerly, Federated Hermes Clover Small Value Fund)

A Portfolio of Federated Hermes Equity Funds

This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a Prospectus. Read this SAI in conjunction with the Prospectus for Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”), dated November 30, 2025.

This SAI incorporates by reference the Fund’s annual financial statements filed on Form N-CSR. Obtain the Fund’s Prospectus, SAI, Annual Report, Semi-Annual Report and other information, such as financial statements, without charge by calling 1-800-341-7400. You may also access the Fund’s Prospectus, SAI, Annual Report, Semi-Annual Report, financial statements and other information on the Fund’s website at FederatedHermes.com/us/FundInformation.

	Contents
1	How is the Fund Organized?
1	Additional Investment Strategies
1	Securities in Which the Fund Invests
13	Investment Risks
19	Investment Objective and Investment Limitations
21	What Do Shares Cost?
23	How is the Fund Sold?
27	Purchases In-Kind
27	Redemption In-Kind
27	Massachusetts Partnership Law
27	Account and Share Information
28	Tax Information
29	Who Manages and Provides Services to the Fund?
48	Financial Information
48	Investment Ratings
53	Addresses
54	Appendix

Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Value Fund
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561

Federated Securities Corp., Distributor

39919 (11/25)

How is the Fund Organized?

The Fund is a diversified portfolio of Federated Hermes Equity Funds (“Trust”). The Trust is an open-end, management investment company that was established under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on April 17, 1984. The Trust may offer separate series of shares representing interests in separate portfolios of securities.

Clover Capital Enhanced Small Cap Value Equity Common Fund, LLC transferred assets to the Fund as of the close of business on or about March 13, 2009. On August 28, 2009, the Touchstone Diversified Small Cap Value Fund, formerly a portfolio of Touchstone Funds Group Trust (the “Touchstone Small Fund”), was reorganized into the Fund. As a result of the reorganization, the Touchstone Small Fund became the accounting survivor.

Effective November 26, 2025, the Fund changed its name from Federated Hermes Clover Small Value Fund to Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Value Fund.

The Board of Trustees (“Board”) has established the following classes of shares of the Fund, known as Class A Shares, Class C Shares, Class R Shares, Institutional Shares and Class R6 Shares (“Shares”). This SAI relates to all classes of Shares.

The Fund’s investment adviser is Federated MDTA LLC (“Adviser”). Prior to November 26, 2025, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania was the Adviser to the Fund. Prior to March 31, 2020, Federated Global Investment Management Corp. was the Adviser to the Fund. Both the current Adviser and the former Advisers are wholly owned subsidiaries of Federated Hermes, Inc.

Additional Investment Strategies

The Fund’s principal investment strategies are described in the Fund’s Prospectus. As a non-principal investment strategy, the Fund may also invest in derivatives, such as options or futures, in a manner that is consistent with its investment objective.

The Fund may use derivative contracts and/or hybrid instruments to implement elements of its investment strategy. For example, the Fund may use derivative contracts and/or hybrid instruments to increase or decrease the portfolio’s exposure to the investment(s) underlying the derivative or hybrid in an attempt to benefit from changes in the value of the underlying investments. The Fund may also, for example, use derivative contracts to:

■ obtain premiums from the sale of derivative contracts;

■ realize gains from trading a derivative contract; or

■ hedge against potential losses.

There can be no assurance that the Fund’s use of derivative contracts or hybrid instruments will work as intended. Derivative investments made by the Fund are included with in the Fund’s 80% policy and are calculated at market value.

Securities in Which the Fund Invests

The principal securities or other investments in which the Fund invests are described in the Fund’s Prospectus. The Fund also may invest in securities or other investments as non-principal investments for any purpose that is consistent with its investment objective. The following information is either additional information in respect of a principal security or other investment referenced in the Prospectus or information in respect of a non-principal security or other investment (in which case there is no related disclosure in the Prospectus).

Securities Descriptions And Techniques

Equity Securities

Equity securities represent a share of an issuer’s earnings and assets, after the issuer pays its liabilities. The Fund cannot predict the income it will receive from equity securities because issuers generally have discretion as to the payment of any dividends or distributions. However, equity securities offer greater potential for appreciation than many other types of securities, because their value increases directly with the value of the issuer’s business. The following describes the types of equity securities in which the Fund invests.

Preferred Stocks

Warrants

Warrants give the Fund the option to buy the issuer’s equity securities at a specified price (the “exercise price”) at a specified future date (the “expiration date”). The Fund may buy the designated securities by paying the exercise price before the expiration date. Warrants may become worthless if the price of the stock does not rise above the exercise price by the expiration date. This increases the market risks of warrants as compared to the underlying security. Rights are the same as warrants, except companies typically issue rights to existing stockholders.

Fixed-Income Securities

Fixed-income securities pay interest, dividends or distributions at a specified rate. The rate may be a fixed percentage of the principal or may be adjusted periodically. In addition, the issuer of a fixed-income security must repay the principal amount of the security, normally within a specified time. Fixed-income securities provide more regular income than equity securities. However, the returns on fixed-income securities are limited and normally do not increase with the issuer’s earnings. This limits the potential appreciation of fixed-income securities as compared to equity securities.

A security’s yield measures the annual income earned on a security as a percentage of its price. A security’s yield will increase or decrease depending upon whether it costs less (a “discount”) or more (a “premium”) than the principal amount. If the issuer may redeem the security before its scheduled maturity, the price and yield on a discount or premium security may change based upon the probability of an early redemption. Securities with higher risks generally have higher yields.

The following describes the types of fixed-income securities in which the Fund invests.

Treasury Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)

Treasury securities are direct obligations of the federal government of the United States. Treasury securities are generally regarded as having minimal credit risks.

Government Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)

Government securities are issued or guaranteed by a federal agency or instrumentality acting under federal authority. Some government securities, including those issued by Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States and are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal.

Other government securities receive support through federal subsidies, loans or other benefits, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. For example, the U.S. Treasury is authorized to purchase specified amounts of securities issued by (or otherwise make funds available to) the Federal Home Loan Bank System, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and Tennessee Valley Authority in support of such obligations.

Some government agency securities have no explicit financial support and are supported only by the credit of the applicable agency, instrumentality or corporation. The U.S. government has provided financial support to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, but there is no assurance that it will support these or other agencies in the future.

Investors generally regard government securities as having minimal credit risks, but not as low as Treasury securities.

The Fund treats mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by a federal agency or instrumentality as government securities. Although such a guarantee helps protect against credit risk, it does not eliminate it entirely or reduce other risks.

Additional Information Related to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The extreme and unprecedented volatility and disruption that impacted the capital and credit markets beginning in 2008 led to market concerns regarding the ability of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to withstand future credit losses associated with securities held in their investment portfolios, and on which they provide guarantees, without the direct support of the federal government. On September 7, 2008, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were placed under the conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Under the plan of conservatorship, the FHFA assumed control of, and generally has the power to direct, the operations of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and is empowered to exercise all powers collectively held by their respective shareholders, directors and officers, including the power to: (1) take over the assets of and operate Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with all the powers of the shareholders, the directors and the officers of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and conduct all business of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (2) collect all obligations and money due to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (3) perform all functions of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which are consistent with the conservator’s appointment; (4) preserve and conserve the assets and property of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; and (5) contract for assistance in fulfilling any function, activity, action or duty of the conservator.

In connection with the actions taken by the FHFA, the Treasury has entered into certain preferred stock purchase agreements (SPAs) with each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which establish the Treasury as the holder of a new class of senior preferred stock in each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The senior preferred stock was issued in connection with financial contributions from the Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Although the SPAs are subject to amendment from time to time, currently the Treasury is obligated to provide such financial contributions up to an aggregate maximum amount determined by a formula set forth in the SPAs, and until such aggregate maximum amount is reached, there is not a specific end date to the Treasury’s obligations.

The future status and role of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae could be impacted by (among other things) the actions taken and restrictions placed on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by the FHFA in its role as conservator, the restrictions placed on Freddie Mac’s and Fannie Mae’s operations and activities under the SPAs, market responses to developments at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, downgrades or upgrades in the credit ratings assigned to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs) or ratings services, and future legislative and regulatory action that alters the operations, ownership, structure and/or mission of these institutions, each of which may, in turn, impact the value of, and cash flows on, any securities guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

The FHFA previously announced plans to consider ending the conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In the event that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are taken out of conservatorship, it is unclear how the capital structure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be constructed and what effects, if any, there may be on Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s creditworthiness and guarantees of certain mortgage-backed securities. It is also unclear whether the Treasury would continue to enforce its rights or perform its obligations under the senior preferred stock programs. Should Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s conservatorship end, there could be an adverse impact on the value of their securities, which could cause the Fund’s investments to lose value.

In addition, the future of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and other U.S. government-sponsored enterprises that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government (GSEs), remains in question as the U.S. government continues to consider options ranging from structural reform, nationalization, privatization or consolidation, to outright elimination. The issues that have led to significant U.S. government support for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have sparked serious debate regarding the continued role of the U.S. government in providing mortgage loan liquidity.

Corporate Debt Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)

Corporate debt securities are fixed-income securities issued by businesses. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most prevalent types of corporate debt securities. The Fund may also purchase interests in bank loans to companies. The credit risks of corporate debt securities vary widely among issuers.

In addition, the credit risk of an issuer’s debt security may vary based on its priority for repayment. For example, higher ranking (“senior”) debt securities have a higher priority than lower ranking (“subordinated”) securities. This means that the issuer might not make payments on subordinated securities while continuing to make payments on senior securities. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy, holders of senior securities may receive amounts otherwise payable to the holders of subordinated securities. Some subordinated securities, such as trust preferred and capital securities notes, also permit the issuer to defer payments under certain circumstances. For example, insurance companies issue securities known as surplus notes that permit the insurance company to defer any payment that would reduce its capital below regulatory requirements.

Commercial Paper (A Type of Corporate Debt Security)

Commercial paper is an issuer’s obligation with a maturity of less than nine months. Companies typically issue commercial paper to pay for current expenditures. Most issuers constantly reissue their commercial paper and use the proceeds (or bank loans) to repay maturing paper. If the issuer cannot continue to obtain liquidity in this fashion, its commercial paper may default. The short maturity of commercial paper generally reduces both the market and credit risks as compared to other debt securities of the same issuer.

Demand Instruments (A Type of Corporate Debt Security)

Demand instruments are corporate securities that require the issuer or a third party, such as a dealer or bank (the “Demand Provider”), to repurchase the security for its face value upon demand. Some demand instruments are “conditional,” so that the occurrence of certain conditions relieves the Demand Provider of its obligation to repurchase the security. Other demand instruments are “unconditional,” so that there are no conditions under which the Demand Provider’s obligation to repurchase the security can terminate. The Fund treats demand instruments as short-term securities, even though their stated maturity may extend beyond one year.

Mortgage-Backed Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)

An MBS is a type of pass-through security, which is a pooled debt obligation repackaged as interests that pass principal and interest through an intermediary to investors. In the case of MBS, the ownership interests are issued by a trust and represent participation interests in pools of adjustable and fixed-rate mortgage loans. MBS are most commonly issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government (or one of its agencies or instrumentalities). Unlike conventional debt obligations, MBS provide monthly payments derived from the monthly interest and principal payments (including any prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans. Most MBS make these payments monthly; however, certain MBS are backed by mortgage loans which do not generate monthly payments but rather generate payments less frequently.

The MBS acquired by the Fund could be secured by fixed-rate mortgages, adjustable-rate mortgages or hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages. Adjustable-rate mortgages are mortgages whose interest rates are periodically reset when market rates change. A hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (“hybrid ARM”) is a type of mortgage in which the interest rate is fixed for a specified period and then resets periodically, or floats, for the remaining mortgage term. Hybrid ARMs are usually referred to by their fixed and floating periods. For example, a “5/1 ARM” refers to a mortgage with a five-year fixed interest rate period, followed by 25 annual interest rate adjustment periods.

Investments in MBS expose the Fund to interest rate, prepayment and credit risks.

Zero-Coupon Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)

Zero-coupon securities do not pay interest or principal until final maturity unlike debt securities that provide periodic payments of interest (referred to as a coupon payment). Investors buy zero-coupon securities at a price below the amount payable at maturity. The difference between the purchase price and the amount paid at maturity represents interest on the zero-coupon security. Investors must wait until maturity to receive interest and principal, which increases the interest rate and credit risks of a zero-coupon security. A zero-coupon step-up security converts to a coupon security before final maturity.

There are many forms of zero-coupon securities. Some are issued at a discount and are referred to as zero coupon or capital appreciation bonds. Others are created from interest bearing bonds by separating the right to receive the bond’s coupon payments from the right to receive the bond’s principal due at maturity, a process known as coupon stripping. Treasury STRIPs, IOs and POs are the most common forms of stripped zero-coupon securities. In addition, some securities give the issuer the option to deliver additional securities in place of cash interest payments, thereby increasing the amount payable at maturity. These are referred to as pay-in-kind or PIK securities.

Stripped Securities

As a non-principal strategy, the Fund may have the ability to purchase participations in trusts that hold U.S. Treasury and agency securities (such as TIGRs and CATs) and also may purchase Treasury receipts and other “stripped” securities that evidence ownership in either the future interest payments or the future principal payments of U.S. government obligations. These participations are issued at a discount to their “face value,” and may (particularly in the case of stripped mortgage-backed securities) exhibit greater price volatility than ordinary debt securities because of the manner in which their principal and interest are returned to investors.

Asset-Backed Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)

Asset-backed securities are payable from pools of obligations other than mortgages. Most asset-backed securities involve consumer or commercial debts with maturities of less than 10 years. However, almost any type of fixed-income assets (including other fixed-income securities) may be used to create an asset-backed security. Asset-backed securities may take the form of commercial paper, notes, or pass through certificates. Asset-backed securities have prepayment risks. Like CMOs, asset-backed securities may be structured like Floaters, Inverse Floaters, IOs and POs.

Bank Instruments (A Fixed-Income Security)

Bank instruments are unsecured interest bearing deposits with banks. Bank instruments include, but are not limited to, bank accounts, time deposits, certificates of deposit and banker’s acceptances. Yankee instruments are denominated in U.S. dollars and issued by U.S. branches of foreign banks. Eurodollar instruments are denominated in U.S. dollars and issued by non-U.S. branches of U.S. or foreign banks.

Convertible Securities

Convertible securities are fixed-income securities or preferred stocks that the Fund has the option to exchange for equity securities at a specified conversion price. The option allows the Fund to realize additional returns if the market price of the equity securities exceeds the conversion price. For example, the Fund may hold fixed-income securities that are convertible into shares of common stock at a conversion price of $10 per share. If the market value of the shares of common stock reached $12, the Fund could realize an additional $2 per share by converting its fixed-income securities.

Convertible securities have lower yields than comparable fixed-income securities. In addition, at the time a convertible security is issued the conversion price exceeds the market value of the underlying equity securities. Thus, convertible securities may provide lower returns than non-convertible fixed-income securities or equity securities depending upon changes in the price of the underlying equity securities. However, convertible securities permit the Fund to realize some of the potential appreciation of the underlying equity securities with less risk of losing its initial investment.

The Fund treats convertible securities as both fixed-income and equity securities for purposes of its investment policies and limitations, because of their unique characteristics.

Foreign Securities

Foreign securities are securities of issuers based outside the United States. To the extent a Fund invests in securities included in its applicable broad-based securities market index, the Fund may consider an issuer to be based outside the United States if the applicable index classifies the issuer as based outside the United States. Accordingly, the Fund may consider an issuer to be based outside the United States if the issuer satisfies at least one, but not necessarily all, of the following:

■ it is organized under the laws of, or has its principal office located in, another country;

■ the principal trading market for its securities is in another country;

■ it (directly or through its consolidated subsidiaries) derived in its most current fiscal year at least 50% of its total assets, capitalization, gross revenue or profit from goods produced, services performed or sales made in another country; or

■ it is classified by an applicable index as based outside the United States.

Foreign securities are primarily denominated in foreign currencies. Along with the risks normally associated with domestic securities of the same type, foreign securities are subject to currency risks and risks of foreign investing. Trading in certain foreign markets is also subject to liquidity risks.

Depositary Receipts (A Type of Foreign Equity Security)

Depositary receipts represent interests in underlying securities issued by a foreign company. Depositary receipts are not traded in the same market as the underlying security. The foreign securities underlying American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) are traded outside the United States. ADRs provide a way to buy shares of foreign-based companies in the United States rather than in overseas markets. ADRs are also traded in U.S. dollars, eliminating the need for foreign exchange transactions. The foreign securities underlying European Depositary Receipts (EDRs), Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) and International Depositary Receipts (IDRs), are traded globally or outside the United States. Depositary receipts involve many of the same risks of investing directly in foreign securities, including currency risks and risks of foreign investing.

Foreign Exchange Contracts

In order to convert U.S. dollars into the currency needed to buy a foreign security, or to convert foreign currency received from the sale of a foreign security into U.S. dollars, the Fund may enter into spot currency trades. In a spot trade, the Fund agrees to exchange one currency for another at the current exchange rate. The Fund may also enter into derivative contracts in which a foreign currency is an underlying asset. The exchange rate for currency derivative contracts may be higher or lower than the spot exchange rate. Use of these derivative contracts may increase or decrease the Fund’s exposure to currency risks.

Foreign Government Securities

Foreign government securities generally consist of fixed-income securities supported by national, state or provincial governments or similar political subdivisions. Foreign government securities also include debt obligations of supranational entities, such as international organizations designed or supported by governmental entities to promote economic reconstruction or development, international banking institutions and related government agencies. Examples of these include, but are not limited to, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the “World Bank”), the Asian Development Bank, the European Investment Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Foreign government securities also include fixed-income securities of quasi-governmental agencies that are either issued by entities owned by a national, state or equivalent government or are obligations of a political unit that are not backed by the national government’s full faith and credit. Further, foreign government securities include mortgage-related securities issued or guaranteed by national, state or provincial governmental instrumentalities, including quasi-governmental agencies.

Emerging Market Securities

As a non-principal strategy, the Fund may also invest in emerging market countries or developing countries. Developing countries may impose restrictions on a Fund’s ability to repatriate investment income or capital. Even where there is no outright restriction on repatriation of investment income or capital, the mechanics of repatriation may affect certain aspects of the operations of the Fund. For example, funds may be withdrawn from the People’s Republic of China only in U.S. or Hong Kong dollars and only at an exchange rate established by the government once each week. Furthermore, some of the currencies in emerging markets have experienced devaluations relative to the U.S. dollar, and major adjustments have been made periodically in certain of such currencies. Certain developing countries face serious exchange constraints.

Governments of some developing countries exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In some countries, the government owns or controls many companies, including the largest in the country. As such, government actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in developing countries in these regions, which could affect private sector companies, a portfolio and the value of its securities. Furthermore, certain developing countries are among the largest debtors to commercial banks and foreign governments. Trading in debt obligations issued or guaranteed by such governments or their agencies and instrumentalities involve a high degree of risk.

Derivative Contracts

Derivative contracts are financial instruments that derive their value from underlying securities, commodities, currencies, indices or other assets or instruments, including other derivative contracts (each a “Reference Instrument” and collectively, “Reference Instruments”). The most common types of derivative contracts are swaps, futures and options, and the major asset classes include interest rates, equities, commodities and foreign exchange. Each party to a derivative contract may sometimes be referred to as a “counterparty.” Some derivative contracts require payments relating to an actual, future trade involving the Reference Instrument. These types of derivatives are frequently referred to as “physically settled” derivatives. Other derivative contracts require payments relating to the income or returns from, or changes in the market value of, a Reference Instrument. These types of derivatives are known as “cash settled” derivatives, since they require cash payments in lieu of delivery of the Reference Instrument.

Many derivative contracts are traded on exchanges. In these circumstances, the relevant exchange sets all the terms of the contract except for the price. Parties to an exchange-traded derivative contract make payments through the exchange. Most exchanges require traders to maintain margin accounts through their brokers to cover their potential obligations to the exchange. Parties to the contract make or collect daily payments to the margin accounts to reflect losses or gains, respectively, in the value of their contracts. This protects traders against a potential default by their counterparty. Trading contracts on an exchange also allows traders to hedge or mitigate certain risks or carry out more complex trading strategies by entering into offsetting contracts.

For example, the Fund could close out an open contract to buy an asset at a future date by entering into an offsetting contract to sell the same asset on the same date. If the offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a gain; if it is less, the Fund realizes a loss. Exchanges may limit the amount of open contracts permitted at any one time. Such limits may prevent the Fund from closing out a position. If this happens, the Fund will be required to keep the contract open (even if it is losing money on the contract), and to make any payments required under the contract (even if it has to sell portfolio securities at unfavorable prices to do so). Inability to close out a contract could also harm the Fund by preventing it from disposing of or trading any assets it has been using to secure its obligations under the contract.

The Fund may also trade derivative contracts over-the-counter (OTC), meaning off-exchange, in transactions negotiated directly between the Fund and an eligible counterparty, which may be a financial institution. OTC contracts do not necessarily have standard terms, so they may be less liquid and more difficult to close out than exchange-traded derivative contracts. In addition, OTC contracts with more specialized terms may be more difficult to value than exchange-traded contracts, especially in times of financial stress.

The market for swaps and other OTC derivatives was largely unregulated prior to the enactment of federal legislation known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). Regulations enacted by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) under the Dodd-Frank Act require the Fund to clear certain types of swap contracts (including certain interest rate and credit default swaps) through a central clearinghouse known as a derivatives clearing organization (DCO).

To clear a swap through a DCO, the Fund will submit the contract to, and post margin with, a futures commission merchant (FCM) that is a clearinghouse member. The Fund may enter into the swap with a counterparty other than the FCM and arrange for the contract to be transferred to the FCM for clearing or enter into the contract with the FCM itself. If the Fund must centrally clear a transaction, the CFTC’s regulations also generally require that the swap be executed on a registered exchange (either a designated contract market (DCM) or swap execution facility (SEF)). Central clearing is presently required only for certain swaps; the CFTC is expected to impose a mandatory central clearing requirement for additional derivative instruments over time.

DCOs, DCMs, SEFs and FCMs are all subject to regulatory oversight by the CFTC. In addition, certain derivative market participants that act as market makers, and engage in a significant amount of “dealing” activity are also required to register as swap dealers with the CFTC. Among other things, swap dealers are subject to minimum capital requirements and business conduct standards and must also post and collect initial and variation margin on uncleared swaps with certain of their counterparties. Because of this, if the Fund enters into uncleared swaps with any swap dealers, it may be subject to initial and variation margin requirements that could impact the Fund’s ability to enter into swaps in the OTC market, including making transacting in uncleared swaps significantly more expensive.

At this point in time, most of the Dodd-Frank Act has been fully implemented, though a small number of remaining rulemakings are unfinished or are subject to phase-in periods. Any future regulatory or legislative activity would not necessarily have a direct, immediate effect upon the Fund, though it is within the realm of possibility that, upon implementation of these measures or any future measures, they could potentially limit or completely restrict the ability of the Fund to use these instruments as a part of its investment strategy, increase the costs of using these instruments or make them less effective.

Depending on how the Fund uses derivative contracts and the relationships between the market value of a derivative contract and the Reference Instrument, derivative contracts may increase or decrease the Fund’s exposure to the risks of the Reference Instrument and may also expose the Fund to liquidity and leverage risk. OTC contracts also expose the Fund to credit risk in the event that a counterparty defaults on the contract, although this risk may be mitigated by submitting the contract for clearing through a DCO, or certain other factors, such as collecting margin from the counterparty.

The Fund may invest in a derivative contract if it is permitted to own, invest in or otherwise have economic exposure to the Reference Instrument. The Fund is not required to own a Reference Instrument in order to buy or sell a derivative contract relating to that Reference Instrument. The Fund may trade in the following specific types and/or combinations of derivative contracts:

Futures Contracts (A Type of Derivative)

Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a Reference Instrument at a specified price, date and time. Entering into a contract to buy a Reference Instrument is commonly referred to as buying a contract or holding a long position in the asset. Entering into a contract to sell a Reference Instrument is commonly referred to as selling a contract or holding a short position in the Reference Instrument. Futures contracts are considered to be commodity contracts. The Adviser has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act with respect to the Fund, and therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the Act with respect to the Fund. Futures contracts traded OTC are frequently referred to as forward contracts. The Fund can buy or sell financial futures (such as interest rate futures, index futures and security futures), as well as currency futures and currency forward contracts.

Interest Rate Futures

An interest-rate futures contract is an exchange-traded contract for which the Reference Instrument is an interest-bearing, fixed-income security or an inter-bank deposit. Two examples of common interest rate futures contracts are U.S. Treasury futures contracts and Eurodollar futures contracts. The Reference Instrument for a U.S. Treasury futures contract is a U.S. Treasury security. The Reference Instrument for a Eurodollar futures contract is the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (commonly referred to as SOFR); Eurodollar futures contracts enable the purchaser to obtain a fixed rate for the lending of funds over a stated period of time and the seller to obtain a fixed rate for a borrowing of funds over that same period.

Index Futures

An index futures contract is an exchange-traded contract to make or receive a payment based upon changes in the value of an index. An index is a statistical composite that measures changes in the value of designated Reference Instruments within the index.

Security Futures

A security futures contract is an exchange-traded contract to purchase or sell in the future a specific quantity of a security (other than a Treasury security) or a narrow-based securities index at a certain price. Presently, the only available security futures contracts use shares of a single equity security as the Reference Instrument. However, it is possible that in the future security futures contracts will be developed that use a single fixed-income security as the Reference Instrument.

Currency Futures and Currency Forward Contracts (Types of Futures Contracts)

A currency futures contract is an exchange-traded contract to buy or sell a particular currency at a specific price at some time in the future (commonly three months or more). A currency forward contract is not an exchange-traded contract and it represents an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, at a price set at the time of the contract and for a period agreed upon by the parties which may be either a window of time or a fixed number of days from the date of the contract. Currency futures and forward contracts are highly volatile, with a relatively small price movement potentially resulting in substantial gains or losses to the Fund. Additionally, the Fund may lose money on currency futures and forward contracts if changes in currency rates do not occur as anticipated or if the Fund’s counterparty to the contract were to default.

Option Contracts (A Type of Derivative)

Option contracts (also called “options”) are rights to buy or sell a Reference Instrument for a specified price (the “exercise price”) during, or at the end of, a specified period. The seller (or “writer”) of the option receives a payment, or premium, from the buyer, which the writer keeps regardless of whether the buyer uses (or exercises) the option. Options may be bought or sold on a wide variety of Reference Instruments. Options that are written on futures contracts will be subject to margin requirements similar to those applied to futures contracts.

The Fund may buy and/or sell the following types of options:

Call Options

A call option gives the holder (buyer) the right to buy the Reference Instrument from the seller (writer) of the option. The Fund may use call options in the following ways:

■ Buy call options on a Reference Instrument in anticipation of an increase in the value of the Reference Instrument; and

■ Write call options on a Reference Instrument to generate income from premiums, and in anticipation of a decrease or only limited increase in the value of the Reference Instrument. If the Fund writes a call option on a Reference Instrument that it owns and that call option is exercised, the Fund foregoes any possible profit from an increase in the market price of the Reference Instrument over the exercise price plus the premium received.

Put Options

A put option gives the holder the right to sell the Reference Instrument to the writer of the option. The Fund may use put options in the following ways:

■ Buy put options on a Reference Instrument in anticipation of a decrease in the value of the Reference Instrument; and

■ Write put options on a Reference Instrument to generate income from premiums, and in anticipation of an increase or only limited decrease in the value of the Reference Instrument. In writing puts, there is a risk that the Fund may be required to take delivery of the Reference Instrument when its current market price is lower than the exercise price.

The Fund may also buy or write options, as needed, to close out existing option positions.

Finally, the Fund may enter into combinations of options contracts in an attempt to benefit from changes in the prices of those options contracts (without regard to changes in the value of the Reference Instrument).

Swap Contracts (A Type of Derivative)

A swap contract (also known as a “swap”) is a type of derivative contract in which two parties agree to pay each other (swap) the returns derived from Reference Instruments. Most swaps do not involve the delivery of the underlying assets by either party, and the parties might not own the Reference Instruments. The payments are usually made on a net basis so that, on any given day, the Fund would receive (or pay) only the amount by which its payment under the contract is less than (or exceeds) the amount of the other party’s payment. Swap agreements are sophisticated instruments that can take many different forms and are known by a variety of names.

Common swap agreements that the Fund may use include:

Interest Rate Swaps

Interest rate swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make regular payments equal to a fixed or floating interest rate times a stated principal amount (commonly referred to as a “notional principal amount”) in return for payments equal to a different fixed or floating rate times the same principal amount, for a specific period.

Total Return Swaps

A total return swap is an agreement between two parties whereby one party agrees to make payments of the total return from a Reference Instrument (or a basket of such instruments) during the specified period, in return for payments equal to a fixed or floating rate of interest or the total return from another Reference Instrument. Alternately, a total return swap can be structured so that one party will make payments to the other party if the value of a Reference Instrument increases, but receive payments from the other party if the value of that instrument decreases.

Credit Default Swaps

A credit default swap (CDS) is an agreement between two parties whereby one party (the “Protection Buyer”) agrees to make payments over the term of the CDS to the other party (the “Protection Seller”), provided that no designated event of default, restructuring or other credit related event (each a “Credit Event”) occurs with respect to the Reference Instrument that is usually a particular bond, loan or the unsecured credit of an issuer, in general (the “Reference Obligation”). Many CDS are physically settled, which means that if a Credit Event occurs, the Protection Seller must pay the Protection Buyer the full notional value, or “par value,” of the Reference Obligation in exchange for delivery by the Protection Buyer of the Reference Obligation or another similar obligation issued by the issuer of the Reference Obligation (the “Deliverable Obligation”). The Counterparties agree to the characteristics of the Deliverable Obligation at the time that they enter into the CDS. Alternately, a CDS can be “cash settled,” which means that upon the occurrence of a Credit Event, the Protection Buyer will receive a payment from the Protection Seller equal to the difference between the par amount of the Reference Obligation and its market value at the time of the Credit Event. The Fund may be either the Protection Buyer or the Protection Seller in a CDS. If the Fund is a Protection Buyer and no Credit Event occurs, the Fund will lose its entire investment in the CDS (i.e., an amount equal to the payments

made to the Protection Seller over the term of the CDS). However, if a Credit Event occurs, the Fund (as Protection Buyer) will deliver the Deliverable Obligation and receive a payment equal to the full notional value of the Reference Obligation, even though the Reference Obligation may have little or no value. If the Fund is the Protection Seller and no Credit Event occurs, the Fund will receive a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the CDS. However, if a Credit Event occurs, the Fund (as Protection Seller) will pay the Protection Buyer the full notional value of the Reference Obligation and receive the Deliverable Obligation from the Protection Buyer. A CDS may involve greater risks than if the Fund invested directly in the Reference Obligation. For example, a CDS may increase credit risk since the Fund has exposure to both the issuer of the Reference Obligation and the Counterparty to the CDS.

Currency Swaps

Currency swaps are contracts which provide for interest payments in different currencies. The parties might agree to exchange the notional principal amounts of the currencies as well (commonly called a “foreign exchange swap”).

Caps and Floors (A Type of Swap Contract)

Caps and Floors are contracts in which one party agrees to make payments only if an interest rate or index goes above (Cap) or below (Floor) a certain level in return for a fee from the other party.

Other Investments, Transactions, Techniques

Repurchase Agreements

Repurchase agreements are transactions in which the Fund buys a security from a dealer, bank or other financial institution and agrees to sell the security back at a mutually agreed-upon time and price. The repurchase price exceeds the sale price, reflecting the Fund’s return on the transaction. This return is unrelated to the interest rate on the underlying security. The Fund will enter into repurchase agreements only with dealers, banks and other financial institutions deemed creditworthy by the Adviser. A repurchase agreement executed with a dealer or bank may be submitted to a clearing agency and, upon acceptance, the clearing agency becomes the counterparty to the repurchase agreement.

The Fund’s custodian or subcustodian will take possession of the securities subject to repurchase agreements. The Adviser or subcustodian will monitor the value of the underlying security each day to ensure that the value of the security always equals or exceeds the repurchase price.

Repurchase agreements are subject to credit risk since it is possible for the counterparty to default on its obligations under the agreement at a time when the purchased securities have declined in value or the insolvency of the counterparty results in certain costs and delays in being able to sell the purchased securities.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements

Reverse repurchase agreements (which are considered a type of special transaction for asset segregation or asset coverage purposes) are repurchase agreements in which the Fund is the seller (rather than the buyer) of the securities, and agrees to repurchase them at an agreed upon time and price. A reverse repurchase agreement may be viewed as a type of borrowing by the Fund. Reverse repurchase agreements are subject to credit risks. In addition, reverse repurchase agreements create leverage risks because the Fund must repurchase the underlying security at a higher price, regardless of the market value of the security at the time of repurchase.

Hybrid Instruments

Hybrid instruments combine elements of two different kinds of securities or financial instruments (such as a derivative contract). Frequently, the value of a hybrid instrument is determined by reference to changes in the value of a Reference Instrument (that is a designated security, commodity, currency, index, or other asset or instrument including a derivative contract). Hybrid instruments can take on many forms including, but not limited to, the following forms. First, a common form of a hybrid instrument combines elements of a derivative contract with those of another security (typically a fixed-income security). In this case all or a portion of the interest or principal payable on a hybrid security is determined by reference to changes in the price of a Reference Instrument. Second, a hybrid instrument may also combine elements of a fixed-income security and an equity security. Third, hybrid instruments may include convertible securities with conversion terms related to a Reference Instrument.

Depending on the type and terms of the hybrid instrument, its risks may reflect a combination of the risks of investing in the Reference Instrument with the risks of investing in other securities, currencies and derivative contracts. Thus, an investment in a hybrid instrument may entail significant risks in addition to those associated with traditional securities or the Reference Instrument. Hybrid instruments are also potentially more volatile than traditional securities or the Reference Instrument. Moreover, depending on the structure of the particular hybrid, it may expose the Fund to leverage risks or carry liquidity risks.

Credit Linked Note (A Type of Hybrid Instrument)

A credit linked note (CLN) is a type of hybrid instrument in which a special purpose entity issues a structured note (the “Note Issuer”) with respect to which the Reference Instrument is a single bond, a portfolio of bonds, or the unsecured credit of an issuer, in general (each a “Reference Credit”). The purchaser of the CLN (the “Note Purchaser”) invests a par amount and receives a payment during the term of the CLN that equals a fixed or floating rate of interest equivalent to a high rated funded asset (such as a bank certificate of deposit) plus an additional premium that relates to taking on the credit risk of the Reference Credit. Upon maturity of the CLN, the Note Purchaser will receive a payment equal to: (i) the original par amount paid to the Note Issuer, if there is no occurrence of a designated event of default, restructuring or other credit event (each a “Credit Event”) with respect to the issuer of the Reference Credit; or (ii) the market value of the Reference Credit, if a Credit Event has occurred. Depending upon the terms of the CLN, it is also possible that the Note Purchaser may be required to take physical delivery of the Reference Credit in the event of a Credit Event. Most credit linked notes use a corporate bond (or a portfolio of corporate bonds) as the Reference Credit. However, almost any type of fixed-income security (including foreign government securities), index or derivative contract (such as a credit default swap) can be used as the Reference Credit.

Equity Linked Note (A Type of Hybrid Instrument)

An equity linked note (ELN) is a type of hybrid instrument that provides the noteholder with exposure to a single equity security, a basket of equity securities, or an equity index (the “Reference Equity Instrument”). Typically, an ELN pays interest at agreed rates over a specified time period and, at maturity, either converts into shares of a Reference Equity Instrument or returns a payment to the noteholder based on the change in value of a Reference Equity Instrument.

Short Sales

As a non-principal strategy, the Fund has the ability to make short sales. Short sales are transactions where the Fund sells securities it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of the securities. The Fund must borrow the security to deliver it to the buyer. The Fund is then obligated to replace the security borrowed at the market price at the time of replacement. Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to pay the lender any dividends or interest which accrues on the security during the loan period. To borrow the security, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. To the extent necessary to meet margin requirements, the broker will retain proceeds of the short sale until the short position is closed out. The Adviser anticipates that the frequency of short sales will vary substantially under different market conditions and the Fund does not intend that any significant amount of its assets, as a matter of practice, will be in short sales, if any.

In addition to the short sales discussed above, the Fund also has the ability to make short sales “against the box,” a transaction in which the Fund enters into a short sale of a security owned by such Fund. A broker holds the proceeds of the short sale until the settlement date, at which time the Fund delivers the security to close the short position. The Fund receives the net proceeds from the short sale.

When the Fund’s portfolio manager anticipates that the price of a security will decline, the portfolio manager may sell the security short and borrow the same security from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. The Fund may make a profit or incur a loss depending upon whether the market price of the security decreases or increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund must replace the borrowed security. An increase in the value of a security sold short by the Fund over the price at which it was sold short will result in a loss to the Fund, and there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to close out the position at any particular time or at an acceptable price. Use of short sales by the Fund may have the effect of providing the Fund with investment leverage.

Securities Lending

The Fund may lend portfolio securities to borrowers that the Adviser deems creditworthy. In return, the Fund receives cash or liquid securities from the borrower as collateral. The borrower must furnish additional collateral if the market value of the loaned securities increases. Also, the borrower must pay the Fund the equivalent of any dividends or interest received on the loaned securities.

The Fund will reinvest cash collateral in securities that qualify as an acceptable investment for the Fund. However, the Fund must pay interest to the borrower for the use of cash collateral. An acceptable investment into which the Fund may reinvest cash collateral includes, among other acceptable investments, securities of affiliated money market funds (including affiliated institutional prime money market funds with a “floating” net asset value that can impose redemption fees and liquidity gates, impose certain operational impediments to investing cash collateral, and, if net asset value decreases, result in the Fund having to cover the decrease in the value of the cash collateral).

Loans are subject to termination at the option of the Fund or the borrower. The Fund will not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, the Fund will attempt to terminate a loan in an effort to reacquire the securities in time to vote on matters that are deemed to be material by the Adviser. There can be no assurance that the Fund will have sufficient notice of such matters to be able to terminate the loan in time to vote thereon. The Fund may pay administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan and may pay a negotiated portion of the interest earned on the cash collateral to a securities lending agent or broker.

Securities lending activities are subject to interest rate risks and credit risks. These transactions create leverage risks.

Derivatives Regulation and Asset Coverage

The regulation of the U.S. and non-U.S. derivatives markets has undergone substantial change in recent years and such change may continue. In addition, effective August 19, 2022, Rule 18f-4 (the “Derivatives Rule”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), replaced the asset segregation framework previously used by funds to comply with limitations on leverage imposed by the 1940 Act. The Derivatives Rule generally mandates that a fund either limit derivatives exposure to 10% or less of its net assets, or in the alternative implement: (i) limits on leverage calculated based value-at-risk (VAR); and (ii) a written derivatives risk management program (DRMP) administered by a derivatives risk manager appointed by the Fund’s Board, including a majority of the independent Board members, that is periodically reviewed by the Board.

As the Fund’s derivative exposure, if any, is 10% or less of its net assets, excluding certain currency and interest rate hedging transactions, the Fund is classified as a limited derivatives user under the Derivatives Rule and will not be subject to the full requirements of the Derivatives Rule as noted above, including VAR testing and stress testing and certain Board reporting requirements. However, the Fund is still required to implement written compliance policies and procedures reasonably designed to manage its derivatives risks and monitor its derivatives exposure daily.

In accordance with the requirements of Section 18 of the 1940 Act, any borrowings by the Fund will be made only to the extent the value of its assets, less its liabilities other than borrowings, is equal to at least 300% of all of its borrowings (the “300% Asset Coverage Ratio”). The Derivatives Rule permits the Fund to enter into reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions, notwithstanding limitations on the issuance of senior securities under Section 18 of the 1940 Act, provided that the Fund either (i) treats these transactions as derivatives transactions under the Derivatives Rule, or (ii) ensures that the 300% Asset Coverage Ratio with respect to such transactions and any other borrowings in the aggregate. While reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions aggregated with other indebtedness do not need to be included in the calculation of whether a fund satisfies the Limited Derivatives Users exception, for funds subject to the VAR testing requirement, reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions must be included for purposes of such testing whether treated as derivatives transactions or not. See “Borrowing Money and Issuing Senior Securities” and “Additional Information” below.

Delayed Delivery Transactions

Delayed delivery transactions, including when-issued transactions, are arrangements in which the Fund buys securities for a set price, with payment and delivery of the securities scheduled for a future time. During the period between purchase and settlement, no payment is made by the Fund to the issuer and no interest accrues to the Fund. The Fund records the transaction when it agrees to buy the securities and reflects their value in determining the price of its Shares. Settlement dates may be a month or more after entering into these transactions so that the market values of the securities bought may vary from the purchase prices. Therefore, delayed delivery transactions create interest rate risks for the Fund. Delayed delivery transactions also involve credit risks in the event of a counterparty default.

Investing in Securities of Other Investment Companies

The Fund may invest its assets in securities of other investment companies, including the securities of affiliated and non-affiliated exchange traded funds and money market funds (collectively, “Underlying Funds”), as an efficient means of implementing its investment strategies, managing its uninvested cash and/or other investment reasons consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and investment strategies. These Underlying Funds are managed independently of the Fund and incur additional fees and/or expenses which would, therefore, be borne indirectly by the Fund in connection with any such investment. These investments also can create conflicts of interest for the Adviser to the Fund and the investment adviser to the Underlying Fund. For example, a conflict of interest can arise due to the possibility that the Adviser to the Fund could make a decision to redeem the Fund’s investment in the Underlying Fund. In the case of an investment in an affiliated Underlying Fund, a conflict of interest can arise if, because of the Fund’s investment in the affiliated Underlying Fund, the Underlying Fund is able to garner more assets, thereby growing the Underlying Fund and increasing the management fees received by the investment adviser to the Underlying Fund, which would either be the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. However, the Adviser believes that the benefits and efficiencies of making investments in Underlying Funds should outweigh the potential additional fees and/or expenses and resulting conflicts of interest. The Fund may invest in money market securities directly.

Hedging

Hedging transactions are intended to reduce specific risks. For example, to protect the Fund against circumstances that would normally cause the Fund’s portfolio securities to decline in value, the Fund may buy or sell a derivative contract that would normally increase in value under the same circumstances. The Fund may also attempt to hedge by using combinations of different derivative contracts, or derivative contracts and securities. The Fund’s ability to hedge may be limited by the costs of the derivative contracts. The Fund may attempt to lower the cost of hedging by entering into transactions that provide only limited protection, including transactions that: (1) hedge only a portion of its portfolio; (2) use derivative contracts that cover a narrow range of circumstances; or (3) involve the sale of derivative contracts with different terms. Consequently, hedging transactions will not eliminate risk even if they work as intended. In addition, hedging strategies are not always successful, and could result in increased expenses and losses to the Fund.

Investing in Exchange-Traded Funds

The Fund may invest in affiliated and non-affiliated exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as an efficient means of carrying out its investment strategies. As with traditional mutual funds, ETFs charge asset-based fees, although these fees tend to be relatively low. ETFs are traded on stock exchanges or on the over-the-counter market. ETFs do not charge initial sales charges or redemption fees and investors pay only customary brokerage fees to buy and sell ETF shares.

Investment Ratings for Investment-Grade Securities

The Adviser will determine whether a security is investment grade based upon the credit ratings given by one or more NRSROs. For example, Standard & Poor’s, an NRSRO, assigns ratings to investment-grade securities (AAA, AA, A and BBB including modifiers, sub-categories and gradations) based on their assessment of the likelihood of the issuer’s inability to pay interest or principal (default) when due on each security. Lower credit ratings correspond to higher credit risk. If a security has not received a rating, the Fund must rely entirely upon the Adviser’s credit assessment that the security is comparable to investment grade. The presence of a ratings modifier, sub-category or gradation (for example, a (+) or (-)) is intended to show relative standing within the major rating categories and does not affect the security credit rating for purposes of the Fund’s investment parameters. If a security is downgraded below the minimum quality grade discussed above, the Adviser will reevaluate the security, but will not be required to sell it.

Investment Ratings for Noninvestment-Grade Securities

Noninvestment-grade securities are rated below BBB- by an NRSRO. These bonds have greater economic, credit and liquidity risks than investment-grade securities.

Portfolio Turnover

Inter-Fund Borrowing and Third-Party Lending Arrangements

Inter-Fund Borrowing

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has granted an exemption that permits the Fund and all other funds (“Federated Hermes funds”) advised by subsidiaries of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes,” formerly, Federated Investors, Inc.) to lend and borrow money for certain temporary purposes directly to and from other Federated Hermes funds. Participation in this inter-fund lending program is voluntary for both borrowing and lending Federated Hermes funds, and an inter-fund loan is only made if it benefits each participating Federated Hermes fund. Federated Hermes administers the program according to procedures approved by the Fund’s Board, and the Board monitors the operation of the program. Any inter-fund loan must comply with certain conditions set out in the exemption, which are designed to assure fairness and protect all participating Federated Hermes funds.

For example, inter-fund lending is permitted only: (a) to meet shareholder redemption requests; (b) to meet commitments arising from “failed” trades; and (c) for other temporary purposes. All inter-fund loans must be repaid in seven days or less. The Fund’s participation in this program must be consistent with its investment policies and limitations, and must meet certain percentage tests. Inter-fund loans may be made only when the rate of interest to be charged is more attractive to the lending

Federated Hermes fund than market-competitive rates on overnight repurchase agreements (“Repo Rate”) and more attractive to the borrowing Federated Hermes fund than the rate of interest that would be charged by an unaffiliated bank for short-term borrowings (“Bank Loan Rate”), as determined by the Board. The interest rate imposed on inter-fund loans is the average of the Repo Rate and the Bank Loan Rate.

Third-Party Line of Credit

The Fund participates with certain other Federated Hermes funds, on a several basis, in an up to $500,000,000 unsecured, 364-day, committed, revolving line of credit (LOC) agreement. The LOC was made available to temporarily finance the repurchase or redemption of shares of the Fund, failed trades, payment of dividends, settlement of trades and for other short-term, temporary or emergency general business purposes. The Fund cannot borrow under the LOC if an inter-fund loan is outstanding. The Fund’s ability to borrow under the LOC also is subject to the limitations of the 1940 Act and various conditions precedent that must be satisfied before the Fund can borrow. Loans under the LOC are charged interest at a fluctuating rate per annum equal to (a) the highest, on any day, of: (i) the federal funds effective rate; (ii) the published secured overnight financing rate plus an assigned percentage; and (iii) 0.0%; plus (b) a margin. Any fund eligible to borrow under the LOC pays its pro rata share of a commitment fee based on the amount of the lenders’ commitment that has not been utilized, quarterly in arrears and at maturity. As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, there were no outstanding loans. During the most recently ended fiscal year, the Fund did not utilize the LOC.

LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

The Fund has adopted and implemented a written liquidity risk management program (LRMP) and related procedures to assess and manage the liquidity risk of the Fund in accordance with Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act and Rule 22e-4 thereunder. The Board has designated the Adviser, together with Federated Hermes, Inc.’s (“Federated Hermes,” formerly Federated Investors, Inc.) other affiliated registered investment advisory subsidiaries that serve as investment advisers to other Federated Hermes funds, to collectively serve as the administrator of the LRMP and the related procedures (the “Administrator”). Rule 22e-4 defines “liquidity risk” as the risk that the Fund will be unable to meet requests to redeem shares issued by the Fund without significant dilution of the remaining investors’ interests in the Fund. As a part of the LRMP, the Administrator is responsible for classifying the liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio investments in accordance with Rule 22e-4. As part of the LRMP, the Administrator is also responsible for assessing, managing and periodically reviewing the Fund’s liquidity risk, for making periodic reports to the Board and the SEC regarding the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, and for notifying the Board and the SEC of certain liquidity events specified in Rule 22e-4. The liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio investments is determined based on relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations under the LRMP.

Investment Risks

There are many risk factors which may affect an investment in the Fund. The Fund’s principal risks are described in its Prospectus. The following information is either additional information in respect of a principal risk factor referenced in the Prospectus or information in respect of a non-principal risk factor applicable to the Fund (in which case there is no related disclosure in the Prospectus).

CREDIT RISK

Credit risk includes the possibility that a party to a transaction (such as a derivative contract) involving the Fund will fail to meet its obligations. This could cause the Fund to lose money or to lose the benefit of the transaction or prevent the Fund from selling or buying other securities to implement its investment strategy.

LIQUIDITY RISK

Trading opportunities are more limited for equity securities that are not widely held. This may make it more difficult to sell or buy a security at a favorable price or time. Consequently, the Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell a security, sell other securities to raise cash or give up an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Fund’s performance. Infrequent trading of securities may also lead to an increase in their price volatility.

Liquidity risk also refers to the possibility that the Fund may not be able to sell a security or close out a derivative contract when it wants to. If this happens, the Fund will be required to continue to hold the security or keep the position open, and the Fund could incur losses.

OTC derivative contracts generally carry greater liquidity risk than exchange-traded contracts. This risk may be increased in times of financial stress, if the trading market for OTC derivative contracts becomes restricted.

Leverage Risk

Leverage risk is created when an investment, which includes, for example, an investment in a derivative contract, exposes the Fund to a level of risk that exceeds the amount invested. Changes in the value of such an investment magnify the Fund’s risk of loss and potential for gain. Investments can have these same results if their returns are based on a multiple of a specified index, security or other benchmark.

Interest Rate Risk

Prices of fixed-income securities rise and fall in response to changes in interest rates. Generally, when interest rates rise, prices of fixed-income securities fall. However, market factors, such as the demand for particular fixed-income securities, may cause the price of certain fixed-income securities to fall while the prices of other securities rise or remain unchanged.

The longer the duration of a fixed-income security, the more susceptible it is to interest rate risk. The duration of a fixed-income security may be equal to or shorter than the stated maturity of a fixed-income security. Recent and potential future changes in monetary policy made by central banks and/or their governments are likely to affect the level of interest rates. Duration measures the price sensitivity of a fixed-income security given a change in interest rates. For example, if a fixed-income security has an effective duration of three years, a 1% increase in general interest rates would be expected to cause the security’s value to decline about 3%, while a 1% decrease in general interest rates would be expected to cause the security’s value to increase about 3%.

Call Risk

Call risk is the possibility that an issuer may redeem a fixed-income security before maturity (a “call”) at a price below its current market price. An increase in the likelihood of a call may reduce the security’s price.

If a fixed-income security is called, the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in other fixed-income securities with lower interest rates, higher credit risks, or other less favorable characteristics.

Prepayment and extension Risk

Unlike traditional fixed-income securities, which pay a fixed rate of interest until maturity (when the entire principal amount is due) payments on mortgage-backed securities include both interest and a partial payment of principal. Partial payment of principal may be comprised of scheduled principal payments as well as unscheduled payments from the voluntary prepayment, refinancing, or foreclosure of the underlying loans. These unscheduled prepayments of principal create risks that can adversely affect the Fund holding mortgage-backed securities.

For example, when interest rates decline, the values of mortgage-backed securities generally rise. However, when interest rates decline, unscheduled prepayments can be expected to accelerate, and the Fund would be required to reinvest the proceeds of the prepayments at the lower interest rates then available. Unscheduled prepayments would also limit the potential for capital appreciation on mortgage-backed securities.

Conversely, when interest rates rise, the values of mortgage-backed securities generally fall. Since rising interest rates typically result in decreased prepayments, this could lengthen the average lives of mortgage-backed securities, and cause their value to decline more than traditional fixed-income securities.

Generally, mortgage-backed securities compensate for the increased risk associated with prepayments by paying a higher yield. The additional interest paid for risk is measured by the difference between the yield of a mortgage-backed security and the yield of a U.S. Treasury security with a comparable maturity (the “spread”). An increase in the spread will cause the price of the mortgage-backed security to decline. Spreads generally increase in response to adverse economic or market conditions. Spreads may also increase if the security is perceived to have an increased prepayment risk or is perceived to have less market demand.

ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES (ABS) Risk

The value of asset-backed securities (ABS) may be affected by certain factors such as interest rate risk, the availability of information concerning the pool of underlying assets and its structure, the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the pool or the originator of the underlying assets and the ability of the servicing agent to service the underlying collateral. Under certain market conditions, ABS may be less liquid and may be difficult to value. Movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain types of ABS. Unscheduled prepayments of ABS may result in a loss of income if the proceeds are invested in lower-yielding securities. Conversely, in a rising interest rate environment, a declining prepayment rate will extend the average life of many ABS, which increases the risk of depreciation due to future increases in market interest rates. ABS can also be subject to the risk of default on the underlying assets.

Risk of Foreign Investing

Foreign securities pose additional risks because foreign economic or political conditions may be less favorable than those of the United States. Securities in foreign markets may also be subject to taxation policies that reduce returns for U.S. investors.

Foreign companies may not provide information (including financial statements) as frequently or to as great an extent as companies in the United States. Foreign companies may also receive less coverage than U.S. companies by market analysts and the financial press. In addition, foreign countries may lack uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards or regulatory requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies. These factors may prevent the Fund and its Adviser from obtaining information concerning foreign companies that is as frequent, extensive and reliable as the information available concerning companies in the United States.

Foreign countries may have restrictions on foreign ownership of securities or may impose exchange controls, capital flow restrictions or repatriation restrictions which could adversely affect the liquidity of the Fund’s investments.

Currency Risk

Exchange rates for currencies fluctuate daily. The combination of currency risk and market risks tends to make securities traded in foreign markets more volatile than securities traded exclusively in the United States. The Adviser attempts to manage currency risk by limiting the amount the Fund invests in securities denominated in a particular currency. However, diversification will not protect the Fund against a general increase in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies.

Investing in currencies or securities denominated in a foreign currency, entails risk of being exposed to a currency that may not fully reflect the strengths and weaknesses of the economy of the country or region utilizing the currency. Currency risk includes both the risk that currencies in which the Fund’s investments are traded, or currencies in which the Fund has taken an active investment position, will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. In addition, it is possible that a currency (such as, for example, the euro) could be abandoned in the future by countries that have already adopted its use, and the effects of such an abandonment on the applicable country and the rest of the countries utilizing the currency are uncertain but could negatively affect the Fund’s investments denominated in the currency. If a currency used by a country or countries is replaced by another currency, the Fund’s Adviser would evaluate whether to continue to hold any investments denominated in such currency, or whether to purchase investments denominated in the currency that replaces such currency, at the time. Such investments may continue to be held, or purchased, to the extent consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and permitted under applicable law.

Many countries rely heavily upon export-dependent businesses and any strength in the exchange rate between a currency and the U.S. dollar or other currencies can have either a positive or a negative effect upon corporate profits and the performance of investments in the country or region utilizing the currency. Adverse economic events within such country or region may increase the volatility of exchange rates against other currencies, subjecting the Fund’s investments denominated in such country’s or region’s currency to additional risks. In addition, certain countries, particularly emerging market countries, may impose foreign currency exchange controls or other restrictions on the transferability, repatriation or convertibility of currency.

European Union and eurozone Related risk

A number of countries in the European Union (EU), including certain countries within the EU that have adopted the euro (Eurozone), have experienced, and may continue to experience, severe economic and financial difficulties. Additional countries within the EU may also fall subject to such difficulties. These events could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments in euro-denominated securities and derivatives contracts, securities of issuers located in the EU or with significant exposure to EU issuers or countries. If the euro is dissolved entirely, the legal and contractual consequences for holders of euro-denominated obligations and derivative contracts would be determined by laws in effect at such time. Such investments may continue to be held, or purchased, to the extent consistent with the Fund’s investment objective(s) and permitted under applicable law. These potential developments, or market perceptions concerning these and related issues, could adversely affect the value of the Shares.

Certain countries in the EU have had to accept assistance from supra-governmental agencies such as the International Monetary Fund, the European Stability Mechanism (the “ESM”) or other supra-governmental agencies. The European Central Bank has also been intervening to purchase Eurozone debt in an attempt to stabilize markets and reduce borrowing costs. There can be no assurance that these agencies will continue to intervene or provide further assistance and markets may react adversely to any expected reduction in the financial support provided by these agencies. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences.

In addition, one or more countries may withdraw from the EU, and one or more countries within the Eurozone may abandon the euro. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, could be significant and far-reaching. On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom (UK) left the EU, commonly referred to as “Brexit,” and there commenced a transition period during which the EU and UK negotiated and agreed on the nature of their future relationship, with such agreements becoming effective on December 31, 2020. There is significant market uncertainty regarding Brexit’s ramifications, and the range and potential implications of possible political, regulatory, economic and market outcomes are difficult to predict. This long-term uncertainty may affect other countries in the EU and elsewhere and may cause volatility within the EU, triggering prolonged economic downturns in certain countries within the EU. In addition, Brexit may create additional and substantial economic stresses for the UK, including a contraction of the UK economy and price volatility in UK stocks, decreased trade, capital outflows, devaluation of the British pound, wider corporate bond spreads due to uncertainty and declines in business and consumer spending as well as foreign direct investment. Brexit may also adversely affect UK-based financial firms, including certain sub-advisers to the Federated Hermes Funds, that have counterparties in the EU or participate in market infrastructure (trading venues, clearinghouses, settlement facilities) based in the EU. These events and the resulting market volatility may have an adverse effect on the performance of the Fund.

Risk of Investing in Emerging Market Countries

Securities issued or traded in emerging markets generally entail greater risks than securities issued or traded in developed markets. For example, their prices may be significantly more volatile than prices in developed countries. Emerging market economies may also experience more severe downturns (with corresponding currency devaluations) than developed economies.

Emerging market countries may have relatively unstable governments and may present the risk of nationalization of businesses, expropriation, confiscatory taxation or, in certain instances, reversion to closed market, centrally planned economies.

Risk of Investing in ADRs and Domestically Traded Securities of Foreign Issuers

Because the Fund may invest in ADRs and other domestically traded securities of foreign companies, the Fund’s share price may be more affected by foreign economic and political conditions, taxation policies and accounting and auditing standards than would otherwise be the case. Foreign companies may not provide information as frequently or to as great an extent as companies in the United States. Foreign companies may also receive less coverage than U.S. companies by market analysts and the financial press. In addition, foreign companies may lack uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards or regulatory requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies. These factors may prevent the Fund and its Adviser from obtaining information concerning foreign companies that is as frequent, extensive and reliable as the information concerning companies in the United States.

Risk Associated with Noninvestment-Grade Securities

Securities rated below investment grade, also known as junk bonds, generally entail greater economic, credit and liquidity risks than investment-grade securities. For example, their prices are more volatile, economic downturns and financial setbacks may affect their prices more negatively, and their trading market may be more limited. These securities are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s ability to pay interest and repay principal.

Short Selling Risk

A short sale by the Fund involves borrowing securities from a lender which are then sold in the open market. At a future date, the securities are repurchased by the Fund and returned to the lender. While the securities are borrowed, the proceeds from the sale are deposited with the lender and the Fund pays interest to the lender. If the value of the securities declines between the time that the Fund borrows the securities and the time it repurchases and returns the securities to the lender, the Fund makes a profit on the difference (less any interest the Fund is required to pay the lender). Short selling involves risk. There is no assurance that securities will decline in value during the period of the short sale and make a profit for the Fund. Securities sold short may instead appreciate in value creating a loss for the Fund. The Fund also may experience difficulties repurchasing and returning the borrowed securities if a liquid market for the securities does not exist. The lender may also recall borrowed securities at any time. The lender from whom the Fund has borrowed securities may go bankrupt and the Fund may lose the collateral it has deposited with the lender. The Fund will adhere to controls and limits that are intended to offset these risks by short selling only liquid securities and by limiting the amount of exposure for short sales.

EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS RISK

An investment in an exchange-traded fund (ETF) generally presents the same primary risks as an investment in a conventional fund (i.e., one that is not exchange traded) that has the same investment objectives, strategies and policies. The price of an ETF can fluctuate up or down, and the Fund could lose money investing in an ETF if the prices of the securities owned by the ETF go down. In addition, ETFs may be subject to the following risks that do not apply to conventional funds: (i) the market price of an ETF’s shares may trade above or below their net asset value; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained; or (iii) trading of an ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem such action appropriate, the shares are delisted from the exchange or the activation of market-wide “circuit breakers” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally.

Risk of Investing in Derivative Contracts and Hybrid Instruments

The Fund’s exposure to derivative contracts and hybrid instruments (either directly or through its investment in another investment company) involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. First, changes in the value of the derivative contracts and hybrid instruments in which the Fund invests may not be correlated with changes in the value of the underlying Reference Instruments or, if they are correlated, may move in the opposite direction than originally anticipated. Second, while some strategies involving derivatives may reduce the risk of loss, they may also reduce potential gains or, in some cases, result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in portfolio holdings. Third, there is a risk that derivative contracts and hybrid instruments may be erroneously priced or improperly valued and, as a result, the Fund may need to make increased cash payments to the counterparty. Fourth, exposure to derivative contracts and hybrid instruments may have tax consequences to the Fund and its shareholders. For example, derivative contracts and hybrid instruments may cause the Fund to realize increased ordinary income or short-term capital gains (which are treated as ordinary income for Federal income tax purposes) and, as a result, may increase taxable distributions to shareholders. In addition, under certain circumstances certain derivative contracts and hybrid instruments may cause the Fund to: (a) incur an excise tax on a portion of the income related to those contracts and instruments; and/or (b) reclassify, as a return of capital, some or all of the distributions previously made to shareholders during the fiscal year as dividend income. Fifth, a common provision in OTC derivative contracts permits the counterparty to terminate any such contract between it and the Fund, if the value of the Fund’s total net assets declines below a specified level over a given time period. Factors that may contribute to such a decline (which usually must be substantial) include significant shareholder redemptions and/or a marked decrease in the market value of the Fund’s investments. Any such termination of the Fund’s OTC derivative contracts may adversely affect the Fund (for example, by increasing losses and/or costs, and/or preventing the Fund from fully implementing its investment strategies). Sixth, the Fund may use a derivative contract to benefit from a decline in the value of a Reference Instrument. If the value of the Reference Instrument declines during the term of the contract, the Fund makes a profit on the difference (less any payments the Fund is required to pay under the terms of the contract). Any such strategy involves risk. There is no assurance that the Reference Instrument will decline in value during the term of the contract and make a profit for the Fund. The Reference Instrument may instead appreciate in value creating a loss for the Fund. Seventh, a default or failure by a CCP or an FCM (also sometimes called a “futures broker”), or the failure of a contract to be transferred from an Executing Dealer to the FCM for clearing, may expose the Fund to losses, increase its costs, or prevent the Fund from entering or exiting derivative positions, accessing margin or fully implementing its investment strategies. The central clearing of a derivative and trading of a contract over a SEF could reduce the liquidity in, or increase costs of entering into or holding, any contracts. Finally, derivative contracts and hybrid instruments may also involve other risks described herein or in the Fund’s prospectus, such as stock market, interest rate, credit, currency, liquidity and leverage risks.

Risk Associated with the Investment Activities of Other Accounts

Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other accounts managed by the Adviser and accounts managed by affiliates of the Adviser. Therefore, it is possible that investment-related actions taken by such other accounts could adversely impact the Fund with respect to, for example, the value of Fund portfolio holdings, and/or prices paid to or received by the Fund on its portfolio transactions, and/or the Fund’s ability to obtain or dispose of portfolio securities. Related considerations are discussed elsewhere in this SAI under “Brokerage Transactions and Investment Allocation.”

LARGE SHAREHOLDER RISK

A significant percentage of the Fund’s shares may be owned or controlled by a large shareholder, such as other funds or accounts, including those of which the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser may have investment discretion. Accordingly, the Fund can be subject to the potential for large scale inflows and outflows as a result of purchases and redemptions made by significant shareholders. These inflows and outflows could be significant and, if frequently occurring, could negatively affect the Fund’s net asset value and performance and could cause the Fund to buy or sell securities at inopportune times in order to

meet purchase or redemption requests. Investments in the Fund by other investment companies also can create conflicts of interests for the Adviser to the Fund and the investment adviser to the acquiring fund. For example, a conflict of interest can arise due to the possibility that the investment adviser to the acquiring fund could make a decision to redeem the acquiring fund’s investment in the Fund. In the case of an investment by an affiliated fund, a conflict of interest can arise if, because of the acquiring fund’s investment in the Fund, the Fund is able to garner more assets from third-party investors, thereby growing the Fund and increasing the management fees received by the Adviser, which could also be the investment adviser to the acquiring fund.

CYBERSECURITY AND OPERATIONAL RISK

Like other funds and business enterprises, Federated Hermes’ business relies on the security and reliability of information and communications technology, systems and networks. Federated Hermes uses digital technology, including, for example, networked systems, email and the Internet, as well as mobile devices and “cloud”-based service offerings, to conduct business operations and engage clients, customers, employees, products, accounts, shareholders and relevant service providers, among others. Federated Hermes, as well as its funds and certain service providers, also generate, compile and process information for purposes of preparing and making filings or reports to governmental agencies, or providing reports or statements to customers, and a cybersecurity attack or incident that impacts that information, or the generation and filing processes, can prevent required regulatory filings and reports from being made, or reports or statements from being delivered, or cause the inadvertent release of confidential information (possibly resulting in the violation of applicable privacy laws). The use of the Internet and other electronic media and technology exposes the Fund, the Fund’s shareholders, and the Fund’s service providers, and their respective operations, to potential risks from cybersecurity attacks or incidents (collectively, “cyber-events”). The work-from-home environment necessitated by the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic has increased the risk of cyber incidents given the increase in cyber attack surface stemming from the use of personal devices and non-office or personal technology.

Cyber-events can result from intentional (or deliberate) attacks or unintentional events by insiders (e.g., employees) or third parties, including cybercriminals, competitors, nation-states and “hacktivists,” among others. Cyber-events can include, for example, phishing, credential harvesting or use of stolen access credentials, unauthorized access to systems, networks or devices (such as, for example, through “hacking” activity), structured query language attacks, infection from or spread of malware, ransomware, computer viruses or other malicious software code, corruption of data, exfiltration of data to malicious sites, the dark web or other locations or threat actors, and attacks (including, but not limited to, denial of service attacks on websites) which shut down, disable, slow, impair or otherwise disrupt operations, business processes, technology, connectivity or website or Internet access, functionality or performance. Like other funds and business enterprises, the Fund and its service providers have experienced, and will continue to experience, cyber-events on a daily basis. In addition to intentional cyber-events, unintentional cyber-events can occur, such as, for example, the inadvertent release of confidential information. Cyber-events can also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on the service providers’ systems or websites rendering them unavailable to intended users or via “ransomware” that renders the systems inoperable until appropriate actions are taken. To date, cyber-events have not had a material adverse effect on the Fund’s business operations or performance.

Cyber-events can affect, potentially in a material way, Federated Hermes’ relationships with its customers, employees, products, accounts, shareholders and relevant service providers. Any cyber-event could adversely impact the Fund and its shareholders and cause the Fund to incur financial loss and expense, as well as face exposure to regulatory penalties, reputational damage, damage to employee perceptions of the company, and additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and credit monitoring for impacted individuals. A cyber-event can cause the Fund, or its service providers, to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, lose operational capacity (such as, for example, the loss of the ability to process transactions, generate or make filings or deliver reports or statements, calculate the Fund’s NAV, or allow shareholders to transact business or other disruptions to operations), and/or fail to comply with applicable privacy and other laws. Among other potentially harmful effects, cyber-events also can result in theft, unauthorized monitoring and failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support the Fund and its service providers. In addition, cyber-events affecting issuers in which the Fund invests could cause the Fund’s investments to lose value.

The Fund’s Adviser and its relevant affiliates have established risk management systems reasonably designed to seek to reduce the risks associated with cyber-events. The Fund’s Adviser employs various measures aimed at mitigating cybersecurity risk, including, among others, use of firewalls, system segmentation, system monitoring, virus scanning, periodic penetration testing, employee phishing training and an employee cybersecurity awareness campaign. Among other service provider management efforts, Federated Hermes also conducts due diligence on key service providers relating to cybersecurity. Federated Hermes has established a committee to oversee Federated Hermes’ information security and data governance efforts, and updates on cyber-events and risks are reviewed with relevant committees, as well as Federated Hermes’ and the Fund’s Boards of Directors

or Trustees (or a committee thereof), on a periodic (generally quarterly) basis (and more frequently when circumstances warrant) as part of risk management oversight responsibilities. However, there is no guarantee that the efforts of Federated Hermes, the Fund’s Adviser or its affiliates, or other service providers, will succeed, either entirely or partially as there are limits on Federated Hermes’ and the Fund’s ability to prevent, detect or mitigate cyber-events. Among other reasons, the cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving, the nature of malicious cyber-events is becoming increasingly sophisticated and the Fund’s Adviser, and its relevant affiliates, cannot control the cyber systems and cybersecurity systems of issuers or third-party service providers.

The Fund can be exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties, or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures. In addition, other disruptive events, including, but not limited to, natural disasters and public health crises (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), can adversely affect the Fund’s ability to conduct business, in particular if the Fund’s employees or the employees of its service providers are unable or unwilling to perform their responsibilities as a result of any such event. Even if the Fund’s employees and the employees of its service providers are able to work remotely, those remote work arrangements could result in the Fund’s business operations being less efficient than under normal circumstances, could lead to delays in its processing of transactions, and could increase the risk of cyber-events.

Investment Objective and Investment Limitations

The investment objective of the Fund is to seek capital appreciation. The investment objective may not be changed by the Fund’s Board without shareholder approval.

INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS

Borrowing Money and Issuing Senior Securities

The Fund may borrow money, directly or indirectly, and issue senior securities to the maximum extent permitted under the 1940 Act, any rule or order thereunder or any SEC staff interpretation thereof.

Diversification

With respect to securities comprising 75% of the value of its total assets, the Fund will not purchase securities of any one issuer (other than cash; cash items; securities issued or guaranteed by the government of the United States or its agencies or instrumentalities and repurchase agreements collateralized by such U.S. government securities; and securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, more than 5% of the value of its total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer, or the Fund would own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer.

Investing in Commodities

The Fund may invest in commodities to the maximum extent permitted under the 1940 Act.

Underwriting

The Fund may not underwrite the securities of other issuers, except that the Fund may engage in transactions involving the acquisition, disposition or resale of its portfolio securities, under circumstances where it may be considered to be an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933.

Lending

The Fund may not make loans, provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from purchasing debt obligations, entering into repurchase agreements, lending its assets to broker/dealers or institutional investors and investing in loans, including assignments and participation interests.

Concentration

The Fund will not make investments that will result in the concentration of its investments in the securities of issuers primarily engaged in the same industry. For purposes of this restriction, the term concentration has the meaning set forth in the 1940 Act, any rule or order thereunder or any SEC staff interpretation thereof. Government securities and municipal securities will not be deemed to constitute an industry.

Investing in Real Estate

The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate, provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from investing in issuers which invest, deal or otherwise engage in transactions in real estate or interests therein, or investing in securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein. The Fund may exercise its rights under agreements relating to such securities, including the right to enforce security interests and to hold real estate acquired by reason of such enforcement until that real estate can be liquidated in an orderly manner.

The above limitations are fundamental and cannot be changed unless authorized by the Board and by the “vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities,” as defined by the 1940 Act, which means the lesser of (a) 67% of the shares of the Fund present or represented by proxy at a meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present or represented at the meeting or (b) more than 50% of outstanding shares of the Fund. The following limitations, however, may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified before any material change in these limitations becomes effective.

Illiquid Investments

The Fund will not make investments in holdings for which there is no readily available market, or enter into repurchase agreements or purchase time deposits that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment if immediately after and as a result, the value of such investments would exceed, in the aggregate, 15% of the Fund’s net assets.

Investing in Other Investment Companies

The Fund may invest its assets in securities of other investment companies as an efficient means of carrying out its investment policies. It should be noted that investment companies incur certain expenses, such as management fees, and, therefore, any investment by the Fund in shares of other investment companies may be subject to such additional expenses. At the present time, the Fund expects that its investments in other investment companies may include shares of money market funds, including funds affiliated with the Fund’s investment adviser.

Purchases on Margin

The Fund will not purchase securities on margin, provided that the Fund may obtain short-term credits necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of securities, and further provided that the Fund may make margin deposits in connection with its use of financial options and futures, forward and spot currency contracts, swap transactions and other financial contracts or derivative instruments.

Pledging Assets

The Fund will not mortgage, pledge or hypothecate any of its assets, provided that this shall not apply to the transfer of securities in connection with any permissible borrowing or to collateral arrangements in connection with permissible activities.

Additional Information

As a matter of non-fundamental investment policy regarding certain of the Fund’s investment restrictions, please note the following additional information.

In applying the concentration restriction, the Fund will adhere to the requirements of the 1940 Act which limits investments in a particular industry or group of industries to no more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets. Further, in applying the concentration restriction: (a) utility companies will be divided according to their services, for example, gas, gas transmission, electric and telephone will each be considered a separate industry; (b) financial service companies will be classified according to the end users of their services, for example, automobile finance, bank finance and diversified finance will each be considered a separate industry; and (c) asset-backed securities will be classified according to the underlying assets securing such securities. For purposes of the above limitations, municipal securities are those securities issued by governments or political subdivisions of governments.

Except with respect to borrowing money, if a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or net assets will not result in a violation of such limitation.

In applying the borrowing limitation, in accordance with Section 18(f)(1) of the 1940 Act and current SEC rules and guidance, the Fund is permitted to borrow money, directly or indirectly, provided that immediately after any such borrowing, the Fund has asset coverage of at least 300% for all of the Fund’s borrowings, and provided further that in the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300% the Fund shall, within three business days, reduce the amount of its borrowings to an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowings shall be at least 300%.

For purposes of the above limitations, the Fund considers certificates of deposit and demand and time deposits issued by a U.S. branch of a domestic bank or savings association having capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100,000,000 at the time of investment to be “cash items.”

For purposes of the above limitation regarding investing in commodities, the 1940 Act requires that a Fund state in its registration statement a fundamental policy as to whether it reserves freedom of action to invest in commodities and prohibits a fund from purchasing commodities without shareholder approval, except in accordance with that policy. The 1940 Act does not otherwise specifically prohibit or restrict investment in commodities.

Non-Fundamental Names Rule Policy

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest its assets so that at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) are invested in small-cap value investments. For purposes of this 80% policy, the Adviser defines value investments as those that are either constituents within the Russell 3000 Value Index or with price/earnings ratios within the range of companies within the Russell 3000 Value Index. The Fund will notify shareholders at least 60 days in advance of any change in its investment policy.

What Do Shares Cost?

Determining Market Value of Securities

A Share’s net asset value (NAV) is determined as of the end of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) each day the NYSE is open. The Fund calculates the NAV of each class by valuing the assets allocated to the Share’s class, subtracting the liabilities allocated to each class and dividing the balance by the number of Shares of the class outstanding. The NAV for each class of Shares may differ due to the level of expenses allocated to each class as well as a result of the variance between the amount of accrued investment income and capital gains or losses allocated to each class and the amount actually distributed to shareholders of each class. The NAV is calculated to the nearest whole cent per Share.

In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values investments as follows:

■ Equity securities listed on a U.S. securities exchange or traded through the U.S. national market system are valued at their last reported sale price or official closing price in their principal exchange or market. If a price is not readily available, such equity securities are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and ask quotations from one or more dealers.

■ Other equity securities traded primarily in the United States are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and ask quotations from one or more dealers.

■ Equity securities traded primarily through securities exchanges and regulated market systems outside the United States are valued at their last reported sale price or official closing price in their principal exchange or market. These prices may be adjusted for significant events occurring after the closing of such exchanges or market systems as described below. If a price is not readily available, such equity securities are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and ask quotations from one or more dealers.

■ Fixed-income securities are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Adviser. The methods used by pricing services to determine such price evaluations are described below.

■ Futures contracts listed on exchanges are valued at their reported settlement price. Option contracts listed on exchanges are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and ask quotations reported by the exchange or from one or more futures commission merchants.

■ OTC derivative contracts are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Adviser. The methods used by pricing services to determine such price evaluations are described below. If a price evaluation from a pricing service is not readily available, such derivative contracts may be fair valued based upon price evaluations from one or more dealers or using a recognized pricing model for the contract.

■ Shares of other mutual funds or nonexchange-traded investment companies are valued based upon their reported NAVs. The prospectuses for these mutual funds explain the circumstances under which they will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.

If any price, quotation, price evaluation or other pricing source is not readily available when the NAV is calculated, if the Fund cannot obtain price evaluations from a pricing service or from more than one dealer for an investment within a reasonable period of time as set forth in the Adviser’s valuation policies and procedures, or if information furnished by a pricing service, in the opinion of the Valuation Committee, is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the Fund will use the fair value of the investment determined in accordance with the procedures described below. There can be no assurance that the Fund could purchase or sell an investment at the price used to calculate the Fund’s NAV. The Fund will not use a pricing service or dealer who is an affiliated person of the Adviser to value investments.

Noninvestment assets and liabilities are valued in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The NAV calculation includes expenses, dividend income, interest income, other income and realized and unrealized investment gains and losses through the date of the calculation. Changes in holdings of investments and in the number of outstanding Shares are included in the calculation not later than the first business day following such change. Any assets or liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are converted into U.S. dollars using an exchange rate obtained from a third party.

The Fund follows procedures that are common in the mutual fund industry regarding errors made in the calculation of its NAV. This means that, generally, the Fund will not correct errors of less than one cent per Share.

Fair Valuation and Significant Events Procedures

Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Board has designated the Adviser as the Fund’s valuation designee to perform the fair value determination for securities and other assets held by the Fund. The Adviser, acting through its “Valuation Committee,” is responsible for determining the fair value of investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Valuation Committee is comprised of officers of the Adviser and certain of the Adviser’s affiliated companies and determines fair value and oversees the calculation of the NAV. The Valuation Committee is also authorized to use pricing services to provide price evaluations of the current fair value of certain investments for purposes of calculating the NAV. The Valuation Committee is subject to Board oversight and certain reporting and other requirements intended to provide the Board the information it needs to oversee the Adviser’s fair value determinations.

Pricing Service Valuations. The Valuation Committee, subject to Board oversight, is authorized to use pricing services that provide daily fair value evaluations of the current value of certain investments, primarily fixed-income securities and OTC derivative contracts. Different pricing services may provide different price evaluations for the same security because of differences in their methods of evaluating market values. Factors considered by pricing services in evaluating an investment include the yields or prices of investments of comparable quality, coupon, maturity, call rights and other potential prepayments, terms and type, reported transactions, indications as to values from dealers and general market conditions. A pricing service may find it more difficult to apply these and other factors to relatively illiquid or volatile investments, which may result in less frequent or more significant changes in the price evaluations of these investments. If a pricing service determines that it does not have sufficient information to use its standard methodology, it may evaluate an investment based on the present value of what investors can reasonably expect to receive from the issuer’s operations or liquidation.

Special valuation considerations may apply with respect to the Fund’s “odd-lot” positions, if any, as the Fund may receive lower prices when it sells such positions than it would receive for sales of institutional round lot positions. Typically, these securities are valued assuming orderly transactions of institutional round lot sizes, but the Fund may hold or, from time to time, transact in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes.

The Valuation Committee oversees the Fund’s pricing services, which includes, among other things, monitoring significant or unusual price fluctuations above predetermined tolerance levels from the prior day, back-testing of pricing services’ prices against actual sale transactions, conducting periodic due diligence meetings and reviews, and periodically reviewing the inputs, assumptions and methodologies used by these pricing services. If information furnished by a pricing service is not readily available or, in the opinion of the Valuation Committee, is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the security will be fair valued by the Valuation Committee in accordance with procedures established by the Adviser as discussed below in “Fair Valuation Procedures.”

Some pricing services provide a single price evaluation reflecting the bid-side of the market for an investment (a “bid” evaluation). Other pricing services offer both bid evaluations and price evaluations indicative of a price between the bid and ask prices for the investment (a “mid” evaluation). The Fund normally uses bid evaluations for any U.S. Treasury and Agency securities, mortgage-backed securities and municipal securities. The Fund normally uses mid evaluations for any other types of fixed-income securities and any OTC derivative contracts.

Fair Valuation Procedures. The Adviser has established procedures for determining the fair value of investments for which price evaluations from pricing services or dealers and market quotations are not readily available. The procedures define an investment’s “fair value” as the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive upon its current sale. The procedures assume that any sale would be made to a willing buyer in the ordinary course of trading. The procedures require consideration of factors that vary based on the type of investment and the information available. Factors that may be considered in determining an investment’s fair value include: (1) the last reported price at which the investment was traded; (2) information provided by dealers or investment analysts regarding the investment or the issuer; (3) changes in financial conditions and business prospects

disclosed in the issuer’s financial statements and other reports; (4) publicly announced transactions (such as tender offers and mergers) involving the issuer; (5) comparisons to other investments or to financial indices that are correlated to the investment; (6) with respect to fixed-income investments, changes in market yields and spreads; (7) with respect to investments that have been suspended from trading, the circumstances leading to the suspension; and (8) other factors that might affect the investment’s value.

The Valuation Committee is responsible for the day-to-day implementation of these procedures subject to the oversight of the Board. The Valuation Committee may also authorize the use of a financial valuation model to determine the fair value of a specific type of investment. The Board periodically reviews the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee. The Board has also approved the Adviser’s fair valuation procedures and significant events procedures as part of the Fund’s compliance program and will review any changes made to the procedures.

Significant Events. The Adviser has adopted procedures requiring an investment to be priced at its fair value whenever the Adviser determines that a significant event affecting the value of the investment has occurred between the time as of which the price of the investment would otherwise be determined and the time as of which the NAV is computed. An event is considered significant if there is both an affirmative expectation that the investment’s value will change in response to the event and a reasonable basis for quantifying the resulting change in value. Examples of significant events that may occur after the close of the principal market on which a security is traded, or after the time of a price evaluation provided by a pricing service or a dealer, include:

■ With respect to securities traded principally in foreign markets, significant trends in U.S. equity markets or in the trading of foreign securities index futures contracts;

■ Political or other developments affecting the economy or markets in which an issuer conducts its operations or its securities are traded; and

■ Announcements concerning matters such as acquisitions, recapitalizations or litigation developments, or a natural disaster affecting the issuer’s operations or regulatory changes or market developments affecting the issuer’s industry.

The Adviser has adopted procedures whereby the Valuation Committee uses a pricing service to provide factors to update the fair value of equity securities traded principally in foreign markets from the time of the close of their respective foreign stock exchanges to the pricing time of the Fund. The pricing service uses models that correlate changes between the closing and opening price of equity securities traded primarily in non-U.S. markets to changes in prices in U.S.-traded securities and derivative contracts. The pricing service seeks to employ the model that provides the most significant correlation based on a periodic review of the results. The model uses the correlation to adjust the reported closing price of a foreign equity security based on information available up to the close of the NYSE.

For other significant events, the Fund may seek to obtain more current quotations or price evaluations from alternative pricing sources. If a reliable alternative pricing source is not available, the fair value of the investment is determined using the methods discussed above in “Fair Valuation Procedures.” The Board periodically reviews fair valuations made in response to significant events.

How is the Fund Sold?

Under the Distributor’s Contract with the Fund, the Distributor (“Federated Securities Corp.”) offers Shares on a continuous, best-efforts basis.

Rule 12b-1 Plan (CLASS A SHARES, CLASS C SHARES AND CLASS R SHARES)

As a compensation-type plan, the Rule 12b-1 Plan is designed to pay the Distributor for activities principally intended to result in the sale of Shares such as advertising and marketing of Shares (including printing and distributing prospectuses and sales literature to prospective shareholders and financial intermediaries) and providing incentives to financial intermediaries to sell Shares. The Plan is also designed to cover the cost of administrative services performed in conjunction with the sale of Shares, including, but not limited to, shareholder services, recordkeeping services and educational services, as well as the costs of implementing and operating the Plan. The Rule 12b-1 Plan allows the Distributor to contract with financial intermediaries to perform activities covered by the Plan. The Rule 12b-1 Plan is expected to benefit the Fund in a number of ways. For example, it is anticipated that the Plan will help the Fund attract and retain assets, thus providing cash for orderly portfolio management and Share redemptions and possibly helping to stabilize or reduce other operating expenses.

In addition, the Plan is integral to the multiple class structure of the Fund, which promotes the sale of Shares by providing a range of options to investors. The Fund’s service providers that receive asset-based fees also benefit from stable or increasing Fund assets.

The Fund may compensate the Distributor more or less than its actual marketing expenses. In no event will the Fund pay for any expenses of the Distributor that exceed the maximum Rule 12b-1 Plan fee.

For some classes of shares, the maximum Rule 12b-1 Plan fee that can be paid in any one year may not be sufficient to cover the marketing-related expenses the Distributor has incurred. Therefore, it may take the Distributor a number of years to recoup these expenses.

In addition, in connection with the sale of Class C Shares, Federated Hermes and its subsidiaries make advance commission payments to financial intermediaries and in return may receive Rule 12b-1 fees and contingent deferred sales loads from the Class C Shares. Federated Hermes and its subsidiaries may benefit or sustain losses from such arrangements.

Regarding the Fund’s Class A Shares, the Class A Shares of the Fund currently do not accrue, pay or incur any Rule 12b-1 Plan fee, although the Board has adopted a Plan that permits the Class A Shares of the Fund to accrue, pay and incur a Rule 12b-1 Plan fee of up to a maximum amount of 0.05%, or some lesser amount as the Board shall approve from time to time. The Class A Shares of the Fund will not accrue, pay or incur such Rule 12b-1 Plan fees until such time as approved by the Fund’s Board.

Additional Payments To Others (Including Financial Intermediaries)

A, C, R & IS Classes Only

The Distributor may pay out of its own resources amounts to certain financial intermediaries, including broker-dealers, banks, registered investment advisers, independent financial planners and retirement plan administrators, and other persons. In some cases, such payments may be made by, or funded from the resources of, companies affiliated with the Distributor (including the Adviser). While Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) regulations limit the sales charges that you may bear, there are no limits with regard to the amounts that the Distributor may pay out of its own resources. In addition to the payments which are generally described herein and in the Prospectus, the financial intermediary also may receive payments under, if applicable, a Rule 12b-1 Plan and/or Service Fees. In connection with these payments, the financial intermediary may elevate the prominence or profile of the Fund and/or other Federated Hermes funds within the financial intermediary’s organization by, for example, placement on a list of preferred or recommended funds and/or granting the Distributor preferential or enhanced opportunities to promote the funds in various ways within the financial intermediary’s organization.

Financial intermediaries and other persons may receive payments under some or all categories described below. These payments assist in the Distributor’s efforts to support the sale of Shares and compensate financial intermediaries and other persons for performing ancillary services in connection with effecting sales of the funds. These payments are negotiated and may be based on such factors as: the number or value of Shares that the financial intermediary or other person sells, may sell or arrange for the sale of Shares; the value of client assets invested; the level and types of services or support furnished by the financial intermediary; or the Fund’s and/or other Federated Hermes funds’ relationship with the financial intermediary.

Not all financial intermediaries and other persons receive such payments and the amount of compensation may vary. You should ask your financial intermediary, or any other person that provides services to you, for information about any payments it receives from the Distributor or the Federated Hermes funds and any services it provides, as well as the fees and/or commissions it charges.

The categories of additional payments are described below.

Supplemental Payments

The Distributor may make supplemental payments to certain financial intermediaries that are holders or dealers of record for accounts in one or more of the Federated Hermes funds. These payments may be based on such factors as: the number or value of Shares the financial intermediary sells or may sell; the value of client assets invested; or the type and nature of services or support furnished by the financial intermediary.

Processing Support Payments

The Distributor may make payments to certain financial intermediaries that offer Federated Hermes investment companies to help offset their costs associated with client accounts in the fund. The types of payments that the Distributor may make under this category include, but are not limited to: payment for administrative services, like account maintenance support and statement processing; payment for costs associated with transacting in the funds, like payment of ticket charges on a per-transaction basis; payment of networking fees; and payment for ancillary services related to setting up funds on the financial intermediary’s mutual fund trading system, including technology and programming set-up, platform development and maintenance or similar services.

Retirement Plan Program Servicing Payments

The Distributor may make payments to certain financial intermediaries who sell Federated Hermes fund shares through retirement plan programs. A financial intermediary may perform retirement plan program services itself or may arrange with a third party to perform retirement plan program services. In addition to participant recordkeeping, reporting or transaction processing, retirement plan program services may include: services rendered to a plan in connection with fund/investment selection and monitoring; employee enrollment and education; plan balance rollover or separation; or other similar services.

Marketing Support Payments

From time to time, the Distributor, at its expense, may provide additional compensation to financial intermediaries, or other persons, that sell or arrange for the sale of Shares. Such compensation, provided by the Distributor, may include “finders” or “referral fees” or directing investors to a fund, financial assistance to financial intermediaries that enable the Distributor to participate in or present at meetings, conferences or seminars, sales or education and training programs for invited registered representatives and other employees, client entertainment, client and investor events and other financial intermediary-sponsored events. The Distributor may also provide additional compensation for the provision of sales or intermediary related data and analytics to the Adviser and/or its affiliates.

The Distributor also may hold or sponsor, at its expense, sales events, conferences and programs for employees or associated persons of financial intermediaries and may pay the travel and lodging expenses of attendees. The Distributor also may provide, at its expense, meals and entertainment in conjunction with meetings with financial intermediaries. Other compensation may be offered to the extent not prohibited by applicable federal or state law or regulations, or the rules of any self-regulatory agency, such as FINRA. These payments may vary depending on the nature of the event or the relationship.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, the following is a list of FINRA member firms that received additional payments from the Distributor or an affiliate. Additional payments may also be made to certain other financial intermediaries or other persons that are not FINRA member firms that sell Federated Hermes fund shares or provide services to the Federated Hermes funds and shareholders. These firms are not included in this list. Any additions, modifications or deletions to the member firms identified in this list that have occurred since December 31, 2024, are not reflected. You should ask your financial intermediary or any other person that provides services to you for information about any additional payments it receives from the Distributor.

ADP Broker-Dealer, Inc.
AE Wealth Management, LLC
Alera Investment Advisors, LLC
American Enterprise Investment Services Inc.
BBVA Securities Inc.
BofA Securities, Inc.
BMO Harris Financial Advisors, Inc.
Bolton Global Capital, Inc.
Boyd Capital Management
Broadridge Business Process Outsourcing, LLC
Callan
Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.
Cetera Advisor Networks LLC
Cetera Advisors LLC
Cetera Investment Services LLC

Charles Schwab & Company, Inc.
CIBC World Markets Corp.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Citizens Securities, Inc.
Comerica Securities, Inc.
Commonwealth Financial Network
D A Davidson & Co.
Davenport & Company LLC
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
Edward D. Jones & Co., LP
Ellsworth Advisors, LLC
Emerald Advisors, LLC
Empower Financial Services, Inc.
Envestnet PMC
Equitable Advisors, LLC

FBL Marketing Services, LLC
Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc. (FIIOC)
Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC
Fifth Third Securities, Inc.
FIS Brokerage & Securities Services LLC
Focused Alpha, LLC
Global Retirement Partners LLC
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
Guardian Financial
HighTower Securities, LLC
Hilltop Securities, Inc.
HUB International Investment Services Inc.
Huntington Securities, Inc.
Insigneo Securities, LLC
Institutional Cash Distributors, LLC
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC
Jefferies LLC
John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co
Kestra Investment Services LLC
Key Investment Services LLC
KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc.
Klingman and Associates, LLC
Kowal Investment Group, LLC
Keystone Financial Planning, Inc
Leafhouse Financial Advisors, LLC
Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation
Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc.
Lincoln Investment Planning, LLC
Lyrical Partners, L.P.
LPL Financial LLC
Mainstreet Advisors
Marquette Associates, Inc
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith Incorporated
MML Investors Inc
Monarch Wealth Strategies
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC
National Financial Services LLC
Nationwide Investment Services Corporation
NewEdge Securities, Inc.
Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC
OneDigital Investment Advisors
OneSeven
Oppenheimer & Company, Inc.
Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC
Osaic FS, Inc.
Osaic Wealth, Inc
Parks Capital
Paychex Securities Corp.
Pershing LLC

PNC Capital Markets, LLC
PNC Investments LLC
Principal Securities, Inc.
Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments
Rademacher Financial, Inc.
Raleigh Capital Management Inc.
Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
Raymond James Financial Services, Inc
RBC Capital Markets, LLC
RMR Wealth Builders, Inc.
Robert W Baird & Co. Incorporated
Rockefeller Capital Management
Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.
Sanctuary Securities, Inc.
Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, LLC
SBC Wealth Management
Security Distributors, LLC
Sentry Advisors, LLC
State Street Global Markets, LLC
Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
Strategic Financial Concepts, LLC
Strategic Financial Partners, Ltd.
TD Ameritrade, Inc.
Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America
The London Company of Virginia LLC
The Patriot Financial Group, LLC
The Huntington Investment Company
Three Bell Capital LLC
Towerpoint Wealth, LLC
Transamerica Financial Advisors, Inc
Treasury Brokerage
Truist Investment Services, Inc.
Truist Securities, Inc.
U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.
UBS Financial Services Inc
UBS Securities LLC
UMB Financial Services, Inc.
United Planners Financial Services of America, L.P.
Validus Capital LLC
Vanguard Marketing Corporation
Veridian Capital Partners
Vision Financial Markets, LLC
Voya Financial Advisors, Inc.
Voya Retirement Advisors, LLC
Webb Financial Group, LLC
Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
Wintrust Investments LLC
World Investment Advisors, LLC

[To be Filed by Amendment]

UNDERWRITING COMMISSIONS

The following chart reflects the total front-end sales charges and contingent deferred sales charges paid in connection with the sale of Class A Shares and Class C Shares of the Fund and the amount retained by the Distributor for the fiscal year ended September 30:

	2024		2023		2022
	Total Sales Charges	Amount Retained	Total Sales Charges	Amount Retained	Total Sales Charges	Amount Retained
Class A Shares	$6,772	$706	$16,920	$1,890	$36,656	$3,841
Class C Shares	$82	$82	$163	$163	$173	$173

Purchases In-Kind

You may contact the Distributor to request a purchase of Shares using securities you own. The Fund reserves the right to determine whether to accept your securities and the minimum market value to accept. The Fund will value your securities in the same manner as it values its assets. An in-kind purchase may be treated as a sale of your securities for federal tax purposes; please consult your tax adviser regarding potential tax liability.

Redemption In-Kind

Although the Fund generally intends to pay Share redemptions in cash, it reserves the right, on its own initiative or in response to a shareholder request, to pay the redemption price in whole or in part by a distribution of the Fund’s portfolio securities.

Because the Fund has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act, the Fund is obligated to pay Share redemptions to any one shareholder in cash only up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net assets represented by such Share class during any 90-day period.

Any Share redemption payment greater than this amount will also be in cash unless the Fund elects to pay all or a portion of the remainder of the redemption in portfolio securities, valued in the same way as the Fund determines its NAV.

Redemption in-kind is not as liquid as a cash redemption. Shareholders receiving the portfolio securities could have difficulty selling them, may incur related transaction costs and would be subject to risks of fluctuations in the securities’ values prior to sale.

Massachusetts Partnership Law

Under certain circumstances, shareholders may be held personally liable as partners under Massachusetts law for obligations of the Trust. To protect its shareholders, the Trust has filed legal documents with Massachusetts that expressly disclaim the liability of its shareholders for acts or obligations of the Trust.

In the unlikely event a shareholder is held personally liable for the Trust’s obligations, the Trust is required by the Declaration of Trust to use its property to protect or compensate the shareholder. On request, the Trust will defend any claim made and pay any judgment against a shareholder for any act or obligation of the Trust. Therefore, financial loss resulting from liability as a shareholder will occur only if the Trust itself cannot meet its obligations to indemnify shareholders and pay judgments against them.

Account and Share Information

Voting Rights

Each Share of the Fund gives the shareholder one vote in Trustee elections and other matters submitted to shareholders for vote.

All Shares of the Trust have equal voting rights, except that in matters affecting only a particular Fund or class, only Shares of that Fund or class are entitled to vote.

Trustees may be removed by the Board or by shareholders at a special meeting. A special meeting of shareholders will be called by the Board upon the written request of shareholders who own at least 10% of the Trust’s outstanding Shares of all series entitled to vote.

To be filed by amendment

As of November 5, 2024, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially, or both, 5% or more of outstanding Class A Shares: Paychex Securities Corporation, W. Henrietta, NY, owned approximately 122,738 Shares (5.78%); Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC New York, NY, owned approximately 142,786 Shares (6.73%); Raymond James, St. Petersburg, FL, owned approximately 153,940 Shares (7.25%); Edward D Jones & CO, St. Louis, MO, owned approximately 196,953 Shares (9.28%); National Financial Services LLC, New York, NY, owned approximately 233,227 Shares (10.99%); Charles Schwab Co. Inc., Denver, CO, owned approximately 440,837 Shares (20.78%).

As of November 5, 2024, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially, or both, 5% or more of outstanding Class C Shares: Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, New York, NY, owned approximately 12,437 Shares (5.04%); Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC, St. Louis, MO, owned approximately 14,659 Shares (5.94%); Raymond James, St. Petersburg, FL, owned approximately 26,152 Shares (10.61%).

As of November 5, 2024, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially, or both, 5% or more of outstanding Institutional Shares: Pershing LLC, Jersey City NJ, owned approximately 181,489 Shares (5.10%); National Financial Services LLC, Jersey City, NJ, owned approximately 270,199 Shares (7.60%); TIAA Trust N.A., Charlotte, NC, owned approximately 343,673 Shares (9.66%); Empower Trust, Greenwood Village, CO, owned approximately 352,768 Shares (9.92%); American Enterprise Investor Services, Minneapolis, MN, owned approximately 372,541 Shares (10.48%);Charles Schwab & Co Inc., San Francisco, CA, owned approximately 736,197 Shares (20.71%).

As of November 5, 2024, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially, or both, 5% or more of outstanding Class R Shares: Hartford Life Insurance Company, Hartford, CT, owned approximately 33,489 Shares (6.74%); DCGT, Des Moines, IA, owned approximately 34,740 Shares (6.99%); Equitable Life Financing Corporation, Secaucus, NJ, owned approximately 332,951 Shares (67.03%).

As of November 5, 2024, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially, or both, 5% or more of outstanding Class R6 Shares: National Financial Services LLC, Jersey City, NJ, owned approximately 27,074 Shares (6.82%); Edward D Jones & CO, St. Louis, MO, owned approximately 27,570 Shares (6.94%); Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Co, Springfield, MA, owned approximately 28,492 Shares (7.17%); Empower Trust, Greenwood Village, CO, owned approximately 45,854 Shares (11.55%); Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., San Francisco, CA, owned approximately 73,469 Shares (18.50%).

Shareholders owning 25% or more of outstanding Shares may be in control and be able to affect the outcome of certain matters presented for a vote of shareholders.

Equitable Life Financing Corporation is organized in the State of Delaware.

Tax Information

Federal Income Tax

The Fund intends to meet requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) applicable to regulated investment companies. If these requirements are not met, it will not receive special tax treatment and will be subject to federal corporate income tax.

The Fund will be treated as a single, separate entity for federal income tax purposes so that income earned and capital gains and losses realized by the Trust’s other portfolios will be separate from those realized by the Fund.

Tax Basis Information

The Fund’s Transfer Agent and/or your financial intermediary is required to provide you with the cost basis information on the sale of any of your Shares in the Fund, subject to certain exceptions.

Foreign Investments

If the Fund purchases foreign securities, its investment income may be subject to foreign withholding or other taxes that could reduce the return on these securities. Tax treaties between the United States and foreign countries, however, may reduce or eliminate the amount of foreign taxes to which the Fund would be subject. The effective rate of foreign tax cannot be predicted since the amount of Fund assets to be invested within various countries is uncertain. However, the Fund intends to operate so as to qualify for treaty-reduced tax rates when applicable.

Distributions from the Fund may be based on estimates of book income for the year. Book income generally consists solely of the income generated by the securities in the portfolio, whereas tax-basis income includes, in addition, gains or losses attributable to currency fluctuation. Due to differences in the book and tax treatment of fixed-income securities denominated in foreign currencies, it is difficult to project currency effects on an interim basis. Therefore, to the extent that currency fluctuations cannot be anticipated, a portion of distributions to shareholders could later be designated as a return of capital, rather than income, for income tax purposes, which may be of particular concern to certain trusts.

Certain foreign corporations may qualify as Passive Foreign Investment Companies (PFIC). There are special rules prescribing the tax treatment of such an investment by the Fund, which could subject the Fund to federal income tax.

If more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets at the end of the tax year is represented by stock or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund will qualify for certain Code provisions that allow its shareholders to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction on their U.S. income tax returns. The Code may limit a shareholder’s ability to claim a foreign tax credit. Shareholders who elect to deduct their portion of the Fund’s foreign taxes rather than take the foreign tax credit must itemize deductions on their income tax returns.

Who Manages and Provides Services to the Fund?

Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees is responsible for managing the Trust’s business affairs and for exercising all the Trust’s powers except those reserved for the shareholders. The following tables give information about each Trustee and the senior officers of the Fund. Where required, the tables separately list Trustees who are “interested persons” of the Fund (i.e., “Interested” Trustees) and those who are not (i.e., “Independent” Trustees). Unless otherwise noted, the address of each person listed is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779. The address of all Independent Trustees listed is 4000 Ericsson Drive, Warrendale, PA 15086-7561; Attention: Mutual Fund Board. As of December 31, 2024, the Trust comprised eight portfolios, and the Federated Hermes Complex consisted of 32 investment companies (comprising 100 portfolios). Unless otherwise noted, each Officer is elected annually. Unless otherwise noted, each Trustee oversees all portfolios in the Federated Hermes Complex and serves for an indefinite term.

To be updated by amendment

As of November 5, 2024, the Fund’s Officers and Trustees, as a group, owned approximately 14,358 (3.61%) of the outstanding Class R6 Shares.

As of November 5, 2024, Officers and Trustees, as a group, owned approximately 124,240 (3.49%) of the outstanding Institutional Shares.

qualifications of Independent Trustees

Individual Trustee qualifications are noted in the “Independent Trustees Background and Compensation” chart. In addition, the following characteristics are among those that were considered for each existing Trustee and will be considered for any Nominee Trustee.

■ Outstanding skills in disciplines deemed by the Independent Trustees to be particularly relevant to the role of Independent Trustee and to the Federated Hermes funds, including legal, accounting, business management, the financial industry generally and the investment industry particularly.

■ Desire and availability to serve for a substantial period of time, taking into account the Board’s current mandatory retirement age of 75 years.

■ No conflicts which would interfere with qualifying as independent.

■ Appropriate interpersonal skills to work effectively with other Independent Trustees.

■ Understanding and appreciation of the important role occupied by Independent Trustees in the regulatory structure governing regulated investment companies.

■ Diversity of background.

Interested Trustees Background and Compensation

Name Birth Date Positions Held with Trust Date Service Began	Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years, Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)	Aggregate Compensation From Fund (past fiscal year)	Total Compensation From Fund and Federated Hermes Complex (past calendar year)
J. Christopher Donahue* Birth Date: April 11, 1949 President and Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: September 1999	Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; Director or Trustee of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; Chairman, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Trustee, Federated Administrative Services and Director, Federated Administrative Services, Inc.; Trustee and Chairman, Federated Advisory Services Company; Director or Trustee and Chairman, Federated Investment Management Company, Federated Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, and Federated MDTA LLC; Trustee, Federated Investment Counseling; Trustee, Federated Shareholder Services Company; Director, Federated Services Company. Previous Positions: President, Federated Investment Counseling; President and Chief Executive Officer, Federated Investment Management Company, Federated Global Investment Management Corp. and Passport Research, Ltd.; Chairman, Passport Research, Ltd.	$0	$0
John B. Fisher* Birth Date: May 16, 1956 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: May 2016	Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; Director or Trustee of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; Director and Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; President, Director/Trustee and CEO, Federated Advisory Services Company, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company and Federated MDTA LLC; Director, Federated Investors Trust Company. Previous Positions: President and Director of the Institutional Sales Division of Federated Securities Corp.; President and CEO of Passport Research, Ltd.; Director and President, Technology, Federated Services Company.	$0	$0

Reasons for “interested” status: J. Christopher Donahue and John B. Fisher are interested due to their beneficial ownership of shares of Federated Hermes, Inc. and due to positions they hold with Federated Hermes, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

Independent Trustees Background, Qualifications and Compensation

Name Birth Date Positions Held with Trust Date Service Began	Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications	Aggregate Compensation From Fund (past fiscal year)	Total Compensation From Fund and Federated Hermes Complex (past calendar year)
John G. Carson Birth Date: May 15, 1965 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: January 2025	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer, Northstar Asset Management (Financial Services); formerly, Chief Compliance Officer, Northstar Asset Management. Other Directorships Held: None. Qualifications: Mr. Carson has served in various business management roles throughout his career. Mr. Carson was a Vice President at the Glenmede Trust Company and a Managing Director at Oppenheimer & Company. Prior to that he spent more than a decade with the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch as a Director of Institutional Sales. Earlier on, Mr. Carson held similar positions for Wertheim Schroder/Schroders PLC and Drexel Burnham Lambert.	$00	$242,570.94

Name Birth Date Positions Held with Trust Date Service Began	Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications	Aggregate Compensation From Fund (past fiscal year)	Total Compensation From Fund and Federated Hermes Complex (past calendar year)
G. Thomas Hough Birth Date: February 28, 1955 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: August 2015	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee and Chair of the Board of Directors or Trustees of the Federated Hermes Complex; formerly, Vice Chair, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm) (Retired). Other Directorships Held: Director, Chair of the Audit Committee, Member of the Compensation Committee, Equifax, Inc.; Lead Director, Member of the Audit and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees, Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc. Qualifications: Mr. Hough has served in accounting, business management and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Hough most recently held the position of Americas Vice Chair of Assurance with Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm). Mr. Hough serves on the President’s Cabinet and Business School Board of Visitors for the University of Alabama. Mr. Hough previously served as a Director and Member of the Audit, Governance, and Compensation Committees at Publix Super Markets, Inc., as well as on the Business School Board of Visitors for Wake Forest University. In addition, he previously served as an Executive Committee member of the United States Golf Association.	$286.78	$395,000
Karen L. Larrimer Birth Date: December 10, 1962 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: January 2025	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; formerly, Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Banking and Chief Customer Officer, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (Retired). Other Directorships Held: None. Qualifications: Ms. Larrimer has served in several business and financial management roles and directorship positions throughout her career. She previously held the position of Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Banking and Chief Customer Officer, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. Prior to those roles, Ms. Larrimer held several executive positions at PNC, including Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President for Business Banking. In addition to her various roles at PNC, Ms. Larrimer previously was an assistant director at Ernst & Young LLP and served in several leadership roles at Mellon Bank. Ms. Larrimer also currently holds the positions on not for profit or for profit boards of directors as follows: Director, Highmark Inc. (health insurance organization); Director, Modern Executive Solutions (executive search and advisory solutions firm); Director and former Chair, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh; Director and former Chair, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania; and Emeritus Director, Goodwill Industries Pittsburgh. Ms. Larrimer has held the positions of: President, Duquesne Club of Pittsburgh; Trustee, Robert Morris University; Director, PNC Foundation; and Director, numo (fintech incubator).	$00	$0
Max F. Miller Birth Date: December 6, 1968 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: January 2025	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Associate Professor, Director of Entrepreneurial Studies, Director – Ignite Business Incubator, Washington & Jefferson College. Other Directorships Held: None. Qualifications: Mr. Miller has served in several legal, business, and academic roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Miller serves as Associate Professor of Business & Entrepreneurship, Director of Entrepreneurial Studies, and Director of Ignite Business Incubator at Washington & Jefferson College. He also serves as President and Chief Tasting Officer of Raise Your Spirits, an experiential engagement firm. Mr. Miller previously served as Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Urban Innovation 21, an economic development focused public- private partnership; Director of VIP Experiences of MetroMe, a mobile app providing concierge services; Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America; and Director of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law’s Innovation Practice Institute. Prior to those roles, Mr. Miller held various operations, marketing and legal leadership roles at H.J. Heinz Company and was an attorney for Federated Investors, Inc. (now Federated Hermes, Inc.) from May 3, 1994, to November 11, 1997.	$00	$0

Name Birth Date Positions Held with Trust Date Service Began	Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications	Aggregate Compensation From Fund (past fiscal year)	Total Compensation From Fund and Federated Hermes Complex (past calendar year)
Frank J. Nasta Birth Date: October 11, 1964 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: January 2025	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Chair of the Mutual Fund Advisory Committee and the European Fund Advisory Committee (industry forums sponsored by Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.)1 (Retired). Other Directorships Held: None. Qualifications: Mr. Nasta has served in various legal, compliance, and business roles in the investment management industry throughout his career. He previously was a Managing Director of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Head of Legal for the JPMorgan U.S. Mutual Funds business. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Mr. Nasta was a Partner, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Member of the Board of Directors of J. & W. Seligman, an investment management firm. Mr. Nasta previously served as the chair of the Investment Company Institute’s (the “ICI”) SEC Rules Committee, the ICI’s Mutual Funds Conference Advisory Committee, and the Investment Management Regulation Committee of the New York City Bar Association. He also previously served as a Director of The International Preschools in New York City. 1 Mr. Nasta served as Chair of these committees in the capacity of a non- employee consultant, has never been an employee of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., and has resigned from these positions, effective December 31, 2024, in connection with his election to the Board.	$00	$0
Thomas M. O’Neill Birth Date: June 14, 1951 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: October 2006	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Sole Proprietor, Navigator Management Company (investment and strategic consulting). Other Directorships Held: None. Qualifications: Mr. O’Neill has served in several business, mutual fund and financial management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. O’Neill serves as Director, Medicines for Humanity. Mr. O’Neill previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Fleet Investment Advisors; President and Chief Executive Officer, Aeltus Investment Management, Inc.; General Partner, Hellman, Jordan Management Co., Boston, MA; Chief Investment Officer, The Putnam Companies, Boston, MA; and Credit Analyst and Lending Officer, Fleet Bank.	$269.51	$376,000
Madelyn A. Reilly Birth Date: February 2, 1956 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: November 2020	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; formerly, Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary of Board of Directors, Duquesne University (Retired). Other Directorships Held: None. Qualifications: Ms. Reilly has served in various business and legal management roles throughout her career. Ms. Reilly previously served as Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary of Board of Directors and Director of Risk Management and Associate General Counsel, Duquesne University. Prior to her work at Duquesne University, Ms. Reilly served as Assistant General Counsel of Compliance and Enterprise Risk as well as Senior Counsel of Environment, Health and Safety, PPG Industries. Ms. Reilly currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of UPMC Mercy Hospital, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities, Pittsburgh, and as a member of the Duquesne Kline Law School Advisory Board.	$227.78	$310,000

Name Birth Date Positions Held with Trust Date Service Began	Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications	Aggregate Compensation From Fund (past fiscal year)	Total Compensation From Fund and Federated Hermes Complex (past calendar year)
John S. Walsh Birth Date: November 28, 1957 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: January 1999	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Chairman and Director, Heat Wagon, Inc. (manufacturer of construction temporary heaters); Chairman and Director, Manufacturers Products, Inc. (distributor of portable construction heaters); Chairman, Portable Heater Parts, a division of Manufacturers Products, Inc.; formerly, President, Heat Wagon, Inc. and Manufacturers Products, Inc. Other Directorships Held: None. Qualifications: Mr. Walsh has served in several business management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Walsh previously served as President at Heat Wagon, Inc. (manufacturer of construction temporary heaters), Manufacturers Products, Inc. (distributor of portable construction heaters), and Portable Heater Parts, a division of Manufacturers Products, Inc. Mr. Walsh previously served as Vice President, Walsh & Kelly, Inc. (paving contractors).	$244.57	$341,000

OFFICERS*

Name Birth Date Positions Held with Trust Date Service Began	Principal Occupation(s) and Previous Position(s)
Jeremy D. Boughton Birth Date: September 29, 1976 Treasurer Officer since: March 2024	Principal Occupations: Principal Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Federated Hermes Complex; Senior Vice President, Federated Administrative Services, Federated Administrative Services, Inc., Federated Advisory Services Company, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company and Federated MDTA, LLC. Formerly, Controller, Federated Hermes, Inc. and Financial and Operations Principal for Federated Securities Corp. Mr. Boughton has received the Certified Public Accountant designation. Previous Positions: Senior Vice President and Assistant Treasurer, Federated Investors Management Company; Treasurer, Federated Investors Trust Company; Assistant Treasurer, Federated Administrative Services, Federated Administrative Services, Inc., Federated Securities Corp., Federated Advisory Services Company, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company, Federated MDTA, LLC and Federated Hermes (UK) LLP, as well as other subsidiaries of Federated Hermes, Inc.
Peter J. Germain Birth Date: September 3, 1959 CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER, SECRETARY and EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Officer since: January 2005	Principal Occupations: Mr. Germain is Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive Vice President of the Federated Hermes Complex. He is Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Trustee and Senior Vice President, Federated Investors Management Company; Trustee and President, Federated Administrative Services; Director and President, Federated Administrative Services, Inc.; Director and Vice President, Federated Securities Corp.; Director and Secretary, Federated Private Asset Management, Inc.; and Secretary, Federated Shareholder Services Company. Mr. Germain joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in 1984 and is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Previous Positions: Deputy General Counsel, Special Counsel, Managing Director of Mutual Fund Services, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Senior Vice President, Federated Services Company; and Senior Corporate Counsel, Federated Hermes, Inc.
Stephen Van Meter Birth Date: June 5, 1975 CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER AND SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Officer since: July 2015	Principal Occupations: Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of the Federated Hermes Complex; Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of Federated Hermes, Inc. and Chief Compliance Officer of certain of its subsidiaries. Mr. Van Meter joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in October 2011. He holds FINRA licenses under Series 3, 7, 24 and 66. Previous Positions: Mr. Van Meter previously held the position of Compliance Operating Officer, Federated Hermes, Inc. Prior to joining Federated Hermes, Inc., Mr. Van Meter served at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in the positions of Senior Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Division of Investment Management and Senior Counsel, Division of Enforcement.
Stephen F. Auth Birth Date: September 13, 1956 101 Park Avenue 41st Floor New York, NY 10178 CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER Officer since: November 2002	Principal Occupations: Stephen F. Auth is Chief Investment Officer of various Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; Executive Vice President, Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Global Investment Management Corp. and Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania. Previous Positions: Executive Vice President, Federated Investment Management Company and Passport Research, Ltd. (investment advisory subsidiary of Federated Hermes); Senior Vice President, Global Portfolio Management Services Division; Senior Vice President, Federated Investment Management Company and Passport Research, Ltd.; Senior Managing Director and Portfolio Manager, Prudential Investments.

Officers do not receive any compensation from the Fund.

In addition, the Fund has appointed an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer.

DIRECTOR/TRUSTEE EMERITUS PROGRAM

The Board has created a position of Director/Trustee Emeritus, whereby a former Director/Trustee who was not an “interested person” of the Federated Hermes Funds and who has completed a minimum of five years of service as a Director/Trustee, may, in the sole discretion of the Independent Directors/Trustees, be recommended to the full Board of Directors/Trustees of the Fund to serve as Director/Trustee Emeritus.

A Director/Trustee Emeritus receives an annual fee in an amount equal to a percent of the annual base compensation paid to an Independent Director/Trustee. In the case of a Director/Trustee Emeritus who had previously served at least five years but less than 10 years as a Director/Trustee, the percent will be 10%. In the case of a Director/Trustee Emeritus who had previously served at least 10 years as a Director/Trustee, the percent will be 20%. The Director/Trustee Emeritus will be reimbursed for any expenses incurred in connection with their service, including expenses of travel and lodging incurred in attendance at Board meetings. If a Director/Trustee Emeritus is requested to perform services in addition to those specified below, the Director/Trustee Emeritus may, upon mutual agreement with the Board, be compensated beyond the amounts described above.

A Director/Trustee Emeritus will continue to receive relevant materials concerning the Funds, will be expected to attend at least one regularly scheduled quarterly meeting of the Board each year and may consult with the Board, any committee of the Board, or an individual Director/Trustee from time to time. A Director/Trustee Emeritus will not participate in separate meetings of the Independent Directors/Trustees. A Director/Trustee Emeritus does not serve in an advisory function as to investments by the Funds. A Director/Trustee Emeritus does not have any voting rights at Board meetings and is not subject to election by shareholders of the Funds. A Director/Trustee Emeritus shall maintain all information received in such role as confidential.

A Director/Trustee Emeritus will be permitted to serve in such capacity at the sole discretion of the Independent Directors/Trustees, but the annual fee will cease to be paid at the end of the calendar year during which a Director/Trustee has attained the age of 80 years, thereafter the position will be honorary.

The following table shows the fees paid to each Director/Trustee Emeritus for the Fund’s most recently ended fiscal year and the portion of that fee paid by the Fund or Corporation/Trust.1

EMERITUS Trustees and Compensation

Director/Trustee Emeritus	Compensation From the Fund (past fiscal year)	Total Compensation Paid to Director/Trustee Emeritus1 (past calendar year)
John T. Collins	$18.52	$62,000.00
Maureen Lally-Green2	$00	$0.00
P. Jerome Richey2	$00	$0.00
Charles F. Mansfield, Jr.	$23.53	$62,000.00

The fees paid to a Director/Trustee are allocated among the funds that were in existence at the time the Director/Trustee elected Emeritus status, based on each fund’s net assets at that time.

Judge Maureen Lally-Green and Mr. P. Jerome Richey retired from the Federated Hermes Funds Board of Directors/Trustees at the close of business on December 31, 2024. Judge Lally-Green and Mr. Richey were each appointed as Emeritus Director/Trustee on February 13, 2025, to become retroactively effective as of January 1, 2025. Until December 31, 2024, Judge Lally-Green and Mr. Richey were each compensated as a Director/Trustee of the Fund. For the calendar year ended December 31, 2024, Judge Lally-Green and Mr. Richey each received total compensation as a Director/Trustee of the Federated Hermes Funds Board of $341,000 and $341,000, respectively.

BOARD LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

As required under the terms of certain regulatory settlements, the Chairman of the Board is not an interested person of the Fund and neither the Chairman, nor any firm with which the Chairman is affiliated, has a prior relationship with Federated Hermes or its affiliates or (other than his position as a Trustee) with the Fund.

Committees of the Board

Board Committee	Committee Members	Committee Functions	Meetings Held During Last Fiscal Year
Executive	J. Christopher Donahue G. Thomas Hough Madelyn A. Reilly John S. Walsh	In between meetings of the full Board, the Executive Committee generally may exercise all the powers of the full Board in the management and direction of the business and conduct of the affairs of the Trust in such manner as the Executive Committee shall deem to be in the best interests of the Trust. However, the Executive Committee cannot elect or remove Board members, increase or decrease the number of Trustees, elect or remove any Officer, declare dividends, issue shares or recommend to shareholders any action requiring shareholder approval.	One
Audit	John G. Carson Thomas M. O’Neill Madelyn A. Reilly John S. Walsh	The purposes of the Audit Committee are to oversee the accounting and financial reporting process of the Fund, the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting and the quality, integrity and independent audit of the Fund’s financial statements. The Committee also oversees or assists the Board with the oversight of compliance with legal requirements relating to those matters, approves the engagement and reviews the qualifications, independence and performance of the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, acts as a liaison between the independent registered public accounting firm and the Board and reviews the Fund’s internal audit function.	Seven
Nominating	John G. Carson G. Thomas Hough Karen L. Larrimer Max F. Miller Frank J. Nasta Thomas M. O’Neill Madelyn A. Reilly John S. Walsh	The Nominating Committee, whose members consist of all Independent Trustees, selects and nominates persons for election to the Fund’s Board when vacancies occur. The Committee will consider candidates recommended by shareholders, Independent Trustees, officers or employees of any of the Fund’s agents or service providers and counsel to the Fund. Any shareholder who desires to have an individual considered for nomination by the Committee must submit a recommendation in writing to the Secretary of the Fund, at the Fund’s address appearing on the back cover of this SAI. The recommendation should include the name and address of both the shareholder and the candidate and detailed information concerning the candidate’s qualifications and experience. In identifying and evaluating candidates for consideration, the Committee shall consider such factors as it deems appropriate. Those factors will ordinarily include: integrity, intelligence, collegiality, judgment, diversity, skill, business and other experience, qualification as an “Independent Trustee,” the existence of material relationships which may create the appearance of a lack of independence, financial or accounting knowledge and experience and dedication and willingness to devote the time and attention necessary to fulfill Board responsibilities.	Two

BOARD’S ROLE IN RISK OVERSIGHT

The Board’s role in overseeing the Fund’s general risks includes receiving performance reports for the Fund and risk management reports from Federated Hermes’ Chief Risk Officer at each regular Board meeting. The Chief Risk Officer is responsible for enterprise risk management at Federated Hermes, which includes risk management committees for investment management and for investor services. The Board also receives regular reports from the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer regarding significant compliance risks.

On behalf of the Board, the Audit Committee plays a key role overseeing the Fund’s financial reporting and valuation risks. The Audit Committee meets regularly with the Fund’s Principal Financial Officer and outside auditors, as well as with Federated Hermes’ Chief Audit Executive to discuss financial reporting and audit issues, including risks relating to financial controls.

Board Ownership Of Shares In The Fund And In The Federated Hermes Family Of Investment Companies As Of December 31, 2024

Interested Board Member Name	Dollar Range of Shares Owned in Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Value Fund	Aggregate Dollar Range of Shares Owned in Federated Hermes Family of Investment Companies
J. Christopher Donahue	Over $100,000	Over $100,000
John B. Fisher	None	Over $100,000
Independent Board Member Name
John G. Carson	None	None
G. Thomas Hough	None	Over $100,000
Karen L. Larrimer	None	Over $100,000
Max F. Miller	None	None
Frank J. Nasta	None	None
Thomas M. O’Neill	None	Over $100,000
Madelyn A. Reilly	None	Over $100,000
John S. Walsh	None	Over $100,000

Investment Adviser

The Adviser conducts investment research and makes investment decisions for the Fund.

The Adviser is a wholly owned subsidiary of Federated Hermes.

The Adviser shall not be liable to the Trust or any Fund shareholder for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security or for anything done or omitted by it, except acts or omissions involving willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties imposed upon it by its contract with the Trust.

In December 2017, Federated Investors, Inc., now Federated Hermes, became a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The PRI is a voluntary and aspirational investor initiative in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative and the United Nations Global Compact. As a signatory to the PRI, Federated Hermes makes certain commitments with respect to evaluation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues with respect to its investments and implements those commitments where consistent with our fiduciary duties and relevant objectives. Being a signatory to the PRI is not legally binding and does not obligate Federated Hermes to take, or not take, any particular action as it relates to investment decisions or other activities.

In July 2018, Federated Investors, Inc., now Federated Hermes, acquired a majority interest in Federated Hermes Limited (FHL) (formerly, Hermes Fund Managers Limited), a pioneer of integrated ESG investing. Federated Hermes now owns 100% of FHL. FHL’s experience with ESG issues contributes to Federated Hermes’ understanding of material risks and opportunities these issues may present.

EOS at Federated Hermes, which was established as Hermes Equity Ownership Services Limited (EOS) in 2004 as an affiliate of FHL and Hermes Investment Management Limited, is a 50+ member engagement and stewardship affiliate that conducts long-term, objectives-driven dialogue with board and senior executive level representatives of approximately 1,000 unique issuers annually. Such interactions and engagements are undertaken to seek to improve long-term risk-adjusted returns, and to create long-term value for investors, consistent with applicable fiduciary duties and relevant objectives. The level of interaction with a company, governmental body or other entity (as applicable) can be subject to any limitations required, either explicitly or implicitly, in the jurisdiction in which a company, governmental body or other entity (as applicable) is domiciled in an effort to comply with applicable law and/or to avoid legal or regulatory risk for the Fund and/or investors. EOS at Federated Hermes Limited’s engagement seeks to address the most material ESG risks and opportunities through constructive and continuous discussions with the goal of improving long-term results for investors. Engagers’ deep understanding across sectors, themes and regional markets, along with language and cultural expertise, allows EOS to provide insights to companies on the merits of addressing ESG risks and the positive benefits of capturing opportunities. Federated Hermes investment management teams have access to the insights gained from understanding a company’s approach to these long-term strategic matters as an additional input to improve portfolio risk/return characteristics.

Portfolio Manager Information

As a general matter, certain conflicts of interest may arise in connection with a portfolio manager’s management of a fund’s investments, on the one hand, and the investments of other funds/pooled investment vehicles or accounts (collectively, including the Fund, as applicable, “accounts”) for which the portfolio manager is responsible, on the other. For example, it is possible that the various accounts managed could have different investment strategies that, at times, might conflict with one another to the possible detriment of the Fund. Alternatively, to the extent that the same investment opportunities might be desirable for more than one account, possible conflicts could arise in determining how to allocate them. Other potential conflicts can include, for example, conflicts created by specific portfolio manager compensation arrangements (including, for example, the allocation or weighting given to the performance of the Fund or other accounts or activities for which the portfolio manager is responsible in calculating the portfolio manager’s compensation), and conflicts relating to selection of brokers or dealers to execute Fund portfolio trades and/or specific uses of commissions from Fund portfolio trades (for example, research or “soft dollars”). The Adviser has adopted policies and procedures and has structured the portfolio managers’ compensation in a manner reasonably designed to safeguard the Fund from being negatively affected as a result of any such potential conflicts.

The following information about the Fund’s Portfolio Managers is provided as of the end of the Fund’s most recently completed fiscal year unless otherwise indicated.

Daniel Mahr, Portfolio Manager

Types of Accounts Managed by Daniel Mahr	Total Number of Additional Accounts Managed/Total Assets*
Registered Investment Companies	15/$17.9 billion
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles	4/$1.5 billion
Other Accounts	169/$4.9 billion

None of the Accounts has an advisory fee that is based on the performance of the account.

Dollar value range of shares owned in the Fund: None.

Daniel Mahr is paid a fixed base salary and a variable annual incentive. Base salary is determined within a market competitive, position-specific salary range, based on the portfolio manager’s experience and performance. The annual incentive amount is determined based primarily on Investment Product Performance (IPP) and may also include a discretionary component based on a variety of factors deemed relevant, such as financial measures and performance, and may be paid entirely in cash, or in a combination of cash and restricted stock of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes”). The total combined annual incentive opportunity is intended to be competitive in the market for this portfolio manager role.

IPP is calculated based on certain other accounts managed by the portfolio manager. IPP is measured on a rolling one, three and five calendar year periods, typically, on a pre-tax gross total return basis versus a designated representative performance index and versus a designated peer group of comparable accounts. Performance periods are adjusted if a portfolio manager has been managing an account for less than five years; accounts with less than one year of performance history under a portfolio manager may be excluded.

The allocation or weighting given to the other accounts for which Mr. Mahr is responsible when his compensation is calculated may be equal or can vary. For purposes of calculating the annual incentive amount, each account managed by the portfolio manager is categorized into multiple designated sub-groups, which may be further broken down by Strategies (which may be adjusted periodically). The annual incentive amount is based on the composite investment performance of each Strategy, which is measured against the Strategy’s designated benchmark and a designated peer group of comparable accounts.

As noted above, Mr. Mahr is also the portfolio manager for other accounts in addition to the Fund. Such other accounts may be categorized as reflecting different Strategies, which may have different benchmarks. Although the performance of each Strategy composite is considered in calculating the annual incentive amount, their relative weightings differ (and may be adjusted periodically). A portion of the bonus tied to the IPP score may be adjusted based on management’s assessment of overall contributions to account performance and any other factors as deemed relevant.

Any individual allocations from the discretionary pool may be determined, by executive management on a discretionary basis using various factors, such as, for example, on a product, strategy or asset class basis, and considering overall contributions and any other factors deemed relevant (and may be adjusted periodically).

In addition, Mr. Mahr was awarded a grant of restricted Federated Hermes stock. Awards of restricted stock are discretionary and are made in variable amounts based on the subjective judgment of Federated Hermes’ senior management.

Damien Zhang, Portfolio Manager

Types of Accounts Managed by Damien Zhang	Total Number of Additional Accounts Managed/Total Assets*
Registered Investment Companies	15/$17.9 billion
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles	4/$1.5 billion
Other Accounts	169/$4.9 billion

None of the Accounts has an advisory fee that is based on the performance of the account.

Dollar value range of shares owned in the Fund: None.

Damien Zhang is paid a fixed base salary and a variable annual incentive. Base salary is determined within a market competitive, position-specific salary range, based on the portfolio manager’s experience and performance. The annual incentive amount is determined based primarily on Investment Product Performance (IPP) and may also include a discretionary component based on a variety of factors deemed relevant, such as financial measures and performance, and may be paid entirely in cash, or in a combination of cash and restricted stock of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes”). The total combined annual incentive opportunity is intended to be competitive in the market for this portfolio manager role.

The allocation or weighting given to the other accounts for which Mr. Zhang is responsible when his compensation is calculated may be equal or can vary. For purposes of calculating the annual incentive amount, each account managed by the portfolio manager is categorized into multiple designated sub-groups, which may be further broken down by Strategies (which may be adjusted periodically). The annual incentive amount is based on the composite investment performance of each Strategy, which is measured against the Strategy’s designated benchmark and a designated peer group of comparable accounts.

As noted above, Mr. Zhang is also the portfolio manager for other accounts in addition to the Fund. Such other accounts may be categorized as reflecting different Strategies, which may have different benchmarks. Although the performance of each Strategy composite is considered in calculating the annual incentive amount, their relative weightings differ (and may be adjusted periodically). A portion of the bonus tied to the IPP score may be adjusted based on management’s assessment of overall contributions to account performance and any other factors as deemed relevant.

In addition, Mr. Zhang was awarded a grant of restricted Federated Hermes stock. Awards of restricted stock are discretionary and are made in variable amounts based on the subjective judgment of Federated Hermes’ senior management.

Fred Konopka, Portfolio Manager

Types of Accounts Managed by Fred Konopka	Total Number of Additional Accounts Managed/Total Assets*
Registered Investment Companies	15/$17.9 billion
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles	4/$1.5 billion
Other Accounts	169/$4.9 billion

None of the Accounts has an advisory fee that is based on the performance of the account.

Dollar value range of shares owned in the Fund: None.

Fred Konopka is paid a fixed base salary and a variable annual incentive. Base salary is determined within a market competitive, position-specific salary range, based on the portfolio manager’s experience and performance. The annual incentive amount is determined based primarily on Investment Product Performance (IPP) and may also include a discretionary component based on a variety of factors deemed relevant, such as financial measures and performance, and may be paid entirely in cash, or in a combination of cash and restricted stock of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes”). The total combined annual incentive opportunity is intended to be competitive in the market for this portfolio manager role.

The allocation or weighting given to the other accounts for which Mr. Konopka is responsible when his compensation is calculated may be equal or can vary. For purposes of calculating the annual incentive amount, each account managed by the portfolio manager is categorized into multiple designated sub-groups, which may be further broken down by Strategies (which may be adjusted periodically). The annual incentive amount is based on the composite investment performance of each Strategy, which is measured against the Strategy’s designated benchmark and a designated peer group of comparable accounts.

As noted above, Mr. Konopka is also the portfolio manager for other accounts in addition to the Fund. Such other accounts may be categorized as reflecting different Strategies, which may have different benchmarks. Although the performance of each Strategy composite is considered in calculating the annual incentive amount, their relative weightings differ (and may be adjusted periodically). A portion of the bonus tied to the IPP score may be adjusted based on management’s assessment of overall contributions to account performance and any other factors as deemed relevant.

John Paul Lewicke, Portfolio Manager

Types of Accounts Managed by John Paul Lewicke	Total Number of Additional Accounts Managed/Total Assets*
Registered Investment Companies	15/$17.9 billion
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles	4/$1.5 billion
Other Accounts	169/$4.9 billion

None of the Accounts has an advisory fee that is based on the performance of the account.

Dollar value range of shares owned in the Fund: $10,001-$50,000.

John Paul Lewicke is paid a fixed base salary and a variable annual incentive. Base salary is determined within a market competitive, position-specific salary range, based on the portfolio manager’s experience and performance. The annual incentive amount is determined based primarily on Investment Product Performance (IPP) and may also include a discretionary component based on a variety of factors deemed relevant, such as financial measures and performance, and may be paid entirely in cash, or in a combination of cash and restricted stock of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes”). The total combined annual incentive opportunity is intended to be competitive in the market for this portfolio manager role.

The allocation or weighting given to the other accounts for which Mr. Lewicke is responsible when his compensation is calculated may be equal or can vary. For purposes of calculating the annual incentive amount, each account managed by the portfolio manager is categorized into multiple designated sub-groups, which may be further broken down by Strategies (which may be adjusted periodically). The annual incentive amount is based on the composite investment performance of each Strategy, which is measured against the Strategy’s designated benchmark and a designated peer group of comparable accounts.

As noted above, Mr. Lewicke is also the portfolio manager for other accounts in addition to the Fund. Such other accounts may be categorized as reflecting different Strategies, which may have different benchmarks. Although the performance of each Strategy composite is considered in calculating the annual incentive amount, their relative weightings differ (and may be adjusted periodically). A portion of the bonus tied to the IPP score may be adjusted based on management’s assessment of overall contributions to account performance and any other factors as deemed relevant.

In addition, Mr. Lewicke was awarded a grant of restricted Federated Hermes stock. Awards of restricted stock are discretionary and are made in variable amounts based on the subjective judgment of Federated Hermes’ senior management.

Services Agreement

Federated Advisory Services Company, an affiliate of the Adviser, provides certain support services to the Adviser. The fee for these services is paid by the Adviser and not by the Fund.

Other Related Services

Affiliates of the Adviser may, from time to time, provide certain electronic equipment and software to institutional customers in order to facilitate the purchase of Fund Shares offered by the Distributor.

Code Of Ethics Restrictions On Personal Trading

As required by Rule 17j-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act (as applicable), the Fund, its Adviser and its Distributor have adopted codes of ethics. These codes govern securities trading activities of investment personnel, Fund Trustees and certain other employees. Although they do permit these people to trade in securities, including those that the Fund could buy, as well as Shares of the Fund, they also contain significant safeguards designed to protect the Fund and its shareholders from abuses in this area, such as requirements to obtain prior approval for, and to report, particular transactions.

Voting Proxies On Fund Portfolio Securities

The Board has delegated to the Adviser authority to vote proxies on the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio. The Board has also approved the Adviser’s policies and procedures for voting the proxies, which are described below.

Proxy Voting Policies

As an investment adviser with a fiduciary duty to the Fund and its shareholders, the Adviser’s general policy is to cast proxy votes in favor of management proposals and shareholder proposals that the Adviser anticipates will enhance the long-term value of the securities being voted in a manner that is consistent with the investment objectives of the Fund. Generally, this will mean voting for proposals that the Adviser believes will improve the management of a company, increase the rights or preferences of the voted securities, or increase the chance that a premium offer would be made for the company or for the voted securities. This approach to voting proxy proposals will be referred to hereafter as the “General Policy.”

The Adviser generally votes consistently on the same matter when securities of an issuer are held by multiple client portfolios. However, the Adviser may vote differently if a client’s investment objectives differ from those of other clients or if a client explicitly instructs the Adviser to vote differently.

The following examples illustrate how the General Policy may apply to the most common management proposals and shareholder proposals. However, whether the Adviser supports or opposes a proposal will always depend on a thorough understanding of the Fund’s investment objectives and the specific circumstances described in the proxy statement and other available information.

Corporate Governance

On matters related to the board of directors, generally, the Adviser will vote to elect nominees to the board in uncontested elections except in certain circumstances, such as where the director: (1) has not attended at least 75% of the board meetings during the previous year; (2) serves as the company’s chief financial officer, unless the company is headquartered in the UK or Ireland where this is market practice; (3) has become “overboarded” (i.e., more than five public company boards for retired executives and more than two such boards for CEOs); (4) is a non-independent, non-executive director on the board of a U.S. domestic issuer where less than two-thirds of the directors are independent; (5) is a non-independent, non-executive director on the board of a foreign issuer where less than half of the directors are independent; (6) is a non-independent member of the audit committee; (7) is the chair of the nominating or governance committee when the roles of chair of the board and CEO are combined and there is no lead independent director; (8) served on the compensation committee during a period in which compensation appears excessive relative to performance and peers; or (9) served on a board that did not implement a shareholder proposal that the Adviser supported and received more than 50% shareholder support the previous year.

In addition, the Adviser will generally vote in favor of: (10) a full slate of directors, where the directors are elected as a group and not individually, unless more than half of the nominees are not independent; (11) shareholder proposals to declassify the board of directors; (12) shareholder proposals to require a majority voting standard in the election of directors; (13) shareholder proposals to separate the roles of chair of the board and CEO; (14) a proposal to require a company’s audit committee to be comprised entirely of independent directors; and (15) shareholder proposals to eliminate supermajority voting requirements in company bylaws.

On other matters of corporate governance, generally, the Adviser will vote: (1) in favor of proposals to grant shareholders the right to call a special meeting if owners of at least 10% of the outstanding stock agree; (2) on a case-by-case basis for shareholder proposals to grant shareholders the right to act by written consent when the company does not already grant shareholders the right to call a special meeting; (3) on a case-by-case basis for proposals to adopt or amend shareholder rights plans (also known as “poison pills”); and (4) in favor of shareholder proposals calling for “Proxy Access,” that is, a bylaw change allowing shareholders owning at least 3% of the outstanding common stock for at least three years to nominate candidates for election to the board of directors.

Notwithstanding the above, the Adviser may vote in a manner that diverges from the General Policy based on its evaluation of the specific facts and circumstances of the vote. For example, if a Federated Hermes investment professional has insights into a proxy voting issue as it relates to a specific portfolio company, the investment professional may determine to vote in a manner that contravenes the guidelines set out in the General Policy. The process for casting such votes will be overseen by the Proxy Voting Committee. See further the Proxy Voting Procedures below.

Shareholder Proposals on Environmental and Social Issues

The Adviser will vote shareholder proposals of an environmental or social nature on a case-by-case basis. The Adviser’s general approach to analyzing these proposals calls for considering the language of the proposal, and whether it is overly prescriptive, the financial materiality of the proposal’s objective and the practices followed by industry peers. This analysis utilizes research reports from the Adviser’s proxy advisors, company filings, as well as reports published by the company and other outside organizations.

Environmental

The Adviser will generally support proposals calling for enhanced reporting on the company’s business practices, including policies, strategic initiatives and oversight mechanisms, related to environmental risks. To reach a final voting decision, the Adviser will take into consideration:

■ The company’s current level of publicly available disclosure;

■ Whether the company has formally committed to implementation of a reporting program based on well-established, generally accepted frameworks;

■ Whether the company’s current level of disclosure is comparable to that of industry peers; and

■ Whether there are significant controversies or litigation associated with the company’s environmental performance.

Social

The Adviser will generally support resolutions in the social category when they call for measures to enhance disclosure that would enable investors to make high-quality risk assessments of the company’s social issues, such as their human capital management practices. The Adviser will generally oppose proposals calling for a change in the company’s product line or methods of distribution.

Political Activities

The Adviser will generally support enhanced disclosure of policies, practices and oversight of corporate political activity when the current level of disclosure falls short of disclosure provided by industry peers. The Adviser will oppose proposals prohibiting the company’s participation in any part of the political process, such as making political contributions and joining trade associations.

Capital Structure

On matters of capital structure, generally, the Adviser will vote: (1) on a case-by-case basis for proposals to authorize the issuance of new shares if not connected to an M&A transaction and the potential dilution is more than 10%; (2) against proposals to create multiple-class voting structures where one class has superior voting rights to the other classes; (3) in favor of proposals to authorize reverse stock splits unless the amount of authorized shares is not also reduced proportionately. Some foreign issuers annually request shareholders to approve general share issuance authorities as a matter of routine business. On these matters, the Adviser will vote in favor of proposals to authorize issuance of shares with and without pre-emptive rights unless the size of the authorities would unreasonably dilute existing shareholders.

Executive Compensation

Votes on executive compensation come in many forms, including advisory votes on U.S. executive compensation plans (“Say On Pay”); advisory and binding votes on the design or implementation of non-U.S. executive remuneration plans; and votes to approve new equity plans or amendments to existing plans. Generally, the Adviser will support compensation arrangements that are believed to sufficiently align executive compensation outcomes with the company’s long-term performance.

Say On Pay

The Adviser will generally vote in favor of these proposals unless the plan has failed to align executive compensation with corporate performance, or the design of the plan is likely to lead to misalignment in the future. We support the principle of an annual shareholder vote on executive pay and will generally vote accordingly on proposals which set the frequency of the Say On Pay vote.

Remuneration Policy

In some markets, shareholders are provided a vote on the remuneration policy, which sets out the structural elements of a company’s executive compensation plan on a forward-looking basis. The Adviser will generally support these proposals unless:

■ The design of the remuneration policy fails to appropriately link executive compensation with corporate performance and shareholder value;

■ Total compensation appears excessive relative to the company’s industry peer group considering local market dynamics; or

■ There is insufficient disclosure to enable an informed judgment, particularly as it relates to the disclosure of the maximum amounts of compensation that may be awarded.

Remuneration Report

Markets with remuneration policy proposals typically also feature proposals which request shareholders to approve the annual remuneration report. The remuneration report provides shareholders with details concerning the implementation in the previous year of the remuneration policy. The Adviser will generally support these proposals unless:

■ Implementation decisions during the period in question are not appropriately aligned with corporate performance and shareholder value; or

■ The level of disclosure is not sufficient to permit an evaluation of the company’s pay practices in the period covered by the report.

Equity Plans

The Adviser will generally vote in favor of equity plan proposals unless they:

■ Result in unreasonable dilution to existing shareholders;

■ Permit replacement of “underwater” options with new options on more favorable terms for the recipient; or

■ Omit the criteria for determining the granting or vesting of awards.

M&A Activity

On matters relating to corporate transactions, the Adviser will generally vote in favor of mergers, acquisitions, and sales of assets if the Adviser’s analysis of the proposed business strategy and the transaction price would have a positive impact on the total return for shareholders.

Contested Elections

If a shareholders meeting is contested–that is, shareholders are presented with a set of director candidates nominated by company management and a set of director candidates nominated by a dissident shareholder–the Adviser will analyze the proposed business strategies of both groups and vote in a way that maximizes expected total return for the Fund.

Cost/Benefit Analysis

In addition, the Adviser will not vote any proxy if it determines that the consequences or costs of voting outweigh the potential benefit of voting. For example, if a foreign market requires shareholders voting proxies to retain the voted shares until the meeting date (thereby rendering the shares “illiquid” for some period), the Adviser will not vote proxies for such shares. In addition, the Adviser is not obligated to incur any expense to send a representative to a shareholder meeting or to translate proxy materials into English.

Securities Lending Recall

To the extent that the Adviser is permitted to loan securities, the Adviser does not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, the Adviser will take all reasonable steps to recall shares prior to the record date when the meeting concerns issues that the Adviser believes materially affect shareholder value, provided that the Adviser considers that the benefits of voting on the securities are greater than the associated costs, including the opportunity cost of the lost revenue that would otherwise be generated by the loan. There can be no assurance that the Adviser will have sufficient notice of such matters to be able to terminate the loan in time to vote thereon.

Issuer Feedback

The Adviser will consider feedback from issuers on the voting recommendations of the Adviser’s proxy advisory firm if the feedback is provided at least five days before the voting cut-off date.

Best Efforts

If proxies are not delivered in a timely or otherwise appropriate basis, the Adviser may not be able to vote a particular proxy.

For an Adviser that employs a quantitative investment strategy for certain funds or accounts that does not make use of qualitative research (“Non-Qualitative Accounts”), the Adviser may not have the kind of research to make decisions about how to vote proxies for them. Therefore, the Adviser will vote the proxies of these Non-Qualitative Accounts as follows: (a) in accordance with the Standard Voting Instructions (defined below); (b) if the Adviser is casting votes for the same proxy on behalf of a regular qualitative account and a Non-Qualitative Account, the Non-Qualitative Account would vote in the same manner as the regular qualitative account; (c) if neither of the first two conditions apply, as the proxy advisory firm is recommending; and (d) if none of the previous conditions apply, as recommended by the Proxy Voting Committee.

Proxy Voting Procedures

The Adviser has established a Proxy Voting Committee (“Proxy Committee”), to exercise all voting discretion granted to the Adviser by the Board in accordance with the proxy voting policies. To assist it in carrying out the day-to-day operations related to proxy voting, the Proxy Committee has created the Proxy Voting Management Group (PVMG). The day-to-day operations related to proxy voting are carried out by the Proxy Voting Team (PVT) and overseen by the PVMG. The PVT comprises a team of professionals who specialize in proxy voting and corporate governance best practices. In addition to managing the operational aspects of proxy vote execution, the PVT’s responsibilities include: engaging with investee companies on proxy voting and corporate governance matters; managing the relationship with, and monitoring the effectiveness of, Federated Hermes’ proxy advisory firm, and reporting on these to the PVMG and the Proxy Committee; providing input on specific case-by-case vote decisions made by the Adviser’s investment professionals; facilitating the proxy voting process, including by presenting the proxy voting decisions made by the Adviser’s investment professionals to the Proxy Committee; preparing proxy voting data for filing on Form N-PX with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; providing proxy voting reports to clients and investment companies as they are requested from time to time; and, keeping the Proxy Committee informed of any emerging or developing issues related to corporate governance and proxy voting to guide future policy development.

The Adviser has compiled a list of specific voting instructions based on the General Policy (the “Standard Voting Instructions”). The Standard Voting Instructions and any modifications to them are approved by the Proxy Committee. The Standard Voting Instructions may call for an investment professional to review the ballot question and provide a voting recommendation to the Proxy Committee. The foregoing notwithstanding, the Proxy Committee always has the authority to determine a final voting decision.

The Adviser has hired a proxy advisory firm to perform various proxy voting related administrative services such as ballot reconciliation, vote processing and recordkeeping functions. The Proxy Committee has supplied the proxy advisory firm with the Standard Voting Instructions. The Proxy Committee retains the right to modify the Standard Voting Instructions at any time or to vote contrary to them at any time to cast proxy votes in a manner that the Proxy Committee believes is in accordance with the General Policy. If the Standard Voting Instructions require case-by-case handling for a proposal, the PVT will work with the investment professionals and the proxy advisory firm to develop a voting recommendation for the Proxy Committee and to communicate the Proxy Committee’s final voting decision to the proxy advisory firm. Further, if the Standard Voting Instructions require the PVT to analyze a ballot question and make the final voting decision, the PVT will report such votes to the Proxy Committee on a quarterly basis for review.

Conflicts of Interest

The Adviser has adopted procedures to address situations where a matter on which a proxy is sought may present a potential conflict between the interests of the Fund (and its shareholders) and those of the Adviser or Distributor. This may occur where a significant business relationship exists between the Adviser (or its affiliates) and a company involved with a proxy vote.

A company that is a proponent, opponent, or the subject of a proxy vote, and which to the knowledge of the Proxy Committee has this type of significant business relationship, is referred to below as an “Interested Company.”

The Adviser has implemented the following procedures to avoid concerns that the conflicting interests of the Adviser or its affiliates have influenced proxy votes. Any employee of the Adviser or its affiliates who is contacted by an Interested Company regarding proxies to be voted by the Adviser must refer the Interested Company to a member of the Proxy Committee and must inform the Interested Company that the Proxy Committee has exclusive authority to determine how the proxy will be voted. Any Proxy Committee member contacted by an Interested Company must report it to the full Proxy Committee and provide a written summary of the communication. This requirement includes engagement meetings with investee companies and does not include

communications with proxy solicitation firms. Under no circumstances will the Proxy Committee or any member of the Proxy Committee make a commitment to an Interested Company regarding the voting of proxies or disclose to an Interested Company how the Proxy Committee has directed such proxies to be voted. If the Standard Voting Instructions already provide specific direction on the proposal in question, the Proxy Committee shall not alter or amend such directions. If the Standard Voting Instructions require the Proxy Committee to provide further direction, the Proxy Committee shall do so in accordance with the proxy voting policies, without regard for the interests of the Adviser with respect to the Interested Company. If the Proxy Committee provides any direction as to the voting of proxies relating to a proposal affecting an Interested Company, it must disclose annually to the Fund’s Board information regarding: the significant business relationship; any material communication with the Interested Company; the matter(s) voted on; and how, and why, the Adviser voted as it did. In certain circumstances it may be appropriate for the Adviser to vote in the same proportion as all other shareholders, as to not affect the outcome beyond helping to establish a quorum at the shareholders’ meeting. This is referred to as “proportional voting.” If the Fund owns shares of another Federated Hermes mutual fund, generally the Adviser will proportionally vote the client’s proxies for that fund or seek direction from the Board or the client on how the proposal should be voted. If the Fund owns shares of an unaffiliated mutual fund, the Adviser may proportionally vote the Fund’s proxies for that fund depending on the size of the position. If the Fund owns shares of an unaffiliated exchange-traded fund, the Adviser will proportionally vote the Fund’s proxies for that fund.

Downstream Affiliates

If the Proxy Committee gives further direction, or seeks to vote contrary to the Standard Voting Instructions, for a proxy relating to a portfolio company in which the Fund owns more than 10% of the portfolio company’s outstanding voting securities at the time of the vote (“Downstream Affiliate”), the Proxy Committee must first receive guidance from counsel to the Proxy Committee as to whether any relationship between the Adviser and the portfolio company, other than such ownership of the portfolio company’s securities, gives rise to an actual conflict of interest. If counsel determines that an actual conflict exists, the Proxy Committee must address any such conflict with the executive committee of the board of directors or trustees of any investment company client prior to taking any action on the proxy at issue.

Proxy Advisors’ Conflicts of Interest

Proxy advisory firms may have significant business relationships with the subjects of their research and voting recommendations. For example, a significant vendor for a proxy advisory firm may be a public company with an upcoming shareholders’ meeting and the proxy advisory firm has published a research report with voting recommendations. In another example, a proxy advisory firm consulting client may be a public company for which the proxy advisory firm will write a research report. These and similar situations give rise to an actual or apparent conflict of interest.

To avoid concerns that the conflicting interests of proxy advisory firms have influenced their proxy voting recommendations, the Adviser will take the following steps:

■ A due diligence team made up of employees of the Adviser and/or its affiliates will meet with its primary proxy advisor on an annual basis and determine through a review of their policies and procedures and through inquiry that they have established a system of internal controls that provide reasonable assurance that their voting recommendations are not influenced by their various conflicts of interest.

■ On an annual basis the Director of Proxy Voting, or their designee, will examine a sample of a proxy advisory firm’s research reports for that firm’s institutional consulting clients and determine if evidence of bias in recommendations exists. If such evidence is found, the results of the examination will be presented to the Proxy Voting Management Group and a decision would be made as to the further use of that advisory firm’s research reports.

■ Whenever the standard voting guidelines call for voting a proposal in accordance with a proxy advisory firm’s recommendation and the proxy advisory firm has disclosed that they have a conflict of interest with respect to that issuer, the PVT will take the following steps: (a) the PVT will obtain a copy of the research report published by a proxy advisory firm for that issuer; and (b) the Director of Proxy Voting, or their designee, will review proxy advisory firm reports and determine what vote will be cast. The PVT will report all proxies voted in this manner to the Proxy Committee on a quarterly basis. Alternatively, the PVT may seek direction from the Committee on how the proposal shall be voted.

Proxy Voting Report

A report on “Form N-PX” of how the Fund voted any proxies during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available via the Proxy Voting Record (Form N-PX) link associated with the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us/FundInformation. Form N-PX filings are also available (i) without charge, upon request, by calling the Fund at 1-800-341-7400, Option #4; and (ii) on the SEC’s website at sec.gov.

Portfolio Holdings Information

The disclosure policy of the Fund and the Adviser prohibits the disclosure of portfolio holdings information to any investor or intermediary before the same information is made available to other investors. Employees of the Adviser or its affiliates who have access to nonpublic information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings are prohibited from trading securities on the basis of this information. Such persons must report all personal securities trades and obtain pre-clearance for all personal securities trades other than mutual fund shares.

Firms that provide administrative, custody, financial, accounting, legal or other services to the Fund may receive nonpublic information about Fund portfolio holdings for purposes relating to their services. The Fund may also provide portfolio holdings information to publications that rate, rank or otherwise categorize investment companies. Traders or portfolio managers may provide “interest” lists to facilitate portfolio trading if the list reflects only that subset of the portfolio for which the trader or portfolio manager is seeking market interest. A list of service providers, publications and other third parties who may receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information appears in the Appendix to this SAI.

The furnishing of nonpublic portfolio holdings information to any third party (other than authorized governmental or regulatory personnel) requires the prior approval of the President of the Adviser and of the Chief Compliance Officer of the Fund. The President of the Adviser and the Chief Compliance Officer will approve the furnishing of nonpublic portfolio holdings information to a third party only if they consider the furnishing of such information to be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. In that regard, and to address possible conflicts between the interests of Fund shareholders and those of the Adviser and its affiliates, the following procedures apply. No consideration may be received by the Fund, the Adviser, any affiliate of the Adviser or any of their employees in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information. Before information is furnished, the third party must sign a written agreement that it will safeguard the confidentiality of the information, will use it only for the purposes for which it is furnished and will not use it in connection with the trading of any security. Persons approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information will receive it as often as necessary for the purpose for which it is provided. Such information may be furnished as frequently as daily and often with no time lag between the date of the information and the date it is furnished. The Board receives and reviews annually a list of the persons who receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information and the purposes for which it is furnished.

Brokerage Transactions And Investment Allocation

Equity securities may be traded in the over-the-counter market through broker/dealers acting as principal or agent, or in transactions directly with other investors. Transactions may also be executed on a securities exchange or through an electronic communications network. The Adviser seeks to obtain best execution of trades in equity securities by balancing the costs inherent in trading, including opportunity costs, market impact costs and commissions. As a general matter, the Adviser seeks to add value to its investment management by using market information to capitalize on market opportunities, actively seek liquidity and discover price. The Adviser continually monitors its trading results in an effort to improve execution. Fixed-income securities are generally traded in an over-the-counter market on a net basis (i.e., without commission) through dealers acting as principal or in transactions directly with the issuer. Dealers derive an undisclosed amount of compensation by offering securities at a higher price than they bid for them. Some fixed-income securities may have only one primary market maker. The Adviser seeks to use dealers it believes to be actively and effectively trading the security being purchased or sold, but may not always

obtain the lowest purchase price or highest sale price with respect to a fixed-income security. The Adviser’s receipt of research services (as described below) may also be a factor in the Adviser’s selection of brokers and dealers. The Adviser may also direct certain portfolio trades to a broker that, in turn, pays a portion of the Fund’s operating expenses. The Adviser makes decisions on portfolio transactions and selects brokers and dealers subject to review by the Fund’s Board.

Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other accounts managed by the Adviser and accounts managed by affiliates of the Adviser. Except as noted below, when the Fund and one or more of those accounts invests in, or disposes of, the same security, available investments or opportunities for sales will be allocated among the Fund and the account(s) in a manner believed by the Adviser to be equitable. While the coordination and ability to participate in volume transactions may benefit the Fund, it is possible that this procedure could adversely impact the price paid or received and/or the position obtained or disposed of by the Fund. Investments for Federated Hermes Kaufmann Fund and other accounts managed by that fund’s portfolio managers in initial public offerings (IPO) are made independently from any other accounts, and much of their non-IPO trading may also be conducted independently from other accounts. Trading and allocation of investments, including IPOs, for accounts managed by Federated MDTA LLC are also made independently from the Fund. Investment decisions and trading for certain separately managed or wrap-fee accounts, and other accounts, of the Adviser and/or certain investment adviser affiliates of the Adviser also are generally made and conducted independently from the Fund. It is possible that such independent trading activity could adversely impact the prices paid or received and/or positions obtained or disposed of by the Fund.

Brokerage and Research Services

Brokerage services include execution of trades and products and services that relate to the execution of trades, including communications services related to trade execution, clearing and settlement, trading software used to route orders to market centers, software that provides algorithmic trading strategies and software used to transmit orders to direct market access (DMA) systems. Research services may include: advice as to the advisability of investing in securities; security analysis and reports; economic studies; industry studies; receipt of quotations for portfolio evaluations; and similar services. Research services assist the Adviser and its affiliates in terms of their overall investment responsibilities to funds and investment accounts for which they have investment discretion. However, particular brokerage and research services received by the Adviser and its affiliates may not be used to service every fund or account, and may not benefit the particular funds and accounts that generated the brokerage commissions. In addition, brokerage and research services paid for with commissions generated by the Fund may be used in managing other funds and accounts. To the extent that receipt of these services may replace services for which the Adviser or its affiliates might otherwise have paid, it would tend to reduce their expenses. The Adviser and its affiliates exercise reasonable business judgment in selecting brokers to execute securities transactions where receipt of research services is a factor. They determine in good faith that commissions charged by such persons are reasonable in relationship to the value of the brokerage and research services provided.

[To be Filed by Amendment]

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, the Fund’s Adviser directed brokerage transactions to certain brokers in connection with the Adviser’s receipt of research services. The total amount of these transactions was $314,732,785 for which the Fund paid $438,338 in brokerage commissions.

Administrator

Federated Administrative Services (FAS), a subsidiary of Federated Hermes, provides administrative personnel and services, including certain legal, compliance and financial administrative services (“Administrative Services”), necessary for the operation of the Fund. FAS provides Administrative Services for a fee based upon the rates set forth below paid on the average daily net assets of the Fund. For purposes of determining the appropriate rate breakpoint, “Investment Complex” is defined as all of the Federated Hermes funds subject to a fee under the Administrative Services Agreement with FAS. FAS is also entitled to reimbursement for certain out-of-pocket expenses incurred in providing Administrative Services to the Fund.

Administrative Services Fee Rate	Average Daily Net Assets of the Investment Complex
0.100%	on assets up to $50 billion
0.075%	on assets over $50 billion

Custodian

State Street Bank and Trust Company, Boston, Massachusetts, is custodian for the securities and cash of the Fund. Foreign instruments purchased by the Fund are held by foreign banks participating in a network coordinated by State Street Bank and Trust Company.

Transfer Agent And Dividend Disbursing Agent

SS&C GIDS, Inc., the Fund’s registered transfer agent, maintains all necessary shareholder records.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund, [to be filed by amendment], conducts its audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), which require it to plan and perform its audits to provide reasonable assurance about whether the Fund’s financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement.

To be Updated by Amendment

Fees Paid by the Fund for Services

For the Year Ended September 30	2024	2023	2022
Advisory Fee Earned	$1,560,906	$1,703,254	$1,673,640
Advisory Fee Waived	$579,424	$598,682	$589,944
Advisory Fee Reimbursed	$3,671	$6,603	$4,197
Brokerage Commissions	$439,069	$468,057	$461,386
Administrative Fee	$144,465	$157,657	$153,643
Net 12b-1 Fee:
C Class	$47,384	$53,251	$55,432
R Class	$44,963	$45,436	$49,847
Net Shareholder Services Fee:
A Class	$137,254	$155,049	$168,281
C Class	$15,747	$17,703	$18,310

Fees are allocated among classes based on their pro rata share of Fund assets, except for marketing (“Rule 12b-1”) fees and shareholder services fees, which are borne only by the applicable class of Shares.

Securities Lending Activities

The services provided to the Fund by Citibank, N.A. as securities lending agent may include the following: selecting securities previously identified by the Fund as available for loan to be loaned; locating borrowers identified in the securities lending agency agreement; negotiating loan terms; monitoring daily the value of the loaned securities and collateral; requiring additional collateral as necessary; marking to market non-cash collateral; instructing the Fund’s custodian with respect to the transfer of loaned securities; indemnifying the Fund in the event of a borrower default; and arranging for return of loaned securities to the Fund at loan termination.

Following is a report of Fund income and fees and compensation paid to Citibank, N.A. related to securities lending activities during the Fund’s most recently completed fiscal year.

Gross income from securities lending activities	$40,420
Fees and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related services
Fees paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split	(167)
Fees paid for any cash collateral management service (including fees deducted from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle) that are not included in the revenue split	—
Administrative fees not included in revenue split	—
Indemnification fee not included in revenue split	—
Rebate (paid to borrower)	(38,750)
Other fees not included in revenue split (specify)	—
Aggregate fees/compensation for securities lending activities	$(38,917)
Net income from securities lending activities	$1,503

Financial Information

To be filed by amendment

The Financial Statements for the Fund for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, are incorporated herein by reference to the annual financial statements filed on Form N-CSR of Federated Hermes Clover Small Value Fund dated September 30, 2025.

Investment Ratings

S&P Global RatingS (S&P) LONG-TERM Issue RATINGS

Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P’s analysis of the following considerations: the likelihood of payment-capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation; the nature of and provisions of the obligation; and the protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights.

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

AA—An obligation rated “AA” differs from the highest rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment 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 commitment 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 lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

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

BB—An obligation rated “BB” is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment 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 commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment 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 commitment 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 commitment on the obligation.

CC—An obligation rated “CC” is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.

C—A “C” rating is assigned to obligations that are currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, obligations that have payment arrearages allowed by the terms of the documents, or obligations of an issuer that is the subject of a bankruptcy petition or similar action which have not experienced a payment default. Among others, the “C” rating may be assigned to subordinated debt, preferred stock or other obligations on which cash payments have been suspended in accordance with the instrument’s terms or when preferred stock is the subject of a distressed exchange offer, whereby some or all of the issue is either repurchased for an amount of cash or replaced by other instruments having a total value that is less than par.

D—An obligation rated “D” is in payment default. The “D” rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days, irrespective of any grace period. The “D” rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized. An obligation’s rating is lowered to “D” upon completion of a distressed exchange offer, whereby some or all of the issue is either repurchased for an amount of cash or replaced by other instruments having a total value that is less than par.

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

S&P Rating Outlook

An S&P rating outlook assesses the potential direction of a long-term credit rating over the intermediate term (typically six months to two years). In determining a rating outlook, consideration is given to any changes in the economic and/or fundamental business conditions.

Positive—Positive means that a rating may be raised.

Negative—Negative means that a rating may be lowered.

Stable—Stable means that a rating is not likely to change.

Developing—Developing means a rating may be raised or lowered.

N.M.—N.M. means not meaningful.

S&P Short-Term Issue RATINGS

Short-term ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. In the United States, for example, that means obligations with an original maturity of no more than 365 days–including commercial paper.

A-1—A short-term obligation rated “A-1” is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment 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 commitment 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 lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment 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 which 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 commitment on the obligation.

D—A short-term obligation rated “D” is in payment default. The “D” rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P 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 if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

MOODY’S Investor Services, Inc. (MOODY’s) LONG-TERM RATINGS

Moody’s long-term ratings are assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of one year or more and reflect both on the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default.

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.

Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2 and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aaa 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.

MOODY’S Short-Term RATINGS

Moody’s short-term ratings are assigned to obligations with an original maturity of 13 months or less and reflect the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments.

P-1—Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated P-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2—Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated P-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-3—Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated P-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

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

FITCH Ratings, INC. (Fitch) LONG-TERM Debt RATINGs

Fitch long-term ratings report Fitch’s opinion on an entity’s relative vulnerability to default on financial obligations. The “threshold” default risk addressed by the rating is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, Fitch long-term ratings also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts, although the agency recognizes that issuers may also make pre-emptive and therefore voluntary use of such mechanisms.

AAA: Highest Credit Quality—“AAA” ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

AA: Very High Credit Quality—“AA” ratings denote expectations of very low default risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A: High Credit Quality—“A” ratings denote expectations of low default risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

BBB: Good Credit Quality—“BBB” ratings indicate that expectations of default risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

BB: Speculative—“BB” ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial flexibility exists which supports the servicing of financial commitments.

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

CCC: Substantial Credit Risk—Default is a real possibility.

CC: Very High Levels of Credit Risk—Default of some kind appears probable.

C: Exceptionally High Levels of Credit Risk—Default is imminent or inevitable, or the issuer is in standstill. Conditions that are indicative of a “C” category rating for an issuer include: (a) the issuer has entered into a grace or cure period following non-payment of a material financial obligation; (b) the issuer has entered into a temporary negotiated waiver or standstill agreement following a payment default on a material financial obligation; or (c) Fitch otherwise believes a condition of “RD” or “D” to be imminent or inevitable, including through the formal announcement of a distressed debt exchange.

RD: Restricted Default—“RD” ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch’s opinion has experienced an uncured payment default on a bond, loan or other material financial obligation but which has not entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure, and which has not otherwise ceased operating. This would include: (a) the selective payment default on a specific class or currency of debt; (b) the uncured expiry of any applicable grace period, cure period or default forbearance period following a payment default on a bank loan, capital markets security or other material financial obligation; (c) the extension of multiple waivers or forbearance periods upon a payment default on one or more material financial obligations, either in series or in parallel; or (d) execution of a distressed debt exchange on one or more material financial obligations.

D: Default—“D” ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch’s opinion has entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure, or which has otherwise ceased business.

Default ratings are not assigned prospectively to entities or their obligations; within this context, non-payment on an instrument that contains a deferral feature or grace period will generally not be considered a default until after the expiration of the deferral or grace period, unless a default is otherwise driven by bankruptcy or other similar circumstance, or by a distressed debt exchange.

“Imminent” default typically refers to the occasion where a payment default has been intimated by the issuer, and is all but inevitable. This may, for example, be where an issuer has missed a scheduled payment, but (as is typical) has a grace period during which it may cure the payment default. Another alternative would be where an issuer has formally announced a distressed debt exchange, but the date of the exchange still lies several days or weeks in the immediate future.

In all cases, the assignment of a default rating reflects the agency’s opinion as to the most appropriate rating category consistent with the rest of its universe of ratings, and may differ from the definition of default under the terms of an issuer’s financial obligations or local commercial practice.

FITCH SHORT-TERM DEBT RATINGs

A Fitch short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity or security stream and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as “short-term” based on market convention. 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.

F1: Highest Short-Term Credit Quality—Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2: Good Short-Term Credit Quality—Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

F3: Fair Short-Term Credit Quality—The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

B: Speculative Short-Term Credit Quality—Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near-term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C: High Short-Term Default Risk—Default is a real possibility.

RD: Restricted Default—Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Applicable to entity ratings only.

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

A.M. BEST Company, Inc. (a.m. best) LONG-TERM DEBT and Preferred Stock RATINGS

A Best’s long-term debt rating is Best’s independent opinion of an issuer/entity’s ability to meet its ongoing financial obligations to security holders when due.

aaa: Exceptional—Assigned to issues where the issuer has an exceptional ability to meet the terms of the obligation.

aa: Very Strong—Assigned to issues where the issuer has a very strong ability to meet the terms of the obligation.

a: Strong—Assigned to issues where the issuer has a strong ability to meet the terms of the obligation.

bbb: Adequate—Assigned to issues where the issuer has an adequate ability to meet the terms of the obligation; however, the issue is more susceptible to changes in economic or other conditions.

bb: Speculative—Assigned to issues where the issuer has speculative credit characteristics, generally due to a modest margin or principal and interest payment protection and vulnerability to economic changes.

b: Very Speculative—Assigned to issues where the issuer has very speculative credit characteristics, generally due to a modest margin of principal and interest payment protection and extreme vulnerability to economic changes.

ccc, cc, c: Extremely Speculative—Assigned to issues where the issuer has extremely speculative credit characteristics, generally due to a minimal margin of principal and interest payment protection and/or limited ability to withstand adverse changes in economic or other conditions.

d: In Default—Assigned to issues in default on payment of principal, interest or other terms and conditions, or when a bankruptcy petition or similar action has been filed.

Ratings from “aa” to “ccc” may be enhanced with a “+” (plus) or “-” (minus) to indicate whether credit quality is near the top or bottom of a category.

A.M. BEST SHORT-TERM DEBT RATINGS

A Best’s short-term debt rating is Best’s opinion of an issuer/entity’s ability to meet its financial obligations having original maturities of generally less than one year, such as commercial paper.

AMB-1+ Strongest—Assigned to issues where the issuer has the strongest ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

AMB-1 Outstanding—Assigned to issues where the issuer has an outstanding ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

AMB-2 Satisfactory—Assigned to issues where the issuer has a satisfactory ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

AMB-3 Adequate—Assigned to issues where the issuer has an adequate ability to repay short-term debt obligations; however, adverse economic conditions likely will reduce the issuer’s capacity to meet its financial commitments.

AMB-4 Speculative—Assigned to issues where the issuer has speculative credit characteristics and is vulnerable to adverse economic or other external changes, which could have a marked impact on the company’s ability to meet its financial commitments.

d: In Default—Assigned to issues in default on payment of principal, interest or other terms and conditions, or when a bankruptcy petition or similar action has been filed.

A.M. Best Rating Modifiers

Both long- and short-term credit ratings can be assigned a modifier.

u—Indicates the rating may change in the near term, typically within six months. Generally is event-driven, with positive, negative or developing implications.

pd—Indicates ratings assigned to a company that chose not to participate in A.M. Best’s interactive rating process (discontinued in 2010).

i—Indicates rating assigned is indicative.

A.M. BEST RATING OUTLOOK

A.M. Best Credit Ratings are assigned a Rating Outlook that indicates the potential direction of a credit rating over an intermediate term, generally defined as the next 12 to 36 months.

Positive—Indicates possible ratings upgrade due to favorable financial/market trends relative to the current trading level.

Negative—Indicates possible ratings downgrade due to unfavorable financial/market trends relative to the current trading level.

Stable—Indicates low likelihood of rating change due to stable financial/market trends.

Not Rated

Certain nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs) may designate certain issues as NR, meaning that the issue or obligation is not rated.

Addresses

Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Value Fund

Class A Shares
Class C Shares
Class R Shares
Institutional Shares
Class R6 Shares

Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561

Distributor

Federated Securities Corp.
1001 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779

Investment Adviser

Federated MDTA LLC
125 High Street
Oliver Tower, 21st Floor
Boston, MA 02110-2704

Custodian

State Street Bank and Trust Company
1 Iron Street
Boston, MA 02110

Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent

SS&C GIDS, Inc.
P.O. Box 219318
Kansas City, MO 64121-9318

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

[To Be Filed By Amendment]

Appendix

The following is a list of persons, other than the Adviser and its affiliates, that have been approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information concerning the Federated Hermes Complex; however, certain persons below might not receive such information concerning the Fund:

CUSTODIAN(S)

State Street Bank and Trust Company

SECURITIES LENDING AGENT

Citibank, N.A.

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

KPMG LLP

LEGAL COUNSEL

Kirkland & Ellis LLP
K&L Gates LLP

Financial PrinterS

Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc.
Donnelley Financial Solutions

Proxy Voting Administrator

Glass Lewis & Co., LLC

SECURITY PRICING SERVICES

Bloomberg L.P.
S&P Global Ratings
JPMorgan PricingDirect
London Stock Exchange Group PLC (LSEG)

RATINGS AGENCIES

Fitch Ratings, Inc.
Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
S&P Global Ratings

Other SERVICE PROVIDERS

Other types of service providers that have been approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information include service providers offering, for example, trade order management systems, portfolio analytics, or performance and accounting systems, such as:

ACA Technology Surveillance, Inc.
Bank of America
Bank of New York Mellon Corporation
Bloomberg L.P.
Charles River Development
Citibank, N.A.
Eagle Investment Systems LLC
Electra Information Systems
FactSet Research Systems Inc.
FISGlobal
Institutional Shareholder Services
Investortools, Inc.

MSCI ESG Research LLC
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Star Compliance
Sustainalytics U.S. Inc.

Item 28. Exhibits

(a)	Declaration of Trust
	Conformed copy of Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the Registrant dated August 15, 1995, including Amendments	+

(b)	By-Laws
	Conformed Copy of Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Registrant dated August 16, 1995, including Amendments	+

(c)	Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders

	As of September 1, 1997, Federated Securities Corp. stopped issuing share certificates

(d)	Investment Advisory Contracts

1	Federated MDTA, LLC
	Conformed copy of the Investment Advisory Contract of the Registrant September dated August 1, 1989, as amended, including Amendment dated June 1, 2001, Assignment dated January 1, 2004, Transfer and Assumption of Advisory Contract dated January 18, 2013 and Limited Power of Attorney dated January 1, 2017	+
2	Federated Global Investment Management Corp.
	Conformed copy of the Investment Advisory Contract of the Registrant dated March 1, 2007, as amended, including Exhibits A through F, including Amendment #1 to Exhibit C dated March 1, 2020 providing for the assignment of advisory services to Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania with respect to Federated Hermes Clover Small Value Fund, Amendment #2 to Exhibit C dated September 1, 2021 and Limited Power of Attorney dated June 1, 2017	+
3	Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania
	Conformed copy of the Investment Advisory Contract of the Registrant dated December 1, 2004, as amended, including Exhibits A through E, Amendment #1 and #2 to Exhibit B dated December 1, 2013 and June 1, 2024, Amendment #3 to Exhibit B, dated June 1,2024 to transfer advisory services to Federated Global Investment Management Corp with respect to Federated Hermes Kaufmann Large Cap Growth Fund and Limited Power of Attorney dated June 1, 2017	+
4	Federated Investment Management Company
	Conformed copy of the Investment Advisory Contract of the Registrant, with respect to Federated Hermes Kaufmann Fund and Federated Hermes Small Cap Fund, dated June 1, 1995, as amended, including Exhibits A through J, Amendment #1 to Exhibits G and J dated June 1, 2014, Amendment #2 to Exhibit J dated August 25, 2017, Amendment #3 to Exhibit J dated June 1, 2024 to transfer advisory services to Federated Global Investment Management Corp., Amendment #3 to Exhibit G dated June1, 2024 to transfer advisory services to Federated Global Investment Management Corp., Amendment #4 to Exhibit G dated September 1, 2024 to revise the advisory fee, Assignment dated January 1, 2004 providing for the assignment of advisory services to Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania with respect to Federated Hermes Kaufmann Fund and Federated Hermes Small Cap Fund and Limited Power of Attorney dated June 1, 2017	+

(e)	Underwriting Contracts
	Conformed copy of the Distributor’s Contract of the Registrant dated June 1, 1995, including Exhibits and Amendments	+

(f)	Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts
	Not applicable

(g)	Custodian Agreements
1	Conformed copy of Amended and Restated Master Custodian Agreement dated March 1, 2017 by and between State Street Bank and Trust Company and the Registrant, including Appendix	+
2	Conformed copy of Amended and Restated Master Custodian Agreement dated June 7, 2005 by and between The Bank of New York Mellon and the Registrant, including Amendments and Exhibits	+

(h)	Other Material Contracts

1	Services Agreement
(a)	Conformed copy of Services Agreement between Federated Advisory Services Company and Federated MDTA LLC dated July 31, 2006, including Schedule 1	+
(b)	Conformed copy of Services Agreement between Federated Advisory Services Company and Federated Global Investment Management Corp. dated January 1, 2004, including Schedule 1	+
(c)	Conformed copy of Services Agreement between Federated Advisory Services Company and Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania dated January 1, 2004, including Schedule 1	+
(d)	Conformed copy of the Second Amended and Restated Services Agreement, amended and restated as of December 1, 2001, between Federated Shareholder Services Company and the Registrant, including Schedule 1	+

2	Transfer Agency Agreement
	Conformed copy of the Transfer Agency Services Agreement between the Federated Hermes Funds and DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc. dated June 1, 2022	+

3	Administrative Services Agreement
	Conformed copy of the Fourth Amended and Restated Agreement for Administrative Services between the Federated Funds and Federated Administrative Services dated September 1, 2021, including Exhibit A	+

4	Financial Administration and Accounting Agreement
(a)	Conformed copy of the Financial Administration and Accounting Services Agreement between the Federated Funds and The Bank of New York Mellon dated March 1, 2011, as amended, including Schedule 1	+
(b)	Conformed copy of the Financial Administration and Accounting Services Agreement between the Federated Funds and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated March 1, 2011, as amended, including Exhibit A	+

(i)	Legal Opinion
	Conformed copy of Opinion and Consent of Counsel as to legality of shares being registered, as filed on paper in Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 on July 9, 1984 on Form N-1A (File Nos. 2-91090 and 811-4017) [p]

(j)	Other Opinions
1	Conformed copy of Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm KPMG LLP	N/A
2	Conformed copy of Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Ernst & Young LLP	N/A

(k)	Omitted Financial Statements
	Not Applicable

(l)	Initial Capital Agreements
	Conformed copy of Initial Capital Understanding, as filed on paper in Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 on July 9, 1984 on Form N-1A (File Nos. 2-91090 and 811-4017) [p]

(m)	Rule 12b-1 Plan
	Conformed copy of the Distribution Plan between certain classes of the Registrant and Federated Securities Corp., dated February 12, 2004, including Exhibits	+

(n)	Rule 18f-3 Plan
	Conformed copy of the Multiple Class Plan and all share class Exhibits as adopted by certain Federated investment companies offering separate classes of shares	+

(o)	Powers of Attorney
	Conformed copy of Power of Attorney of the Registrant dated January 1, 2025	+

(p)	Codes of Ethics
	Conformed copy of the Federated Hermes, Inc. Code of Ethics for Access Persons, effective November 13, 2024	+

+	Exhibit is being filed electronically with registration statement
[p]	Exhibit filed on paper

Exhibit List for Inline Interactive Data File Submission. (To be Filed by Amendment)

Index No.	Description of Exhibit
EX-101.SCH	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund:

None

Item 30. Indemnification

Indemnification is provided to Officers and Trustees of the Registrant pursuant to the Registrant's By-Laws, as amended. This includes indemnification against: (a) any liabilities or expenses incurred in connection with the defense or disposition of any action, suit or proceeding in which an Officer or Trustee may be or may have been involved; and (b) any liabilities and expenses incurred by an Officer or Trustee as a result of having provided personally identifiable information to a regulator or counterparty by or with whom the Registrant (or its series, as applicable) is regulated or engages in business to satisfy a legal or procedural requirement of such regulator or counterparty.

The Investment Advisory Contracts, and Sub-advisory Agreements as applicable, (collectively, “Advisory Contracts”) between the Registrant and the investment advisers, and sub-advisers as applicable, (collectively, “Advisers”) of its series, provide that, in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the obligations or duties under the Advisory Contracts on the part of the Advisers, Advisers shall not be liable to the Registrant or to any shareholder for any act or omission in the course of or connected in any way with rendering services or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding, or sale of any security.

The Registrant’s distribution contract contains provisions limiting the liability, and providing for indemnification, of the Officers and Trustees under certain circumstances.

Registrant's Trustees and Officers are covered by an Investment Trust Errors and Omissions Policy.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to Trustees, Officers, and controlling persons of the Registrant by the Registrant pursuant to the By-Laws, as amended, or otherwise, the Registrant is aware that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and, therefore, is 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 Trustees), Officers, or controlling persons of the Registrant in connection with the successful defense of any act, suit, or proceeding) is asserted by such Trustees, Officers, or controlling persons in connection with the shares 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 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issues.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities may be permitted pursuant to Section 17 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 for Trustees, Officers, and controlling persons of the Registrant by the Registrant pursuant to the By-Laws, as amended, or otherwise, the Registrant is aware of the position of the Securities and Exchange Commission as set forth in Investment Company Act Release No. IC-11330. Therefore, the Registrant undertakes that in addition to complying with the applicable provisions of the By-Laws, as amended, or otherwise, in the absence of a final decision on the merits by a court or other body before which the proceeding was brought, that an indemnification payment will not be made unless in the absence of such a decision, a reasonable determination based upon factual review has been made (i) by a majority vote of a quorum of non-party Trustees who are not interested persons of the Registrant or (ii) by independent legal counsel in a written opinion that the indemnitee was not liable for an act of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of duties. The Registrant further undertakes that advancement of expenses incurred in the defense of a proceeding (upon undertaking for repayment unless it is ultimately determined that indemnification is appropriate) against an Officer, Trustee or controlling person of the Registrant will not be made absent the fulfillment of at least one of the following conditions: (i) the indemnitee provides security for his undertaking; (ii) the Registrant is insured against losses arising by reason of any lawful advances; or (iii) a majority of a quorum of disinterested non-party Trustees or independent legal counsel in a written opinion makes a factual determination that there is reason to believe the indemnitee will be entitled to indemnification.

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser: Federated MDTA LLC
For a description of the other business of the Investment Adviser, see the section entitled “Who Manages the Fund?” in Part A. The affiliations with the Registrant of one of the Trustees and two of the Officers of the Investment Adviser are included in Part B of this Registration Statement under "Who Manages and Provides Services to the Fund?" The remaining Trustees of the Investment Adviser and, in parentheses, their principal occupations are: Thomas R. Donahue, (Director and Chief Financial Officer, Federated Hermes, Inc.), 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222-3779, and John B. Fisher, (Director and Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.) 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222-3779. The business address of the remaining Officers of the Investment Adviser is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779. These remaining officers are also officers of a majority of the Investment Advisers to the investment companies in the Federated Hermes Fund Complex described in Part B of this Registration Statement.
The Officers of the Investment Adviser are:
Chairman:	J. Christopher Donahue
President/ Chief Executive Officer:	John B. Fisher
Executive Vice President:	Anne H. Kruczek Timothy G. Trebilcock
Senior Vice President:	Jeremy D. Boughton Michael R. Granito Lori A. Hensler Judith J. Mackin Daniel J. Mahr William Pribanic Shuo Damien Zhang
Vice Presidents:	Thomas T. Beals John C. Duane Frederick L. Konopka John Paul Lewicke Kelly Patel John F. Sherman Paul Smith Frank Tetlow
Assistant Vice Presidents:	Michael G. Bertani David J. Gomez Katherine R. Silva
Secretary:	George F. Magera
Assistant Secretary:	Jonathan M. Lushko
Treasurer:	Richard A. Novak
Assistant Treasurer:	Autumn L. Favero
Chief Compliance Officer:	Stephen Van Meter

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser: Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania
For a description of the other business of the Investment Adviser, see the section entitled “Who Manages the Fund?” in Part A. The affiliations with the Registrant of one of the Trustees and two of the Officers of the Investment Adviser are included in Part B of this Registration Statement under "Who Manages and Provides Services to the Fund?" The remaining Trustees of the Investment Adviser and, in parentheses, their principal occupations are: Thomas R. Donahue, (Chief Financial Officer, Federated Hermes, Inc.), 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222-3779, John B. Fisher, (Vice Chairman, Federated Hermes, Inc.) 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222-3779 and James J. Gallagher, II, Partner, Morris James LLP, 500 Delaware Avenue, Suite 1500, Wilmington, DE 19801-1494. The business address of each of the Officers of the Investment Adviser is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-3779. These individuals are also officers of a majority of the Investment Advisers to the investment companies in the Federated Hermes Fund Complex described in Part B of this Registration Statement.
The Officers of the Investment Adviser are:
Chairman	J. Christopher Donahue
President/ Chief Executive Officer:	John B. Fisher
Executive Vice President	Stephen F. Auth Anne H. Kruczek Timothy G. Trebilcock
Senior Vice Presidents:	Deborah D. Bickerstaff Jeremy D. Boughton Michael R. Granito Stephen Gutch Lori A. Hensler Judith J. Mackin Dana L. Meissner Ian L. Miller Daniel Peris Michael R. Tucker
Vice Presidents:	P. Ryan Bend G. Andrew Bonnewell Megan G. Dolan Jared Hoff Chad Hudson Michael Jura Damian McIntyre Brian Charles Smalley Paul Smith Frank Tetlow
Secretary:	G. Andrew Bonnewell
Assistant Secretaries:	Jonathan M. Lushko George F. Magera
Treasurer:	Thomas R. Donahue
Assistant Treasurers:	Autumn L. Favero Richard A. Novak
Chief Compliance Officer:	Stephen Van Meter

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser: Federated Global Investment Management Corp.
For a description of the other business of the Investment Adviser, see the section entitled “Who Manages the Fund?” in Part A. The affiliations with the Registrant of one of the Trustees and two of the Officers of the Investment Adviser are included in Part B of this Registration Statement under "Who Manages and Provides Services to the Fund?" The remaining Trustees of the Investment Adviser and, in parentheses, their principal occupations are: Thomas R. Donahue, (Chief Financial Officer, Federated Hermes, Inc.) and John B. Fisher, (Vice Chairman, Federated Hermes, Inc.) 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222-3779. The business addresses of the Officers of the Investment Adviser are: 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779; 101 Park Avenue, 41^st Floor, New York, NY 10178 and 400 Meridian Centre, Suite 200, Rochester, NY 14618. Some of these individuals are also officers of a majority of the Investment Advisers to the investment companies in the Federated Hermes Fund Complex described in Part B of this Registration Statement.
The Officers of the Investment Adviser are:
Chairman:	J. Christopher Donahue
President/ Chief Executive Officer:	John B. Fisher
Executive Vice President:	Stephen F. Auth Anne H. Kruczek Timothy G. Trebilcock
Senior Vice Presidents:	Jeremy D. Boughton Steven Anthony Chiavarone John S. Ettinger Timothy Goodger Michael R. Granito Lori A. Hensler Judith J. Mackin William P. Pribanic Martin Christian Schulz Hans Utsch Richard A Winkowski, Jr. Yu (Calvin) Zhang
Vice Presidents:	Steven Abrahamson Jeff D. Aronsohn Thomas M. Brakel G. Andrew Bonnewell Charles L. Curran Michael Czekaj Darius Czoch Stephen DeNichilo Fabrice Di Giusto Megan G. Dolan Qun Liu Barbara E. Miller Robert Ricardo John F. Sherman Aditi Singhania Paul Smith Anastacio U. Teodoro, IV Frank Tetlow
Assistant Vice Presidents:	Casimir A. Duchnowski
Secretary:	G. Andrew Bonnewell
Assistant Secretaries:	Jonathan M. Lushko George F. Magera
Treasurer:	Thomas R. Donahue
Assistant Treasurers:	Autumn L. Favero Richard A. Novak
Chief Compliance Officer:	Stephen Van Meter

Item 32. Principal Underwriters:
(a)	Federated Securities Corp., the Distributor for shares of the Registrant, acts as principal underwriter for the following investment companies, including the Registrant:
	Federated Hermes Adjustable Rate Securities Trust
	Federated Hermes Adviser Series
	Federated Hermes Core Trust
	Federated Hermes Core Trust III
	Federated Hermes Equity Funds
	Federated Hermes Equity Income Fund, Inc.
	Federated Hermes ETF Trust
	Federated Hermes Fixed Income Securities, Inc.
	Federated Hermes Global Allocation Fund
	Federated Hermes Government Income Trust
	Federated Hermes High Yield Trust
	Federated Hermes Income Securities Trust
	Federated Hermes Index Trust
	Federated Hermes Institutional Trust
	Federated Hermes Insurance Series
	Federated Hermes Intermediate Municipal Trust
	Federated Hermes Investment Series Funds, Inc.
	Federated Hermes Managed Pool Series
	Federated Hermes MDT Series
	Federated Hermes Money Market Obligations Trust
	Federated Hermes Municipal Bond Fund, Inc.
	Federated Hermes Municipal Securities Income Trust
	Federated Hermes Premier Municipal Income Fund
	Federated Hermes Project and Trade Finance Tender Fund
	Federated Hermes Short-Intermediate Duration Municipal Trust
	Federated Hermes Short-Intermediate Government Trust
	Federated Hermes Short-Term Government Trust
	Federated Hermes Sustainable High Yield Bond Fund, Inc.
	Federated Hermes Total Return Government Bond Fund
	Federated Hermes Total Return Series, Inc.
	Federated Hermes World Investment Series, Inc.

(b)
(1) Positions and Offices with Distributor	(2) Name	(3) Positions and Offices With Registrant
Executive Vice President, Assistant Secretary and Director:	Thomas R. Donahue
President and Director:	Paul Uhlman
Vice President and Director:	Peter J. Germain
Director:	Frank C. Senchak

(1) Positions and Offices with Distributor	(2) Name	(3) Positions and Offices With Registrant
Executive Vice Presidents:	Bryan M. Burke Charles L. Davis, Jr. Peter W. Eisenbrandt Anne H. Kruczek Solon A. Person Brian S. Ronayne
Senior Vice Presidents:	Irving Anderson Jeff Antonacci Marc J. Benacci Christopher D. Berg Daniel G. Berry William Boarts Jack Bohnet Zachary James Bono Edwin J. Brooks, III Mark Carroll Daniel P. Casey Scott J. Charlton James S. Conely Michael DiMarsico Jack C. Ebenreiter Heather W. Froehlich James Getz, Jr. Erik Gosule Dayna C. Haferkamp Vincent L. Harper, Jr. Bruce E. Hastings Jeffrey S. Jones Ryan W. Jones Todd W. Jones Philip L. Judson Scott D. Kavanagh Nicholas R. Kemerer Michael Koenig Edwin C. Koontz Jane E. Lambesis David M. Larrick Michael Liss Judith J. Mackin Paul J. Magan Brian McInis Diane Marzula Daniel Patrick McGrath Richard C. Mihm Vincent T. Morrow John C. Mosko Alec H. Neilly Theodore A. Noethling, IV James E. Ostrowski Stephen Otto Mark B. Patsy Richard P. Paulson Diane M. Robinson Matt Ryan Tom Schinabeck Peter C. Siconolfi Bradley W. Smith John A. Staley Mark J. Strubel Jonathan P. Sullivan David A. Wasik G. Walter Whalen Brian R. Willer Lewis C. Williams Theodore E. Williams James J. Wojciak Michael Wolff Daniel R. Wroble Erik Zettlemayer
Vice Presidents:	Frank Amato Neil Benjamin Apfelbaum, II Catherine M. Applegate Jeff D. Aronsohn, Jr. Kenneth C. Baber Justin A. Bard Raisa E. Barkaloff Joshua W. Billiel Matthew A. Boyle Thomas R. Brown Dan Casey Edward R. Costello Stephen J. Costlow Mary Ellen Coyne Casey Curtin Caitlyn (Grande) D’Alessandro David G. Dankmyer Christopher T. Davis Lori J. Defilippi Charles R. Ebbs Ryan Alexander Fairbrother Mark A. Flisek Maya Gorokhovskiy (Ferd) David D. Gregoire Raymond J. Hanley Adam Michele Heurich George M. Hnaras Scott A. Holick Michael Honer Christopher Jackson Timothy H. Johnson Andrew R. Kehler Scott Robert Kelley Patrick Kelly Robert H. Kern Shawn E. Knutson Andrew Paul Larson John S. Larson Anthony W. Lennon Justin Levy John P. Liekar Jonathan Lipinski Alexi A. Maravel Thomas Andrew Marik Stephen R. Massey Meghan McAndrew Catherine McGee Samuel McGowan Mark J. Murphy Marcus Persichetti Luke Anthony Raffa Max E. Recker Emory Redd Ionnis (Yiannis) Repoulis Kaitlyn Ross John R. Rush Melissa R. Ryan John Shrewsbury Justin J. Slomkowski Derrick Stancick Jason Straker Gregory Tzanoukakis Scott A. Vallina James M. Wagner David Wasik Jennifer M. Weaver Littell Wilson Jr.

Assistant Vice Presidents:	Debbie Adams-Marshall Matthew Alan Cichowicz Courtney Comstock Adina Davis Katlyn Alexis Davis Christopher DiBartolomeo Madison Dischinger Rebecca R. Donahue Michelle Ausefski Doyle Andrew Druckenbroad Lucie Gordon Elizabeth Krah Graner Kristen C. Kiesling Katerina Alexandra Kotulak Leah Kaitlin Leitzel Clara L. Matvey Jennifer M. McSorley John K. Murray Patrick Joseph O’Reilly David J. Pallof, Jr. Carol Anne Sheppard Laura Vickerman
Secretary:	Kary A. Moore
Assistant Secretaries:	Thomas R. Donahue
	George F. Magera
Treasurer:	Richard A. Novak
Assistant Treasurer:	Autumn L. Favero
Chief Compliance Officer:	Stephen Van Meter

(c)

Not Applicable

Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records:

All accounts and records required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Rules 31a-1 through 31a-3 promulgated thereunder are maintained at one of the following locations:

Registrant

Federated Hermes Funds

4000 Ericsson Drive

Warrendale, PA 15086-7561

(Notices should be sent to the Agent for Service at the address listed on the facing page of this filing.)

Federated Administrative Services

(Administrator)

1001 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779

Federated Securities Corp.

(Distributor)

1001 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779

Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania

(Adviser)

Adviser to Federated Hermes Clover Small Value Fund, Federated Hermes Global Strategic Value Dividend Fund, Federated Hermes International Strategic Value Dividend Fund, Federated Hermes Prudent Bear Fund and Federated Hermes Strategic Value Dividend Fund.

1001 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779

Federated Global Investment Management Corp.

(Adviser)

Adviser to Federated Hermes Kaufmann Fund, Federated Hermes Kaufmann Large Cap Fund and Federated Hermes Kaufmann Small Cap Fund.

101 Park Avenue

41^st Floor

New York, NY 10178

Federated MDTA LLC

(Adviser)

(Adviser to Federated Hermes MDT Mid Cap Growth Fund)

125 High Street

Oliver Street Tower, 21^st Floor

Boston, MA 02110-2704

Federated Advisory Services Company

(Adviser)

1001 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779

SS&C GIDS, Inc.

(Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent)

P.O. Box 219318

Kansas City, MO 64121-9318

State Street Bank and Trust Company

(Custodian)

1 Iron Street

Boston, MA 02110

Bank of New York Mellon
(Custodian)

The Bank of New York Mellon

One Wall Street

New York, NY 10286

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant, FEDERATED HERMES EQUITY FUNDS, has duly caused this Amendment to its Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Pittsburgh and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on the 15^th day of September, 2025.

FEDERATED HERMES EQUITY FUNDS

BY:/s/ George F. Magera
George F. Magera, Assistant Secretary

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Amendment to its Registration Statement has been signed below by the following person in the capacity and on the date indicated:

NAME	TITLE	DATE
BY:/s/ George F. Magera George F. Magera Assistant Secretary	Attorney In Fact For the Persons Listed Below	September 15, 2025
J. Christopher Donahue*	President and Trustee (Principal Executive Officer)
John B. Fisher*	Trustee
Jeremy D. Boughton*	Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer/Principal Accounting Officer)
John G. Carson*	Trustee
G. Thomas Hough*	Trustee
Karen L. Larrimer *	Trustee
Max Miller*	Trustee
Frank J. Nasta*	Trustee
Thomas O’Neill*	Trustee
Madelyn A. Reilly*	Trustee
John S. Walsh*	Trustee
*By Power of Attorney