found to have been responsible for egregious and severe violations of commonly accepted international norms related to human
rights, labor rights, the environment and business ethics, or (ii) companies deemed to facilitate third parties in human rights violations due to their involvement in certain
weapons with disproportional and/or non-discriminatory impact on citizens and society;
•
Companies that have an S&P Global ESG Score that falls within the worst 25% of scores from
each Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) industry group in the underlying universe of companies eligible for inclusion in the Index (the “Investment
Universe”); or
•
Companies that do not have (i) coverage for determining tobacco-, controversial weapons-, oil
sands-, small arms-, military weapons- and thermal coal-related involvement or compliance with UNGC principles; or (ii) an S&P Global ESG Score.
S&P Global ESG Scores are assigned by S&P Global, Inc. using its Corporate Sustainability Assessment, which is an annual evaluation of a company, based on ESG factors that S&P Global, Inc. determines are financially material to the company, relative to its industry peer companies.
After implementing the exclusion criteria described above, the remaining companies are then ranked based on their S&P Global
ESG Score. For each GICS industry group, companies are selected for inclusion in the Index primarily in decreasing order of S&P Global ESG Score until approximately 75% of the float adjusted market capitalization of the industry group is reached.
The Index is float-adjusted market capitalization weighted. A company's float-adjusted market
capitalization is calculated by multiplying the number of shares readily available in the market by the price of such shares. The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced annually on the last business day in April based on information as of the last trading date in March. In addition,
companies will be removed from the Index (i) on the last business day of July, October and January, if found to meet a Business Involvement Exclusion as of the last business day of the previous month, or (ii) on the third Friday of March, June, September and December if found to be a Non-Compliant UNGC Company as of the last business day of the previous month. In addition, between
Index rebalances, Index constituents may be removed from the Index for their involvement in economic crime and corruption, fraud, illegal commercial practices, human rights abuses, labor disputes, workplace safety catastrophic accidents, environmental disasters, and certain other activities associated with environmental, social and governance risks. Any companies removed from the Index on
account of such activities are not eligible for inclusion in the Index until one full calendar year from the next rebalancing of the Index. As of August 31, 2026, a significant portion of the Fund comprised companies in the technology sector, although this may
change from time to time. As of July 31, 2026, the Index comprised of 328 stocks.
The Index is sponsored by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (the “Index Provider”), which is not affiliated with the
Fund or the Adviser. The Index Provider determines the composition of the Index, relative weightings of the securities in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund. Fund Shares will
change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government
agency.
Market Risk: The Fund's investments are subject to changes in general economic conditions, general market
fluctuations and the risks inherent in investment in securities markets. Investment markets can be volatile and prices of investments can change substantially due to various factors including, but not limited to, economic growth or recession, changes in interest rates, inflation, changes in the actual or perceived creditworthiness of issuers, and general market liquidity. The Fund is subject to the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt securities markets and adversely affect global economies and markets. Local, regional or global
events such as war, military conflicts, acts of terrorism, trade policy changes or disputes, the threat or actual imposition of tariffs, natural disasters, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments.
Equity Investing Risk: The market prices of equity securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes
rapidly or unpredictably. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that may directly relate to the issuer and also may decline due to general industry or market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.
ESG Investing Risk: The Index's incorporation of ESG considerations in its
methodology may cause the Fund to make different investments than funds that do not incorporate such considerations in their strategy or investment processes. Under certain economic conditions, this could cause the Fund's investment performance to be worse than funds that do not incorporate such
considerations. The Index's incorporation of ESG considerations may affect the Fund's exposure to certain sectors and/or types of