03/06/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/06/2026 16:06
The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund III
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS LONG/SHORT EQUITY FUND
Class S Shares: KCESX ● I Shares: KCEIX
Summary Prospectus | March 1, 2026
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Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund's complete prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund's prospectus and other information about the Fund online at http://www.kofcassetadvisors.org/kadv/en/solutions/funds.html. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-844-KC-Funds (1-844-523-8637), by sending an e-mail request to [email protected], or by asking any financial intermediary that offers shares of the Fund. The Fund's prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated March 1, 2026, as they may be amended from time to time, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus and may be obtained, free of charge, at the website, phone number or e-mail address noted above. |
Investment Objective
The Knights of Columbus Long/Short Equity Fund (the "Long/Short Equity Fund" or the "Fund") seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Fund Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a broker for transactions in I Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
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Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if shares redeemed have been held for less than 30 days) |
2.00% |
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
|
I Shares |
Class S Shares |
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Management Fees |
1.25% |
1.25% |
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Other Expenses |
0.68% |
0.88% |
|
Shareholder Servicing Fees |
None |
0.20% |
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Dividend and Interest Expenses on Securities Sold Short |
0.46% |
0.46% |
|
Other Operating Expenses |
0.17% |
0.17% |
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Previously Waived Fees and/or Reimbursed Expenses Recovered |
0.05% |
0.05% |
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Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses |
0.05% |
0.05% |
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1,2 |
1.98% |
2.18% |
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The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses in this fee table do not correlate to the expense ratios in the Fund's Financial Highlights because the Financial Highlights include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Fund, and exclude Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses. |
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2 |
Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC ("Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors" or the "Adviser") has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or to reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other costs and expenses relating to the securities that are purchased and sold by the Fund, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, Dividend and Interest Expenses on Securities Sold Short, non-routine expenses and any class-specific expenses (including Shareholder Servicing Fees) (collectively, "excluded expenses")) from exceeding 1.50% of the average daily net assets of each of the Fund's share classes until February 28, 2027 (the "contractual expense limit"). In addition, the Adviser may receive from the Fund the difference between the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) and the contractual expense limit to recoup all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements made during the rolling three-year period preceding the recoupment if at any point Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including excluded expenses) are below the |
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contractual expense limit (i) at the time of the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement and (ii) at the time of the recoupment. This agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board of Trustees (the "Board") of The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund III (the "Trust"), for any reason at any time; or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days' prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2027.
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 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
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1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
|
|
I Shares |
$201 |
$621 |
$1,056 |
$2,267 |
|
Class S Shares |
$221 |
$682 |
$1,159 |
$2,475 |
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 total annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 110% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in long and short positions in equity securities. This investment policy can be changed by the Fund upon 60 days' prior written notice to shareholders.
The equity securities in which the Fund invests are primarily common stocks of large-capitalization U.S. companies and derivatives with economic characteristics similar to such securities. The Fund considers a large-capitalization company to be a company with a market capitalization above the 70th percentile of the market capitalization of companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") (approximately $12.5 billion as of January 31, 2026).
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The Fund takes long and short positions in equity securities. A long position arises where the Fund holds a security in its portfolio or maintains a position through a derivative instrument that provides economic exposure similar to direct ownership of the security. Short positions generally involve selling a security not held within the portfolio in anticipation that the security's price will decline or entering into a derivative instrument that provides economic exposure similar to a short sale of the security. To complete a short sale transaction, the Fund typically must borrow the stock to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund then would be obligated to replace the stock borrowed by purchasing the stock at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be higher or lower than the price at which the stock was sold short by the Fund. The Fund will be managed with a net long exposure bias, but has the ability to have net short exposure. The Fund may hold a substantial portion of its total assets in cash when it holds significant short positions.
In addition to investing in derivatives to take long and short positions, the Fund may also invest in derivatives for hedging or risk management purposes. The derivatives in which the Fund principally invests are options and swaps.
The Fund seeks to make investment decisions consistent with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Socially Responsible Investing Guidelines (the "USCCB Guidelines"), and therefore, the Fund is designed to avoid investments in companies that are believed to be involved with abortion, contraception, pornography, stem cell research/human cloning, weapons of mass destruction, or other enterprises that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. As part of the screening process for the Fund, the Adviser uses information from a third-party environmental, social, and governance research firm and consults with experts to assess the policies and practices of companies based on the criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines. Based on such assessments, the Adviser compiles and maintains a list of companies that it determines to be inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines (the "Restricted Securities List"). The Fund seeks to avoid investments in companies identified through this process. The policies and practices of the companies selected for the Fund are monitored for various issues contemplated by the USCCB Guidelines. If L2 Asset Management, LLC ("L2 Asset Management" or the "Sub-Adviser"), the Fund's sub-adviser, becomes aware that the Fund is invested in a company whose policies and practices are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, the Sub-Adviser may sell the company's securities or otherwise exclude future investments in such company. Although the Fund is designed to
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avoid taking long positions in the equity securities of such companies, the Fund may, consistent with the USCCB Guidelines, take short positions in the equity securities of such companies. The criteria used to screen out companies for the Fund may be modified from time to time to seek to maintain alignment with any changes to the USCCB Guidelines.
In selecting investments to buy and sell for the Fund, the Sub-Adviser utilizes a hybrid quantitative and fundamental investment process to seek to identify atypically high-quality companies for their level of market valuation. Stocks are evaluated by the Sub-Adviser on many variables that can be classified broadly into various categories, including "valuation" and "earnings quality." "Valuation" contains traditional measures such as the dividend-to-price ratio and the earnings-to-price ratio, and "earnings quality" is used to assess the quality of earnings using measures such as accounting accruals and inventory turnover. Other variables focus on measures of analysts' forecasts, balance sheet quality, market movements and return patterns including short and long-term price momentum. The Fund may focus its investments in one or more sectors.
Due to its investment strategy, the Fund may buy and sell securities frequently.
Principal Risks
As with all mutual funds, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. A Fund share is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency. The principal risk factors affecting shareholders' investments in the Fund are set forth below.
Short Sales Risk - A short sale involves the sale of a security that the Fund does not own in the expectation of purchasing the same security (or a security exchangeable therefore) at a later date at a lower price. Short sales expose the Fund to the risk that it will be required to buy the security sold short (also known as "covering" the short position) at a time when the security has appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. Investment in short sales may also cause the Fund to incur expenses related to borrowing securities. Reinvesting proceeds received from short selling may create leverage which can amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund and, therefore, the Fund's share prices. Theoretically, uncovered short sales have the potential to expose the Fund to unlimited losses.
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Equity Risk - Since it purchases equity securities, the Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund's equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. Actual or threatened war or armed conflicts, acts of terrorism, social or political unrest, the imposition of tariffs and other restrictions on trade, sanctions, government defaults, government shutdowns, and other factors could affect the securities market. In addition, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund's performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund.
Large-Capitalization Company Risk - The large-capitalization companies in which the Fund invests may not respond as quickly as smaller companies to competitive challenges, and their growth rates may lag the growth rates of well-managed smaller companies during strong economic periods.
Active Management Risk - The Fund is subject to the risk that the Adviser's or the Sub-Adviser's judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the Fund's investments may prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform in comparison to its benchmark index or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.
Catholic Values Investing Risk - The Fund considers the USCCB Guidelines in its investment process and may choose not to purchase, or may sell, including at inopportune times which would result in losses to the Fund, otherwise profitable investments in companies which have been identified as being in conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. This means that the Fund may underperform other similar mutual funds that do not consider the USCCB Guidelines when making investment decisions. In addition, there can be no guarantee that the activities of the companies identified by the Fund's investment process will align (or be perceived to align) fully with all of the principles contained in
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the USCCB Guidelines. The process of screening out companies and maintaining the Restricted Securities List that is based on criteria set forth in the USCCB Guidelines relies in part on third-party information or data that may be inaccurate, unavailable or outdated, which could cause the Fund to inadvertently hold securities of companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. For example, to the extent there are changes to the USCCB Guidelines, there could be a significant delay before the changes are fully incorporated into the screening process and reflected in the Restricted Securities List. This may cause the Fund to be invested for a period of time in companies that conflict with the USCCB Guidelines. Although the Fund's investment approach seeks to identify and screen out companies that are inconsistent with the USCCB Guidelines, investors may differ in their views of what companies fit within this category of investments. As a result, to the extent an investor intends to invest in a manner consistent with the investor's interpretation of the USCCB Guidelines, an investment in the Fund may fail to achieve such objective.
Derivatives Risk - The Fund's use of options and swaps is subject to market risk, leverage risk, correlation risk, liquidity risk and hedging risk. Market risk is the risk that the market value of an investment may move up and down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Leverage risk is the risk that since derivatives may be purchased for a fraction of their value, a relatively small price movement in a derivative may result in an immediate and substantial loss or gain for the Fund, and may also cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations. Correlation risk is the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly or at all with the underlying asset, rate or index. Liquidity risk is the risk that certain securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the Fund would like. Hedging risk is the risk that derivative instruments used for hedging purposes may also limit any potential gain that may result from the increase in value of the hedged asset. To the extent that the Fund engages in hedging strategies, there can be no assurance that such strategy will be effective or that there will be a hedge in place at any given time. The Fund's use of swaps is also subject to credit risk and valuation risk. Credit risk is the risk that the counterparty to a derivative contract will default or otherwise become unable to honor a financial obligation. Valuation risk is the risk that a security may be difficult to value. Each of these risks could cause the Fund to lose more than the principal amount invested in a derivative instrument.
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Sector Emphasis Risk - The securities of companies in the same business sector, if comprising a significant portion of the Fund's portfolio, may in some circumstances react negatively to market conditions, interest rates and economic, regulatory or financial developments and adversely affect the value of the portfolio to a greater extent than if such securities comprised a lesser portion of the Fund's portfolio or the Fund's portfolio was diversified across a greater number of industry sectors.
Investment Style Risk - The Sub-Adviser's value investment style may increase the risks of investing in the Fund. If the Sub-Adviser's assessment of market conditions, or a company's value or prospects for exceeding earnings expectations is inaccurate, the Fund could suffer losses or produce poor performance relative to other funds. In addition, "value stocks" can continue to be undervalued by the market for long periods of time.
Portfolio Turnover Risk - Due to its investment strategy, the Fund may buy and sell securities frequently. This may result in higher transaction costs and additional capital gains tax liabilities, which may affect the Fund's performance.
Large Purchase and Redemption Risk - Large purchases or redemptions of the Fund's shares may force the Fund to purchase or sell securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, and may cause the Fund's portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs to rise, which may negatively affect the Fund's performance and have adverse tax consequences for Fund shareholders.
Performance Information
The bar chart and the performance table below illustrate the risks and volatility of an investment in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's I Shares' performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual total returns for 1 year, 5 years and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance and a more narrowly based index with characteristics relevant to the Fund's investment strategies. Of course, the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.
Class S Shares had not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus. Therefore, performance information for Class S Shares is not presented. Class S Shares would have substantially similar performance as I Shares because the shares are invested in the same portfolio of securities and the returns would generally differ only to the
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extent that expenses of Class S Shares are higher than the expenses of I Shares, in which case the returns for Class S Shares would be lower than those of I Shares.
Updated performance information is available on the Fund's website at www.kofcassetadvisors.org or by calling toll-free to 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).
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BEST QUARTER |
WORST QUARTER |
|
6.97% |
(9.66)% |
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(03/31/2021) |
(03/31/2020) |
Average Annual Total Returns for Periods Ended December 31, 2025
This table compares the Fund's average annual total returns for the periods ended December 31, 2025 to those of an appropriate broad-based index and a more narrowly based index with characteristics relevant to the Fund's investment strategies.
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns will depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts ("IRAs").
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Knights of Columbus Long/Short Equity |
1 Year |
5 Years |
Since Inception |
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Fund Returns Before Taxes |
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|
I Shares |
5.51% |
9.99% |
6.11% |
|
Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions |
|||
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I Shares |
4.88% |
8.94% |
5.28% |
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Fund Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
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I Shares |
3.34% |
7.49% |
4.47% |
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Bloomberg U.S. 1000 Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
17.51% |
13.47% |
15.19% |
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HFRX Equity Market Neutral Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
6.36% |
3.72% |
2.25% |
Investment Advisers
Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund. L2 Asset Management, LLC serves as investment sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Dr. Sanjeev Bhojraj, Co-Founder and Portfolio Manager at L2 Asset Management, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2019.
Mr. Matthew Malgari, Co-Founder, Managing Member and Portfolio Manager at L2 Asset Management, has managed the Fund since its inception in 2019.
Mr. Nathan Przybylo, Partner, Head of Quantitative Programming and Portfolio Manager at L2 Asset Management, has managed the Fund since 2021.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may generally purchase or redeem shares on any day that the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open for business.
To purchase I Shares of the Fund for the first time, you must invest, in the aggregate, at least $25,000 in one or more Knights of Columbus Funds. If you hold I Shares of a Knights of Columbus Fund, you may purchase I Shares of the same Fund, or purchase I Shares of any other
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Knights of Columbus Fund, in amounts of at least $250. However, these minimum initial and subsequent investment requirements for I Shares of the Fund do not apply to clients of the Adviser who participate in, and purchase I Shares through, a fee-based investment advisory program sponsored by the Adviser or its affiliates. The Adviser currently sponsors a fee-based investment advisory program through which I Shares is the only class of shares of the Fund available for purchase by participating clients. For additional information about this program, please contact the Adviser.
There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment amount for Class S Shares of the Fund.
The Fund may accept investments of smaller amounts in their sole discretion.
If you own your shares directly, you may redeem your shares by contacting the Fund directly by mail at Knights of Columbus Funds, P.O. Box 219009, Kansas City, MO 64121-9009 (Express Mail Address: Knights of Columbus Funds, c/o SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc., 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 219009, Kansas City, MO 64105-1307) or telephone at 1-844-KC-FUNDS (1-844-523-8637).
If you own your shares through an account with a broker or other financial intermediary, contact that broker or financial intermediary to redeem your shares. Your broker or financial intermediary may charge a fee for its services in addition to the fees charged by the Fund.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as qualified dividend income, ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or IRA, in which case your distributions will be taxed when withdrawn from the tax-deferred account.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of 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 web site for more information.
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KOC-SM-007-0800