The Fund generally invests at least 80% of its total assets in the component securities of the Inspire 500 Index. Inspire Investing, LLC (the “Adviser”), the Fund’s index provider (and also the Fund’s investment adviser) selects domestic large capitalization equity securities using the Adviser’s Inspire Impact Score™, a proprietary selection methodology that is designed to assign a score to a particular security based on the security’s alignment with biblical values and the positive impact that company has on its customers, communities, workplace and the world. The Adviser defines large capitalization companies to be those that are the largest 10% of the U.S. equity market.
Utilizing specifically identified, publicly available and/or third-party sources, the Inspire Impact Score™ methodology endeavors to assign negative scores to and exclude companies from the investment universe if they are found in violation of specified categories that do not align with biblical values, and seeks to assign positive scores to companies which the Adviser has not found to be in violation of the specified exclusionary categories. The selection methodology used in calculating the Inspire Impact Score™ is separate from the fundamental and technical company research that Inspire performs for inclusion in its exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”).
It is not possible for the Adviser to be aware of every action a company takes, and there may be additional positive or problematic activities which a company engages in that are beyond what is included in the Inspire Impact Score™ calculation. The Inspire Impact Score™ is not meant to include all activities, whether public or private, of each company scored, but rather to assign a score to companies based on the data the Adviser has found from the specified publicly available sources and/or third-party data providers. The Inspire Impact Score™ represents the Adviser’s viewpoint on the biblical alignment of scored investments, and other investors may have different opinions about what should or should not be considered a violation. The Adviser seeks to update Inspire Impact Scores™ in a timely fashion at regular intervals, but due to differences in research schedules, corporate engagement efforts and data publication timing, a company’s Inspire Impact Score™ may not immediately reflect all known data as soon as it is researched.
The specific exclusionary categories deemed to not be in alignment with biblical values for which the Inspire Impact Score™ seeks to assign negative scores (to companies to be excluded from the investment universe) are as follows:
| ● | Abortifacients: Companies that manufacture or distribute (1) abortifacient drugs (pharmaceuticals designed or used to terminate a pregnancy at any stage, from conception onward), (2) medications whose primary active ingredient (e.g., mifepristone & misoprostol) is capable of causing an abortion regardless of stated use, and/or (3) contraceptive drugs, including “emergency contraceptive” drugs (e.g., Plan B, levonorgestrel, ella, or certain hormonal IUDs), that can prevent implantation of a fertilized egg, thereby acting as an abortifacient. |
| ● | Abortion Activism: Companies that promote abortion access through legislative support, corporate philanthropic activity, and/or employee travel benefits. Screening includes companies that have signed “Don’t Ban Equality” and/or “Don’t Ban Equality in Texas” Statement(s) from Planned Parenthood, a widely known abortion access advocate, to pledge support for legalizing abortion access and to oppose legislative bans on abortion access, companies that engage in corporate-guided philanthropy to Center for American Progress, Women and Their Bodies, and/or Pathfinder, which advocate for abortion access (seeks to exclude donations from employee matching programs, employee resource groups, donor-advised funds, and foundations), and companies that offer employee travel benefits which allow employee access to abortion services at any stage of pregnancy, according to Rhia Ventures and the 1792 Exchange. The Adviser is not able to screen for companies that donate to Planned Parenthood because its corporate donor list is no longer publicly available. |
| ● | Abortion Services: Companies that own and operate one or more medical facilities that provide abortion procedures at any stage of pregnancy. |
| ● | Alcohol: Companies that produce at least one alcoholic beverage or exclusively distribute alcoholic beverages. |
| ● | Cannabis Cultivation/Processing: Companies that cultivate or process cannabis for retail or wholesale distribution. |
| ● | Cannabis (Retail THC): Companies that produce or distribute retail cannabis products containing THC (which is the psychoactive component of cannabis). |
| ● | Embryonic Stem Cells: Companies that perform research on or produce products using embryonic stem cells, companies that provide embryonic stem cells to other entities and companies that utilize propagated stem cell lines which originally derived from embryonic stem cells. |
| ● | Exploitation: Companies that contribute towards the unlawful and immoral practices of exploiting individuals for labor or sexual purposes, according to the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE). |
| ● | Gambling: Companies that generate revenue from gambling facilities, products, and/or services (not including third-party stores which offer Lottery services). |
| ● | In Vitro Fertilization: Companies that offer in vitro fertilization services or manufacture equipment specifically for the purpose of in vitro fertilization procedures. |
| ● | LGBT Activism: Companies that receive an above-average rating in an annual self-reported survey conducted by a national LGBT advocacy organization. The survey rates companies based on their corporate LGBT activism across several areas, including philanthropy, corporate policy, marketing efforts, and legislative support. The advocacy organization extrapolates the information obtained and publishes each company’s score, and an average score for all companies. |
| ● | Sexually Explicit Content: Companies that derive revenue from the creation, sale, or distribution of sexually explicit content and/or services for recreation and/or entertainment purposes. This category seeks to cover media types, such as film, print, gaming, and online that contain pornographic content, including platforms that stream movies rated for nudity and/or sex, and other explicit depictions of sex, such as audio pornography or animated sex/nudity. Also included are companies that profit from sexually immoral services, such as strip clubs and LGBT dating services, that actively promote and profit from unbiblical sexual behavior |
| ● | State Owned Enterprise: Companies that are verifiably labeled “state owned” or have greater than 50% ownership by a nation-state/government are excluded from investment due to significant human rights violations of the following nature (as provided by U.S. Department of State): freedom of religion, sexual exploitation of children, trafficking in persons (Tier 3 only), and/or predominantly governed by Sharia Law. The current list of countries excluded from investment due to significant human rights violations is available at https://inspireinsight.com/excludedcountries. |
| ● | Tobacco: Companies that derive revenue from producing or exclusively distributing tobacco products. |
In addition to excluding companies involved in the preceding categories, the Adviser also excludes investment from companies engaged in the following categories, though they do not constitute a negative Inspire Impact Score™:
| ● | Contraceptives (Barrier): Companies that produce barrier-type contraceptives, such as condoms and diaphragms, which prevent pregnancy by creating a physical barrier (rather than hormonal or chemical means). |
| ● | Weapons (Civilian Firearms): Companies that manufacture firearms for civilian use. |
| ● | Weapons (Military): Companies that manufacture and produce weapons and ammunition for military use (this category does not include maintenance, repair, and operation (MRO) companies or individual components for weaponry). |
The specific biblical alignment categories, for which the Inspire Impact Score™ seeks to assign positive scores (to companies not found to be in violation of the previously mentioned exclusionary categories), are listed below. FactSet provides the data for each category.
| ● | Air Quality: Companies that responsibly address and manage the impact of air quality resulting from stationary (e.g., factories, power plants) and mobile sources (e.g., trucks, delivery vehicles, planes) as well as industrial emissions (does not include GHG emissions). |
| ● | Business Ethics: Companies that intentionally manage risks and opportunities surrounding ethical conduct of business, including fraud, corruption, bias, negligence, bribery, facilitation payments, fiduciary responsibilities, and other behavior that may have an ethical component. |
| ● | Business Resilience: Companies that display a capacity to manage risks and opportunities associated with incorporating social, environmental, and political transitions into long-term business model planning despite operating in industries where evolving environmental and social realities challenge their current business approach. |
| ● | Critical Risk Management: Companies that display responsible use of management systems and scenario planning to identify, understand, and prevent or minimize the occurrence of low-probability, high-impact accidents, and emergencies with significant probable consequences, taking into consideration the potential human, environmental, and social implications, as well as the long-term ramifications for the company. |
| ● | Customer Privacy: Companies that responsibly address risks related to the use of personally identifiable information (PII) and other user/customer data for secondary purposes including, but not limited, to marketing through affiliates and non-affiliates, data collecting procedures, managing user/customer expectations, consent processes and compliance with evolving regulation (does not include cybersecurity risks). |
| ● | Customer Welfare: Companies that responsibly address customer welfare concerns over issues including, but not limited to, health and nutrition of foods and beverages, antibiotic use in animal production, and management of controlled substances. |
| ● | Data Security: Companies that responsibly address management of risks related to collection, retention, and use of sensitive, confidential, and/or proprietary customer or user data, as well as strategic policies for incidents such as data breaches. |
| ● | Employee Wellbeing: Companies that responsibly address their ability to create and maintain a safe and healthy workplace environment that is free of injuries, fatalities, and illness (both chronic and acute) through the implementation of safety management plans, training requirements, regular audits of internal practices, and systematized monitoring and testing. |
| ● | Energy Management: Companies that conscientiously manage the environmental impacts linked to their energy consumption used in their business operations. |
| ● | Environmental Risk Mitigation: Companies that display the ability to manage risks and opportunities associated with direct exposure of their owned or controlled assets and operations as they pertain to the potential or actual physical impacts of environmental factors, including factors such as the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather, shifting climate, sea level change, and other expected physical impacts. |
| ● | Ethical Labor Practices: Companies that responsibly ensure adherence to widely accepted labor standards within the workplace. This encompasses compliance with labor laws and internationally recognized norms and standards, including fundamental human rights and the prohibition of child, forced, or bonded labor, as well as exploitative labor practices. |
| ● | Ethical Sales Practices: Companies that responsibly handle social issues arising from inadequately managing the transparency, accuracy, and comprehensibility of marketing statements, advertising, and product/service labeling. |
| ● | Ethical Supply Chain Management: Companies that responsibly address the management of risks within their supply chain and handle issues associated with environmental and social externalities created by suppliers through their operational activities. Such issues include, but are not limited to, environmental responsibility, human rights, labor practices, ethics, and corruption. |
| ● | Fair Competition: Companies that conscientiously manage issues associated with the existence of monopolies, which may include, but are not limited to, excessive prices, poor quality of service, and inefficiencies. |
| ● | GHG Emissions: Companies that responsibly address direct (Scope 1) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions they may generate through their operations, which includes GHG emissions from stationary (e.g., factories, power plants) or mobile sources (e.g., trucks, delivery vehicles, planes). The seven GHGs covered under the Kyoto Protocol are included within the category: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). |
| ● | Hiring Ethics: Companies that responsibly address their ability to ensure culture, hiring, and promotion practices do not discriminate based on race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and other factors. |
| ● | Human Rights: Companies that responsibly manage the relationship between their business and the communities in which they operate, including, but not limited to, management of direct and indirect impacts on core human rights, the treatment of indigenous peoples, and the impact of local businesses. |
| ● | Low Ecological Impact: Companies that demonstrate conscientious knowledge and management of their impact on ecosystems and biodiversity through activities including, but not limited to, land use for exploration, natural resource extraction, and cultivation, as well as project development, construction, and siting. |
| ● | Materials Efficiency: Companies that responsibly address issues related to the resilience of materials supply chains to impacts of climate change and other external environmental and social factors, including, but not limited to, product design, manufacturing, end-of-life management, reduction of key material usage, maximizing planning efficiency, and R&D material diversity. |
| ● | Product Safety: Companies that responsibly address issues involving unintended characteristics of products sold or services provided that may create health or safety risks to end-users, meet customer expectations, manage liability concerns, product testing, and intentionally acknowledge recalls or market withdraws. |
| ● | Product Sustainability: Companies that conscientiously acknowledge the characteristics of products and services provided or sold and address customer and societal demand for more sustainable products and services as well as meet evolving environmental and social regulations. |
| ● | Regulatory Adherence: Companies that responsibly engage with regulators in cases where conflicting corporate and public interests may have the potential for long-term adverse direct or indirect environmental and social impacts and display their level of reliance on regulatory policy or monetary incentives while acknowledging the necessity of regulatory compliance within a competitive business environment. |
| ● | Systemic Risk Management: Companies that responsibly manage systemic risks resulting from large-scale weakening or collapse of systems upon which the economy and society depend, such as financial systems, natural resource systems, and technological systems. |
| ● | Waste & Hazmat Management: Companies that responsibly address environmental issues associated with the hazardous and non-hazardous waste they generate and the treatment, handling, storage, disposal, and regulatory compliance. |
| ● | Water Conservation: Companies that conscientiously manage their water use, water consumption, wastewater generation, water recycling, water treatment, and any other operations pertaining to water resources, which may be influenced by regional differences in the availability and quality of and competition for water resources. |
The Adviser uses software that analyzes publicly available data relating to the primary business activities, products and services, philanthropy, legal activities, policies and practices when assigning Inspire Impact Scores™ to a company. The 500 largest US securities without a negative Inspire Impact Score™ are included in the Inspire 500 Index and are market capitalization weighted so that components with higher market values have a higher weighting in the Inspire 500 Index. The Inspire Impact Scores™ of the securities in the Inspire 500 Index are reviewed at least annually for activities that would cause it to be removed from the investment universe due to participation in the activities described above that do not align with biblical values, and the Inspire 500 Index is rebalanced annually. If, upon review, the Inspire Impact Score™ of a security falls below the threshold level for inclusion in the Inspire 500 Index, the security is removed from the Inspire 500 Index and replaced with a higher scoring security. A security with a score of zero—indicating that the issuer has no violations to merit a negative score, but there is insufficient data to assess a positive score—may be included in the Inspire 500 Index if it meets all other criteria set forth in the Inspire 500 Index’s proprietary methodology.
The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Inspire 500 Index because, in certain circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of the securities in the Inspire 500 Index in their proportionate weightings. In that case, the Adviser may purchase a sample of the securities in the Inspire 500 Index to track the Inspire 500 Index. This is known as “representative sampling.” “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics, fundamental characteristics and liquidity measures similar to those of an underlying index.
The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Inspire 500 Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries.
