Delaware Ivy Core Equity Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities, primarily in common stocks of large-capitalization companies. The Fund seeks to invest in companies that the Manager believes are high-quality, have sustainable competitive advantages accompanied by financial strength and earnings stability, and have leading positions in their industries. Large-capitalization companies typically are companies with market capitalizations of at least $10 billion at the time of acquisition. The Fund invests in securities that have the potential for capital appreciation, or that the Manager expects to resist market decline. Although the Fund primarily invests in securities issued by large-capitalization companies, it may invest in securities issued by companies of any size. The Fund may invest in securities of companies across the valuation spectrum, including securities issued by growth and value companies.

The Manager believes that long-term earnings potential relative to market expectations is an important component for stock performance. The Manager balances a top-down (assessing the market environment) approach with a bottom-up (researching individual issuers) analysis when selecting securities for the Fund, and seeks to exploit what it believes to be catalysts for multi-year earnings growth in companies that it believes have strong or strengthening competitive advantages. Earnings catalysts are diversified across both thematic and company-specific projections.

From a top-down perspective, the Manager seeks to identify current trends or themes which indicate specific industries that have the potential to experience multi-year growth. The Manager considers various thematic catalysts in its analysis, including major macro-economic and political forces, cyclical inflections, changes in consumer behavior and technology shifts. Once a trend or theme is identified, the Manager seeks to invest for the Fund in what it believes are dominant companies that will benefit from these trends or themes; including companies that the Manager believes have long-term earnings potential that exceeds market expectations. Through its bottom-up stock selection, the Manager searches for companies for which it believes market expectations are too low with regard to the ability of the companies to grow their businesses.

In selecting securities for the Fund, the Manager may consider whether a company has new products to introduce, has undergone cost restructuring or a management change, or has improved its execution, among other factors.

The Fund typically holds a limited number of stocks (generally 40 to 50).

The Manager attempts to select securities that it believes have growth possibilities by looking at many factors, which may include a company’s: projected long-term earnings power compared to market expectations over a multi-year horizon, competitive position in the global economy, history of improving sales and profits, management strength, ESG characteristics, established brand, leadership position in its industry, stock price value, potential earnings catalyst, dividend payment history, anticipated future dividend yield, and prospects for capital return in the form of dividends and stock buybacks.

Many of the companies in which the Fund may invest have diverse operations, with products or services in foreign markets. Therefore, the Fund may have indirect exposure to various foreign markets through investments in these companies, even if the Fund is not invested directly in such markets.

Generally, in determining whether to sell a security, the Manager uses the same type of analysis that it uses in buying securities. Among other factors, the Manager considers whether, in its opinion, the security has fully appreciated according to the Manager’s forecast, has ceased to offer the prospect of significant growth potential, has had its competitive barriers diminished, has seen its earnings catalyst lose its impact, or has performed below the Manager’s expectations regarding the company’s long-term earnings potential. The Manager also may sell a security to reduce the Fund’s holding in that security, if that issuer’s competitive advantage has diminished or if the Fund’s portfolio manager loses conviction in a previously identified trend or theme, to take advantage of what it believes are more attractive investment opportunities or to raise cash.

The Manager may permit its affiliate, Macquarie Investment Management Global Limited (MIMGL), to execute Fund security trades on behalf of the Manager. The Manager may also seek quantitative support from MIMGL.