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1933 Act File No. 333-218374

1940 Act File No. 811-23259

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

Form N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

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Pre-Effective Amendment No.

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Post-Effective Amendment No. 47

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and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940

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Amendment No. 48

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Federated Hermes Adviser Series

(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):

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immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

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On October 28, 2021 pursuant to paragraph (b)

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60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

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On __________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

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75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

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On __________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485

If appropriate, check the following:

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

Prospectus

October 31, 2021

Share Class | Ticker

Federated Hermes Conservative Microshort Fund

A Portfolio of Federated Hermes Adviser Series

A mutual fund seeking to provide current income consistent with capital preservation while maintaining liquidity by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of investment-grade securities.

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?	5
What are the Fund’s Principal Investments?	6
What are the Specific Risks of Investing in the Fund?	9
What Do Shares Cost?	13
How is the Fund Sold?	14
Payments to Financial Intermediaries	15
How to Purchase Shares	16
How to Redeem and Exchange Shares	18
Security and Privacy Protection	21
Account and Share Information	21
Who Manages the Fund?	23
Financial Information	24
Appendix A: Hypothetical Investment and Expense Information	25

Fund Summary Information

Federated Hermes Conservative Microshort Fund (the “Fund”)

RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund’s investment objective is to provide current income consistent with capital preservation while maintaining liquidity.

RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: FEES AND EXPENSES

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Class A Shares (A) of the Fund. 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.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

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

	A
Management Fee	0.25%
Distribution (12b-1) Fee	10.15%
Other Expenses	32,0.87%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	20.07%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	1.34%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements4	(0.94)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/orExpense Reimbursements	0.40%

The Fund may incur and pay a Distribution (12b-1) Fee on the A class of the Fund of up to a maximum of 0.25%. However, the A class of the Fund will not incur and pay a 12b-1 Fee in excess of 0.15% until such time as approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Trustees”).

Other Expenses and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

The Fund may incur and pay certain service fees (shareholder services/account administrations fees) on its A class of up to a maximum of 0.25%. The A class of the Fund will not incur and pay such fees until such time as approved by 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 interest expense, extraordinary expenses, and proxy-related expenses, paid by the Fund, if any) paid by the Fund’s A class (after the voluntary waivers and/or reimbursements) will not exceed 0.40% (the “Fee Limit”),up to but not including the later of (the “Termination Date”): (a)November 1, 2022; 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.

The fees and expenses shown in the table above and the Example that follows include the fees and expenses of the Fund and the Fund’s share of the fees and expenses of the Federated Hermes Institutional Money Market Management (“Underlying Fund”), an affiliated money market fund in which the Fund invests a considerable portion of its assets. The Fund invests in the Institutional Shares of the Underlying Fund, which do not currently charge any distribution, shareholder servicing or account administration fees. Both the Fund and the Underlying Fund have investment advisory agreements with the Adviser by which the Adviser is entitled to a management fee of 0.25% and 0.20% of the average daily net assets of the Fund and the Underlying Fund, respectively. However, to avoid charging duplicative fees, the Adviser will waive and/or reimburse the Fund’s Management Fee with respect to the amount of its net assets invested in the Underlying Fund. The Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses of the Underlying Fund (including Management Fees) are reflected in the table above as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses. The Adviser will also waive and/or reimburse the Fund’s Management Fee and other expenses to the extent necessary to abide by the above “Fee Limit.”

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 or hold 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 operating expenses (excluding any sales charges on reinvested dividends, fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements) are as shown in the table above and remain the same. The expenses used to calculate the Fund’s examples do not include fee waivers or expense reimbursements. Although your actual costs and returns may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

1 Year	$ 136
3 Years	$ 425
5 Years	$734
10 Years	$ 1,613

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 period from February 3, 2021 (commencement of operations) to August 31, 2021, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 26% of the average value of its portfolio.

RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: INVESTMENTS, RISKS and PERFORMANCE

What are the Fund’s Main Investment Strategies?

The Fund is not a money market fund; is not subject to the special regulatory requirements and risk limiting conditions (including maturity, liquidity and credit quality constraints) applicable to money market funds; and does not qualify for special money market fund tax accounting methods under certain Treasury regulations.

Within investment-grade securities, the Fund may invest up to 15% of its assets in BBB rated, fixed-income securities or, with respect to securities maturing in 397 days or less, securities with short-term ratings of comparable credit quality to BBB (i.e., A-3 or P-3 ratings).

The Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”) actively manages the Fund’s portfolio, seeking to buy securities to further its investment objective and to sell a security when, in the view of the Adviser, it is no longer attractive in furthering the Fund’s investment objective or if the Adviser deems it to be not in the best interest of the Fund. The Adviser attempts to manage the Fund’s credit risk by selecting securities that make default in the payment of principal and interest less likely.

Certain of the government securities in which the Fund invests are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, such as those issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”), the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Bank System. These entities are, however, supported through federal subsidies, loans or other benefits. The Fund may also invest in government securities that are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, such as those issued by the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”). Finally, the Fund may invest in government securities that have no explicit financial support, but that are regarded as having implied support because the federal government sponsors their activities.

of the Fund will be materially affected by the performance of its holdings in the underlying affiliated money market fund than if it invested directly in investment-grade, fixed-income securities. To avoid charging duplicative fees, the Adviser will waive and/or reimburse the Fund’s Management Fee with respect to the amount of its net assets invested in any affiliated money market fund.

The Adviser may seek higher returns than may be offered by a money market fund by generally investing in investment-grade, fixed-income securities, including but not limited to repurchase agreements, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, asset-backed securities and corporate debt securities.

The Fund concentrates its investments (invests more than 25% of its total assets) in securities of companies in the financial services sector, and therefore may experience greater volatility than funds investing in a broader range of industries.

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:

■ Interest Rate Risk. Prices of fixed-income securities generally fall when interest rates rise. The longer the duration of a fixed-income security, the more susceptible it is to interest-rate risk. 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.

■ Issuer Credit Risk. It is possible that interest or principal on securities will not be paid when due. Such non-payment or default may reduce the value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings, its share price and its performance.

■ Counterparty Credit Risk. Credit risk includes the possibility that a party to a transaction 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.

■ Prepayment and Extension Risk. The Fund may invest in asset-backed securities which may be subject to prepayment risk. If interest rates fall, and unscheduled prepayments on such securities accelerate, the Fund will be required to reinvest the proceeds at the lower interest rates then available. Also, when interest rates fall, the price of asset-backed securities may not rise to as great an extent as that of other fixed-income securities. When interest rates rise, the price of asset-backed securities may decrease more than the price of other fixed-income securities when interest rates rise.

■ 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.

■ Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund will experience significant net redemptions of Fund Shares at a time when it cannot find willing buyers for its portfolio securities or can only sell its portfolio securities at a material loss.

■ 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. Economic, political and financial conditions, 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, cause the Fund to experience volatility, illiquidity, shareholder redemptions or other potentially adverse effects. Among other investments, lower-grade bonds may be particularly sensitive to changes in the economy.

■ Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) Risk. The value of asset-backed securities (ABS) may be affected by certain factors such as interest rate risk, credit risk, prepayment risk and the availability of information concerning the pool of underlying assets and its structure. 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. ABS can also be subject to the risk of default on the underlying assets.

■ Risk of Foreign Investing. Because the Fund invests in securities issued by foreign companies, the Fund may be more affected by foreign economic and political conditions, taxation policies and accounting and auditing standards than would otherwise be the case.

■ Credit Enhancement Risk. The securities in which the Fund invests may be subject to credit enhancement (for example, guarantees, letters of credit or bond insurance). If the credit quality of the credit enhancement provider (for example, a bank or bond insurer) is downgraded, the rating on a security credit enhanced by such credit enhancement provider also may be downgraded. Having multiple securities credit enhanced by the same enhancement provider will increase the adverse effects on the Fund that are likely to result from a downgrading of, or a default by, such an enhancement provider. Adverse developments in the banking and bond insurance industries also may negatively affect the Fund.

■ Sector Risk. A substantial part of the Fund’s portfolio may be comprised of securities issued by companies in the financial services industry. As a result, the Fund will be more susceptible to any economic, business, political or other developments which generally affect these companies.

■ Concentration Risk. Because the Fund concentrates its investments in one industry, its performance depends in large part on the performance of that industry. As a result, the value of an investment may fluctuate more widely since it is more susceptible to market, economic, political, regulatory, and other conditions and risks affecting that industry than a fund that invests more broadly across industries and sectors.

■ New Fund Risk. A new fund’s performance may not represent how the fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies.

■ Underlying Fund Risk. The risk that the Fund’s performance is closely related to the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by underlying funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of underlying funds to achieve their respective investment objectives. Underlying money market funds may be adversely affected by market and economic events, such as a sharp rise or fall in prevailing short-term interest rates; adverse developments in the banking industry, which issues or guarantees many money market instruments; adverse economic, political or other developments affecting issuers of money market instruments; changes in the credit quality of issuers; and default by a counterparty. The Fund bears Underlying Fund fees and expenses indirectly. 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 duplicate expenses. However, to avoid charging duplicative fees, the Adviser will waive and/or reimburse the Fund’s Management Fee with respect to the amount of its net assets invested in the Underlying Fund.

■ 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 or the Underlying Fund to sell securities at inopportune times in order to meet 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.

■ Technology Risk. The Adviser uses various technologies in managing the Fund, consistent with its investment objective(s) and strategy described in this prospectus. For example, proprietary and third-party data and systems are utilized to support decision making for the Fund. Data imprecision, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies and similar circumstances may impair the performance of these systems, which may negatively affect Fund performance.

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

A performance bar chart and total return information for the Fund will be provided after the Fund has been in operation for a full calendar year. Updated performance information for the Fund is available under the “Products” section at FederatedInvestors.com or by calling 1-800-341-7400.

FUND MANAGEMENT

The Fund’s Investment Adviser is Federated Investment Management Company.

Paige M. Wilhelm, Senior Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception January of 2021.

Mark F. Weiss, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception January of 2021.

Randall S. Bauer, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception January of 2021.

Nicholas S. Tripodes, CFA, Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception January of 2021.

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 Class

The minimum investment amount for the Fund’s A class 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 for employer-sponsored retirement plans. Certain types of accounts are eligible for lower minimum investments. The minimum investment for Systematic Investment Programs is $50.

Tax Information

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.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

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.

What are the Fund’s Investment Strategies?

The Fund’s investment objective is to provide current income consistent with capital preservation while maintaining liquidity. While there is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, it endeavors to do so by following the principal strategies and policies described in this Prospectus. The Fund’s investment objective may be changed by the Fund’s Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. The Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (SAI) provides information about the Fund’s non-principal strategies.

The Fund seeks to invest all of its assets in investment-grade, fixed-income securities (or unrated securities of comparable quality), including but not limited to repurchase agreements, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, asset-backed securities and corporate debt securities. The Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”) attempts to select securities offering attractive risk-adjusted yields over comparable Treasury securities. Corporate and asset-backed securities offer higher yields compared to Treasury securities to compensate for their additional risks, such as credit risk. In selecting securities, the Adviser seeks the higher relative returns of corporate and asset-backed securities, while attempting to limit or manage their additional credit or prepayment risks. The Adviser attempts to manage the Fund’s credit risk by selecting securities that make default in the payment of principal and interest less likely. The Adviser analyzes a variety of factors, including macroeconomic analysis and corporate earnings analysis to determine which business sectors and credit ratings are most advantageous for investment by the Fund. In selecting individual corporate fixed-income securities, the Adviser analyzes the issuer’s business, competitive position and general financial condition to assess whether the security’s credit risk is commensurate with its potential return.

Although the value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate, the Adviser seeks to maintain a low degree of share price fluctuation by executing a “microshort” strategy. The Adviser considers a “microshort” strategy to be consistent with a relatively short dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity which, in the case of the Fund, will generally be limited to a maximum of 180 days. Under normal market conditions, individual securities’ maturities will not exceed 2.5 years for fixed rate securities and 3 years for floating rate securities. The Adviser may lengthen or shorten duration from time to time based on its interest rate outlook. Duration measures the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The greater a portfolio’s average duration, the greater the change in the portfolio’s value in response to a change in market interest rates. The maturity of asset-backed securities is determined on an average life basis by the Adviser. The average life is the average period over which the security’s cash flows will be received.

When selecting investments for the Fund, the Fund can invest in securities directly or by investing in other affiliates investment companies. The Fund will seek to implement its investment strategy through the investment of a considerable portion of its assets (up to 70%) in an affiliated money market fund until it can achieve predetermined asset size scale to invest in securities directly, which could last for the first year of operations or longer. During such time, the performance of the Fund will be materially affected by the performance of its holdings in the underlying affiliated money market fund than if it invested directly in investment-grade, fixed-income securities. To avoid charging duplicative fees, the Adviser will waive and/or reimburse the Fund’s Management Fee with respect to the amount of its net assets invested in any affiliated money market fund. The Adviser may seek higher returns than may be offered by a money market fund by generally investing in repurchase agreements, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, asset-backed securities and corporate debt securities.

INDUSTRY CONCENTRATION

The Fund may not purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result, more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry, except that the Fund will invest more than 25% of its total assets in the financial services industry.

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 objective.

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.

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 fixed-income securities in which the Fund principally invests:

Treasury Securities (A Type of 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 Type of 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”) and Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) 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.

Corporate Debt Securities (A Type of 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 credit risks of corporate debt securities vary widely among issuers.

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.

Demand Instruments (A Type of Corporate Debt Security)

Demand instruments are corporate debt 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.

Callable Securities (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)

Certain fixed-income securities in which the Fund invests are callable at the option of the issuer. Callable securities are subject to call risks.

Municipal Securities (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)

Municipal securities are issued by states, counties, cities and other political subdivisions and authorities. Although many municipal securities are exempt from federal income tax, the Fund may invest in taxable municipal securities.

Asset-Backed Securities (A Type of 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.

Foreign Securities

Foreign securities are securities of issuers based outside the United States. The Fund considers an issuer to be based outside the United States if:

■ 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; or

■ 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.

Along with the risks normally associated with domestic securities of the same type, foreign securities are subject to risks of foreign investing.

Bank Instruments (A Type of 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. orforeign banks.

OTHER INVESTMENTS, TRANSACTIONS, TECHNIQUES

Investing in Securities of Other Investment Companies

The Fund may invest its assets in securities of other investment companies, including the securities of affiliated money market 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. The Fund may also invest in such securities directly. These other investment companies 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 interests for the Adviser to the Fund and the investment adviser to the acquired 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 acquired fund. In the case of an investment in an affiliated fund, a conflict of interest can arise if, because of the Fund’s investment in the acquired fund, the acquired fund is able to garner more assets, thereby growing the acquired fund and increasing the management fees received by the investment adviser to the acquired 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 other investment companies should outweigh the potential additional fees and/or expenses and resulting conflicts of interest. The Fund is prohibited from investing in other registered investment companies in excess of the limitations imposed on acquired funds by Rule 12d1-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

Credit Enhancement

The Fund may invest in securities that have credit enhancement. Credit enhancement consists of an arrangement in which an entity agrees to pay amounts due on a fixed-income security if the issuer defaults. In some cases, the entity providing credit enhancement makes all payments directly to the security holders and receives reimbursement from the issuer. Normally, the credit enhancement provider may have greater financial resources and liquidity than the issuer. For this reason, the Adviser may evaluate the credit risk of a fixed-income security based solely upon its credit enhancement.

Common types of credit enhancement include guarantees, letters of credit, bond insurance and surety bonds. Credit enhancement also includes arrangements where securities or other liquid assets secure payment of a fixed-income security. If a default occurs, these assets may be sold and the proceeds paid to the security’s holders. Either form of credit enhancement reduces credit risks by providing another source of payment for a fixed-income security. The Adviser evaluates credit enhancements based on its own credit assessment standards and analysis.

Repurchase Agreements

Repurchase agreements are transactions in which the Fund buys a security from a dealer or bank 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 banks and other recognized financial institutions, such as securities dealers, deemed creditworthy by the Adviser.

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 risks.

Additional Information Regarding the Security Selection Process

As part of analysis inherent in its security selection process, among other factors, the Adviser also evaluates whether environmental, social and governance factors could have positive or negative impact on the risk profiles of many issuers or guarantors in the universe of securities in which the Fund may invest. The Adviser may also consider information derived from active engagements conducted by its in-house stewardship team with certain issuers or guarantors. This qualitative 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.

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 holdings with maturities of 397 days or less, only short-term ratings will be used for credit quality purposes. For example, Standard & Poor’s, an NRSRO, assigns ratings to investment-grade securities (AAA, AA, A and BBB including modifiers, sub-categories and gradations (for long-term issues) and A-1, A-2 and A-3 (for short-term issues)) 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.

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.

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%.

The impact of interest rate changes on the value of floating rate investments is typically reduced by periodic interest rate resets. Variable and floating rate investments generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much or as quickly as interest rates in general. Conversely, variable and floating rate investments generally will not increase in value as much as fixed rate debt instruments if interest rates decline.

ISSUER Credit Risk

It is possible that interest or principal on securities will not be paid when due. Such non-payment or default may reduce the value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings, its share price and its performance.

Many fixed-income securities receive credit ratings from nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs) such as Fitch Rating Service, Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. and Standard & Poor’s that assign ratings to securities by assessing the likelihood of an issuer and/or guarantor default. Higher credit ratings correspond to lower perceived credit risk and lower credit ratings correspond to higher perceived credit risk. Credit ratings may be upgraded or downgraded from time to time as an NRSRO’s assessment of the financial condition of a party obligated to make payments with respect to such securities and credit risk changes. The impact of any credit rating downgrade can be uncertain. Credit rating downgrades may lead to increased interest rates and volatility in financial markets, which in turn could negatively affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings, its share price and its investment performance. Credit ratings are not a guarantee of quality. Credit ratings may lag behind the current financial conditions of the issuer and/or guarantor and do not provide assurance against default or other loss of money. Credit ratings do not protect against a decline in the value of a security. If a security has not received a rating, the Fund must rely entirely upon the Adviser’s credit assessment.

Fixed-income securities generally compensate for greater credit risk by paying interest at a higher rate. The difference between the yield of a security and the yield of a U.S. Treasury security or other appropriate benchmark with a comparable maturity (the “spread”) measures the additional interest paid for risk. Spreads may increase generally in response to adverse economic or market conditions. A security’s spread may also increase if the security’s rating is lowered, or the security is perceived to have an increased credit risk. An increase in the spread will cause the price of the security to decline if interest rates remain unchanged.

Counterparty Credit Risk

Credit risk includes the possibility that a party to a transaction 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.

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 some asset-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, which create risks that can adversely affect a fund holding such securities.

For example, when interest rates decline, the value of asset-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.

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

Generally, prepayable asset-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 asset-backed security and the yield of a Treasury security or other appropriate benchmark with a comparable maturity (the “spread”). An increase in the spread will cause the price of the asset-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.

Call Risk

Call risk is the possibility that an issuer may redeem a fixed-income security before maturity (a “call”) at a price below or above 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.

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk is the risk that the Fund will experience significant net redemptions of Fund Shares at a time when it cannot find willing buyers for its portfolio securities or can only sell its portfolio securities at a material loss. An inability to sell portfolio securities may result from adverse market developments or investor perceptions regarding the portfolio securities. While the Fund endeavors to maintain a high level of liquidity in its portfolio so that it can satisfy redemption requests, the Fund’s ability to sell portfolio securities can deteriorate rapidly due to credit events affecting particular issuers or credit enhancement providers, or due to general market conditions and a lack of willing buyers.

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. Economic, political and financial conditions, or industry or economic trends and developments, may, from time to time, and for varying periods of time, cause volatility, illiquidity or other potentially adverse effects in the financial markets, including the fixed-income market. The commencement, continuation or ending of government policies and economic stimulus programs, changes in monetary policy, increases or decreases in interest rates, or other factors or events that affect the financial markets, including the fixed-income markets, may contribute to the development of or increase in volatility, illiquidity, shareholder redemptions and other adverse effects which could negatively impact the Fund’s performance. For example, the value of certain portfolio securities may rise or fall in response to changes in interest rates, which could result from a change in government policies, and has the potential to cause investors to move out of certain portfolio securities, including fixed-income securities, on a large scale. This may increase redemptions from funds that hold large amounts of certain securities and may result in decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the financial markets. Market factors, such as the demand for particular portfolio securities, may cause the price of certain portfolio securities to fall while the prices of other securities rise or remain unchanged. Among other investments, lower-grade bonds and loans may be particularly sensitive to changes in the economy.

Epidemic and Pandemic Risk

An outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus was first detected in China in late 2019 and subsequently spread globally (“COVID-19”). This coronavirus has resulted in closing borders, enhanced health screenings, disruptions to healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, cancellations, and disruptions to supply chains, workflow operations and consumer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of this coronavirus may be short-term or may last for an extended period of time and has resulted in a substantial economic downturn. Health crises caused by outbreaks, such as the coronavirus outbreak, may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks. The impact of this outbreak, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could continue to negatively affect the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, individual companies, including certain Fund service providers and issuers of the Fund’s investments, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the Fund’s performance.

The United States has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic distress with fiscal and monetary stimulus packages. In late March 2020, the government passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), a stimulus package providing for over $2.2 trillion in resources to small businesses, state and local governments, and individuals that have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, in mid-March 2020 theU.S. Federal Reserve (“Fed”) cut interest rates to historically low levels and announced a new round of quantitative easing, including purchases of corporate and municipal government bonds. The Fed also enacted various programs to support liquidity operations and funding in the financial markets, including expanding its reverse repurchase agreement operations, adding $1.5 trillion of liquidity to the banking system; establishing swap lines with other major central banks to provide dollar funding; establishing a program to support money market funds; easing various bank capital buffers; providing funding backstops for businesses to provide bridging loans for up to four years; and providing funding to help credit flow in asset-backed securities markets. The Fed also plans to extend credit to small- and medium-sized businesses.

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.

Credit Enhancement Risk

The securities in which the Fund invests may be subject to credit enhancement (for example, guarantees, letters of credit or bond insurance). Credit enhancement is designed to help assure timely payment of the security; it does not protect the Fund against losses caused by declines in a security’s value due to changes in market conditions. Securities subject to credit enhancement generally would be assigned a lower credit rating if the rating were based primarily on the credit quality of the issuer without regard to the credit enhancement. If the credit quality of the credit enhancement provider (for example, a bank or bond insurer) is downgraded, the rating on a security credit enhanced by such credit enhancement provider also may be downgraded.

A single enhancement provider may provide credit enhancement to more than one of the Fund’s investments. Having multiple securities credit enhanced by the same enhancement provider will increase the adverse effects on the Fund that are likely to result from a downgrading of, or a default by, such an enhancement provider. Adverse developments in the banking or bond insurance industries also may negatively affect the Fund, as the Fund may invest in securities credit enhanced by banks or by bond insurers without limit. Bond insurers that provide credit enhancement for large segments of the fixed-income markets, including the municipal bond market, may be more susceptible to being downgraded or defaulting during recessions or similar periods of economic stress.

Sector Risk

A substantial part of the Fund’s portfolio may be comprised of securities issued by companies in the financial services industry. In addition, a substantial part of the Fund’s portfolio may be comprised of securities credit enhanced by companies with similar characteristics. As a result, the Fund will be more susceptible to any economic, business, political or other developments that generally affect these companies. Developments affecting companies in the financial services industry or companies with similar characteristics might include changes in interest rates, changes in the economic cycle affecting credit losses and regulatory changes.

Concentration risk

Because the Fund concentrates its investments in one industry, its performance depends in large part on the performance of that industry. This means that the Fund may be more volatile than other funds, and the value of its investments may go up and down more rapidly. In addition, the Fund may be more susceptible to market, economic, political, regulatory, and other conditions and risks affecting that industry than a fund that invests more broadly across industries and sectors. From time to time, a small number of companies may represent a large portion of a single industry or a group of related industries as a whole.

New Fund Risk

A new fund’s performance may not represent how the fund is expected to or may perform in the long term if, and when, it becomes larger and has fully implemented its investment strategies. Investment positions may have a disproportionate impact (negative or positive) on performance in new funds. New funds may also require a period of time before they are fully invested in securities that meet their investment objectives and policies and achieve a representative portfolio composition. Fund performance may be lower or higher during this “ramp-up” period, and may also be more volatile, than would be the case after the fund is fully invested. Similarly, a new fund’s investment strategy may require a longer period of time to show returns that are representative of the strategy. New funds have limited performance histories for investors to evaluate and new funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies. If a new fund were to fail to successfully implement its investment strategies or achieve its investment objective, performance may be negatively impacted, and any resulting liquidation could create negative transaction costs for the fund and tax consequences for investors.

UNDERLYING FUND RISK

The risk that the Fund’s performance is closely related to, the risks associated with the securities and other investments held by the underlying funds and that the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective will depend upon the ability of the underlying funds to achieve their investment objectives. Underlying money market funds may be adversely affected by market and economic events, such as a sharp rise or fall in prevailing short-term interest rates; adverse developments in the banking industry, which issues or guarantees many money market instruments; adverse economic, political or other developments affecting issuers of money market instruments; changes in the credit quality of issuers; and default by a counterparty. The Fund bears Underlying Fund fees and expenses indirectly. 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 duplicate expenses. However, to avoid charging duplicative fees, the Adviser will waive and/or reimburse the Fund’s Management Fee with respect to the amount of its net assets invested in the Underlying Fund.

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 or the Underlying Fund to sell securities at inopportune times in order to meet 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.

technology Risk

The Adviser uses various technologies in managing the Fund, consistent with its investment objective(s) and strategy described in this Prospectus. For example, proprietary and third-party data and systems are utilized to support decision-making for the Fund. Data imprecision, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies and similar circumstances may impair the performance of these systems, which may negatively affect Fund performance.

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 FederatedInvestors.com, 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:

■ Fixed-income securities are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Board of Trustees (“Board”).

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 Fund’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

The Board has ultimate responsibility for determining the fair value of investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Board has appointed a Valuation Committee comprised of officers of the Fund, the Adviser and certain of the Adviser’s affiliated companies to assist in determining fair value and in overseeing the calculation of the NAV. The Board has also authorized the use of pricing services recommended by the Valuation Committee to provide fair value evaluations of the current 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 Board. The Board periodically reviews and approves the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee and any changes made to the procedures. The Fund’s SAI discusses the methods used by pricing services and the Valuation Committee to assist the Board 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 mutual funds to calculate their NAVs. The application of the fair value procedures to an investment represent 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 Board also 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 Board 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 using another method approved by the Board. The Board has ultimate responsibility for any fair valuations made in response to a significant event.

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.

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 IS Shares. However, if you purchase IS 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 IS 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 has established the following Share classes: Class A Shares (A) and Institutional Shares (IS), each representing interests in a single portfolio of securities. This Prospectus relates to the A class. All Share classes have different sales charges and or other expenses which affect their performance. As of the date of this Prospectus, only the IS class is being offered. Class A Shares are not currently offered for sale. Please note that certain purchase restrictions may apply. Contact your financial intermediary or call 1-800-341-7400 for more information concerning the other classes.

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 Class

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

Intra-Fund Share Conversion Program

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.

RULE 12b-1 FEES

The Board has adopted a Rule 12b-1 Plan, which allows payment of marketing fees of up to 0.25% of the A class of average net assets to the Distributor for the sale, distribution, administration and customer servicing of the Fund’s A class. 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 more than 0.15% of any Rule 12b-1 Fees until such time as approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees. 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

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.

The Fund has no present intention of paying, accruing or incurring any such Service Fees on the A class until such time as approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees.

ACCOUNT ADMINISTRATION FEES

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.

The Fund has no present intention of paying, accruing or incurring any such Account Administration Fees on the A class until such time as approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees.

NETWORKING FEES

ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

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, that support the sale of Shares or provide services to Fund shareholders. The amounts of these payments could be significant, and may create an incentive for the financial intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend or sell Shares of the Fund to you. Not all financial intermediaries receive such payments, and the amount of compensation may vary by intermediary. 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 sells or may sell; 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. 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. You can ask your financial intermediary 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, 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.

Where the Fund offers more than one Share class and you 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.

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

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

The required minimum initial investment for the A class is generally $1,500. The minimum subsequent investment amount is $100. 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 for employer-sponsored retirement plans. Certain types of accounts are eligible for lower minimum investments.

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).

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, State Street Bank and Trust Company (“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
430 W 7th Street
Suite 219318
Kansas City, MO 64105-1407

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 FederatedInvestors.com 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 Class

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

By Online Account Services

You may access your accounts online to purchase Shares through FederatedInvestors.com’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 FederatedInvestors.com and select “Sign In” and “Access and Manage Investments,” or call 1-800-245-4770 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 Class

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.

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). If your financial intermediary is an authorized intermediary, your order is considered as being placed with the Fund and Shares will be redeemed or exchanged at the NAV next calculated after such an order is received from the authorized intermediary. Otherwise, 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
430 W 7th Street
Suite 219318
Kansas City, MO 64105-1407

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 notarypublic cannot provide a signature guarantee.

By Online Account Services

You may access your accounts online to redeem or exchange Shares through FederatedInvestors.com’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 FederatedInvestors.com and select “Sign In” and “Access and Manage Investments,” or call 1-800-245-4770 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. Effective June 23, 2021, 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 interfund 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

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.

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

Possible Sales Charge on A Share Exchanges

You may incur a sales charge if you exchange A Shares of the Fund for A Shares of another Federated Hermes fund where the fund’s A Shares impose a sales charge.

In determining whether you will incur a sales charge on an exchange to another Federated Hermes fund, Shares that are not subject to a sales charge will be deemed to have been exchanged first. You will also not incur a sales charge on an exchange to another Federated Hermes fund if your exchange would not have been subject to a sales charge if treated as a purchase of shares of the other Federated Hermes fund. For information on the sales charges applicable to purchases of A Shares of another Federated Hermes fund, please refer to that fund’s Prospectus.

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 FederatedInvestors.com’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 FederatedInvestors.com.

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 any dividends daily and pays them monthly to shareholders. If you purchase Shares by wire, you begin earning dividends on the day your wire is received. If you purchase Shares by check, you begin earning dividends on the business day after the Fund receives your check. In either case, you earn dividends through the day your redemption request is received.

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 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 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 FederatedInvestors.com/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

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

■ $1,500 for the A class (or in the case of IRAs, $250).

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 sends an IRS Form 1099 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. Capital gains are taxable at different rates depending upon the length of time the Fund holds its assets.

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

The Fund is intended as a liquid, short-term investment and generally permits frequent or short-term trading into and out of the Fund. Given the short-term nature of a majority of the Fund’s investments, under normal market conditions the Fund does not expect that such trading will have material adverse consequences for the Fund or its shareholders. For these reasons, the Fund’s Board has not adopted policies or procedures to monitor or discourage frequent or short-term trading of the Fund’s Shares. It is possible, however, that under certain market conditions, such frequent or short-term trading or certain sized trades or other trading practices could have material adverse consequences for the Fund or its shareholders, particularly long-term shareholders. The Fund at all times reserves the right to refuse any purchase or exchange request for any reason.

Other funds in the Federated Hermes family of funds may impose monitoring policies. 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 FederatedInvestors.com/FundInformation. A complete listing of the Fund’s portfolio holdings as of the end of each month is posted on the website 7 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 percentage breakdowns of the portfolio by sector and credit quality.

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 FederatedInvestors.com. The Fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Shareholder Reports contain 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 FederatedInvestors.com.

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 FederatedInvestors.com. 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 Investment Management Company. The Adviser manages the Fund’s assets, including buying and selling portfolio securities. Federated Advisory Services Company (FASC), 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. The address of the Adviser and FASC is 1001 Liberty Avenue,Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779.

The Fund has received and can rely upon an order from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that permits the Adviser, subject to approval by the Board of Trustees, to appoint a subadviser or change the terms of a subadvisory agreement without obtaining shareholder approval. The Fund is permitted to rely upon the SEC order to change subadvisers, or the fees paid to a subadviser, without the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approval of the change. This order does not, however, permit the Adviser to increase the aggregate advisory fee rate of the Fund without the approval of the shareholders.

The Adviser and other subsidiaries of Federated Hermes advise approximately 163 equity, fixed-income and money market mutual funds as well as a variety of other pooled investment vehicles, private investment companies and customized separately managed accounts (including non-U.S./offshore funds) which totaled approximately $619.4 billion in assets as of December 31, 2020. Federated Hermes was established in 1955 as Federated Investors, Inc. and is one of the largest investment managers in the United States with approximately 1,900 employees. Federated Hermes provides investment products to more than 11,000 investment professionals and institutions.

The Adviser advises approximately 75 fixed-income and money market mutual funds (including sub-advised funds) and private investment companies, which totaled approximately $370.2 billion in assets as of December 31, 2020.

PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT INFORMATION

Paige M. Wilhelm

Paige M. Wilhelm, Senior Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception January of 2021.

Ms. Wilhelm is a Senior Portfolio Manager and Head of the Prime Liquidity Group. She is responsible for day to day management of the Fund focusing on asset allocation, interest rate strategy and security selection. She has been with the Adviser or an affiliate since 1985; has worked in investment management since 1991; has managed investment portfolios since 1997. Education: B.S., Indiana University; M.B.A., Duquesne University.

Mark F. Weiss

Mark F. Weiss, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception January of 2021.

Mr. Weiss is a Senior Portfolio manager responsible for day to day management of the Fund focusing on asset allocation, interest rate strategy and security selection. He has been with the Adviser or an affiliate since 1994; has worked in investment management since 1998; has managed investment portfolios since 2012. Education: B.A., M.B.A., University of Pittsburgh.

Randall S. Bauer

Randall S. Bauer, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception January of 2021.

Mr. Bauer is a Senior Portfolio manager and Head of the Low Duration/Structured Products Group. He is responsible for day to day management of the Fund focusing on asset allocation, interest rate strategy and security selection. He has been with the Adviser or an affiliate since 1989; has worked in investment management since 1989; has managed investment portfolios since 1991. Education: B.A., University of Pennsylvania; M.B.A., The Pennsylvania State University.

Nicholas S. Tripodes

Nicholas S. Tripodes, CFA, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception January of 2021.

Mr. Tripodes is responsible for providing research and advice on sector allocation and security selection. He has been with the Adviser or an affiliate since 1993; has worked in investment management since 2002; has managed investment portfolios since 2013. Education: B.S., Carnegie Mellon University; M.B.A., University of Pittsburgh.

The Fund’s SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Manager’s 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 0.25% 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 annual and semi-annual shareholder reports for the periods ended August 31 and February 28, respectively.

Financial Information

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

The Fund’s fiscal year end is August 31. The Fund became effective on January 29, 2021, but the Fund’s Class A Shares have not yet commenced operations and their audited financial information is not yet available as of the date of this Prospectus.

Appendix A: Hypothetical Investment and Expense Information

The following chart provides 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 chart shows 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. The chart also assumes that the Fund’s annual expense ratio stays the same throughout the 10-year period and that all dividends and distributions are reinvested. The annual expense ratio used in the chart is the same as stated in the “Fees and Expenses” table of this Prospectus (and thus may 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.

FEDERATED HERMES CONSERVATIVE MICROSHORT FUND - A CLASS
ANNUAL EXPENSE RATIO: 1.34%
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	$136.45	$10,366.00
2	$10,366.00	$518.30	$10,884.30	$141.45	$10,745.40
3	$10,745.40	$537.27	$11,282.67	$146.62	$11,138.68
4	$11,138.68	$556.93	$11,695.61	$151.99	$11,546.36
5	$11,546.36	$577.32	$12,123.68	$157.55	$11,968.96
6	$11,968.96	$598.45	$12,567.41	$163.32	$12,407.02
7	$12,407.02	$620.35	$13,027.37	$169.30	$12,861.12
8	$12,861.12	$643.06	$13,504.18	$175.49	$13,331.84
9	$13,331.84	$666.59	$13,998.43	$181.92	$13,819.79
10	$13,819.79	$690.99	$14,510.78	$188.57	$14,325.59
Cumulative		$5,909.26		$1,612.66

An SAI dated October 31, 2021, is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. Additional information about the Fund and its investments is contained in the Fund’s SAI and Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders as they become available. 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 without charge, and to make inquiries, call your financial intermediary or the Fund at 1-800-341-7400.

As of January 1, 2021, paper copies of the Fund’s shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail. Instead, the reports will be made available on FederatedInvestors.com/FundInformation, and you will be notified and provided with a link each time a report is posted to the website. You may request to receive paper reports from the Fund or from your financial intermediary, free of charge, at any time. You may also request to receive documents through e-delivery.

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

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 publicinfo@sec.gov.

Federated Hermes Conservative Microshort Fund
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561

Federated Securities Corp., Distributor

Investment Company Act File No. 811-23259

CUSIP 31423A481

Q455152 (10/21)

Statement of Additional Information

October 31, 2021

Share Class | Ticker

Federated Hermes Conservative Microshort Fund

A Portfolio of Federated Hermes Adviser Series

This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a Prospectus. Read this SAI in conjunction with the Prospectus for Federated Hermes Conservative Microshort Fund (the “Fund”), dated October 31, 2021.

Obtain the Prospectus without charge by calling 1-800-341-7400.

	Contents
1	How is the Fund Organized?
1	Securities in Which the Fund Invests
8	Investment Risks
11	Investment Objective (and Policies) and Investment Limitations
13	What Do Shares Cost?
15	How is the Fund Sold?
18	Purchases In-Kind
18	Redemption In-Kind
18	Delaware Statutory Trust Law
19	Account and Share Information
19	Tax Information
20	Who Manages and Provides Services to the Fund?
37	Financial Information
37	Investment Ratings
42	Addresses
43	Appendix

Federated Hermes Conservative Microshort Fund
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561

Federated Securities Corp., Distributor

G455151 (10/21)

How is the Fund Organized?

The Fund is a portfolio of Federated Hermes Adviser Series (the “Trust”) and is a diversified, open-end, management investment company. The Trust was established as a Delaware statutory trust on July 12, 2017, pursuant to a Certificate of Trust, which is governed by the laws of the State of Delaware. Prior to August 16, 2018, the Trust was named Federated MDT Equity Trust. Effective June 26, 2020, the Trust changed its name from Federated Adviser Series to Federated Hermes Adviser Series.

The Board of Trustees (the “Board”) has established two classes of shares of the Fund, known as Class A Shares and Institutional Shares. This SAI relates to Class A Shares. The Fund’s investment adviser is Federated Investment Management Company (the “Adviser”).

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

Fixed-Income Securities

The Fund may invest in the following fixed-income securities, in addition to those described in the Prospectus.

Government Securities (A Type of 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 the 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.

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.

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.

Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) (A Type of 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 interest is issued by a trust and represents 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) (“agency MBS”), but also may be issued or guaranteed by private entities (“non-agency MBS”). 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 mortgage loan collateral for non-agency MBS consists of residential mortgage loans that do not conform to GSEs underwriting guidelines. Non-agency MBS generally offer a higher yield than agency MBS because there are no direct or indirect government guarantees of payment.

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, PIK or toggle securities.

Insurance Contracts (A Fixed-Income Security)

Insurance contracts include guaranteed investment contracts, funding agreements and annuities. Insurance contracts generally provide that the purchaser will deposit money with the insurance company and the insurance company will pay interest for the life of the contract and return the principal at maturity. The Fund treats these contracts as fixed-income securities.

DERIVATIVE CONTRACTS

Derivative contracts are financial instruments that require payments based upon changes in the values of designated securities, commodities, currencies, indices, or other assets or instruments including other derivative contracts, (each a “Reference Instrument” and collectively, “Reference Instruments”). 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 securities or commodities exchanges. In this case, the exchange sets all the terms of the contract except for the price. Investors make payments due under their contracts through the exchange. Most exchanges require investors 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) in the value of their contracts. This protects investors against potential defaults by the other party to the contract. Trading contracts on an exchange also allows investors to close out their contracts 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) in transactions negotiated directly between the Fund and 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 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 swap contracts through a clearing house or central counterparty (a “CCP”).

To clear a swap through the CCP, the Fund will submit the contract to, and post margin with, a futures commission merchant (FCM) that is a clearing house member. The Fund may enter into the swap with a financial institution 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 or through a market facility that is known as a swap execution facility or 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.

The CCP, SEF and FCM are all subject to regulatory oversight by the CFTC. In addition, most derivative market participants are now regulated as swap dealers or major swap participants and are subject to certain minimum capital and margin requirements and business conduct standards. Similar regulatory requirements are expected to apply to derivative contracts that are subject to the jurisdiction of the SEC, although the SEC has not yet finalized its regulations. In addition, uncleared OTC swaps will be subject to regulatory collateral requirements that could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to enter into swaps in the OTC market. These developments could cause the Fund to terminate new or existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such instruments at an inopportune time.

Until the mandated rulemaking and regulations are implemented completely, it will not be possible to determine the complete impact of the Dodd-Frank Act and related regulations on the Fund.

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 risks. OTC contracts also expose the Fund to credit risks in the event that a counterparty defaults on the contract, although this risk may be mitigated by submitting the contract for clearing through a CCP.

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)

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 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 London Interbank Offered Rate (commonly referred to as LIBOR); 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 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. For example, a $10 million London Interbank Offered Rate (commonly referred to as LIBOR) swap would require one party to pay the equivalent of the London Interbank Offered Rate of interest (which fluctuates) on $10 million principal amount in exchange for the right to receive the equivalent of a stated fixed rate of interest on $10 millionprincipal amount.

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.

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 Reference Instrument that is usually a particular bond 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”).

OTHER INVESTMENTS, TRANSACTIONS, TECHNIQUES

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.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements and Borrowing for Leverage

Reverse repurchase agreements 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. The Fund may borrow an amount up to one third of the Fund’s net assets (exclusive of such borrowings) for leverage purposes.

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.

Asset Segregation

In accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and SEC staff positions regarding the interpretation of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”), with respect to derivatives that create a future payment obligation of the Fund, the Fund must “set aside” (referred to sometimes as “asset segregation”) liquid assets, or engage in other SEC- or staff-approved measures, while the derivative contracts are open. For example, with respect to forwards and futures contracts that are not contractually required to “cash-settle,” the Fund must cover its open positions by setting aside cash or readily marketable securities equal to the contracts’ full, notional value. With respect to forwards and futures that are contractually required to “cash-settle,” however, the Fund is permitted to set aside cash or readily marketable securities in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market (net) obligations, if any (i.e., the Fund’s daily net liability, if any), rather than the notional value.

The Fund will employ another approach to segregating assets to cover options that it sells. If the Fund sells a call option, the Fund will set aside either the Reference Instrument subject to the option, cash or readily marketable securities with a value that equals or exceeds the current market value of the Reference Instrument. In no event, will the value of the cash or readily marketable securities set aside by the Fund be less than the exercise price of the call option. If the Fund sells a put option, the Fund will set aside cash or readily marketable securities with a value that equals or exceeds the exercise price of the put option.

calculate the obligations of the counterparties to the swap on a net basis. Consequently, the Fund’s current obligation (or rights) under this type of swap will equal only the net amount to be paid or received based on the relative values of the positions held by each counterparty to the swap (the “net amount”). The net amount currently owed by or to the Fund will be accrued daily and the Fund will set aside cash or readily marketable securities equal to any accrued but unpaid net amount owed by the Fund under the swap.

The Fund may reduce the liquid assets segregated to cover obligations under a derivative contract by entering into an offsetting derivative contract. For example, if the Fund sells a put option for the same Reference Instrument as a call option the Fund has sold, and the exercise price of the call option is the same as or higher than the exercise price of the put option, then the Fund may net its obligations under the options and set aside cash or readily marketable securities (including any margin deposited for the options) with a value equal to the greater of: (a) the current market value of the Reference Instrument deliverable under the call option; or (b) the exercise price of the put option.

By setting aside cash or readily marketable securities equal to only its net obligations under swaps and certain cash-settled derivative contracts, the Fund will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to segregate cash or readily marketable securities equal to the full notional value of such contracts. The use of leverage involves certain risks. See “Risk Factors.” Unless the Fund has other cash or readily marketable securities to set aside, it cannot trade assets set aside in connection with derivative contracts or special transactions without entering into an offsetting derivative contract or terminating a special transaction. This may cause the Fund to miss favorable trading opportunities or to realize losses on derivative contracts or special transactions. The Fund reserves the right to modify its asset segregation policies in the future to comply with any changes in the positions articulated from time to time by the SEC and its staff.

Generally, special transactions do not cash-settle on a net basis. Consequently, with respect to special transactions, the Fund will set aside cash or readily marketable securities with a value that equals or exceeds the Fund’s obligations.

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

Effective June 23, 2021, 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 the highest, on any day, of: (a) (i) the federal funds effective rate; (ii) the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), or a replacement rate as appropriate; 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).

MBS Risk

MBS have unique risks. A rise in interest rates may cause the value of MBS held by the Fund to decline. The mortgage loans underlying MBS generally are subject to a greater rate of principal prepayments in a declining interest rate environment and to a lesser rate of principal prepayments in an increasing interest rate environment. If the underlying mortgages are paid off sooner than expected, the Fund may have to reinvest this money in mortgage-backed or other securities that have lower yields. Hybrid ARMs also involve special risks. Like ARMs, hybrid ARMs have periodic and lifetime limitations on the increases that can be made to the interest rates that mortgagors pay. Therefore, if during a floating rate period, interest rates rise above the interest rate limits of the hybrid ARM, the Fund will not benefit from further increases in interest rates. See “Prepayment and Extension Risk” and “Interest Rate Risk.” CMOs with complex or highly variable prepayment terms generally entail greater market, prepayment and liquidity risks than other MBS. For example, their prices are more volatile and their trading market may be more limited.

MBS are subject to the risk that payments made on a security will not be made when due. Payments on MBS are primarily derived from the interest and principal payments of the underlying mortgages. Some MBS also have guarantees or other structural features that provide additional support for interest and principal payments on the MBS if payments on the underlying mortgages are not made. MBS are subject to the risk that the underlying mortgage borrowers fail to make timely payments of interest and principal and that any guarantee or other structural feature, if present, is insufficient to enable the timely payment of interest and principal on the MBS. The structure of certain CMO interests held by the Fund may cause the Fund to be paid interest and/or principal on its investment only after holders of other interests in that particular CMO have received the full repayment of principal or interest on their investments. MBS are most commonly issued or guaranteed by GSEs, but also may be issued or guaranteed by private entities, which generally entail greater risk. Certain MBS issued by GSEs are not backed by or entitled to the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, but are, however, supported through federal subsidies, loans or other benefits. The Fund also may invest in certain MBS issued by GSEs that have no explicit financial support, and are supported only by the credit of the applicable GSEs (in addition to the underlying mortgages and related debt service payments). 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 GSEs in the future. Although certain MBS are guaranteed as to timely payment of interest and principal by a GSE, the market prices for such securities are not guaranteed and will fluctuate.

leverage Risk

Leverage risk is created when an investment 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.

Risk of Investing in Derivative Contracts and Hybrid Instruments

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 interest rate, credit, and liquidity 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.”

LIBOR Risk

Certain derivatives or debt securities, or other financial instruments in which the Fund may invest, as well as the Fund’s committed, revolving line of credit agreement, utilize or may utilize in the future the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR’’) as the reference or benchmark rate for interest rate calculations. LIBOR is a measure of the average interest rate at which major global banks can borrow from one another. It is quoted in multiple currencies and tenors using data reported by a panel of private-sector banks. Following allegations of rate manipulation in 2012 and concerns regarding its thin liquidity, the use of LIBOR came under increasing pressure, and in July 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it will stop encouraging banks to provide the quotations needed to sustain LIBOR after 2021. This may cause LIBOR to cease to be published. LIBOR panel banks have agreed to submit quotations to LIBOR through the end of 2021. Before then, it is expected that market participants will transition to the use of different reference or benchmark rates. However, there is currently no definitive information regarding the future utilization of LIBOR or of any particular replacement rate. Regulators have suggested alternative reference rates, but global consensus is lacking and the process for amending existing contracts or instruments to transition away from LIBOR remains unclear.

currently rely on LIBOR to determine interest rates. LIBOR’s deterioration may adversely affect the liquidity and/or market value of securities that use LIBOR as a benchmark interest rate, including securities and other financial instruments held by the Fund. Further, the utilization of an alternative reference rate, or the transition process to an alternative reference rate, may adversely affect the Fund’s performance.

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 COVID-19 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.

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 novel coronavirus (“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 Policies) and Investment Limitations

The Fund’s investment objective is to provide current income consistent with capital preservation while maintaining liquidity. The investment objective may be changed by the Fund’s Board without shareholder approval.

Investment limitations

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.

Concentration

The Fund may not purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as result, more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry, except that the Fund will invest more than 25% of its total assets in the financial services industry.

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.

Investing in Commodities

The Fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities, provided that the Fund may purchase securities of companies that deal in commodities. For purposes of this restriction, investments in transactions involving futures contracts and options, forward currency contracts, swap transactions and other financial contracts that settle by payment of cash are not deemed to be investments in commodities.

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.

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 there under, or any SEC staff interpretation thereof.

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.

The above limitations 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. 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.

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.

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” and “bank instruments.” Except with respect to borrowing money and illiquid investments, 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 concentration restriction: (a) utility companies will be divided according to their services (for example, gas, gas transmission, electric and telephone will 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); (c) asset-backed securities will be classified according to the underlying assets securing such securities; (d) municipal securities shall exclude private activity municipal debt securities, which are principally backed by the assets and revenues of the non-governmental user of the funds generated by securities issuance; and (e) the Fund will typically consider (i.e., look through to) the concentration of an investment company in which it invests only if that investment company is itself a concentrated portfolio.

To conform to the current view of the SEC that only domestic bank deposit instruments may be excluded from industry concentration limitations, as a matter of non-fundamental policy, the Fund will not exclude foreign bank instruments from industry concentration limitations so long as the policy of the SEC remains in effect. In addition, investments in bank instruments, and investments in certain industrial development bonds funded by activities in a single industry, will be deemed to constitute investment in an industry, except when held for temporary defensive purposes. The investment of more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets in any one industry will constitute “concentration.”

For purposes of the above limitations, municipal securities are those securities issued by governments or political subdivisions of governments.

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%.

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 asked 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-asked 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 asked quotations from one or more dealers.

■ Fixed-income securities are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Board. 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 asked 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 Board. 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 non-exchange-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 Fund’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 one or more currency dealers.

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 or errors that did not result in net dilution to the Fund.

Fair Valuation and Significant Events Procedures

Pricing Service Valuations. Based on the recommendations of the Valuation Committee, the Board has authorized the Fund, subject to Board oversight, to use pricing services that provide daily fair value evaluations of the current value of certain investments, primarily fixed-income securities and OTC derivatives 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 engages in oversight activities with respect to 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 Trustees 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 prices bid and asked 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 Board 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 Board oversight. 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 and approves the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee and any changes made to the procedures.

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 mutual funds to calculate their NAVs. The application of the fair value procedures to an investment represent a good faith determination of an 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.

Significant Events. The Board 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 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 Board 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 has ultimate responsibility for any fair valuations made in response to a significant event.

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)

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.

Regarding the Fund’s A Class, the Board of Trustees has adopted a Plan that permits the A Class of the Fund to accrue, pay and incur a Rule 12b-1 Plan fee of up to a maximum amount of 0.25%, or some lesser amount as the Board of Trustees shall approve from time to time. The A Class of the Fund currently does not accrue, pay or incur any Rule 12b-1 Plan fee in excess of 0.15% until such time as approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees.

Additional Payments To Financial Intermediaries

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. 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 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. The same financial intermediaries may receive payments under more than one or all categories. These payments assist in the Distributor’s efforts to support the sale of Shares. These payments are negotiated and may be based on such factors as: the number or value of Shares that the financial intermediary sells or may sell; 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 receive such payments and the amount of compensation may vary by intermediary. You should ask your financial intermediary 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.

Regarding the Fund’s A Class, the A Class of the Fund currently does not accrue, pay or incur any shareholder services/account administration fees, although the Board of Trustees has approved the A Class of the Fund to accrue, pay and incur such fees in amounts up to a maximum amount of 0.25%, or some lesser amount as the Board of Trustees shall approve from time to time. The A Class of the Fund will not accrue, pay or incur such fees until such time as approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees.

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 sell Federated Hermes fund shares to help offset their costs associated with client account maintenance support, statement processing and transaction processing. The types of payments that the Distributor may make under this category include: payment of ticket charges on a per-transaction basis; payment of networking fees; and payment for ancillary services such as setting up funds on the financial intermediary’s mutual fund trading system.

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 that sell or arrange for the sale of Shares. Such compensation, provided by the Distributor, may include financial assistance to financial intermediaries that enable the Distributor to participate in or present at conferences or seminars, sales or 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 to financial intermediaries for services rendered in connection with technology and programming set-up, platform development and maintenance or similar services and for the provision of sales-related data to the Adviser and/orits 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, 2020, 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 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 31,2020, are not reflected. You should ask your financial intermediary for information about any additional payments it receives from the Distributor.

ADP Broker-Dealer, Inc.
Aegis Financial
Altair Management Partners, Inc.
American Enterprise Investment Services Inc.
American Portfolios Advisors Inc.
Apex Clearing Corporation
Associated Investment Services, Inc.
Avantax Advisory Services Inc.
BB&T Securities, LLC
BBVA Securities Inc.
BMO Capital Markets Corp.
BMO Harris Financial Advisors, Inc.
BNY Mellon Capital Markets, LLC
BofA Securities, Inc.
Broadridge Business Process Outsourcing, LLC
Brown Brothers Harriman & Company
Brown Investment Advisory & Trust Company
Cambridge Financial Group, Inc.
Cetera Advisor Networks LLC
Cetera Advisors LLC
Cetera Financial Specialists LLC
Cetera Investment Advisers LLC
Cetera Investment Services LLC
Charles Schwab & Company, Inc.
CIBC World Markets Corp.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Comerica Securities, Inc.
Commonwealth Financial Network
COR Clearing LLC
Davenport & Company LLC
David Lerner Associates, Inc.
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
E*Trade Capital Inc.
Edward D. Jones & Co., LP
Equitable Advisors LLC
FBL Marketing Services, LLC
Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc. (FIIOC)
Fiducia Group
Fifth Third Securities, Inc.
First Financial Equity Corporation
First Horizon Advisors Inc.
FIS Brokerage & Securities Services LLC

FSC Securities Corporation
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
Great American Investors, Inc.
GWFS Equities, Inc.
Hancock Whitney Investment Services Inc.
Hefren-Tillotson, Inc.
HighTower Securities, LLC
Hilltop Securities, Inc.
The Huntington Investment Company
Huntington Securities, Inc.
Independent Financial Group LLC
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Financial Services LLC
Infinex Investments Inc.
Institutional Cash Distributors, LLC
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC
Jefferies LLC
Kestra Investment Services LLC
Key Investment Services LLC
KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc.
Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation
Lincoln Investment Planning, LLC
LPL Financial LLC
M&T Securities, Inc.
Materetsky Financial Group
Mercer Global Advisors Inc.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith Incorporated
MML Investors Services Inc.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC
Multi-Bank Securities
Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc.
National Financial Services LLC
Nationwide Investment Services Corporation
Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC
NYLIFE Distributors LLC
OneAmerica Securities Inc.
Oppenheimer & Company, Inc.
Paychex Securities Corp
Pensionmark Financial Group LLC
People’s Securities, Inc.
Pershing LLC
Piper Sandler & Co.

Pitcairn Trust Company
PNC Capital Markets, LLC
PNC Investments LLC
Prudential Investment Management Services LLC
Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments
Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.
RBC Capital Markets, LLC
Robert W Baird & Co. Incorporated
Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.
SagePoint Financial, Inc.
Sammons Financial Network, LLC
Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, LLC
Securities America Advisors Inc.
Security Distributors, LLC
Sentry Advisors, LLC
SG Americas Securities, LLC
State Street Global Markets, LLC
Stephens Inc.
Stifel Nicolaus & Company Incorporated
Summit Financial Group Inc.
StoneX Financial Inc.
SBC Wealth Management
Suntrust Investment Services, Inc.
Suntrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc.

TD Ameritrade, Inc.
TD Private Client Wealth LLC
Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America
Tradition Securities and Derivatives, Inc.
Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc.
Treasury Brokerage
U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.
UBS Financial Services Inc.
UBS Securities LLC
UMB Financial Services, Inc.
Valor Financial Securities LLC
The Vanguard Group, Inc.
Vanguard Marketing Corporation
Vining-Sparks IBG, Limited Partnership
Vision Financial Markets, LLC
Voya Financial Advisors, Inc.
Voya Financial Partners, LLC
Voya Retirement Advisors, LLC
WCM Wealth Management LLC
Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
WestPark Capital, Inc.
Wintrust Investments LLC
Woodbury Financial Services, Inc.
World Equity Group, Inc.

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.

Delaware Statutory Trust Law

The Fund is an organization of the type commonly known as a “Delaware statutory trust.” The Fund’s Declaration of Trust provides that the Trustees and officers of the Fund, in their capacity as such, will not be personally liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law; but nothing in the Declaration of Trust protects a Trustee against any liability to the Fund or its shareholders to which he would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office. Voting rights are not cumulative, which means that the holders of more than 50% of the Shares voting for the election of Trustees can elect 100% of the Trustees and, in such event, the holders of the remaining less than 50% of the Shares voting on the matter will not be able to elect any Trustees.

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.

As of October 5, 2021, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially, or both, 5% or more of outstanding Institutional Shares: Cetera Investment Services, Seattle, WA, owned approximately 499,613 Shares (8.72%); Federated Hermes Ultrashort Bond Fund, Warrendale, PA, owned approximately 4,995,004 Shares (87.25%).

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.

Federated Hermes Ultrashort Bond Fund is a portfolio of Federated Hermes Total Return Series, Inc., organized in the State of Maryland.

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.

The Fund is not currently entitled to a loss carryforward. Such loss carryforwards may reduce the taxable income or gain that the Fund would realize, and to which the shareholder would be subject, in the future.

Tax Basis Information

The Fund’s Transfer Agent 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, 2020, the Trust comprised 12 portfolios, and the Federated Hermes Complex consisted of 41 investment companies (comprising 163 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.

As of October 5, 2021, the Fund’s Board and Officers as a group owned less than 1% of each class of the Fund’s 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: May 2017	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; President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Chairman and Trustee, Federated Investment Management Company; Trustee, Federated Investment Counseling; Chairman and Director, Federated Global Investment Management Corp.; Chairman and Trustee, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania; 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

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)
John B. Fisher* Birth Date: May 16, 1956 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: May 2017	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; 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; President of some of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex and Director, Federated Investors Trust Company. Previous Positions: President and Director of the Institutional Sales Division of Federated Securities Corp.; President and Director of Federated Investment Counseling; President and CEO of Passport Research, Ltd.; Director, Edgewood Securities Corp.; Director, Federated Services Company; Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Chairman and Director, Southpointe Distribution Services, Inc. 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 Trust and Federated Hermes Complex (past calendar year)
John T. Collins Birth Date: January 24, 1947 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: May 2017	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee and Chair of the Board of Directors or Trustees, of the Federated Hermes Complex; formerly, Chairman and CEO, The Collins Group, Inc. (a private equity firm) (Retired). Other Directorships Held: Chairman of the Board of Directors, Director, KLX Energy Services Holdings, Inc. (oilfield services); former Director of KLX Corp (aerospace). Qualifications: Mr. Collins has served in several business and financial management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Collins previously served as Chairman and CEO of The Collins Group, Inc. (a private equity firm) and as a Director of KLX Corp. Mr. Collins serves as Chairman Emeriti, Bentley University. Mr. Collins previously served as Director and Audit Committee Member, Bank of America Corp.; Director, FleetBoston Financial Corp.; and Director, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard University Affiliate Hospital).	$0	$286,000
G. Thomas Hough Birth Date: February 28, 1955 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: May 2017	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, Chair of the Audit Committee of the Federated Hermes Complex; formerly, Vice Chair, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm) (Retired). Other Directorships Held: Director, Chair of the Audit Committee, Equifax, Inc.; Director, Member of the Audit Committee, Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc.; formerly, Director, Member of Governance and Compensation Committees, Publix Super Markets, 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 on the Business School Board of Visitors for Wake Forest University, and he previously served as an Executive Committee member of the United States Golf Association.	$0	$321,000

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 Trust and Federated Hermes Complex (past calendar year)
Maureen Lally-Green Birth Date: July 5, 1949 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: May 2017	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Adjunct Professor Emerita of Law, Duquesne University School of Law; formerly, Dean of the Duquesne University School of Law and Professor of Law and Interim Dean of the Duquesne University School of Law; formerly, Associate General Secretary and Director, Office of Church Relations, Diocese of Pittsburgh. Other Directorships Held: Director, CNX Resources Corporation (formerly known as CONSOL Energy Inc.). Qualifications: Judge Lally-Green has served in various legal and business roles and directorship positions throughout her career. Judge Lally-Green previously held the position of Dean of the School of Law of Duquesne University (as well as Interim Dean). Judge Lally-Green previously served as a member of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and as a Professor of Law, Duquesne University School of Law. Judge Lally-Green was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to serve on the Supreme Court’s Board of Continuing Judicial Education and the Supreme Court’s Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee. Judge Lally-Green also currently holds the positions on not for profit or for profit boards of directors as follows: Director and Chair, UPMC Mercy Hospital; Regent, Saint Vincent Seminary; Member, Pennsylvania State Board of Education (public); Director, Catholic Charities, Pittsburgh; and Director, CNX Resources Corporation (formerly known as CONSOL Energy Inc.). Judge Lally-Green has held the positions of: Director, Auberle; Director, Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central Pennsylvania; Director, Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh; Director, Saint Thomas More Society; Director and Chair, Catholic High Schools of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Inc.; Director, Pennsylvania Bar Institute; Director, Saint Vincent College; Director and Chair, North Catholic High School, Inc.; and Director and Vice Chair, Our Campaign for the Church Alive!, Inc.	$0	$286,000
Thomas M. O’Neill Birth Date: June 14, 1951 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: May 2017	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee 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 and Director, The Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, Florida. 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; Credit Analyst and Lending Officer, Fleet Bank; Director and Consultant, EZE Castle Software (investment order management software); and Director, Midway Pacific (lumber).	$0	$286,000
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; Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Duquesne University. Other Directorships Held: None. Qualifications: Ms. Reilly has served in various business and legal management roles throughout her career. Ms. Reilly previously served as 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.	$0	$49,668.48

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 Trust and Federated Hermes Complex (past calendar year)
P. Jerome Richey Birth Date: February 23, 1949 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: May 2017	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Management Consultant; Retired; formerly, Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh and Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, CONSOL Energy Inc. (split into two separate publicly traded companies known as CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX Resources Corp.). Other Directorships Held: None. Qualifications: Mr. Richey has served in several business and legal management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Richey most recently held the positions of Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously served as Chairman of the Board, Epilepsy Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and Chairman of the Board, World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously served as Chief Legal Officer and Executive Vice President, CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX Gas Company; and Board Member, Ethics Counsel and Shareholder, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC (a law firm).	$0	$260,000
John S. Walsh Birth Date: November 28, 1957 Trustee Indefinite Term Began serving: May 2017	Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; President and Director, Heat Wagon, Inc. (manufacturer of construction temporary heaters); President and Director, Manufacturers Products, Inc. (distributor of portable construction heaters); President, Portable Heater Parts, a division of 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 Vice President, Walsh & Kelly, Inc. (paving contractors).	$0	$345,000

Because the Fund is a new portfolio of the Trust, Trustee compensation has not yet been earned and will be reported following the Fund’s next fiscal year.

OFFICERS*

Name Birth Date Positions Held with Trust Date Service Began	Principal Occupation(s) and Previous Position(s)
Lori A. Hensler Birth Date: January 6, 1967 Treasurer Officer since: May 2017	Principal Occupations: Principal Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Federated Hermes Complex; Senior Vice President, Federated Administrative Services; Financial and Operations Principal for Federated Securities Corp.; and Assistant Treasurer, Federated Investors Trust Company. Ms. Hensler has received the Certified Public Accountant designation. Previous Positions: Controller of Federated Hermes, Inc.; 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., Edgewood Services, Inc., Federated Advisory Services Company, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company, Passport Research, Ltd. and Federated MDTA, LLC; Financial and Operations Principal for Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood Services, Inc. and Southpointe Distribution Services, Inc.
Peter J. Germain Birth Date: September 3, 1959 CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER, SECRETARY and EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Officer since: November 2017	Principal Occupations: Mr. Germain is Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive Vice President of the Federated Hermes Complex. He is General Counsel, 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.; Secretary, Federated Shareholder Services Company; and Secretary, Retirement Plan Service Company of America. 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.

Name Birth Date Positions Held with Trust Date Service Began	Principal Occupation(s) and Previous Position(s)
Stephen Van Meter Birth Date: June 5, 1975 CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER AND SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Officer since: May 2017	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: May 2017	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.
Robert J. Ostrowski Birth Date: April 26, 1963 Chief Investment Officer Officer since: January 2021	Principal Occupations: Robert J. Ostrowski joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in 1987 as an Investment Analyst and became a Portfolio Manager in 1990. He was named Chief Investment Officer of Federated Hermes, Inc. taxable fixed-income products in 2004 and also serves as a Senior Portfolio Manager. Mr. Ostrowski became an Executive Vice President of the Fund’s Adviser in 2009 and served as a Senior Vice President of the Fund’s Adviser from 1997 to 2009. Mr. Ostrowski has received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He received his M.S. in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University.
Deborah A. Cunningham Birth Date: September 15, 1959 Chief Investment Officer Officer since: January 2021	Principal Occupations: Deborah A. Cunningham was named Chief Investment Officer of Federated Hermes’ money market products in 2004. She joined Federated Hermes in 1981 and has been a Senior Portfolio Manager since 1997 and an Executive Vice President of the Fund’s Adviser since 2009. Ms. Cunningham has received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and holds an M.S.B.A. in Finance from Robert Morris College.

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 an incumbent Director/Trustee who has attained the age of 75 and completed a minimum of five years of service as a director/trustee, may, in the sole discretion of the Committee of Independent Directors/Trustees (“Committee”), be recommended to the full Board of Directors/Trustees of the Fund to serve as Director/Trustee Emeritus.

A Director/Trustee Emeritus that has been approved as such receives an annual fee in an amount equal to a percent of the annual base compensation paid to a 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. 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 of Directors/Trustees each year and will be available to consult with the Committees or its representatives at reasonable times as requested by the Chairman; however, a Director/Trustee Emeritus does not have any voting rights at Board meetings and is not subject to election by shareholders of the Funds.

The Director/Trustee Emeritus will be permitted to serve in such capacity at the pleasure of the Committee, but the annual fee will cease to be paid at the end of the calendar year during which he or she 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 Fund (past fiscal year)	Total Compensation Paid to Director/Trustee Emeritus1
Peter E. Madden	$ 0	$ 52,000.00
Charles F. Mansfield, Jr. 2	$ 0	$0.00

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.

Charles F. Mansfield, Jr. retired from the Federated Hermes Fund Board of Directors/Trustees on December 31, 2020. Until December 31, 2020, Mr. Mansfield was compensated as a Director/Trustee of the Fund.

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 John T. Collins 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	G. Thomas Hough Maureen Lally-Green Thomas M. O’Neill P. Jerome Richey	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 T. Collins G. Thomas Hough Maureen Lally-Green Thomas M. O’Neill Madelyn A. Reilly P. Jerome Richey 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.	One

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, 2020

Interested Board Member Name	Dollar Range of Shares Owned in Federated Hermes Conservative Microshort Fund	Aggregate Dollar Range of Shares Owned in Federated Hermes Family of Investment Companies
J. Christopher Donahue	None	Over $100,000
John B. Fisher	None	Over $100,000
Independent Board Member Name
John T. Collins	None	Over $100,000
G. Thomas Hough	None	Over $100,000
Maureen Lally-Green	None	Over $100,000
Thomas M. O’Neill	None	Over $100,000
Madelyn A. Reilly	None	None
P. Jerome Richey	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, Inc., (“Federated Hermes”) became a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The PRI is an investor initiative in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative and the United Nations Global Compact. Commitments made as a signatory to the PRI are not legally binding, but are voluntary and aspirational. They include efforts, where consistent with our fiduciary responsibilities, to incorporate environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues into investment analysis and investment decision making, to be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices, to seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest, to promote acceptance and implementation of the PRI within the investment industry, to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the PRI, and to report on our activities and progress towards implementing the PRI. Being a signatory to the PRI 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, Inc., acquired a majority interest in Hermes Fund Managers Limited (HFML), which operates as Hermes Investment Management, a pioneer of integrated ESG investing. HFML’s experience with ESG issues contributes to Federated Hermes’ understanding of material risks and opportunities these issues may present.

On August 31, 2021, Federated Hermes acquired an additional 29.5% interest in HFML that was held by another shareholder of HFML. Federated Hermes currently owns approximately a 90% interest in HFML. An employee benefit trust continues to hold approximately a 10% interest in HFML for the benefit of certain members of HFML’s management and key employees.

EOS at Federated Hermes, which was established as Hermes Equity Ownership Services Limited (EOS) in 2004 as an affiliate of Hermes Investment Management Limited, is our in-house engagement and stewardship team. The 50+ member team conducts long-term, objectives-driven dialogue with board and senior executive level representatives of more than 1,200 unique issuers annually. It 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 Manager is provided as of the end of the Fund’s most recently completed fiscal year unless otherwise indicated.

Paige Wilhelm, Portfolio Manager

Types of Accounts Managed by Paige Wilhelm	Total Number of Additional Accounts Managed/Total Assets*
Registered Investment Companies	5/$49.9 billion
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles	9/$68.3 billion
Other Accounts	1/$287.5 million

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.

Paige Wilhelm 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.

As noted above, Ms. Wilhelm is also the portfolio manager for other accounts in addition to the Fund. Such other accounts may have different benchmarks and performance measures. The allocation or weighting given to the performance of the other accounts for which Ms. Wilhelm is responsible when her compensation is calculated may be equal or can vary.

For purposes of calculating the annual incentive amount each account managed by the portfolio manager may be categorized into multiple IPP groups (which may be adjusted periodically). Within each performance measurement period and IPP group, IPP is calculated on the basis of an assigned weighting to each of the other accounts managed by the portfolio manager and included in the IPP groups. Although the performance of each of the other accounts are considered in calculating the annual incentive amount, the weighting of the IPP group weightings differ. 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.

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).

Mark Weiss, Portfolio Manager

Types of Accounts Managed by Mark Weiss	Total Number of Additional Accounts Managed/Total Assets*
Registered Investment Companies	4/$64.3 billion
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles	5/$40.3 billion
Other Accounts	1/$287.5 million

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.

Mark Weiss 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 for the rolling one, two or three, and five calendar year periods, typically, on pre-tax gross total return basis 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.

As noted above, Mr. Weiss is also the portfolio manager for other accounts in addition to the Fund. Such other accounts may have different benchmarks and performance measures. The allocation or weighting given to the performance of the other accounts for which Mr. Weiss is responsible when his compensation is calculated may be equal or can vary.

In addition, Mr. Weiss 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.

Randall Bauer, Portfolio Manager

Types of Accounts Managed by Randall Bauer	Total Number of Additional Accounts Managed/Total Assets*
Registered Investment Companies	2/$11.4 billion
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles	1/$4.9 million
Other Accounts	5/$1.1 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.

Randall Bauer 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 for the rolling one, two and five calendar year periods, typically, on pre-tax gross total return basis versus an account’s benchmark 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. In addition, Mr. Bauer has oversight responsibility for other portfolios that he does not personally manage and serves on one or more Investment Teams that establish guidelines on various performance drivers (e.g., currency, duration, sector, volatility and/or yield curve) for taxable, fixed-income accounts. A portion of the IPP score is based on Federated Hermes’ senior management’s assessment of team contributions.

For purposes of calculating the annual incentive amount each account managed by the portfolio manager may be categorized into multiple IPP groups (which may be adjusted periodically). Within each performance measurement period and IPP group, IPP is calculated on the basis of an assigned weighting to each of the other accounts or activities managed by the portfolio manager and included in the IPP groups. Although the performance of each of the other accounts or activities are considered in calculating the annual incentive amount, the weighting of the IPP group weightings differ. 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.

Nicholas Tripodes, Portfolio Manager

Types of Accounts Managed by Nicholas Tripodes	Total Number of Additional Accounts Managed/Total Assets*
Registered Investment Companies	2/$11.4 billion
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles	1/$3.6 billion
Other Accounts	6/$1.6 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.

Nicholas Tripodes 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 for the rolling one, three and five calendar year periods, typically on a pre-tax gross total return basis versus the account’s benchmark 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.

As noted above, Mr. Tripodes is also the portfolio manager for other accounts in addition to the Fund. Such other accounts may have different benchmarks and performance measures. The allocation or weighting given to the performance of the Fund or other accounts for which Mr. Tripodes 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 may be categorized into multiple IPP groups (which may be adjusted periodically). Within each performance measurement period and IPP group, IPP currently is calculated on the basis of an assigned weighting to each of the other accounts managed by the portfolio manager and included in the IPP groups. Although the performance of each of the other accounts are considered in calculating the annual incentive amount, the weighting of the IPP group weightings differ. Additionally, a portion of Mr. Tripodes’ IPP score is based on the performance of the accounts for which he provides research and analytic support. 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. Tripodes 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.

will generally vote in favor of; (7) 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; (8) shareholder proposals to declassify the board of directors; (9) shareholder proposals to require a majority voting standard in the election of directors; (10) shareholder proposals to separate the roles of chairman of the board and CEO; (11) a proposal to require a company’s audit committee to be comprised entirely of independent directors; and (12) shareholder proposals to eliminate supermajority voting requirements in company bylaws.

On other matters of corporate governance, generally the Adviser will vote in favor of: (1) proposals to grant shareholders the right to call a special meeting if owners of at least 15% of the outstanding stock agree; (2) a proposal to require independent tabulation of proxies and/or confidential voting of shareholders; (3) a proposal to ratify the board’s selection of auditors, unless: (a) compensation for non-audit services exceeded 50% of the total compensation received from the company; or (b) the previous auditor was dismissed because of a disagreement with the company; (4) a proposal to repeal a shareholder rights plan (also known as a “poison pill”) and against the adoption of such a plan, unless the plan is designed to facilitate, rather than prevent, unsolicited offers for the company; (5) shareholder proposals to eliminate supermajority requirements in company bylaws; and (6) 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. The Adviser will generally withhold support from shareholder proposals to grant shareholders the right to act by written consent. Finally, the Adviser will vote on a case-by-case basis for proposals to adopt or amend shareholder rights plans.

On environmental and social matters, generally the Adviser will vote on a case-by-case basis. The Adviser will take into account the literal meaning of the written proposal, the financial materiality of the proposal’s objective, and the practices followed by industry peers. Above all, the Adviser will vote in a manner that would enhance the long-term value of the securities being voted within the framework of the client’s investment objectives.

On matters of capital structure, generally the Adviser will vote against a proposal to authorize or issue shares that are senior in priority or voting rights to the voted securities, and in favor of a proposal to: (1) reduce the amount of shares authorized for issuance (subject to adequate provisions for outstanding convertible securities, options, warrants, rights and other existing obligations to issue shares); and (2) grant authorities to issue shares with and without pre-emptive rights unless the size of the authorities would threaten to unreasonably dilute existing shareholders. The Adviser will decide how to vote on proposals to authorize a stock repurchase or special dividend program on a case-by-case basis.

On matters relating to management compensation, generally the Adviser will vote in favor of stock incentive plans (including plans for directors) that align the recipients of stock incentives with the interests of shareholders, without creating undue dilution, and against: (1) the advisory vote on executive compensation plans (“Say On Pay”) when the plan has failed to align executive compensation with corporate performance; (2) the advisory vote on the frequency of the Say On Pay vote when the frequency is other than annual; (3) proposals that would permit the amendment or replacement of outstanding stock incentives having more favorable terms (e.g., lower purchase prices or easier vesting requirements); and (4) executive compensation plans that do not disclose the maximum amounts of compensation that may be awarded or the criteria for determining awards.

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.

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 study the proposed business strategies of both groups and vote in a way that maximizes expected total return for the Fund.

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 of time), 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.

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 raises issues that the Adviser believes materially affect shareholder value, including, but not limited to, excessive compensation, mergers and acquisitions, contested elections and weak oversight by the audit committee. However, 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.

The Adviser will take into account 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. In certain circumstances, primarily those where the Adviser’s voting policy is absolute and without exception, issuer feedback will not be part of the voting decision. For example, it is the Adviser’s policy to always support a shareholder proposal to separate the roles of chairman of the board and CEO. Thus, any comments from the issuer opposing this proposal would not be considered.

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 Operations Team (PVOT) and overseen by the PVMG. Besides voting the proxies, this work includes engaging with investee companies on corporate governance matters, managing the proxy advisory firm, soliciting voting recommendations from the Adviser’s investment professionals, bringing voting recommendations to the Proxy Committee for approval, filing with regulatory agencies any required proxy voting reports, 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 issues related to corporate governance and proxy voting.

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 sometimes call for an investment professional to review the ballot question and provide a voting recommendation to the Proxy Committee (a “case-by-case vote”). 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 in order to cast proxy votes in a manner that the Proxy Committee believes is in accordance with the General Policy. The proxy advisory firm may vote any proxy as directed in the Standard Voting Instructions without further direction from the Proxy Committee. However, if the Standard Voting Instructions require case-by-case handling for a proposal, the PVOT 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 PVOT to analyze a ballot question and make the final voting decision, the PVOT 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.”

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, so 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 Advisers’ Conflicts of Interest

Proxy advisory firms may have significant business relationships with the subjects of their research and voting recommendations. For example, a proxy advisory firm board member also sits on the board of a public company for which the proxy advisory firm will write a research report. This and similar situations give rise to an actual or apparent conflict of interest.

In order to avoid concerns that the conflicting interests of the engaged proxy advisory firm have influenced 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 the proxy advisory firm on an annual basis and determine through a review of their policies and procedures and through inquiry that the proxy advisory firm has established a system of internal controls that provide reasonable assurance that their voting recommendations are not influenced by the business relationships they have with the subjects of their research.

■ Whenever the standard voting guidelines call for voting a proposal in accordance with the proxy advisory firm recommendation and the proxy advisory firm has disclosed that they have a conflict of interest with respect to that issuer, the PVOT will take the following steps: (a) the PVOT will obtain a copy of the research report and recommendations published by another proxy advisory firm for that issuer; (b) the Director of Proxy Voting, or his designee, will review both the engaged proxy advisory firm research report and the research report of the other proxy advisory firm and determine what vote will be cast. The PVOT will report all proxies voted in this manner to the Proxy Committee on a quarterly basis. Alternatively, the PVOT 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 FederatedInvestors.com/FundInformation. Form N-PX filings are also available at the SEC’s website at sec.gov.

Portfolio Holdings Information

Information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com/FundInformation. A complete listing of the Fund’s portfolio holdings as of the end of each month is posted on the website 7 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 percentage breakdowns of the portfolio by sector and credit quality.

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 FederatedInvestors.com. The Fund’s Annual Shareholder Report and Semi-Annual Shareholder Report contain 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.

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.

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 of 1%	on assets up to $50 billion
0.075 of 1%	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

State Street Bank and Trust Company, 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, Ernst & Young LLP, 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.

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.

The Fund did not participate in any securities lending activities during the Fund’s most recently completed fiscal year.

Gross income from securities lending activities	$ 0.00
Fees and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related services
Fees paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split	$ 0.00
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)	$ 0.00
Other fees not included in revenue split (specify)	—
Aggregate fees/compensation for securities lending activities	$ 0.00
Net income from securities lending activities	$0.00

Financial Information

The Fund became effective on January 29, 2021. The Fund’s Class A Shares have not yet commenced operations. However, the Fund’s audited financial statements for its Institutional Shares for the reporting period ended August 31, 2021 , are incorporated herein by reference to the Annual Report to Shareholders of Federated Hermes Conservative Microshort Fund dated August 31, 2021.

Investment Ratings

Standard & Poor’s Rating Services (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, 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. publicfinance 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 to36 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 Conservative Microshort Fund

Class A 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 Investment Management Company
1001 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779

Custodian

State Street Bank and Trust Company
1 Iron Street
Boston, MA 02110

Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent

State Street Bank and Trust Company
P.O. Box 219318
Kansas City, MO 64121-9318

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Ernst & Young LLP
200 Clarendon Street
Boston, MA 02116-5072

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

Ernst & Young LLP

LEGAL COUNSEL

Goodwin Procter LLP
K&L Gates LLP

Financial Printer(S)

Donnelley Financial Solutions

Proxy Voting Administrator

Glass Lewis & Co., LLC

SECURITY PRICING SERVICES

Bloomberg L.P.
IHS Markit (Markit North America)
ICE Data Pricing & Reference Data, LLC
JPMorgan PricingDirect
Refinitiv US Holdings Inc.

RATINGS AGENCIES

Fitch, Inc.
Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC

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:

Bank of America Merrill Lynch
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
Sustainalytics U.S. Inc.
Wolters Kluwer N.V.

Prospectus

October 31, 2021

Share Class | Ticker

Institutional | FHCOX

Federated Hermes Conservative Microshort Fund

A Portfolio of Federated Hermes Adviser Series

A mutual fund seeking to provide current income consistent with capital preservation while maintaining liquidity by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of investment-grade securities.

Not FDIC Insured ▪ May Lose Value ▪ No Bank Guarantee

CONTENTS

Fund Summary Information	1
What are the Fund’s Investment Strategies?	5
What are the Fund’s Principal Investments?	6
What are the Specific Risks of Investing in the Fund?	9
What Do Shares Cost?	13
How is the Fund Sold?	14
Payments to Financial Intermediaries	15
How to Purchase Shares	16
How to Redeem and Exchange Shares	18
Security and Privacy Protection	20
Account and Share Information	21
Who Manages the Fund?	23
Financial Information	24
Appendix A: Hypothetical Investment and Expense Information	26

Fund Summary Information

Federated Hermes Conservative Microshort Fund (the “Fund”)

RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund’s investment objective is to provide current income consistent with capital preservation while maintaining liquidity.

RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: FEES AND EXPENSES

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Institutional Shares (IS) of the Fund. 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.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

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

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

	IS
Management Fee	0.25%
Distribution (12b-1) Fee	None
Other Expenses	0.87%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	0.07%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	1.19%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1	(0.94)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/orExpense Reimbursements	0.25%

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 interest expense, extraordinary expenses and proxy-related expenses, paid by the Fund, if any) paid by the Fund’s IS class (after the voluntary waivers and/or reimbursements) will not exceed 0.25% (the “Fee Limit”), up to but not including the later of (the “Termination Date”): (a)November 1, 2022; 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 Fund’s Board of Trustees (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 or hold 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 operating expenses (excluding any sales loads on reinvested dividends, fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements) are as shown in the table above and remain the same. The expenses used to calculate the Fund’s examples do not include fee waivers or expense reimbursements. Although your actual costs and returns may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

1 Year	$ 121
3 Years	$ 378
5 Years	$654
10 Years	$ 1,443

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 period February 3, 2021 (date of initial public investment) to August 31, 2021, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 26% of the average value of its portfolio.

RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: INVESTMENTS, RISKS and PERFORMANCE

What are the Fund’s Main Investment Strategies?

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:

Performance: Bar Chart and Table

FUND MANAGEMENT

The Fund’s Investment Adviser is Federated Investment Management Company.

Paige M. Wilhelm, Senior Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception January of 2021.

Mark F. Weiss, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception January of 2021.

Randall S. Bauer, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception January of 2021.

Nicholas S. Tripodes, CFA, Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception January of 2021.

purchase and sale of fund shares

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.

Tax Information

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

What are the Fund’s Investment Strategies?

time based on its interest rate outlook. Duration measures the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The greater a portfolio’s average duration, the greater the change in the portfolio’s value in response to a change in market interest rates. The maturity of asset-backed securities is determined on an average life basis by the Adviser. The average life is the average period over which the security’s cash flows will be received.

INDUSTRY CONCENTRATION

TEMPORARY INVESTMENTS

What are the Fund’s Principal Investments?

Fixed-Income Securities

The following describes the fixed-income securities in which the Fund principally invests:

Treasury Securities (A Type of 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 Type of Fixed-Income Security)

Corporate Debt Securities (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)

Commercial Paper (A Type of Corporate Debt Security)

Demand Instruments (A Type of Corporate Debt Security)

Callable Securities (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)

Certain fixed-income securities in which the Fund invests are callable at the option of the issuer. Callable securities are subject to call risks.

Municipal Securities (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)

Asset-Backed Securities (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)

Foreign Securities

Foreign securities are securities of issuers based outside the United States. The Fund considers an issuer to be based outside the United States if:

■ 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; or

Along with the risks normally associated with domestic securities of the same type, foreign securities are subject to risks of foreign investing.

Bank Instruments (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)

OTHER INVESTMENTS, TRANSACTIONS, TECHNIQUES

Investing in Securities of Other Investment Companies

Credit Enhancement

Repurchase Agreements

Repurchase agreements are subject to credit risks.

Additional Information Regarding the Security Selection Process

Investment Ratings for Investment-Grade Securities

What are the Specific Risks of Investing in the Fund?

Interest Rate Risk

ISSUER Credit Risk

Counterparty Credit Risk

Prepayment AND EXTENSION Risk

Call Risk

Liquidity Risk

RISK RELATED TO THE ECONOMY

certain securities and may result in decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the financial markets. Market factors, such as the demand for particular portfolio securities, may cause the price of certain portfolio securities to fall while the prices of other securities rise or remain unchanged. Among other investments, lower-grade bonds and loans may be particularly sensitive to changes in the economy.

Epidemic and Pandemic Risk

ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES (ABS) Risk

Risk of Foreign Investing

Credit Enhancement Risk

Sector Risk

Concentration risk

New Fund Risk

UNDERLYING FUND RISK

LARGE SHAREHOLDER RISK

technology Risk

What Do Shares Cost?

CALCULATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

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

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

■ Fixed-income securities are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Board of Trustees (“Board”).

Fair Valuation and Significant Events Procedures

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 Board. The Board periodically reviews and approves the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee and any changes made to the procedures. The Fund’s SAI discusses the methods used by pricing services and the Valuation Committee to assist the Board in valuing investments.

■ 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

COMMISSIONS ON CERTAIN SHARES

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

How is the Fund Sold?

The Fund has established the following Share classes: Class A Shares (A) and Institutional Shares (IS), each representing interests in a single portfolio of securities. This Prospectus relates to Institutional Shares. All Share classes have different sales charges and or other expenses which affect their performance. As of the date of this Prospectus, only the IS class is being offered. Class A Shares are not currently offered for sale. Please note that certain purchase restrictions may apply. Contact your financial intermediary or call 1-800-341-7400 for more information concerning the other classes.

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, 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;

■ 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 subadvised 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.

Intra-Fund Share Conversion Program

Payments to Financial Intermediaries

NETWORKING FEES

ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

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, that support the sale of Shares or provide services to Fund shareholders. The amounts of these payments could be significant, and may create an incentive for the financial intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend or sell Shares of the Fund to you. Not all financial intermediaries receive such payments, and the amount of compensation may vary by intermediary. 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 sells or may sell; 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. 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 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 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

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

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 IS class is generally $1,000,000. There is no minimum subsequent investment amount.

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).

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

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.

By Wire

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

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
430 W 7th Street
Suite 219318
Kansas City, MO 64105-1407

By Direct Deposit

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.

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 Money Market Management, Federated Hermes Institutional Tax-Free Cash Trust, Federated Hermes Institutional Prime Obligations Fund, Federated Hermes Institutional Prime Value Obligations Fund, no-load Class A Shares and Class R Shares of any Fund.