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Class Z Prospectus | Alger Small Cap Growth Fund
Alger Small Cap Growth Fund
Investment Objective

Alger Small Cap Growth Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Fund Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees
Class Z Prospectus
Alger Small Cap Growth Fund
Alger Small Cap Growth Fund Class Z
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) none
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
Class Z Prospectus
Alger Small Cap Growth Fund
Alger Small Cap Growth Fund Class Z
Management Fees 0.81%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees none
Other Expenses 0.23%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.04%
Expense Reimbursement 0.05% [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement 0.99%
[1] Fred Alger Management, Inc. has contractually agreed to reimburse Fund expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage, and extraordinary expenses) through February 28, 2017 to the extent necessary to limit the annual operating expenses of Class Z Shares of the Fund to .99% of the class's average net assets. This expense reimbursement cannot be terminated. Fred Alger Management, Inc. may recoup reimbursed expenses during the one-year term of the expense reimbursement contract if the expense ratio falls below the stated limitation at the time of the reimbursement.
Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions you would pay the following expenses whether or not you redeemed your shares at the end of each period:
Expense Example
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class Z Prospectus | Alger Small Cap Growth Fund | Alger Small Cap Growth Fund Class Z | USD ($) 101 326 569 1,266
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 most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 131.72% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategy

Fred Alger Management, Inc. believes companies undergoing Positive Dynamic Change offer the best investment opportunities. Positive Dynamic Change refers to companies realizing High Unit Volume Growth or companies undergoing Positive Lifecycle Change. High Unit Volume Growth companies are traditional growth companies experiencing, for example, significantly growing demand or market dominance. Positive Lifecycle Change companies are, for example, companies benefitting from regulatory change, a new product introduction or management change.


The Fund focuses on small, fast-growing companies that Fred Alger Management, Inc. believes offer innovative products, services or technologies to a rapidly-expanding marketplace. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies that, at the time of purchase of the securities, have total market capitalization within the range of companies included in the Russell 2000 Growth Index or the S&P SmallCap 600 Index, as reported by the indexes as of the most recent quarter-end. Both indexes are broad-based indexes of small capitalization stocks. At December 31, 2015, the market capitalization of the companies in these indexes ranged from $18.7 million to $6.4 billion.

Principal Risks

Equity Securities Risk – As with any fund that invests in stocks, your investment will fluctuate in value, and the loss of your investment is a risk of investing. The Fund's price per share will fluctuate due to changes in the market prices of its investments. Also, the Fund's investments may not grow as fast as the rate of inflation and stocks tend to be more volatile than some other investments you could make, such as bonds.


Investment Style Risk – Prices of growth stocks tend to be higher in relation to their companies' earnings and may be more sensitive to market, political and economic developments than other stocks, making their prices more volatile. An investment in the Fund may be better suited to investors who seek long-term capital growth and can tolerate fluctuations in their investment's value.


The following risks may also apply:


  Small Cap Securities Risk – there may be greater risk in investing in smaller, less seasoned companies rather than larger, more established companies due to such factors as inexperienced management and limited product lines or financial resources. It may also be difficult or impossible to liquidate a security position at a time and price acceptable to the Fund because of the potentially less frequent trading of stocks of smaller market capitalization.


An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance

The following bar chart and the table beneath it provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for the indicated periods compare with those of an appropriate benchmark of market performance. Remember that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund's website www.alger.com.

Annual Total Return for Class Z Shares as of December 31 (%)
Bar Chart
Best Quarter:
Q4 2011 15.48%
  Worst Quarter:
Q3 2011 -22.89%
 
Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2015
Average Annual Returns - Class Z Prospectus - Alger Small Cap Growth Fund
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years
Average Annual Returns, Since Inception
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date
Alger Small Cap Growth Fund Class Z (3.23%) 7.25% 7.10% Dec. 29, 2010
After Taxes on Distributions | Alger Small Cap Growth Fund Class Z (7.77%) 4.90% 4.76%  
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Alger Small Cap Growth Fund Class Z 1.98% 5.68% 5.56%  
Russell 2000 Growth Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (1.38%) 10.67% 10.47% Dec. 29, 2010

In the foregoing table, after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown may not be relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. A "Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares" may sometimes be higher than the other two return figures; this happens where there is a capital loss on redemptions, giving rise to a tax benefit to the shareholder.