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(Institutional) | (Delaware Small Cap Value Fund)

What is the Fund's investment objective?

Delaware Small Cap Value Fund seeks capital appreciation.

What are the Fund's fees and expenses?

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

Annual fund operating expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (Delaware Small Cap Value Fund)
Institutional Class
(Institutional)
Management fees 0.75%
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees none
Other expenses 0.37%
Total annual fund operating expenses 1.12%

Example

The example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund to the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example shows the cumulative amount of Fund expenses on a hypothetical investment of $10,000 with an annual 5% return over the time shown. This example assumes that the Fund's total operating expenses remain unchanged in each of the periods shown. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (Delaware Small Cap Value Fund) (USD $)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Institutional Class (Institutional)
114 356 617 1,363

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 29% of the average value of its portfolio.

What are the Fund's principal investment strategies?

The Fund invests primarily in investments of small companies whose stock prices appear low relative to their underlying value or future potential. Among other factors, the Manager considers the financial strength of a company, its management, the prospects for its industry, and any anticipated changes within the company that might suggest a more favorable outlook going forward. We focus on free cash flow in our individual stock selection, seeking companies that we believe have a sustainable ability to buy back shares, lower debt, and/or increase or initiate dividends. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund's net assets will be in investments of small-capitalization companies (the 80% policy). The Fund considers small-capitalization companies to be companies with a market capitalization generally less than 3.5 times the dollar-weighted, median market capitalization of the Russell 2000® Index at the time of purchase. The Fund's 80% policy can be changed without shareholder approval. However, shareholders would be given notice at least 60 days prior to any change.

What are the principal risks of investing in the Fund?

Investing in any mutual fund involves the risk that you may lose part or all of the money you invest. Over time, the value of your investment in the Fund will increase and decrease according to changes in the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio. Principal risks include:

Investments not guaranteed by the Manager or its affiliates — Investments in the Fund are not and will not be deposits with or liabilities of Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 and its holding companies, including their subsidiaries or related companies (Macquarie Group), and are subject to investment risk, including possible delays in repayment and loss of income and capital invested. No Macquarie Group company guarantees or will guarantee the performance of the Fund, the repayment of capital from the Fund, or any particular rate of return.

Market risk — The risk that all or a majority of the securities in a certain market — such as the stock or bond market — will decline in value because of factors such as adverse political or economic conditions, future expectations, investor confidence, or heavy institutional selling.

Industry risk — The risk that the value of securities in a particular industry (such as financial services or manufacturing) will decline because of changing expectations for the performance of that industry.

Small company risk — The risk that prices of small- and medium-sized companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies because of limited financial resources or dependence on narrow product lines.

Interest rate risk — The risk that securities will decrease in value if interest rates rise. The risk is generally associated with bonds; however, because small- and medium-sized companies and companies in the real estate sector often borrow money to finance their operations, they may be adversely affected by rising interest rates.

Foreign risk — The risk that foreign securities (particularly in emerging markets) may be adversely affected by political instability; changes in currency exchange rates; inefficient markets and higher transaction costs; foreign economic conditions; or inadequate or different regulatory and accounting standards.

Liquidity risk — The possibility that securities cannot be readily sold within seven days at approximately the price at which a fund has valued them.

Counterparty risk — The risk that a counterparty to a derivative contract (such as a swap, futures, or options contract) or a repurchase agreement may fail to perform its obligations under the contract or agreement due to financial difficulties (such as a bankruptcy or reorganization).

Government and regulatory risk — The risk that governments or regulatory authorities have, from time to time, taken or considered actions that could adversely affect various sectors of the securities markets.

How has Delaware Small Cap Value Fund performed?

The bar chart and table below 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 1-, 5-, and 10-year periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future. The returns reflect expense caps in effect during certain of these periods. The returns would be lower without the expense caps. You may obtain the Fund's most recently available month-end performance by calling 800 523-1918 or by visiting our website at www.delawareinvestments.com/performance.

Year-by-year total return (Institutional Class)

Bar Chart

During the periods illustrated in this bar chart, the Institutional Class' highest quarterly return was 22.86% for the quarter ended September 30, 2009 and its lowest quarterly return was -24.73% for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Average annual total returns for periods ended December 31, 2011

Average Annual Total Returns (Delaware Small Cap Value Fund) (Institutional)
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Institutional Class
(0.91%) 2.15% 8.56%
Institutional Class return after taxes on distributions
(1.76%) 1.65% 7.61%
Institutional Class return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares
0.14% 1.75% 7.31%
Russell 2000® Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
(5.50%) (1.88%) 6.40%

Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's individual tax situation and may differ from the returns shown. After-tax returns are not relevant for shares held in tax-deferred investment vehicles such as employer-sponsored 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The after-tax returns shown are calculated using the highest individual federal marginal income tax rates in effect during the periods presented and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.