497 1 d307165d497.htm BLACKROCK SMALL CAP GROWTH EQUITY PORTFOLIO BlackRock Small Cap Growth Equity Portfolio

BLACKROCK FUNDSSM

BlackRock Small Cap Growth Equity Portfolio

(the “Fund”)

Supplement dated December 2, 2016

to the Summary Prospectuses and Prospectuses of the Fund, dated January 28, 2016

Effective December 1, 2016, BlackRock (as defined below) has agreed to: (i) reduce its contractual management fee rate for the Fund; and (ii) contractually cap net expenses of the Fund for the Fund’s Investor A, Investor C, Institutional and Service Shares. To achieve these expense caps, BlackRock has agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses if the Fund’s annual fund operating expenses, excluding certain expenses described in the prospectus, exceed a certain limit for the Fund’s Investor A, Investor C, Institutional and Service Shares. In addition, BlackRock may recoup some of the waivers and reimbursements to the Fund in the following two fiscal years. Accordingly, effective December 1, 2016, the Fund’s Summary Prospectuses and Prospectuses are amended as follows:

The section of the Investor A, Investor C and Institutional Shares Summary Prospectus entitled “Key Facts About BlackRock Small Cap Growth Equity Portfolio—Fees and Expenses of the Fund” and the section of the Investor A, Investor C and Institutional Shares Prospectus entitled “Fund Overview—Key Facts About BlackRock Small Cap Growth Equity Portfolio—Fees and Expenses of the Fund” are deleted in their entirety and replaced with the following:

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in the fund complex advised by BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”) and its affiliates. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional or your selected securities dealer, broker, investment adviser, service provider or industry professional (including BlackRock, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and their respective affiliates) (each a “Financial Intermediary”) and in the “Details About the Share Classes” section on page 27 of the Fund’s prospectus and in the “Purchase of Shares” section on page II-66 of Part II of the Fund’s statement of additional information.

 

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
   Investor A
Shares
    Investor C
Shares
    Institutional
Shares
 

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

     5.25     None        None   

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of offering price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)

     None1        1.00 %2      None   

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

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

   Investor A
Shares
    Investor C
Shares
    Institutional
Shares
 

Management Fee3,4

     0.45     0.45     0.45

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

     0.25     1.00     None   

Other Expenses

     0.33     0.36     0.27

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses4

     1.03     1.81     0.72

Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements5

     (0.28 )%      (0.31 )%      (0.22 )% 

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements5

     0.75     1.50     0.50
1 A contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% is assessed on certain redemptions of Investor A Shares made within 18 months after purchase where no initial sales charge was paid at time of purchase as part of an investment of $1,000,000 or more.

 


2 There is no CDSC on Investor C Shares after one year.
3  Management Fee has been restated to reflect current fees.
4  The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the ratios of expenses to average net assets given in the Fund’s most recent annual report, which do not include the restatement of Management Fee to reflect current fees.
5  As described in the “Management of the Funds” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 42, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees and/or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (excluding Interest Expense, Dividend Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) as a percentage of daily net assets to 0.75% (for Investor A Shares), 1.50% (for Investor C Shares) and 0.50% (for Institutional Shares) through January 31, 2018. The Fund may have to repay some of these waivers and/or reimbursements to BlackRock in the following two years. This contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Fund or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.

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 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem 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 the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

      1 Year      3 Years      5 Years      10 Years  

Investor A Shares

   $ 598       $ 809       $ 1,038       $ 1,694   

Investor C Shares

   $ 253       $ 539       $ 951       $ 2,101   

Institutional Shares

   $ 51       $ 208       $ 379       $ 874   

You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares:

 

      1 Year      3 Years      5 Years      10 Years  

Investor C Shares

   $ 153       $ 539       $ 951       $ 2,101   

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 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 137% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

2


The first paragraph of the Investor A, Investor C and Institutional Shares Prospectus entitled “Management of the Funds—BlackRock—Small Cap Growth Equity Total Annual Management Fee” is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

With respect to Small Cap Growth Equity, effective December 1, 2016, the maximum annual management fee that can be paid to BlackRock (as a percentage of average daily net assets) is calculated as follows:

 

Average Daily Net Assets    Rate of Management Fee  

First $1 billion

     0.45

$1 billion – $3 billion

     0.42

$3 billion – $5 billion

     0.41

$5 billion – $10 billion

     0.39

Greater than $10 billion

     0.38

With respect to Small Cap Growth Equity, prior to December 1, 2016, the maximum annual management fee that could be paid to BlackRock (as a percentage of average daily net assets) was calculated as follows:

 

Average Daily Net Assets    Rate of Management Fee  

First $1 billion

     0.550

$1 billion – $2 billion

     0.500

$2 billion – $3 billion

     0.475

Greater than $3 billion

     0.450

BlackRock has contractually agreed to cap net expenses of Small Cap Growth Equity (excluding: (i) interest, taxes, dividends tied to short sales, brokerage commissions, and other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; (ii) expenses incurred directly or indirectly by the Fund as a result of investments in other investment companies and pooled investment vehicles; (iii) other expenses attributable to, and incurred as a result of, the Fund’s investments; and (iv) other extraordinary expenses (including litigation expenses) not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business, if any) of each share class of the Fund at the levels shown below and in the Fund’s fees and expenses table in the “Fund Overview” section of this prospectus. Items (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) in the preceding sentence are referred to in this prospectus as “Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses.” To achieve these expense caps, BlackRock has agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses if the Fund’s operating expenses exceed a certain limit.

With respect to Small Cap Growth Equity, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) to the amounts noted in the table below.

 

      Contractual Caps1 on
Total Annual Fund
Operating Expenses2
(excluding Dividend
Expense, Interest
Expense, Acquired Fund
Fees and Expenses and
certain other Fund expenses)

Investor A Shares

       0.75 %

Investor C Shares

       1.50 %

Institutional Shares

       0.50 %
  1 The contractual caps are in effect through January 31, 2018. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.  
  2 As a percentage of average daily net assets.  

 

3


With respect to the contractual agreement to cap net expenses, if during Small Cap Growth Equity’s fiscal year the operating expenses of a share class, that at any time during the prior two fiscal years received a waiver and/or reimbursement from BlackRock, are less than the expense limit for that share class, the share class is required to repay BlackRock up to the lesser of (a) the amount of fees waived or expenses reimbursed during those prior two fiscal years under the agreement and (b) the amount by which the expense limit for that share class exceeds the operating expenses of the share class for the current fiscal year, provided that: (i) the Fund has more than $50 million in assets and (ii) BlackRock or an affiliate serves as the Fund’s manager or administrator.

The section of the Service Shares Summary Prospectus entitled “Key Facts About BlackRock Small Cap Growth Equity Portfolio —Fees and Expenses of the Fund” and the section of the Service Shares Prospectus entitled “Fund Overview—Key Facts About BlackRock Small Cap Growth Equity Portfolio —Fees and Expenses of the Fund” are deleted in their entirety and replaced with the following:

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

 

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

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

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

   Service
Shares
 

Management Fee1,2

     0.45

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

     0.25

Other Expenses

     0.32

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses2

     1.02

Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements3

     (0.27 )% 

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements3

     0.75
1  Management Fee has been restated to reflect current fees.
2  The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the ratio of expenses to average net assets given in the Fund’s most recent annual report, which does not include the restatement of Management Fee to reflect current fees.
3 As described in the “Management of the Funds” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 27, BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”) has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees and/or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) to 0.75% of average daily net assets through January 31, 2018. The Fund may have to repay some of these waivers and/or reimbursements to BlackRock in the following two years. This contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Fund or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.

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 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem 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 the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

   1 Year      3 Years      5 Years      10 Years  

Service Shares

   $ 77       $ 298       $ 537       $ 1,223   

 

4


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 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 137% of the average value of its portfolio.

The first paragraph of the Service Shares Prospectus entitled “Management of the Funds—BlackRock—Small Cap Growth Equity Total Annual Management Fee” is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

With respect to Small Cap Growth Equity, effective December 1, 2016, the maximum annual management fee that can be paid to BlackRock (as a percentage of average daily net assets) is calculated as follows:

 

Average Daily Net Assets    Rate of Management Fee  

First $1 billion

     0.45

$1 billion – $3 billion

     0.42

$3 billion – $5 billion

     0.41

$5 billion – $10 billion

     0.39

Greater than $10 billion

     0.38

With respect to Small Cap Growth Equity, prior to December 1, 2016, the maximum annual management fee that could be paid to BlackRock (as a percentage of average daily net assets) was calculated as follows:

 

Average Daily Net Assets    Rate of Management Fee  

First $1 billion

     0.550

$1 billion – $2 billion

     0.500

$2 billion – $3 billion

     0.475

Greater than $3 billion

     0.450

BlackRock has contractually agreed to cap net expenses of Small Cap Growth Equity (excluding: (i) interest, taxes, dividends tied to short sales, brokerage commissions, and other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; (ii) expenses incurred directly or indirectly by the Fund as a result of investments in other investment companies and pooled investment vehicles; (iii) other expenses attributable to, and incurred as a result of, the Fund’s investments; and (iv) other extraordinary expenses (including litigation expenses) not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business, if any) of each share class of the Fund at the level shown below and in the Fund’s fees and expenses table in the “Fund Overview” section of this prospectus. Items (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) in the preceding sentence are referred to in this prospectus as “Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses.” To achieve this expense cap, BlackRock has agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses if the Fund’s operating expenses exceed a certain limit.

 

5


With respect to Small Cap Growth Equity, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) to the amount noted in the table below.

 

      Contractual Cap1 on
Total Annual Fund
Operating Expenses2
(excluding Dividend
Expense, Interest
Expense, Acquired Fund
Fees and Expenses and
certain other Fund expenses)

Service Shares

       0.75 %
  1 The contractual cap is in effect through January 31, 2018. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.  
  2  As a percentage of average daily net assets.  

With respect to the contractual agreement to cap net expenses, if during Small Cap Growth Equity’s fiscal year the operating expenses of a share class, that at any time during the prior two fiscal years received a waiver and/or reimbursement from BlackRock, are less than the expense limit for that share class, the share class is required to repay BlackRock up to the lesser of (a) the amount of fees waived or expenses reimbursed during those prior two fiscal years under the agreement and (b) the amount by which the expense limit for that share class exceeds the operating expenses of the share class for the current fiscal year, provided that: (i) the Fund has more than $50 million in assets and (ii) BlackRock or an affiliate serves as the Fund’s manager or administrator.

Shareholders should retain this Supplement for future reference.

PR2-SCGE-1216SUP

 

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