NORTHERN SMALL CAP CORE FUND

SMALL CAP CORE FUND

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation. Any income received is incidental to this objective.

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.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees (USD $)	NORTHERN SMALL CAP CORE FUND
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		NORTHERN SMALL CAP CORE FUND
Management Fees		0.85%
Other Expenses		0.38%
Administration Fees		0.15%
Transfer Agency Fees		0.10%
Other Operating Expenses		0.13%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses		0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	[1]	1.24%
Expense Reimbursement	[2]	(0.48%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement	[1]	0.76%

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 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:

Expense Example (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
NORTHERN SMALL CAP CORE FUND	78	346	635	1,458

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 portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 12.23% of the average value of its portfolio.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

In seeking long-term capital appreciation, the Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of small capitalization companies. Small capitalization companies generally are considered to be those whose market capitalization is, at the time the Fund makes an investment, within the range of the market capitalization of companies in the Russell 2000^® Index. Companies whose capitalization no longer meets this definition after purchase may continue to be considered small capitalization companies. As of May 31, 2013, the market capitalization of the companies in the Russell 2000 Index was between $129 million and $3.3 billion. The size of companies in the Russell 2000 Index changes with market conditions. In addition, changes to the composition of the Russell 2000 Index can change the market capitalization range of companies in the Russell 2000 Index. The Fund is not limited to the stocks included in the Russell 2000 Index and may invest in other stocks that meet the criteria of the Fund's investment adviser discussed below.

Using quantitative analysis (evaluation of financial data), the Fund's investment adviser buys securities of small capitalization companies that it believes have favorable characteristics such as earnings quality and/or competitive returns on equity relative to their peers. The team may sell securities in order to maintain the desired portfolio characteristics of the Fund. In determining whether a company has favorable characteristics, the Fund's investment adviser uses an evaluation process that includes, but is not limited to:

• Quantitative review of fundamental factors such as earnings metrics and capital deployment;

• Risk management analysis in which risk exposures are measured and managed at the security, sector and portfolio levels; and

• Systematic evaluations of new securities with attractive attributes and reevaluations of portfolio holdings.

Many of the companies in which the Fund invests retain their earnings to finance current and future growth. These companies generally pay little or no dividends.

The Fund's investment adviser may engage in active trading, and will not consider portfolio turnover a limiting factor in making decisions for the Fund.

Frank Russell Company does not endorse any of the securities in the Russell 2000 Index. It is not a sponsor of the Small Cap Core Fund and is not affiliated with the Fund in any way.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

MARKET RISK is the risk that the value of equity securities owned by the Fund may decline, at times sharply and unpredictably, because of economic changes or other events that affect individual issuers or large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing, such as growth or value, may underperform the market generally.

MANAGEMENT RISK is the risk that a strategy used by the Fund's investment adviser may fail to produce the intended results.

SMALL CAP STOCK RISK is the risk that stocks of smaller companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than stocks of larger, more established companies. Small companies may have limited product lines or financial resources, or may be dependent upon a small or inexperienced management group, and their securities may trade less frequently and in lower volume than the securities of larger companies, which could lead to higher transaction costs. Generally the smaller the company size, the greater the risk.

As with any mutual fund, it is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, any other government agency, or The Northern Trust Company, its affiliates, subsidiaries or any other bank.

FUND PERFORMANCE

The bar chart and table that follow provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing (A) changes in the performance of the Fund from year to year, and (B) how the average annual total returns of the Fund compare to those of a broad-based securities market index.

Effective February 17, 2010, the Fund’s investment strategy changed from an active small cap growth investment strategy to a quantitative small cap core investment style.

The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

Updated performance information for the Fund is available and may be obtained on the Fund’s Web site at www.northernfunds.com or by calling 800-595-9111.

CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURN*

* Year to date total return for the six months ended June 30, 2013 is 15.58%. For the periods shown in the bar chart above, the highest quarterly return was 20.03% in the second quarter of 2003, and the lowest quarterly return was (26.48)% in the fourth quarter of 2008.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
(For the periods ended December 31, 2012)

Average Annual Total Returns	Inception Date	1-Year	5-Year	10-Year	Since Inception
NORTHERN SMALL CAP CORE FUND	Sep. 30, 1999	17.12%	2.75%	8.78%	5.44%
NORTHERN SMALL CAP CORE FUND Return after taxes on distributions		16.86%	2.69%	8.75%	4.85%
NORTHERN SMALL CAP CORE FUND Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares		11.45%	2.35%	7.81%	4.39%
NORTHERN SMALL CAP CORE FUND Russell 2000® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)		16.35%	3.56%	9.72%	6.71%

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. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

[1] The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses and Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement will not correlate to the Fund's ratios of average net assets to (1) expenses before reimbursements and credits and (2) expenses net of reimbursements and credits, respectively, included in the Fund's Financial Highlights in the Fund's complete Prospectus, which do not reflect indirect expenses, such as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

[2] Northern Trust Investments, Inc. has contractually agreed to reimburse a portion of the operating expenses of the Fund (other than acquired fund fees and expenses; a portion of the compensation paid to each Trustee who is not an officer, director or employee of Northern Trust Corporation or its subsidiaries; expenses related to third-party consultants engaged by the Board of Trustees of the Trust; membership dues paid to the Investment Company Institute and Mutual Fund Directors Forum; and extraordinary expenses and interest, if any) to the extent the "Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses" exceed 0.75%. This contractual limitation may not be terminated before July 31, 2014 without the approval of the Board of Trustees. Northern Trust Investments, Inc. serves as the investment adviser and administrator to the Fund. The Northern Trust Company, an affiliate of Northern Trust Investments, Inc., serves as transfer agent, custodian and sub-administrator to the Fund.