NORTHERN FUNDS Multi-Manager High Yield
Opportunity Fund

Summary Prospectus   |   July 31, 2019 Ticker: NMHYX

Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s complete Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s complete Prospectus and other information about the Fund online at northerntrust.com/prospectus. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800-595-9111 or by sending an e-mail request to northern-funds@ntrs.com. If you purchase shares of the Fund through a financial intermediary (such as a bank or a broker-dealer), the complete Prospectus and other information are also available from your financial intermediary. The Fund’s complete Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated July 31, 2019, as supplemented, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus and may be obtained, free of charge, at the website, phone number or e-mail address noted above.

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), paper copies of Northern Funds shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from Northern Funds or from your financial intermediary, such as a broker-dealer or bank. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Funds’ website (northerntrust.com/funds) and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.

If you have already elected to receive your shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from Northern Funds electronically at any time by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) or, if your account is held directly with Northern Funds, by calling the Northern Funds Center at 800-595-9111 or by sending an e-mail request to: northern-funds@ntrs.com.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, please contact your financial intermediary to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports. If you invest directly with Northern Funds, you can inform Northern Funds that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports by calling the Northern Funds Center at 800-595-9111 or by sending an e-mail request to: northern-funds@ntrs.com. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Northern Funds you hold in your account at the financial intermediary or through an account with Northern Funds. You must provide separate instructions to each of your financial intermediaries.

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund seeks total return consisting of a combination of income and capital appreciation.

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)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	None
Redemption Fee (within 30 days of purchase) (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if applicable)	2.00%
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees	0.83%
Other Expenses(1)	0.09%
Transfer Agent Fees	0.04%
Other Operating Expenses	0.05%
Acquired Fund Fees & Expenses(2)	0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3)	0.93%
Expense Reimbursement(4)	(0.06)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement(3)(4)	0.87%

⁽¹⁾   Other Expenses have been restated to reflect current fees.

⁽²⁾  Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund through its ownership of shares in other investment companies. They are not direct costs paid by Fund shareholders.

⁽³⁾  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, or the restatement of the Fund’s Other Expenses. The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement may be higher than the contractual expense reimbursement rate stated below due to excepted expenses, including Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, that are not reimbursed.

⁽⁴⁾  Northern Trust Investments, Inc. (“NTI” or the “Investment Adviser”) has contractually agreed to reimburse a portion of the operating expenses of the Fund (other than certain excepted expenses, i.e., Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, the compensation paid to each Independent Trustee of the Trust, expenses of third party consultants engaged by the Board of Trustees, membership dues paid to the Investment Company Institute and Mutual Fund Directors Forum, expenses in connection with the negotiation and renewal of the revolving credit facility, extraordinary expenses and interest) to the extent the “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses” exceed 0.85%. This contractual limitation may not be terminated before July 31, 2020 without the approval of the Fund’s Board of Trustees.

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:

1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
$89	$290	$509	$1,138

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 80.62% of the average value of its portfolio.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

In seeking to achieve its investment objective, the Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in bonds

NF SUM MHYO (7/19) SUMMARY PROSPECTUS 1 MULTI-MANAGER HIGH YIELD OPPORTUNITY FUND

and other fixed-income securities that are rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”). These may include:

∎ Obligations of U.S. and foreign corporations and banks;

∎ Obligations of state, local and foreign governments;

∎ Senior and subordinated bonds and debentures;

∎ Mortgage and other asset-backed securities;

∎ Zero coupon, pay-in-kind and capital appreciation bonds;

∎ Convertible securities, preferred stock, structured securities and loan participations; and

∎ Warrants, rights and other equity securities that are acquired in connection with the Fund’s investments in debt or convertible securities.

The sub-advisers may shift the Fund’s assets among various types of securities based upon changing market conditions, yield differences and the credit-worthiness of issuers among other things.

Lower quality securities are rated BB, Ba or lower by a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (“NRSRO”). Unrated securities will be of comparable quality as determined by each sub-adviser. Lower rated securities tend to offer higher yields than higher rated securities with similar maturities. However, lower rated securities are considered speculative and generally involve greater price volatility and greater risk of loss than higher rated securities. There is no minimum rating for a security purchased or held by the Fund, and the Fund may purchase securities that are in default. Although the Fund invests primarily in lower quality fixed-income securities, it may invest a portion of its assets in securities of higher quality. The Fund does not have any portfolio maturity limitation, and may invest its assets from time to time primarily in instruments with short, medium or long maturities.

Although the Fund primarily invests in the debt obligations of domestic issuers, it may invest in fixed-income securities of foreign issuers, including issuers located in emerging market countries. The Fund’s investments in foreign issuers together with notional underlying foreign currency exposure are not expected to exceed 30%.

The Fund utilizes a “multi-manager” approach whereby the Fund’s assets are allocated to one or more sub-advisers, in percentages determined at the discretion of the Fund’s investment adviser. Each sub-adviser acts independently from the others and utilizes its own distinct investment style in selecting securities. However, each sub-adviser must operate within the constraints of the Fund’s investment objective, strategies and restrictions.

When determining the allocations and reallocations to sub-advisers, the Fund’s investment adviser will consider a variety of factors, including but not limited to the sub-adviser’s investment approach, historical performance, and the characteristics of each sub-adviser’s allocated assets (including duration, credit quality, average maturity, industry and geographic region). The Fund’s investment adviser seeks, through its selection of sub-advisers and its allocation determinations, to reduce portfolio volatility and provide an attractive combination of risk and return for the Fund.

The sub-advisers may engage in active trading, and will not consider portfolio turnover a limiting factor in making decisions for the Fund.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES RISK. Asset-backed securities represent interests in pools of assets such as mortgages, commercial or consumer loans, or receivables and other financial assets. Asset-backed securities are subject to credit, interest rate, prepayment, extension, valuation and liquidity risk. These securities, in most cases, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government and are subject to the risk of default on the underlying asset or loan, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Those asset-backed securities that are guaranteed as to the timely payment of interest and principal by a government entity, are not guaranteed as to market price, which will fluctuate. Small movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain asset-backed securities.

CREDIT (OR DEFAULT) RISK is the risk that the inability or unwillingness of an issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or a counterparty to a repurchase or other transaction, to meet its principal and interest payments or other financial obligations will adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments and its returns. Changes in the credit rating of a debt security or of the issuer of a debt security held by the Fund could have a similar effect.

CURRENCY RISK is the risk that foreign currencies, securities that trade in or receive revenues in foreign currencies, or derivatives that provide exposure to foreign currencies will fluctuate in value relative to the U.S. dollar, adversely affecting the value of the Fund’s investments and its returns. Because the Fund’s net asset value is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars, you may lose money if the local currency of a foreign market depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the market value of the Fund’s holdings appreciates. In addition, fluctuations in the exchange values of currencies could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region.

CYBERSECURITY RISK is the risk of an unauthorized breach and access to Fund assets, Fund or customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or the risk of an incident occurring that causes the Fund, the investment adviser, sub-advisers, custodian, transfer agent, distributor and other service providers and financial intermediaries to suffer data breaches, data corruption or lose operational functionality or prevent Fund investors from purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares or receiving distributions. The Fund and its investment adviser have limited ability to prevent or mitigate cybersecurity incidents affecting third party service providers. Successful cyber-attacks or other cyber-failures or events affecting the Fund or its service providers may adversely impact and cause financial losses to the Fund or its shareholders.

DEBT EXTENSION RISK is the risk that an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation held by the Fund (such as a mortgage-backed security) later than expected. This may happen during a period of rising interest rates. Under these circumstances, the value of the obligation will decrease and the Fund will suffer from the inability to invest in higher yielding securities.

FOREIGN CUSTODY RISK. The Fund may hold foreign securities and cash with foreign banks, agents, and securities depositories appointed by the Fund’s custodian (each a “Foreign Custodian”). Some Foreign Custodians may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In some countries, Foreign Custodians may be subject to little or no regulatory oversight over or independent evaluation of their operations. Further, the laws of certain countries may place limitations on the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a Foreign Custodian enters bankruptcy. Investments in emerging markets may be subject to even greater custody risks than investments in more developed markets. Custody services in emerging market countries are very often undeveloped and may be considerably less well-regulated than in more developed countries, and thus may not afford the same level of investor protection as would apply in developed countries.

FOREIGN SECURITIES RISK is the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to less liquid markets, and adverse economic, political, diplomatic, financial, and regulatory factors. Foreign governments also may impose limits on investment and repatriation and impose taxes. Any of these events could cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline. To the extent that the Fund’s assets are concentrated in a single country or geographic region, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with that particular country or region.

HIGH-YIELD RISK is the risk that the Fund’s non-investment grade fixed-income securities, sometimes known as “junk bonds,” will be subject to greater credit risk, price volatility and risk of loss than investment grade securities, which can adversely impact the Fund’s return and net asset value (“NAV”). High yield securities are

MULTI-MANAGER HIGH YIELD OPPORTUNITY FUND 2 SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

considered highly speculative and are subject to the increased risk of an issuer’s inability to make principal and interest payments.

INTEREST RATE RISK is the risk that during periods of rising interest rates, the Fund’s yield (and the market value of its securities) will tend to be lower than prevailing market rates; in periods of falling interest rates, the Fund’s yield (and the market value of its securities) will tend to be higher. Securities with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, causing them to be more volatile than securities with shorter maturities. Securities with shorter maturities tend to provide lower returns and be less volatile than securities with longer maturities. If interest rates rise, the Fund’s yield may not increase proportionately, and the maturities of fixed income securities that have the ability to be prepaid or called by the issuer may be extended. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets and the Fund’s investments. A general rise in interest rates may cause investors to move out of fixed income securities on a large scale, which could adversely affect the price and liquidity of fixed income securities and could also result in increased redemptions for the Fund. A low or declining interest rate environment poses additional risks to the Fund’s performance, including the risk that proceeds from prepaid or maturing instruments may have to be reinvested at a lower interest rate. Fluctuations in interest rates may also affect the liquidity of fixed income securities and instruments held by the Fund.

LARGE SHAREHOLDER RISK is the risk that the Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders, including funds or accounts over which the Fund’s investment adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser has investment discretion, purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions, which may occur rapidly and unexpectedly, may cause the Fund to sell its securities at times it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact its liquidity and/or net asset value. Such sales may also accelerate the increase of taxable income to shareholders if these sales result in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, large redemptions could lead to an increase in the Fund’s expense ratio due to expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base. Large share purchases of the Fund may adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing or otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would.

LIQUIDITY RISK is the risk that the Fund will not be able to pay redemption proceeds in a timely manner because of unusual market conditions, an unusually high volume of redemption requests, legal restrictions impairing its ability to sell particular securities or close out derivative positions at an advantageous market price or other reasons. Certain securities may be less liquid than others, which may make them difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the Fund would like and the Fund may have to lower the price, sell other securities instead or forgo an investment opportunity. In addition, less liquid securities may be more difficult to value and markets may become less liquid when there are fewer interested buyers or sellers or when dealers are unwilling or unable to make a market for certain securities. For these same reasons, less liquid securities that the Fund may want to invest in may be difficult or impossible to purchase. Banking regulations may also cause certain dealers to reduce their inventories of certain securities, which may further decrease the Fund’s ability to buy or sell such securities. All of these risks may increase during periods of market turmoil and could have a negative effect on the Fund’s performance.

LOAN RISK. Loans may be unrated, less liquid and more difficult to value than traditional debt securities. Loans may be made to finance highly leveraged corporate operations or acquisitions. The highly leveraged capital structure of the borrowers in such transactions may make such loans especially vulnerable to adverse changes in financial, economic or market conditions. Loans generally are subject to restrictions on transfer, and only limited opportunities may exist to sell such loans in secondary markets. As a result, the Fund may be unable to sell loans at a desired time or price. If the Fund acquires only an assignment or a participation in a loan made by a third party, the Fund may not be able to control amendments, waivers or the exercise of any remedies that a lender would have under a direct loan and may assume liability as a lender.

MANAGEMENT RISK is the risk that a strategy used by the Fund’s investment adviser or sub-advisers may fail to produce the intended results or that imperfections, errors or limitations in the tools and data used by the investment adviser may cause unintended results.

MARKET RISK is the risk that the value of the Fund’s investments may increase or decrease in response to expected, real or perceived economic, political or financial events in the U.S. or global markets. The frequency and magnitude of such changes in value cannot be predicted. Certain securities and other investments held by the Fund may experience increased volatility, illiquidity, or other potentially adverse effects in response to changing market conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the bond or equity markets, volatility in the equities market or adverse investor sentiment. The market value of the securities in which the Fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets.

MULTI-MANAGER RISK is the risk that the sub-advisers’ investment styles will not always be complementary, which could affect the performance of the Fund.

PREPAYMENT (OR CALL) RISK is the risk that because many issuers of fixed-income securities have an option to prepay their fixed-income securities, the exercise of such option may result in a decreased rate of return and a decline in value of those securities and accordingly, a decline in the Fund’s net asset value. Issuers may be more likely to prepay their securities if interest rates fall. If this happens, the Fund will not benefit from the rise in the market price of the securities that normally accompanies a decline in interest rates, and will be forced to reinvest prepayment proceeds at a time when yield on securities available in the market are lower than the yield on prepaid securities. The Fund may also lose any premium it paid to purchase the securities.

STRUCTURED SECURITIES RISK is the risk that loss may result from the Fund’s investments in structured securities. Structured securities may be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to price accurately than less complex securities due to their derivative nature. As a result, investments in structured securities may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV. In some cases, it is possible that the Fund may suffer a total loss on its investment in a structured security.

VALUATION RISK is the risk that the sale price the Fund could receive for a portfolio security may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares.

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.

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 website at northerntrust.com/funds or by calling 800-595-9111.

SUMMARY PROSPECTUS 3 MULTI-MANAGER HIGH YIELD OPPORTUNITY FUND

CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURN*

* Year to date total return for the six months ended June 30, 2019 is 7.39%. For the period shown in the bar chart above, the highest quarterly return was 6.74% in the third quarter of 2010, and the lowest quarterly return was (7.65)% in the third quarter of 2011.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN

(For the periods ended December 31, 2018)

	Inception Date		1-Year			5-Year			Since Inception
Multi-Manager High Yield Opportunity Fund		9/23/09
Returns before taxes				(2.09	)%		3.43	%		6.21	%
Returns after taxes on distributions				(4.16	)%		0.81	%		3.45	%
Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares				(1.20	)%		1.47	%		3.70	%
ICE BofAML U.S. High Yield Constrained Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)				(2.27	)%		3.83	%		7.24	%

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.

In calculating the federal income taxes due on redemptions, capital gains taxes resulting from redemptions are subtracted from the redemption proceeds and the tax benefits from capital losses resulting from the redemptions are added to the redemption proceeds. Under certain circumstances, the addition of the tax benefits from capital losses resulting from redemptions may cause the Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares to be greater than the Returns after taxes on distributions or even the Returns before taxes.

MANAGEMENT

INVESTMENT ADVISER, PORTFOLIO MANAGER AND SUB-ADVISERS. NTI, an indirect subsidiary of Northern Trust Corporation, serves as the investment adviser of the Multi-Manager High Yield Opportunity Fund. Christopher E. Vella, CFA, CIO, a Senior Vice President of NTI, has been manager of the Fund since January 2012. DDJ Capital Management, LLC, Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC and Nomura Corporate Research and Asset Management Inc. each serves as a sub-adviser of the Fund. The Northern Trust Company, an affiliate of NTI, serves as transfer agent, custodian and sub-administrator to the Fund.

PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES

You may open an account directly with Northern Funds (the “Trust”) with a minimum initial investment of $2,500 in the Fund ($500 for an IRA; $250 under the Automatic Investment Plan; and $500 for employees of Northern Trust and its affiliates). The minimum subsequent investment is $50 (except for reinvestments of distributions for which there is no minimum). The Fund reserves the right to waive these minimums. You may also purchase Fund shares through your account at Northern Trust (or an affiliate) or an authorized intermediary.

On any business day, you may sell (redeem) or exchange shares through your account by contacting your Northern Trust account representative or authorized intermediary. If you purchase shares directly from the Trust, you may sell (redeem) or exchange your shares in one of the following ways:

∎ By Mail – Send a written request to: Northern Funds, P.O. Box 75986, Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986.

∎ By Telephone – Authorize the telephone privilege on your New Account Application. Call 800-595-9111 to use the telephone privilege.

∎ By Wire – Authorize wire redemptions on your New Account Application and have proceeds sent by federal wire transfer to a previously designated bank account (the minimum redemption amount by this method is $250). You will be charged $15 for each wire redemption unless the designated bank account is maintained at Northern Trust or an affiliated bank. Call 800-595-9111 for instructions.

∎ By Systematic Withdrawal – If you own shares of the Fund with a minimum value of $10,000, you may elect to have a fixed sum redeemed at regular intervals and distributed in cash or reinvested in one or more other funds of the Trust. Call 800-595-9111 for an application form and additional information. The minimum amount is $250 per withdrawal.

∎ By Exchange – Complete the Exchange Privilege section of your New Account Application to exchange shares of one fund in the Trust for shares of another fund in the Trust. Shares being exchanged must have a value of at least $1,000 ($2,500 if a new account is being established by the exchange, $500 if the new account is an IRA). Call 800-595-9111 for more information.

∎ By Internet – You may initiate transactions between Northern Trust banking and Fund accounts by using Northern Trust Private Passport. For details and to sign up for this service, go to northerntrust.com/funds or contact your Relationship Manager.

TAX INFORMATION

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-exempt or tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

PAYMENTS TO BROKERS-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 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.

MULTI-MANAGER HIGH YIELD OPPORTUNITY FUND 4 SUMMARY PROSPECTUS