Domini Social Bond Fund

Institutional Shares Overview

 
Fund Highlights
All data as of 12/31/2011.
Symbol: DSBIX
Fund Type
Intermediate-term, investment-grade bond fund. Socially screened, with community development emphasis.
Inception Date:
Fund: 6/1/2000
Share class: 11/30/2011
Initial Sales Fee

None (no-load)

Fund Net Assets
$123.6 Million
Expense Ratio1
0.65% annually
Dividends
Distributed Monthly
Accumulated Daily
Capital Gains
Distributed Annually
Minimum Initial Investment
$500,000
Newspaper Listings
N/A
CUSIP Number
257132829
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to provide its shareholders with a high level of current income and total return by investing in bonds and other debt instruments that meet the Fund's social and environmental standards.
 
Investment Strategy
The Fund normally invests at least 85% of assets in intermediate-term, investment-grade fixed-income securities, including government agency, corporate, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, taxable municipal bonds, and U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by non-U.S. entities.
 
The Fund seeks to invest up to 10% of its assets in debt instruments and other investments that provide a high level of community impact. These investments may be illiquid, unrated, and may carry greater credit risks than its other holdings.
 
Management
Investment Advisor and Sponsor: Domini Social Investments LLC                                                    
 
Subadvisor: Seix Advisors LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of RidgeWorth Capital Management, Inc. Seix uses a team of investment professionals supervised by James Keegan to manage the Fund.  
 
 
Social and Environmental Standards                   To determine which securities are eligible for investment, Domini evaluates the Fund’s current and potential corporate debt instruments against its social and environmental standards based on the businesses in which they engage, as well as on the quality of their relations with key stakeholders, including communities, customers, ecosystems, employees, investors, and suppliers.
 

For noncorporate issuers, Domini seeks to identify investments with a positive impact on communities.

Domini may determine that a security is eligible for investment even if its profile reflects a mixture of positive and negative social and environmental characteristics.

Community Economic Development
The Fund's community economic development focus is in the areas of small business loans and affordable housing for the economically disadvantaged.
 
Investor Profile
Who Should Invest
  • Investors seeking a high level of current income and total return
  • Investors seeking exposure to the bond market to diversify their portfolio
  • Investors who wish to support the Fund's socially responsible investment standards and its community development emphasis
 
Who Should Not Invest
  • Investors unwilling or unable to accept fluctuations in share price due to risks associated with the bond market
 
1For the period reported in its current prospectus, during which net operating expenses were capped by the Fund’s Manager, the Fund’s gross annual operating expenses were estimated to total 0.84% of net assets. Until November 30, 2012, the Fund’s Manager has contractually agreed to waive certain fees and/or reimburse certain expenses, including management fees, so that expenses paid by the Fund will not exceed, on a per annum basis, 0.65% of its average daily net assets representing Institutional shares, absent an earlier modification by the Board of Trustees, which oversees the Funds.
 
The Domini Social Bond Fund is not insured and is subject to market risks, including interest rate and credit risks. During periods of rising interest rates, bond funds can lose value. The Domini Social Bond Fund currently holds a large percentage of its portfolio in mortgage-backed securities. During periods of falling interest rates, mortgage-backed securities may prepay the principal due, which may lower the Fund’s return by causing it to reinvest at lower interest rates. Some of the Domini Social Bond Fund's community development investments may be unrated and carry greater credit risks than its other investments.
 
Although the Domini Social Bond Fund is no-load, certain fees and expenses apply to a continued investment and are described in the prospectus. The composition of the Fund's portfolio is subject to change.