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Eaton Vance Growth Trust, et al. – ‘485BPOS’ on 9/29/11

On:  Thursday, 9/29/11, at 5:42pm ET   ·   As of:  9/30/11   ·   Effective:  9/30/11   ·   Accession #:  940394-11-1076   ·   File #s:  2-22019, 811-01241

Previous ‘485BPOS’:  ‘485BPOS’ on 6/14/11   ·   Next:  ‘485BPOS’ on 10/12/11   ·   Latest:  ‘485BPOS’ on 3/28/24   ·   3 References:   By:  Eaton Vance Growth Trust – ‘485BPOS’ on 1/26/21 By:  Eaton Vance Growth Trust – ‘485BPOS’ on 12/23/20 By:  Eaton Vance Growth Trust – ‘485BPOS’ on 11/24/20 

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  As Of                Filer                Filing    For·On·As Docs:Size              Issuer               Agent

 9/30/11  Eaton Vance Growth Trust          485BPOS     9/30/11   17:2.4M                                   Evm Consolidated … Codes
          → Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein All Asset Strategy Fund ⇒ 3 Classes/Contracts

Document/Exhibit                   Description                      Pages   Size 

 1: 485BPOS     Growth Trust Pea #121/94 Dtd 9-29-2011              HTML   1.13M 
 2: EX-99.(D)(7)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                             HTML     26K 
 3: EX-99.(D)(8)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                             HTML     98K 
 4: EX-99.(E)(1)(B)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                          HTML      9K 
 5: EX-99.(H)(2)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                             HTML     24K 
 6: EX-99.(H)(3)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                             HTML     21K 
 7: EX-99.(H)(4)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                             HTML    618K 
 8: EX-99.(H)(5)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                             HTML     43K 
 9: EX-99.(H)(6)(A)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                          HTML     51K 
10: EX-99.(H)(6)(B)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                          HTML     44K 
11: EX-99.(I)(2)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                             HTML      9K 
12: EX-99.(M)(1)(B)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                          HTML     10K 
13: EX-99.(M)(6)(B)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                          HTML     10K 
14: EX-99.(N)(2)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                             HTML     21K 
15: EX-99.(N)(3)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                             HTML     52K 
16: EX-99.(N)(4)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                             HTML     63K 
17: EX-99.(P)(3)  Miscellaneous Exhibit                             HTML    174K 

^Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein All Asset Strategy Fund

Class A Shares - ^EARAX Class C Shares - ^ECRAX Class I Shares - ^EIRAX

A diversified fund seeking total return

Prospectus Dated
September 30, 2011

The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined whether this Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Information in this Prospectus

This Prospectus contains important information about the Fund and the services
available to shareholders. Please save it for reference.

Fund Summary

Investment Objective

The Fund’s investment objective is total return.

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 a reduced sales charge if you invest, or agree to invest over a 13-month period, at least $50,000 in Eaton Vance Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary and in Sales Charges beginning on page ^16 of this Prospectus and page ^19 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.

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 operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

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. Transaction costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance.

Principal Investment Strategies^

In seeking its objective, the Fund has flexibility to allocate its assets in markets around the world and among various asset classes, including equity, fixed-income, commodity, currency and cash investments.

The Fund will be managed in a macro-driven, top-down style that will emphasize and de-emphasize various global market segments and asset classes at different times. Exposures will vary among asset classes based on the sub-adviser’s assessment of a range of proprietary and non-proprietary quantitative indicators and the firm’s macro-economic analysis and judgment. It is expected that the macro-economic ^analysis will evolve over time and may include consideration of the following: historical risk and return characteristics;

global market valuations; global yield curves; asset class, regional, and country correlations; profit cycle analyses and style and sector rotation; expected beta; estimate revisions and earnings surprises; investor sentiment and other factors. Individual equity security selection will be based on quantitative screening and optimization to achieve desired market exposures while seeking to control security-specific and other observable market risks. The portfolio is monitored on an ongoing basis and rebalanced as necessary to seek to ensure that desired market exposures and risk ^parameters are maintained. Securities may be sold if they exhibit performance that might counteract the desired exposures or to implement a revised allocation based on a modified top-down view. ^Under normal market conditions, the Fund currently expects to invest 0-75% of its net assets in equity securities, 25-90% in fixed-income securities, 0-25% in commodities, commodities-related investments and/or currencies, and 0-25% in cash and cash ^equivalents.

The Fund may invest without limit in both developed and emerging markets. The Fund may invest in fixed-income securities of any credit quality. Such investment may include, but are not limited to, corporate bonds, securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities, obligations of other sovereign nations, municipal obligations, mortgage-backed securities and inflation-linked debt securities. The Fund may invest in stocks of companies of any capitalization, real estate investment trusts, exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”), and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other pooled investment vehicles. Investment in cash or cash equivalents may include ^U.S and foreign bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits, repurchase agreements, ^bankers’ acceptances and other short-term instruments with a remaining maturity of 397 days or less. The Fund currently expects to gain exposures to certain types of investments principally through ETFs.

The Fund may engage in derivative transactions to seek return, to hedge against fluctuations in securities prices, interest rates or currency exchange rates, to change the effective duration of the fixed-income securities in its portfolio, to manage certain investment risks and/or as a substitute for the purchase or sale of securities, currencies or commodities. The Fund expects principally to use index futures contracts when seeking to gain exposure to equity or fixed-income securities or the commodities markets through derivatives, but may also purchase or sell forwards or other types of futures contracts; options on futures contracts; exchange traded and over-the-counter options; equity collars, equity-linked securities and equity swap agreements; commodity-index linked notes and commodity index-linked swap agreements; interest rate, total return, inflation and credit default swaps; forward rate agreements; and credit linked notes and other similarly structured products. The Fund may also engage in covered short sales (on individual securities held or on an index or basket of securities whose constituents are held in whole or in part)^ and forward commitments. There is no limit on the Fund’s use of derivatives.

The Fund may seek to gain exposure to the investment returns of real assets that trade in the commodity markets by investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments and investment vehicles (such as ETFs) that primarily invest in commodities. The Fund may also gain exposure to commodity markets by investing up to 25% of its total assets in ^Eaton Vance RBA Commodity Subsidiary, Ltd. (the “Subsidiary”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, which invests primarily in commodity-related instruments.

Principal Risks

Equity Investing Risk. The Fund’s shares may be sensitive to stock market volatility and the stocks in which the Fund invests may be more volatile than the stock market as a whole. The value of equity investments and related instruments may decline in response to conditions affecting the general economy; overall market changes; local, regional or global political, social or economic instability; and currency, interest rate and commodity price fluctuations, as well as issuer or sector specific events. Market conditions may affect certain types of stocks to a greater extent than other types of stocks. If the stock market declines, the value of Fund shares will also likely decline. Although stock values can rebound, there is no assurance that values will return to previous levels. Preferred stocks may also be sensitive to changes in interest rates. When interest rates rise, the value of preferred stocks will generally fall.

Market Risk. Economic and other events (whether real or perceived) can reduce the demand for certain securities, or for investments generally, which may reduce market prices and cause the value of Fund shares to fall. The frequency and magnitude of such changes cannot be predicted. Securities held can experience downturns in trading activity and, at such times, the supply of such instruments in the market may exceed the demand. At other times, the demand for such instruments may exceed the supply in the market. An imbalance in supply and demand in the market may result in valuation uncertainties and greater volatility, less liquidity, price declines and a lack of price transparency in the market. No active trading market may exist for certain investments, which may impair the ability of the Fund to sell or to realize the full value of such investments in the event of the need to liquidate such assets. Adverse market conditions may impair the liquidity of some actively traded investments.

Foreign and Emerging Market Investment Risk. Because the Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in foreign instruments and currencies, the value of Fund shares can be adversely affected by changes in currency exchange rates and political and economic developments abroad. In emerging or less developed countries, these risks can be more significant. Investment markets in emerging market countries are typically substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than the major markets in developed countries. As a result, Fund share values may be more volatile than if the Fund invested exclusively in developed markets. Emerging

market countries may have relatively unstable governments and economies. Emerging market investments often are subject to speculative trading, which typically contributes to volatility. Trading in foreign and emerging markets typically involves higher expense than trading in the United States. The Fund may have difficulties enforcing its legal or contractual rights in a foreign country.

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETF) Risk. Investing in an ETF exposes the Fund to all of the risks of that ETF and, in general, subjects it to a pro rata portion of the ETF’s fees and expenses. As a result, the cost to the Fund of investing in ETF shares may exceed the costs the Fund would incur investing directly in the underlying securities. Because ETF shares trade on an exchange at a market price which may vary from the ETF’s net asset value, the Fund may purchase investments in ETFs at prices that exceed the net asset value of the underlying investments and may sell ETF investments at prices below net asset value. Because the market price of ETF shares depends on the demand in the market for them, the market price of an ETF may be more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities the ETF is designed to track, and the Fund may not be able to liquidate ETF holdings at the time and price desired, which may impact Fund performance.

Smaller Company Equity Risk. Stocks of smaller, less seasoned companies are generally subject to greater price fluctuations, limited liquidity, higher transaction costs and higher investment risk. Smaller companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, and they may be dependent on a limited management group, or lack substantial capital reserves or an established performance record. There is generally less publicly available information about such companies than for larger, more established companies.

Credit Risk. Income securities are subject to the risk of non-payment of scheduled principal and interest. Changes in economic conditions or other circumstances may reduce the capacity of the party obligated to make principal and interest payments on such instruments and may lead to defaults. Such non-payments and defaults may reduce the value of Fund shares and income distributions. The value of a fixed income security also may decline because of concerns about the issuer’s ability to make principal and interest payments. In addition, the credit ratings of securities may be lowered if the financial condition of the party obligated to make payments with respect to such instruments changes. Credit ratings assigned by rating agencies are based on a number of factors and do not necessarily reflect the issuer’s current financial condition or the volatility or liquidity of the security. In the event of bankruptcy of the issuer of securities, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of any collateral securing the instrument. In order to enforce its rights in the event of a default, bankruptcy or similar situation, the Fund may be required to retain legal or similar counsel. This may increase the Fund’s operating expenses and adversely affect net asset value.

Interest Rate Risk. As interest rates rise, the value of Fund investments in fixed-income securities is likely to decline. Conversely, when interest rates decline, the value of such investments is likely to rise. Fixed-income securities with longer maturities are more sensitive to changes in interest rates than securities with shorter maturities, making them more volatile. A rising interest rate environment may extend the average life of mortgages or other asset-backed receivables underlying mortgage-backed or asset-backed securities. This extension increases the risk of loss of value due to future increases in market interest rates. In a declining interest rate environment, prepayment of securities may increase. In such circumstances, the Fund may have to reinvest the prepayment proceeds at lower yields.

Risk of U.S. Government-Sponsored Agencies. Although certain U.S. Government-sponsored agencies (such as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation and Fannie Mae) in which the Fund may invest may be chartered or sponsored by acts of Congress, their securities are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

Risk of Lower Rated Investments. Investments rated below investment grade and comparable unrated investments have speculative characteristics because of the credit risk associated with their issuers. Changes in economic conditions or other circumstances typically have a greater effect on the ability of issuers of lower-rated investments to make principal and interest payments than they do on issuers of higher-rated investments. An economic downturn generally leads to higher non-payment rates, and lower-rated investments may lose significant value before a default occurs. Lower-rated investments generally are subject to greater price volatility and illiquidity than higher-rated investments.

^Municipal Bond Risk. The amount of public information available about municipal bonds is generally less than for corporate equities or bonds, meaning that the performance of municipal bond investments may be more dependent on the analytical ability and investment skills of the manager than for stock or corporate bond investments. The secondary market for municipal bonds also tends to be less well-developed and less liquid than many other securities markets, which may limit an owner’s ability to sell its bonds at attractive prices. The spread between the price at which an obligation can be purchased and the price at which it can be sold may widen during periods of market distress. Less liquid obligations can become more difficult to value and be subject to erratic price movements. Economic and other events (whether real or perceived) can reduce the demand for certain investments or for investments generally, which may reduce market prices and cause the value of Fund shares to fall. The frequency and magnitude of such changes cannot be predicted. The increased presence of non-traditional participants or the absence of traditional participants in the municipal markets may lead to greater volatility in the markets.

^Derivatives Risk. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the asset, index, rate or instrument underlying a derivative, due to failure of a counterparty or due to tax or regulatory constraints. Derivatives may

create economic leverage in the Fund, which magnifies the Fund’s exposure to the underlying investment. Derivatives risk may be more significant when derivatives are used to enhance return or as a substitute for a position or security, rather than solely to hedge the risk of a position or security held by the Fund. When derivatives are used to gain or limit exposure to a particular market or market segment their performance may not correlate as expected to the performance of such market thereby causing the Fund to fail to achieve its original purpose for using such derivatives. Derivatives for hedging purposes may not reduce risk if they are not sufficiently correlated to the position being hedged. A decision as to whether, when and how to use derivatives involves the exercise of specialized skill and judgment, and a transaction may be unsuccessful in whole or in part because of market behavior or unexpected events. Derivative instruments may be difficult to value, may be illiquid, and may be subject to wide swings in valuation caused by changes in the value of the underlying instrument. If a derivatives counterparty is unable to honor its commitments, the value of Fund shares may decline and the Fund could experience delays in the return of collateral or other assets held by the counterparty. The loss on derivative transactions may substantially exceed the initial investment.

^Risks of Commodity-Related Investments. The value of commodities investments will generally be affected by overall market movements and factors specific to a particular industry or commodity, which may include weather, embargoes, tariffs, and health, political, international and regulatory developments. Economic and other events (whether real or perceived) can reduce the demand for commodities, which may reduce market prices and cause the value of Fund shares to fall. The frequency and magnitude of such changes cannot be predicted. Exposure to commodities and commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. No active trading market may exist for certain commodities investments, which may impair the ability of the Fund to sell or to realize the full value of such investments in the event of the need to liquidate such investments. In addition, adverse market conditions may impair the liquidity of actively traded commodities investments. Certain types of commodities instruments (such as total return swaps and commodity-linked notes) are subject to the risk that the counterparty to the instrument will not perform or will be unable to perform in accordance with the terms of the instrument.

Subsidiary Risk. By investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments, which are generally similar to those that are permitted to be held by the Fund. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”), and is not subject to all of the provisions of the 1940 Act. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in this Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information and could adversely affect the Fund.

Tax Risk. The Fund may gain exposure to the commodity markets through investments in commodity index-linked derivative instruments, including commodity index-linked swap agreements, commodity index-linked notes, commodity options and futures and options on futures. The Fund may also gain exposure indirectly to commodity markets by investing in the Subsidiary, which may invest in commodity index-linked securities and derivative instruments. In order for the Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), the Fund must derive at least 90 percent of its gross income each taxable year from certain qualifying sources of income. The IRS has issued a revenue ruling which holds that income derived from commodity-linked swaps is not qualifying income under Subchapter M of the Code. ^The Fund has ^applied for a private letter ruling from the IRS to confirm that income ^produced by certain types of commodity-linked notes, in addition to ^the ^Fund’s investment in ^the Subsidiary, constitute qualifying income to the ^Fund. The ^Fund has ^been advised that income from ^certain commodity-linked notes should be qualifying income and that income ^derived from a wholly-owned subsidiary that invests in ^commodity-related investments should also constitute qualifying ^income. The tax treatment of commodity-linked notes, other commodity-linked derivatives and the Fund’s investments in the Subsidiary may be adversely affected by future legislation, Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS that could affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund’s taxable income or any gains and distributions made by the Fund.^

Risks Associated with Active and Quantitative Management. The Fund is an actively managed portfolio, and its success depends upon the ability of the ^sub-adviser to develop and effectively implement strategies to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Subjective decisions may cause the Fund to incur losses or to miss profit opportunities on which it may otherwise have capitalized. The ^sub-adviser uses quantitative investment techniques and analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, for which there can be no assurance that the desired results will be achieved.

General Fund Investing Risks. The Fund is not a complete investment program and you may lose money by investing in the Fund. All investments carry a certain amount of risk and there is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to achieve its investment objective. In general, the Annual Fund Operating Expenses expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets will change as Fund assets increase and decrease, and the Fund’s Annual Fund Operating Expenses may differ in the future. Purchase and redemption activities by Fund shareholders may impact the management of the Fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective. Investors in the Fund should have a long-term investment perspective and be able to tolerate potentially sharp declines in value. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, entity or person.

Performance

Performance history will be available after the Fund has been in operation for one calendar year.

Management

Investment Adviser. Eaton Vance Management (“Eaton Vance”).

Investment Sub-Adviser. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC (“RBA”).

Portfolio Manager. The Fund is managed by Richard Bernstein, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of RBA, who has managed the Fund since its inception in 2011.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange Fund shares on any business day, which is any day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business. You may purchase, redeem or exchange Fund shares either through your financial intermediary or directly from the Fund either by writing to Eaton Vance Funds, P.O. Box 9653, Providence, RI 02940-9653, or by calling 1-800-262-1122. The minimum initial purchase or exchange into the Fund is $1,000 for Class A and Class C and $250,000 for Class I (waived in certain circumstances). There is no minimum for subsequent investments.

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are expected to be taxed as ordinary income and/or capital gains, unless you are exempt from taxation.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase Fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (collectively, “financial intermediaries”), the Fund, its principal underwriter and its affiliates may pay the financial intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s web site for more information.

Investment Objective & Principal Policies and Risks

The Fund is permitted to engage in the following investment practices to the extent set forth in “Fund Summary” above.

A statement of the investment objective and principal investment policies and risks of the Fund is set forth above in “Fund Summary”. Set forth below is additional information about such policies and risks of the Fund described in “Fund Summary” above. Information also is included about other types of investments and practices that the Fund may engage in from time to time.

Foreign and Emerging Market Investments. Investments in foreign issuers could be affected by factors not present in the United States, including expropriation, armed conflict, confiscatory taxation, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards, less publicly available financial and other information, and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations. Because foreign issuers may not be subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standard practices and requirements and regulatory measures comparable to those in the United States, there may be less publicly available information about such foreign issuers. Settlements of securities transactions in foreign countries are subject to risk of loss, may be delayed and are generally less frequent than in the United States, which could affect the liquidity of the Fund’s assets.

The foregoing risks of foreign investing can be more significant in less developed countries characterized as emerging market countries, which may offer higher potential for gains and losses than investments in the developed markets of the world. Political and economic structures in emerging market countries generally lack the social, political and economic stability of developed countries, which may affect the value of the Fund’s investments in these countries and also the ability of the Fund to access markets in such countries. Governmental actions can have a significant effect on the economic conditions in emerging market countries, which also may adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments. The laws of emerging market countries relating to the limited liability of corporate shareholders, fiduciary duties of officers and directors, and bankruptcy of state enterprises are generally less well developed than or different from such laws in the United States. It may be more difficult to obtain a judgment in the courts of these countries than it is in the United States. Disruptions due to work stoppages and trading improprieties in foreign securities markets have caused such markets to close. If extended closings were to occur in stock markets where the Fund is heavily invested, the Fund’s ability to redeem Fund shares could become impaired. In such circumstances, the Fund may have to sell more liquid securities than it would otherwise choose to sell. Emerging market countries are also subject to speculative trading, which contributes to their volatility.

Foreign Currencies. The value of foreign assets and currencies as measured in U.S. dollars may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in foreign currency rates and exchange control regulations, application of foreign tax laws (including withholding tax), governmental administration of economic or monetary policies (in this country or abroad), and relations between nations and trading. Foreign currencies also are subject to settlement, custodial and other operational risks. Currency exchange rates can be affected unpredictably by intervention by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or the failure to intervene, or by currency controls or political developments in the United States or abroad. Costs are incurred in connection with conversions between currencies. The Fund may engage in spot transactions and forward foreign currency exchange contracts, purchase and sell options on currencies and purchase and sell currency futures contracts and related options thereon (collectively, “Currency Instruments”) to seek to hedge against the decline in the value of currencies in which its portfolio holdings are denominated against the U.S. dollar. Use of Currency Instruments may involve substantial currency risk and may also involve counterparty, leverage or liquidity risk.

Subsidiary Investments. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in the Subsidiary. The Subsidiary may invest without limitation in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The Fund itself may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in commodity-linked swap agreements and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The commodity-linked derivative instruments in which the Subsidiary may invest are intended to provide returns based on the performance of a specified commodities index or reference basket of commodities. The Subsidiary may over-weight or under-weight its exposure to a particular commodity index, or a subset of commodities, such that the Fund has greater or lesser exposure to that index than the value of the Fund’s net assets, or greater or lesser exposure to a subset of commodities than is represented by a particular commodity index. Commodity index-linked notes may be leveraged or unleveraged. The Subsidiary is not subject to U.S. laws (including securities laws) and their protections. The Subsidiary is subject to the laws of a foreign jurisdiction which can be affected by developments in that jurisdiction. The Subsidiary is subject to the same investment restrictions as the Fund.

Commodities-Related Investments. Commodities-related investments may be used to hedge a position in a commodity producing country or for non-hedging purposes, such as to gain exposure to a particular type of commodity or commodity market.Commodities-related investments include, but are not limited to, commodities contracts, commodity futures or options thereon (investments in contracts for the future purchase or sale of commodities); commodity exchange-traded funds (exchange-traded funds that track the price of a single commodity, such as gold or oil, or a basket of commodities); total return swaps based on a commodity index (permitting one party to receive/pay the total return on a commodity index against payment/receipt of an agreed upon

spread/interest rate); commodity-linked notes (providing a return based on a formula referenced to a commodity index); commodity exchange traded notes (non-interest paying debt instruments whose price fluctuates (by contractual commitment) with an underlying commodities index); sovereign issued oil warrants (a sovereign obligation the coupon on which is contingent on the price of oil); and any other commodities-related investment permitted by law.

To qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, 90% of the Fund’s income must be from certain qualified sources. Direct investment in many commodities investments generates income that is not from a qualified source for purposes of meeting this 90% test. The Fund has been advised that income from certain commodity-linked notes is qualifying income and that income derived from a wholly-owned subsidiary will also constitute qualifying income. The Fund ^has established the Subsidiary (organized in the Cayman Islands) through which it may conduct a significant portion of its commodities investing activities. All income or net capital gain allocated to the Fund from the Subsidiary will be treated as ordinary income to the Fund. The Subsidiary is advised by the investment adviser and sub-adviser and will be managed in a manner consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. To the extent the Fund conducts its commodities-related investing through the Subsidiary, such Subsidiary will not be subject to U.S. laws (including securities laws) and their protections. The Subsidiary is subject to the laws of the Cayman Islands, a foreign jurisdiction, and can be effected by developments in that jurisdiction. The Fund has ^applied for a private letter ruling ^to confirm that income produced by the Fund’s investment in an offshore subsidiary and ^income from certain commodity-linked notes constitute qualifying income to the Fund. Pending receipt of such a ruling, the Fund may rely on advice of counsel with respect to the tax treatment of income from the Subsidiary or determine to delay investment in the Subsidiary until the ruling is received.

Fixed-Income Securities. Fixed-income securities include all types of bonds and notes, such as convertible securities; corporate commercial paper; mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities; inflation-indexed bonds issued by both governments and corporations; structured notes, including hybrid or “indexed” securities; loan participations and assignments; delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities; preferred securities; and bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits, bank deposits (or investments structured to provide the same type of exposure) and bankers’ acceptances of foreign and domestic banks. Fixed-income securities are issued by: non-U.S. governments or their subdivisions, agencies and government-sponsored enterprises; international agencies or supranational entities; the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises (or guaranteed thereby); central or quasi-sovereign banks and U.S. and non-U.S. corporations. Fixed-income securities include deep discount bonds, such as zero coupon bonds, deferred interest bonds, bonds or securities on which the interest is payable in-kind (“PIK securities”), which are debt obligations that are issued at a significant discount from face value, and securities purchased on a forward commitment or when-issued basis. While zero coupon bonds do not make periodic payments of interest, deferred interest bonds provide for a period of delay before the regular payment of interest begins. PIK securities provide that the issuer thereof may, at its option, pay interest in cash or in the form of additional securities.

Derivatives. The Fund may enter into derivatives transactions with respect to any security or other instrument in which it is permitted to invest or any related security, instrument, index or economic indicator (“reference instruments”). Derivatives are financial instruments the value of which is derived from the underlying reference instrument. Derivatives typically allow the Fund to increase or decrease the level of risk to which the Fund is exposed more quickly and efficiently than transactions in other types of instruments. The Fund incurs costs in connection with opening and closing derivatives positions. The Fund may engage in the derivative transactions set forth below, as well as in other derivative transactions with substantially similar characteristics and risks.

Short Sales. A short sale typically involves the sale of a security that is borrowed from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. Short sales expose the seller to the risk that it will be required to acquire securities to replace the borrowed securities (also known as “covering” the short position) at a time when the securities sold short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss. When making a short sale, the Fund must segregate liquid assets equal to (or otherwise cover) its obligations under the short sale. The seller of a short position generally realizes a profit on the transaction if the price it receives on the short sale exceeds the cost of closing out the position by purchasing securities in the market, but generally realizes a loss if the cost of closing out the short position exceeds the proceeds of the short sale.

Forward Commitments. Fixed-income securities may be purchased on a “forward commitment” or “when-issued” basis (meaning securities are purchased or sold with payment and delivery taking place in the future). In such a transaction, the Fund is securing what is considered to be an advantageous price and yield at the time of entering into the transaction. However, the yield on a comparable security when the transaction is consummated may vary from the yield on the security at the time that the forward commitment or when-issued transaction was made. From the time of entering into the transaction until delivery and payment is made at a later date, the securities that are the subject of the transaction are subject to market fluctuations. In forward commitment or when-issued transactions, if the seller or buyer, as the case may be, fails to consummate the transaction, the counterparty may miss the opportunity of obtaining a price or yield considered to be advantageous. Forward commitment or when-issued transactions may be expected to occur a month or more before delivery is due. However, no payment or delivery is made until payment is received or delivery is made from the other party to the transaction.

Credit Quality. Credit ratings are based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the issuer’s financial condition and the rating agency’s investment analysis, if applicable, at the time of rating, and the rating assigned to any particular security is not necessarily a reflection of the issuer’s current financial condition. The rating assigned to a security by a rating agency does not necessarily reflect its assessment of the volatility of the security’s market value or of the liquidity of an investment in the security.

Lower Rated Securities. Investments in obligations rated below investment grade and comparable securities have speculative characteristics because of the credit risk associated with their issuers. Changes in economic conditions or other circumstances typically have a greater effect on the ability of issuers of lower rated investments to make principal and interest payments than they do on issuers of higher rated investments. An economic downturn generally leads to a higher non-payment rate, and a lower rated investment may lose significant value before a default occurs. Lower rated investments generally are subject to greater price volatility and illiquidity than higher rated investments.

U.S. Treasury and Government Agency Securities. U.S. Treasury securities (“Treasury Securities”) include U.S. Treasury obligations that differ in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance. Agency Securities include obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies or instrumentalities and government-sponsored enterprises. Agency Securities may be guaranteed by the

U.S. Government or they may be backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the obligations, or the credit of the agency or instrumentality. While U.S. Government agencies may be chartered or sponsored by Acts of Congress, their securities are not issued, and may not be guaranteed, by the U.S. Treasury. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities of government-sponsored enterprises, the Fund will be subject to the risks unique to such entities. Government-sponsored enterprises, such as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”), the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), the Federal Home Loan Banks (“FHLBs”), the Private Export Funding Corporation (“PEFCO”), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), the Federal Farm Credit Banks (“FFCB”) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (“TVA”), although chartered or sponsored by Congress, are not funded by congressional appropriations and the debt and mortgage-backed securities issued by them are neither guaranteed nor issued by the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government has recently provided financial support to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but there can be no assurance that it will support these or other government-sponsored enterprises in the future. Treasury Securities and Agency Securities also include any security or agreement collateralized or otherwise secured by Treasury Securities or Agency Securities, respectively. As a result of their high credit quality and market liquidity, U.S. Government securities generally provide a lower current return than obligations of other issuers.

Eurodollar and Yankee Dollar Instruments. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in Eurodollar and Yankee Dollar instruments. Eurodollar instruments are bonds that pay interest and principal in U.S. dollars held in banks outside the United States, primarily in Europe. Eurodollar instruments are usually issued on behalf of multinational companies and foreign governments by large underwriting groups composed of banks and issuing houses from many countries. Yankee Dollar instruments are U.S. dollar denominated bonds issued in the United States by foreign banks and corporations. These investments involve risks that are different from investments in securities issued by U.S. issuers, and may carry the same risks as investing in foreign securities.

Smaller Companies. Securities of smaller, less seasoned companies, which may include legally restricted securities, are generally subject to greater price fluctuations, limited liquidity, higher transaction costs and higher investment risk. Because of the absence of any public trading market for some of these investments (such as those which are legally restricted) it may take longer to liquidate these positions at fair value than would be the case for publicly traded securities.

Pooled Investment Vehicles. Subject to applicable limitations, the Fund may invest in pooled investment vehicles, including open- and closed-end investment companies affiliated or unaffiliated with the investment adviser, and exchange-traded funds. The market for common shares of closed-end investment companies and exchange-traded funds, which are generally traded on an exchange, is affected by the demand for those securities, regardless of the value of the fund’s underlying portfolio assets. The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees and expenses paid by unaffiliated and certain affiliated pooled investment vehicles in which it invests, except that management fees of affiliated funds may be waived. To the extent they exceed 0.01%, the costs associated with such investments will be reflected in Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses in Fund Summary.

Illiquid Securities. The Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, which may be difficult to value properly and may involve greater risks than liquid securities. Illiquid securities include those legally restricted as to resale (such as those issued in private placements), and may include commercial paper issued pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and securities eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A thereunder. Certain Section 4(2) and 144A securities may be treated as liquid securities if the investment adviser determines that such treatment is warranted. Even if determined to be liquid, holdings of these securities may increase the level of Fund illiquidity if eligible buyers become uninterested in purchasing them.

Borrowing. The Fund is authorized to borrow in accordance with applicable regulations, but currently intends to borrow only for temporary purposes (such as to satisfy redemption requests, to remain fully invested in anticipation of expected cash inflows and to settle transactions). The Fund will not purchase additional investment securities while outstanding borrowings exceed 5% of the value of its total assets.

Cash and Cash Equivalents. ^The Fund may invest in cash or cash equivalents, including high quality short-term instruments or an affiliated investment vehicle that invests in such instruments.

General. Unless otherwise stated, the Fund’s investment objective and certain other policies may be changed without shareholder approval. Shareholders will receive 60 days’ written notice of any material change in the investment objective. During unusual market conditions, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents temporarily, which may be inconsistent with its investment objective(s) and other policies. The Fund might not use all of the strategies and techniques or invest in all of the types of securities described in this Prospectus or the Statement of Additional Information. While at times the Fund may use alternative investment strategies in an effort to limit its losses, it may choose not to do so.^

The Fund’s investment policies include a provision allowing the Fund to invest (i) all of its investable assets in an open-end management investment company with substantially the same investment objective, policies and restrictions as the Fund; or (ii) in more than one open-end management investment company sponsored by Eaton Vance or its affiliates, provided any such companies

have investment objectives, policies and restrictions that are consistent with those of the Fund. Any such company or companies would be advised by the Fund’s investment adviser (or an affiliate) and the Fund would not pay directly any advisory fee with respect to the assets so invested. The Fund may initiate investments in one or more such investment companies at any time without shareholder approval.

Management and Organization

Management. The Fund’s investment adviser is Eaton Vance Management (“Eaton Vance”), with offices at Two International Place, Boston, MA 02110. Eaton Vance has been managing assets since 1924 and managing mutual funds since 1931. Eaton Vance and its affiliates currently manage over $195 billion on behalf of mutual funds, institutional clients and individuals.

Eaton Vance manages the investments of the Fund and provides administrative services and related office facilities. Under its investment advisory and administrative agreement with the Fund, Eaton Vance receives a monthly fee as follows:

Pursuant to an investment sub-advisory agreement, Eaton Vance has delegated the investment management of the Fund to Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC (“RBA”), a registered investment adviser. Eaton Vance pays RBA a monthly sub-advisory fee. RBA is located at 520 Madison Avenue, 28th Floor, New York, NY 10022.

Richard Bernstein has been the portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2011. Mr. Bernstein is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of RBA (since its founding in 2009). Prior to founding RBA, Mr. Bernstein was Chief Investment Strategist (2006-2009) and Chief U.S. Strategist (2001-2006) at Merrill Lynch & Co. Mr. Bernstein has managed another Eaton Vance Fund since 2010.

The Fund’s annual shareholder report will provide information regarding the basis for the Trustees’ approval of the Fund’s investment advisory agreement.

The Statement of Additional Information provides additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, and the portfolio manager’s ownership of Fund shares.

Eaton Vance also serves as the sub-transfer agent for the Fund. For the sub-transfer agency services it provides, Eaton Vance receives an aggregate fee based upon the actual expenses it incurs for its sub-transfer agency services. This fee is paid to Eaton Vance by the Fund’s transfer agent from the fees the transfer agent receives from the Eaton Vance funds.

Organization. The Fund is a series of Eaton Vance Growth Trust, a Massachusetts business trust. The Fund offers multiple classes of shares. Each Class represents a pro rata interest in the Fund but is subject to different expenses and rights. The Fund does not hold annual shareholder meetings but may hold special meetings for matters that require shareholder approval (such as electing or removing trustees, approving management or advisory contracts or changing investment policies that may only be changed with shareholder approval).

Valuing Shares

The Fund values its shares once each day only when the New York Stock Exchange (the “Exchange”) is open for trading (typically Monday through Friday), as of the close of regular trading on the Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. eastern time) (the “valuation time”). The purchase price of Fund shares is their net asset value (plus a sales charge for Class A shares), which is derived from Fund holdings. When purchasing or redeeming Fund shares through a financial intermediary, your financial intermediary must receive your order not later than 4:00 p.m. in order for the purchase price or the redemption price to be based on that day’s net asset value per share. It is the financial intermediary’s responsibility to transmit orders promptly. The Fund may accept purchase and redemption orders as of the time of their receipt by certain financial intermediaries (or their designated intermediaries).

The Trustees have adopted procedures for valuing investments and have delegated to the investment sub-adviser the daily valuation of such investments. Pursuant to the procedures, exchange-listed securities normally are valued at closing sale prices. Most debt securities are valued by an independent pricing service. In certain situations, the investment sub-adviser may use the fair value of a security if market prices are unavailable or deemed unreliable, or if events occur after the close of a securities market (usually a foreign market) and before the Fund values its assets that would materially affect net asset value. In addition, for foreign equity securities

that meet certain criteria, the Trustees have approved the use of a fair value service that values such securities to reflect market trading that occurs after the close of the applicable foreign markets of comparable securities or other instruments that have a strong correlation to the fair-valued securities. A security that is fair valued may be valued at a price higher or lower than actual market quotations or the value determined by other funds using their own fair valuation procedures. Because foreign securities trade on days when Fund shares are not priced, the value of securities held by the Fund can change on days when Fund shares cannot be redeemed. The investment sub-adviser expects to fair value domestic securities in limited circumstances, such as when the securities are subject to restrictions on resale. Eaton Vance has established a Valuation Committee that oversees the valuation of investments.

Purchasing Shares

You may purchase shares through your financial intermediary or by mailing an account application form to the transfer agent (see back cover for address). Purchase orders will be executed at the net asset value (plus any applicable sales charge) next determined after their receipt in proper form (meaning that they are complete and contain all necessary information) by the Fund’s transfer agent. The Fund’s transfer agent or your financial intermediary must receive your purchase in proper form no later than the close of regular trading on the Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. eastern time) for your purchase to be effected at that day’s net asset value. If you purchase shares through a financial intermediary, that intermediary may charge you a fee for executing the purchase for you. The Fund may suspend the sale of its shares at any time and any purchase order may be refused for any reason. The Fund does not issue share certificates.

Class A and Class C Shares

Your initial investment must be at least $1,000. After your initial investment, additional investments may be made in any amount at any time by sending a check payable to the order of the Fund or the transfer agent directly to the transfer agent (see back cover for address). Please include your name and account number and the name of the Fund and Class of shares with each investment. You also may make additional investments by accessing your account via the Eaton Vance website at www.eatonvance.com. Purchases made through the Internet from a pre-designated bank account will have a trade date that is the first business day after the purchase is requested. For more information about purchasing shares through the Internet, please call 1-800-262-1122.

You may make automatic investments of $50 or more each month or each quarter from your bank account. You can establish bank automated investing on the account application or by providing written instructions. Please call 1-800-262-1122 Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (eastern time) for further information. The minimum initial investment amount and Fund policy of redeeming accounts with low account balances are waived for bank automated investing accounts (other than for Class I), certain group purchase plans (including tax-deferred retirement and other pension plans, and proprietary fee-based programs sponsored by financial intermediaries) and for persons affiliated with Eaton Vance, its affiliates and certain Fund service providers (as described in the Statement of Additional Information).

Class I Shares

Class I shares are offered to clients of financial intermediaries who (i) charge such clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services, or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the principal underwriter to offer Class I shares through a no-load network or platform. Such clients may include individuals, corporations, endowments, foundations and qualified plans (including tax-deferred retirement plans and profit sharing plans). Class I shares also are offered to investment and institutional clients of Eaton Vance and its affiliates and certain persons affiliated with Eaton Vance and certain Fund service providers. Your initial investment must be at least $250,000. Subsequent investments of any amount may be made at any time, including through automatic investment each month or quarter from your bank account. You may make automatic investments of $50 or more each month or each quarter from your bank account. You can establish bank automated investing on the account application or by providing written instructions. Please call 1-800-262-1122 Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (eastern time) for further information.

The minimum initial investment is waived for persons affiliated with Eaton Vance, its affiliates and certain Fund service providers (as described in the Statement of Additional Information). The initial minimum investment also is waived for individual accounts of a financial intermediary that charges an ongoing fee for its services or offers Class I shares through a no-load network or platform (in each case, as described above), provided the aggregate value of such accounts invested in Class I shares is at least $250,000 (or is anticipated by the principal underwriter to reach $250,000) and for corporations, endowments, foundations and qualified plans with assets of at least $100 million.

Class I shares may be purchased through a financial intermediary or by requesting your bank to transmit immediately available funds (Federal Funds) by wire. To make an initial investment by wire, you must complete an account application and telephone the Shareholder Services Department at 1-800-262-1122 to be assigned an account number. You may request an account application by calling 1-800-262-1122 Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (eastern time). The Shareholder Services Department must be advised by telephone of each additional investment by wire.

Restrictions on Excessive Trading and Market Timing. The Fund is not intended for excessive trading or market timing. Market timers seek to profit by rapidly switching money into a fund when they expect the share price of the fund to rise and taking money

out of the fund when they expect those prices to fall. By realizing profits through short-term trading, shareholders that engage in rapid purchases and sales or exchanges of a fund’s shares may dilute the value of shares held by long-term shareholders. Volatility resulting from excessive purchases and sales or exchanges of fund shares, especially involving large dollar amounts, may disrupt efficient portfolio management. In particular, excessive purchases and sales or exchanges of a fund’s shares may cause a fund to have difficulty implementing its investment strategies, may force the fund to sell portfolio securities at inopportune times to raise cash or may cause increased expenses (such as increased brokerage costs, realization of taxable capital gains without attaining any investment advantage or increased administrative costs).

A fund that invests all or a portion of its assets in foreign securities may be susceptible to a time zone arbitrage strategy in which shareholders attempt to take advantage of Fund share prices that may not reflect developments in a foreign securities market that occur after the close of such market but prior to the pricing of Fund shares. In addition, a fund that invests in securities that are, among other things, thinly traded, traded infrequently or relatively illiquid (including restricted securities, derivatives instruments or other investments not priced by a pricing service) is susceptible to the risk that the current market price for such securities may not accurately reflect current market values. A shareholder may seek to engage in short-term trading to take advantage of these pricing differences (commonly referred to as “price arbitrage”). The investment adviser and sub-adviser are authorized to use the fair value of a security if prices are unavailable or are deemed unreliable (see “Valuing Shares”). The use of fair value pricing and the restrictions on excessive trading and market timing described below are intended to reduce a shareholder’s ability to engage in price or time zone arbitrage to the detriment of the Fund.

The Boards of Trustees of the Eaton Vance funds have adopted policies to discourage short-term trading and market timing and to seek to minimize their potentially detrimental effects. Pursuant to these policies, if an investor (through one or more accounts) makes more than one round-trip (being a purchase, including an exchange purchase, followed or ^preceded by a redemption, including an exchange redemption, followed or ^preceded by a purchase, including an exchange purchase) within 90 days, it generally will be deemed to constitute market timing or excessive trading. Under the policies, the Fund or its principal underwriter will reject or cancel a purchase order, suspend or terminate the exchange privilege or terminate the ability of an investor to invest in the Eaton Vance funds if the Fund or the principal underwriter determines that a proposed transaction involves market timing or excessive trading that it believes is likely to be detrimental to the Fund. The Fund and its principal underwriter use reasonable efforts to detect market timing and excessive trading activity, but they cannot ensure that they will be able to identify all cases of market timing and excessive trading. The Fund or its principal underwriter may also reject or cancel any purchase order (including an exchange) from an investor or group of investors for any other reason. Decisions to reject or cancel purchase orders (including exchanges) in the Fund are inherently subjective and will be made in a manner believed to be in the best interest of ^the Fund’s shareholders. No Eaton Vance fund has any arrangement to permit market timing.

The following fund share transactions generally are exempt from the market timing and excessive trading policy described above because the Fund and the principal underwriter believe they generally do not raise market timing or excessive trading concerns:

It may be difficult for the Fund or the principal underwriter to identify market timing or excessive trading in omnibus accounts traded through financial intermediaries. The Fund and the principal underwriter have provided guidance to financial intermediaries (such as banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies and retirement administrators) concerning the application of the Eaton Vance funds’ market timing and excessive trading policies to Fund shares held in omnibus accounts maintained and administered by such intermediaries, including guidance concerning situations where market timing or excessive trading is considered to be detrimental to the Fund. The Fund or its principal underwriter may rely on a financial intermediary’s policy to restrict market timing and excessive trading if it believes that policy is likely to prevent market timing that is likely to be detrimental to the Fund. Such policy may be more or less restrictive than the Fund’s policy. Although the Fund or the principal underwriter reviews trading activity at the omnibus account level for activity that indicates potential market timing or excessive trading activity, the Fund and the principal underwriter typically will not request or receive individual account data unless suspicious trading activity is identified.

The Fund and the principal underwriter generally rely on financial intermediaries to monitor trading activity in omnibus accounts in good faith in accordance with their own or Fund policies. The Fund and the principal underwriter cannot ensure that these financial intermediaries will in all cases apply the policies of the Fund or their own policies, as the case may be, to accounts under their control.

Choosing a Share Class. The Fund offers different classes of shares. The different classes of shares represent investments in the same portfolio of securities, but the classes are subject to different sales charges and expenses and will likely have different share prices due to differences in class expenses. In choosing the class of shares that suits your investment needs, you should consider:

Each investor’s considerations are different. You should speak with your financial intermediary to help you decide which class of shares is best for you. Set forth below is a brief description of each class of shares offered by the Fund.

Payments to Financial Intermediaries. In addition to payments disclosed under “Sales Charges” below, the principal underwriter, out of its own resources, may make cash payments to certain financial intermediaries who provide marketing support, transaction processing and/or administrative services and, in some cases, include some or all Eaton Vance funds in preferred or specialized selling programs. Payments made by the principal underwriter to a financial intermediary may be significant and are typically in the form of fees based on Fund sales, assets, transactions processed and/or accounts attributable to that financial intermediary. Financial intermediaries also may receive amounts from the principal underwriter in connection with educational or due diligence meetings that include information concerning Eaton Vance funds. The principal underwriter may pay or allow other promotional incentives or payments to financial intermediaries to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations.

Certain financial intermediaries that maintain fund accounts for the benefit of their customers provide sub-accounting, recordkeeping and/or administrative services to the Eaton Vance funds and are compensated for such services by the funds. As used in this Prospectus, the term “financial intermediary” includes any broker, dealer, bank (including bank trust departments), registered investment adviser, financial planner, a retirement plan and/or its administrator, their designated intermediaries and any other firm having a selling, administration or similar agreement with the principal underwriter or its affiliates.

Sales Charges

Class A Front-End Sales Charge. Class A shares are offered at net asset value per share plus a sales charge that is determined by the amount of your investment. The current sales charge schedule is:

The principal underwriter may also pay commissions of up to 1.00% on sales of Class A shares made at net asset value to certain tax-deferred retirement plans.

Reducing or Eliminating Class A Sales Charges. Front-end sales charges on purchases of Class A shares may be reduced under the right of accumulation or under a statement of intention. To receive a reduced sales charge, you must inform your financial intermediary or the Fund at the time you purchase shares that you qualify for such a reduction. If you do not let your financial intermediary or the Fund know you are eligible for a reduced sales charge at the time of purchase, you will not receive the discount to which you may otherwise be entitled.

Class A shares are offered at net asset value (without a sales charge) to clients of financial intermediaries who (i) charge an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services, or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the principal underwriter to offer Class A shares through a no-load network or platform. Such clients may include individuals, corporations, endowments, foundations and pension plans (including tax-deferred retirement plans and profit sharing plans). Class A shares also are offered at net asset value to investment and institutional clients of Eaton Vance and its affiliates; certain persons affiliated with Eaton Vance; and to certain fund service providers as described in the Statement of Additional Information. Class A shares may also be purchased at net asset value pursuant to the reinvestment privilege and exchange privilege and when distributions are reinvested. See “Shareholder Account Features” for details.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge. Class A and Class C shares are subject to a CDSC on certain redemptions. Class A shares purchased at net asset value in amounts of $1,000,000 or more are subject to a 1.00% CDSC if redeemed within 18 months of purchase. Class C shares are subject to a 1.00% CDSC if redeemed within one year of purchase.

The sales commission payable to financial intermediaries in connection with sales of Class C shares is described under “Distribution and Service Fees” below.

CDSC Waivers. CDSCs are waived for certain redemptions pursuant to a Withdrawal Plan (see “Shareholder Account Features”) and for Class C shares, in connection with certain redemptions from tax-deferred retirement plans. The CDSC is also waived following the death of a beneficial owner of shares (a death certificate and other applicable documents may be required).

Distribution and Service Fees. Class A and Class C shares have in effect plans under Rule 12b-1 that allow the Fund to pay distribution fees for the sale and distribution of shares (so-called “12b-1 fees”) and service fees for personal and/or shareholder account services. Class C shares pay distribution fees to the principal underwriter of 0.75% of average daily net assets annually. Because these fees are paid from Fund assets on an ongoing basis, they will increase your cost over time and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. The principal underwriter compensates financial intermediaries on sales of Class C shares (except exchange transactions and reinvestments) in an amount equal to 1% of the purchase price of the shares. After the first year, financial intermediaries also receive 0.75% of the value of Class C shares in annual distribution fees. Class C shares also pay service fees to the principal underwriter equal to 0.25% of average daily net assets annually. Class A shares pay distribution and service fees equal to 0.25%^ of average daily net assets annually. After the sale of shares, the principal underwriter receives the Class A distribution and service fees and the Class C service fees for one year and thereafter financial intermediaries generally receive them based on the value of shares sold by such dealers for shareholder servicing performed by such financial intermediaries. Distribution and service fees are subject to the limitations contained in the sales charge rule of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

More information about sales charges is available free of charge on the Eaton Vance website at www.eatonvance.com and in the Statement of Additional Information. Please consult the Eaton Vance website for any updates to sales charge information before making a purchase of Fund shares.

Redeeming Shares

You can redeem shares in any of the following ways:

If you redeem shares, your redemption price will be based on the net asset value per share next computed after the redemption request is received in proper form (meaning that it is complete and contains all necessary information) by the Fund’s transfer agent or your financial intermediary. Your redemption proceeds normally will be paid in cash within seven days, reduced by the amount of any applicable CDSC and any federal income and state tax required to be withheld. Payments will be sent by regular mail. However, if you have given complete written authorization in advance, you may request that the redemption proceeds be wired directly to your bank account. The bank designated may be any bank in the United States. The request may be made by calling 1-800-262-1122 or by sending a Medallion signature guaranteed letter of instruction to the transfer agent (see back cover for address). Certain redemption requests including those involving shares held by certain corporations, trusts or certain other entities and shares that are subject to certain fiduciary arrangements may require additional documentation and may be redeemed only by mail. You may be required to pay the costs of such transaction by the Fund or your bank. No costs are currently charged by the Fund. However, charges may apply for expedited mail delivery services. The Fund may suspend or terminate the expedited payment procedure upon at least 30 days’ notice.

If you recently purchased shares, the proceeds of a redemption will not be sent until the purchase check (including a certified or cashier’s check) has cleared. If the purchase check has not cleared, redemption proceeds may be delayed up to 15 days from the purchase date. If your account value falls below $750 (other than due to market decline), you may be asked either to add to your account or redeem it within 60 days. If you take no action, your account will be redeemed and the proceeds sent to you.

Shareholder Account Features

Distributions. You may have your Fund distributions paid in one of the following ways:

Information about the Fund. From time to time, you may receive the following:

Most fund information (including semiannual and annual reports, prospectuses and proxy statements) as well as your periodic account statements can be delivered electronically. For more information please go to www.eatonvance.com/edelivery.

The Eaton Vance funds have established policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of portfolio holdings and other information concerning Fund characteristics. A description of these policies and procedures is provided below and additionally in the Statement of Additional Information. Such policies and procedures regarding disclosure of portfolio holdings are designed to prevent the misuse of material, non-public information about the funds.

The Fund will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) a list of its portfolio holdings as of the end of the first and third fiscal quarters on Form N-Q. The Fund’s annual and semiannual reports (as filed on Form N-CSR) and each Form N-Q may be viewed on the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov). The most recent fiscal and calendar quarter end holdings may also be viewed on the Eaton Vance website (www.eatonvance.com). Portfolio holdings information that is filed with the SEC is posted on the Eaton Vance website approximately 60 days after the end of the quarter to which it relates. Portfolio holdings information as of each month end is posted to the website approximately one month after such month end. The Fund also posts information about certain portfolio characteristics (such as top ten holdings and asset allocation) at least quarterly on the Eaton Vance website approximately ten business days after the period end and the Fund may also post performance attribution as of a month end or more frequently if deemed appropriate.

Withdrawal Plan. You may redeem shares on a regular periodic basis by establishing a systematic withdrawal plan. Withdrawals will not be subject to any applicable CDSC if they are, in the aggregate, less than or equal to 12% annually of the greater of either the initial account balance or the current account balance. Because purchases of Class A shares are generally subject to an initial sales charge, Class A shareholders should not make withdrawals from their accounts while also making purchases.

Tax-Deferred Retirement Plans. Distributions will be invested in additional shares for all tax-deferred retirement plans.

Exchange Privilege. You may exchange your Fund shares for shares of the same Class of another Eaton Vance fund. Exchanges are made at net asset value. If your shares are subject to a CDSC, the CDSC will continue to apply to your new shares at the same CDSC rate. For purposes of the CDSC, your shares will continue to age from the date of your original purchase of Fund shares .

Before exchanging, you should read the prospectus of the new fund carefully. Exchanges are subject to the terms applicable to purchases of the new fund’s shares as set forth in its prospectus. If you wish to exchange shares, write to the transfer agent (see back cover for address), log on to your account at www.eatonvance.com or call 1-800-262-1122. Periodic automatic exchanges are also available. The exchange privilege may be changed or discontinued at any time. You will receive at least 60 days’ notice of any material change to the privilege. This privilege may not be used for “market timing” and may be terminated for market timing accounts or for any other reason. For additional information, see “Restrictions on Excessive Trading and Market Timing” under “Purchasing Shares”.

Reinvestment Privilege. If you redeem shares, you may reinvest at net asset value all or any portion of the redemption proceeds in the same class of shares of the Fund you redeemed from, provided that the reinvestment occurs within 60 days of the redemption,

and the privilege has not been used more than once in the prior 12 months. Under these circumstances your account will be credited with any CDSC paid in connection with the redemption. Any CDSC period applicable to the shares you acquire upon reinvestment will run from the date of your original share purchase. Reinvestment requests must be in writing. At the time of a reinvestment, you or your financial intermediary must notify the Fund or the transfer agent that you are reinvesting redemption proceeds in accordance with this privilege. If you reinvest, your purchase will be at the next determined net asset value following receipt of your request.

Telephone and Electronic Transactions. You can redeem or exchange shares by telephone as described in this Prospectus. In addition, certain transactions may be conducted through the Eaton Vance website. The transfer agent and the principal underwriter have procedures in place to authenticate telephone and electronic instructions (such as using security codes or verifying personal account information). As long as the transfer agent and principal underwriter follow reasonable procedures, they will not be responsible for unauthorized telephone or electronic transactions and you bear the risk of possible loss resulting from these transactions. You may decline the telephone redemption option on the account application. Telephone instructions are recorded.

“Street Name” Accounts. If your shares are held in a “street name” account at a financial intermediary, that intermediary (and not the Fund or its transfer agent) will perform all recordkeeping, transaction processing and distribution payments. Because the Fund will have no record of your transactions, you should contact your financial intermediary to purchase, redeem or exchange shares, to make changes in your account, or to obtain account information. You will not be able to utilize a number of shareholder features, such as telephone or internet transactions, directly with the Fund. If you transfer shares in a “street name” account to an account with another financial intermediary or to an account directly with the Fund, you should obtain historical information about your shares prior to the transfer.

Procedures for Opening New Accounts. To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each new customer who opens a Fund account and to determine whether such person’s name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists or terrorist organizations. When you open an account, the transfer agent or your financial intermediary will ask you for your name, address, date of birth (for individuals), residential or business street address (although post office boxes are still permitted for mailing) and social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other government-issued identifying number. You also may be asked to produce a copy of your driver’s license, passport or other identifying documents in order to verify your identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify your identity by cross-referencing your identification information with a consumer report or other electronic databases. Other information or documents may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities. Federal law prohibits the Fund and other financial institutions from opening a new account unless they receive the minimum identifying information described above. If a person fails to provide the information requested, any application by that person to open a new account will be rejected. Moreover, if the transfer agent or the financial intermediary is unable to verify the identity of a person based on information provided by that person, it may take additional steps including, but not limited to, requesting additional information or documents from the person, closing the person’s account or reporting the matter to the appropriate federal authorities. If your account is closed for this reason, your shares may be automatically redeemed at the net asset value next determined. If the Fund’s net asset value has decreased since your purchase, you will lose money as a result of this redemption. The Fund has also designated an anti-money laundering compliance officer.

Account Questions. If you have any questions about your account or the services available, please call Eaton Vance Shareholder Services at 1-800-262-1122 Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (eastern time), or write to the transfer agent (see back cover for address).

Additional Tax Information

The Fund intends to declare and pay distributions annually. Dividends may not be paid if Fund (and Class) expenses exceed Fund income for the period. Different Classes of the Fund will generally distribute different dividend amounts. The Fund makes distributions of net realized capital gains, if any, at least annually.

A portion of any distribution of the Fund’s investment income may, and any distribution by the Fund of net realized short-term capital gains will, be taxed as ordinary income. Distributions of any net long-term capital gains will be taxed as long-term capital gains. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her shares in the Fund. For taxable years beginning on or before December 31, 2012, distributions of investment income designated by the Fund as derived from “qualified dividend income” (as further described in the Statement of Additional Information) will be taxable to shareholders at the rates applicable to long-term capital gain provided holding period and other requirements are met by both the shareholder and the Fund. Over time, distributions by the Fund can generally be expected to include ordinary income, qualified dividend income and capital gain distributions taxable as long-term capital gains. A portion of the Fund’s income distributions may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporations. The Fund’s distributions will be taxable as described above whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares.

Investors who purchase shares at a time when the Fund’s net asset value reflects gains that are either unrealized or realized but not distributed will pay the full price for the shares and then may receive some portion of the purchase price back as a taxable distribution. Certain distributions paid in January may be taxable to shareholders as if received on December 31 of the prior year. A redemption of Fund shares, including an exchange for shares of another fund, is a taxable transaction.

Investments in foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes or other foreign taxes with respect to income (possibly including, in some cases, capital gains), which would decrease the Fund’s income on such securities. Shareholders generally will not be entitled to claim a credit or deduction with respect to foreign taxes paid by the Fund. In addition, investments in foreign securities or foreign currencies may increase or accelerate the Fund’s recognition of ordinary income and may affect the timing or amount of the Fund’s distributions.

One of the requirements for favorable tax treatment as a regulated investment company under the Code is that the Fund derive at least 90% of its gross income from certain qualifying sources of income. The Fund has submitted a request to the IRS for a private letter ruling that income from alternative investment instruments (such as certain commodity index-linked notes) that create commodity exposure may be considered qualifying income under the Code. The Fund also has requested a ruling that income derived from the Fund’s investment in the Subsidiary will also constitute qualifying income to the Fund.

Shareholders should consult with their advisers concerning the applicability of federal, state, local and other taxes to an investment.

More Information

About the Fund: More information is available in the Statement of Additional Information. The Statement of Additional Information is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. Additional information about the Fund’s investments will be available in the annual and semiannual reports to shareholders. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the pastfiscal year.You may obtain free copies of the Statement of Additional Information and the shareholder reports on Eaton Vance’s website at www.eatonvance.com or by contacting the principal underwriter:

Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc.
Two International Place
Boston, MA 02110
1-800-262-1122
website: www.eatonvance.com

You will find and may copy information about the Fund (including the Statement of Additional Information and shareholder reports): at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s public reference room in Washington, DC (call 1-800-732-0330 for information on the operation of the public reference room); on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website(www.sec.gov);or, upon payment of copying fees,by writing to the SEC’s Public Reference Section, 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549-0102, or by electronic mail at publicinfo@sec.gov.

Shareholder Inquiries: You can obtain more information from Eaton Vance Shareholder Services or the Fund transfer agent, BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. If you own shares and would like to add to, redeem or change your account, please write or call below:

Eaton Vance Richard Bernstein All Asset Strategy Fund
Class A Shares - ^EARAX Class C Shares - ^ECRAX Class I Shares - ^EIRAX

Two International
Place Boston, Massachusetts 02110
1-800-262-1122

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) provides general information about the Fund. The Fund is a diversified, open-end management investment company. The Fund is a series of Eaton Vance Growth Trust (the “Trust”). Capitalized terms used in this SAI and not otherwise defined have the meanings given to them in the Prospectus.

This SAI contains additional information about:

This SAI is NOT a Prospectus and is authorized for distribution to prospective investors only if preceded or accompanied by the Fund Prospectus dated September ^30, 2011, as supplemented from time to time, which is incorporated herein by reference. This SAI should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-800-262-1122.

© 2011 Eaton Vance Management

Definitions

The following terms that may be used in this SAI have the meaning set forth below:^

“1940 Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended;^

“1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended;

“CEA” means Commodity Exchange Act;

“CFTC” means the Commodities Futures Trading Commission;

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;

“Exchange” means the New York Stock Exchange;

“FINRA” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority;

“Fund” means the Fund listed on the cover of this SAI unless stated otherwise;

“investment adviser” means the investment adviser identified in the prospectus and, with respect to the implementation of the Fund’s investment strategies (including as described under “Taxes”) and portfolio securities transactions, any sub-adviser identified in the prospectus;

“IRS” means the Internal Revenue Service;

“Portfolio” means a registered investment company sponsored by the Eaton Vance organization in which one or more Funds and other investors may invest substantially all or any portion of their assets;

“Subsidiary” means a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund or the Portfolio as described in the prospectus;

“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and

“Trust” means Growth Trust, of which the Fund is a series.

STRATEGIES AND RISKS^

The Fund prospectus identifies the types of investments the Fund will invest in principally in seeking its objective and the principal risks associated therewith. The table below identifies all of the investments the Fund is permitted to make, including its principal investments. To the extent that an investment type or practice listed below is not identified in the Fund prospectus as a principal investment, the Fund generally expects to invest less than 5% of its assets total assets in such investment type. If a particular investment type that is listed below but not referred to in the prospectus becomes a more significant part of the Fund’s strategy, the prospectus may be amended to disclose that investment. Information about various investment types and practices and the associated risks is included in this SAI under “Additional Information about Investment Strategies”.^

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

The following investment restrictions of the Fund are designated as fundamental policies and as such cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities, which as used in this SAI means the lesser of: (a) 67% of the shares of the Fund present or represented by proxy at a meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present or represented at the meeting; or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. Accordingly, the Fund may not:

In addition, the Fund may:

For purposes of determining industry classifications, the investment adviser considers an issuer to be in a particular industry if a third party has designated the issuer to be in that industry, unless the investment adviser is aware of circumstances that make the third party’s classification inappropriate. In such a case, the investment adviser will assign an industry classification to the issuer.

In connection with Restriction (1) above, the 1940 Act currently permits investment companies to borrow money so long as there is 300% asset coverage of the borrowing (i.e., borrowings do not exceed one-third of the investment company’s total assets after subtracting liabilities other than the borrowings). The Fund will not borrow more than 5% of its total assets except to satisfy redemption requests or for other temporary purposes. The Fund may not purchase additional investment securities while outstanding borrowings exceed 5% of the value of its total assets.

Notwithstanding its investment policies and restrictions, the Fund may in compliance with the requirements of the 1940 Act invest (i) all of its investable assets in an open-end management investment company with substantially the same investment objective(s), policies and restrictions as the Fund; or (ii) in more than one open-end management investment company sponsored by Eaton Vance or its affiliates, provided any such company has investment objective(s), policies and restrictions that are consistent with those of the Fund.

In addition, to the extent a registered open-end investment company acquires securities of a portfolio in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(G) under the 1940 Act, such portfolio shall not acquire any securities of a registered open-end investment company in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(G) under the 1940 Act.

The following nonfundamental investment policies been adopted by the Fund. A nonfundamental investment policy may be changed by the Trustees with respect to the Fund without approval by the Fund’s shareholders. The Fund will not:

Whenever an investment policy or investment restriction set forth in the Prospectus or this SAI states a maximum percentage of assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or describes a policy regarding quality standards, such percentage limitation or standard shall be determined immediately after and as a result of the acquisition by Fund of such security or asset. Accordingly, any later increase or decrease resulting from a change in values, assets or other circumstances or any subsequent rating change made by a rating service (or as determined by the investment adviser if the security is not rated by a rating agency), will not compel Fund to dispose of such security or other asset. However, the Fund must always be in compliance with the borrowing policy and limitation on investing in illiquid securities set forth above. If a sale of securities is required to comply with the 15% limit on illiquid securities, such sales will be made in an orderly manner with consideration of the best interests of shareholders.

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION

Fund Management. The Trustees of the Trust are responsible for the overall management and supervision of the affairs of the Trust. The Trustees and officers of the Trust are listed below. Except as indicated, each individual has held the office shown or other offices in the same company for the last five years. Trustees and officers of the Trust hold indefinite terms of office. The “Noninterested Trustees” consist of those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, as that term is defined under the 1940 Act. The business address of each Trustee and officer is Two International Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02110. As used in this SAI, “BMR” refers to Boston Management and Research, “EVC” refers to Eaton Vance Corp., “EV” refers to Eaton Vance, Inc., “EVD” refers to Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc. and “Eaton Vance” refers to Eaton Vance Management (see “Principal Underwriter” under “Other Service Providers”). EVC and EV are the corporate parent and trustee, respectively, of Eaton Vance and BMR. Each officer affiliated with Eaton Vance may hold a position with other Eaton Vance affiliates that is comparable to his or her position with Eaton Vance listed below.

Principal Officers who are not Trustees

The Board of Trustees has general oversight responsibility with respect to the business and affairs of the Trust and the Fund. The Board has engaged an investment adviser and (if applicable) a sub-adviser (collectively the “adviser”) to manage the Fund and an administrator to administer the Fund and is responsible for overseeing such adviser and administrator and other service providers to the Trust and the Fund. The Board is currently composed of ^ten Trustees, including ^nine Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (each an “Independent Trustee”). In addition to eight regularly scheduled meetings per year, the Board holds special meetings or informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may require action prior to the next regular meeting. As discussed below, the Board has established five committees to assist the Board in performing its oversight responsibilities.

The Board has appointed an Independent Trustee to serve in the role of Chairman. The Chairman’s primary role is to participate in the preparation of the agenda for meetings of the Board and the identification of information to be presented to the Board with respect to matters to be acted upon by the Board. The Chairman also presides at all meetings of the Board and acts as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Trustees generally between meetings. The Chairman may perform such other

functions as may be requested by the Board from time to time. Except for any duties specified herein or pursuant to the Trust’s Declaration of Trust or By-laws, the designation of Chairman does not impose on such Independent Trustee any duties, obligations or liability that is greater than the duties, obligations or liability imposed on such person as a member of the Board, generally.

The Fund and the Trust are subject to a number of risks, including, among others, investment, compliance, operational, and valuation risks. Risk oversight is part of the Board’s general oversight of the Fund and the Trust and is addressed as part of various activities of the Board of Trustees and its Committees. As part of its oversight of the Fund and Trust, the Board directly, or through a Committee, relies on and reviews reports from, among others, Fund management, the adviser, the administrator, the principal underwriter, the Chief Compliance Officer (the “CCO”), and other Fund service providers responsible for day-to-day oversight of Fund investments, operations and compliance to assist the Board in identifying and understanding the nature and extent of risks and determining whether, and to what extent, such risks can be mitigated. The Board also interacts with the CCO and with senior personnel of the adviser, administrator, principal underwriter and other Fund service providers and provides input on risk management issues during meetings of the Board and its Committees. Each of the adviser, administrator, principal underwriter and the other Fund service providers has its own, independent interest and responsibilities in risk management, and its policies and methods for carrying out risk management functions will depend, in part, on its individual priorities, resources and controls. It is not possible to identify all of the risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects. Moreover, it is necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals.

The Board, with the assistance of management and with input from the Board’s various committees, reviews investment policies and risks in connection with its review of Fund performance. The Board has appointed a Fund Chief Compliance Officer who oversees the implementation and testing of the Fund compliance program and reports to the Board regarding compliance matters for the Fund and its principal service providers. In addition, as part of the Board’s periodic review of the advisory, subadvisory (if applicable), distribution and other service provider agreements, the Board may consider risk management aspects of their operations and the functions for which they are responsible. With respect to valuation, the Board approves and periodically reviews valuation policies and procedures applicable to valuing the Fund’s shares. The administrator, the investment adviser and the sub-adviser (if applicable) are responsible for the implementation and day-to-day administration of these valuation policies and procedures and provides reports periodically to the Board regarding these and related matters. In addition, the Board or the Audit Committee of the Board receives reports periodically from the independent public accounting firm for the Fund regarding tests performed by such firm on the valuation of all securities, as well as with respect to other risks associated with mutual funds. Reports received from service providers, legal counsel and the independent public accounting firm assist the Board in performing its oversight function.

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust does not set forth any specific qualifications to serve as a Trustee. The Charter of the Governance Committee also does not set forth any specific qualifications, but does set forth certain factors that the Committee may take into account in considering Independent Trustee candidates. In general, no one factor is decisive in the selection of an individual to join the Board. Among the factors the Board considers when concluding that an individual should serve on the Board are the following: (i) knowledge in matters relating to the mutual fund industry; (ii) experience as a director or senior officer of public companies; (iii) educational background; (iv) reputation for high ethical standards and professional integrity; (v) specific financial, technical or other expertise, and the extent to which such expertise would complement the Board of Trustees’ existing mix of skills, core competencies and qualifications; (vi) perceived ability to contribute to the ongoing functions of the Board of Trustees, including the ability and commitment to attend meetings regularly and work collaboratively with other members of the Board of Trustees; (vii) the ability to qualify as an Independent Trustee for purposes of the 1940 Act and any other actual or potential conflicts of interest involving the individual and the Fund; and (viii) such other factors as the Board determines to be relevant in light of the existing composition of the Board of Trustees.

Among the attributes or skills common to all Trustees are their ability to review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the other Trustees, management, sub-advisers, other service providers, counsel and independent registered public accounting firms, and to exercise effective and independent business judgment in the performance of their duties as Trustees. Each Trustee’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively has been attained through the Trustee’s business, consulting, public service and/or academic positions and through experience from service as a Board member in the Eaton Vance Group of Funds (and/or in other capacities, including for any predecessor funds), public companies, or non-profit entities or other organizations as set forth below. Each Trustee’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively also has been enhanced by his or her educational background, professional training, and/or other life experiences.

In respect of each current Trustee, the individual’s substantial professional accomplishments and experience, including in fields related to the operations of the Eaton Vance Group of Funds, were a significant factor in the determination that the individual should serve as a Trustee. The following is a summary of each Trustee’s particular professional experience and additional considerations that contributed to the Board’s conclusion that he or she should serve as a Trustee:

          Scott E. Eston. Mr. Eston has served as a Trustee in the Eaton Vance Group of Funds since 2011. He currently serves on the investment and advisory board of the BAC Seed Fund, a real estate investment firm, and is also a member of Michigan State University’s Financial Management Institute Advisory Board. From 1997 through 2009, Mr. Eston served in several capacities at Grantham,

Mayo, Van Otterloo and Co. (“GMO”), including as Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Operating and Chief Financial Officer, and also as the President and Principal Executive officer of GMO Trust, an affiliated open-end registered investment company. From 1978 through 1997, Mr. Eston was a partner at Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers).

          Benjamin C. Esty. Mr. Esty has served as a Trustee in the Eaton Vance Group of Funds since 2005 and is the Chairperson of the Portfolio Management Committee. He is the Roy and Elizabeth Simmons Professor of Business Administration and Finance Unit Head at the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration.

          Thomas E. Faust Jr. Mr. Faust has served as a Trustee in the Eaton Vance Group of Funds since 2007. He is currently Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of EVC, Director and President of EV, Chief Executive Officer and President of Eaton Vance and BMR, and Director of EVD. Mr. Faust previously served as an equity analyst, portfolio manager, Director of Equity Research and Management and Chief Investment Officer of Eaton Vance (1985-2007). He holds ^B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Mr. Faust has been a Chartered Financial Analyst since 1988.

          Allen R. Freedman. Mr. Freedman has served as a Trustee in the Eaton Vance Group of Funds since 2007. Mr. Freedman also serves as a Director of Stonemor Partners L.P. where he also serves as the Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Trust and Compliance Committee. Mr. Freedman was previously a Director of Assurant, Inc. from 1979-2011, a Director of Systems & Computer Technology Corp. from 1983-2004 and Chairman from 2002-2004, a Director of Loring Ward International from 2005-2007 and Chairman and a Director of Indus International, Inc. from 2005-2007. Mr. Freedman was formerly the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fortis, Inc. (predecessor to Assurant, Inc.), a specialty insurance company he founded in 1978 and from which he retired in 2000. Mr. Freedman also ^served as a Director of the Fortis Mutual Funds and First Fortis Life Insurance Company. He remains a Director of Union Security Life Insurance Company of New York, successor to First Fortis. Mr. Freedman is a founding director of the Association of Audit Committee Members, Inc.

          William H. Park. Mr. Park has served as a Trustee in the Eaton Vance Group of Funds since 2003 and is the Chairperson of the Audit Committee. Mr. Park was formerly the Chief Financial Officer of Aveon Group, L.P. from 2010-2011. Mr. Park also served as Vice Chairman of Commercial Industrial Finance Corp. from 2006-2010, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Prizm Capital Management, LLC from 2002-2005, as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of United Asset Management Corporation from 1982-2001 and as Senior Manager of Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) from 1972-1981.

          Ronald A. Pearlman. ^Mr. Pearlman has served as a Trustee in the Eaton Vance Group of Funds since 2003 and is the Chairperson of the Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee. He is a Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Previously, Mr. Pearlman was Deputy Assistant Secretary (Tax Policy) and Assistant Secretary (Tax Policy), U.S. Department of the Treasury from 1983-1985 and served as Chief of Staff, Joint Committee on Taxation, U.S. Congress from 1988-1990. Mr. Pearlman was engaged in the private practice of law from 1969-2000, with the exception of the periods of government service. He represented large domestic and multinational businesses in connection with the tax aspects of complex transactions and high net worth individuals in connection with tax and business planning.^

          Helen Frame Peters. Ms. Peters has served as a Trustee in the Eaton Vance Group of Funds since 2008. She is currently a Professor of Finance at Carroll School of Management, Boston College and a Director of BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. Formerly, Ms. Peters was the Dean of Carroll School of Management, Boston College from 2000-2002. In addition, Ms. Peters was the Chief Investment Officer, Fixed Income at Scudder Kemper Investments from 1998-1999 and Chief Investment Officer, Equity and Fixed Income at Colonial Management Associates from 1991-1998. Ms. Peters also served as a Trustee of SPDR Index Shares Funds and SPDR Series Trust from 2000-2009 and as a Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston from 2007-2009.

          Lynn A. Stout. Ms. Stout has served as a Trustee in the Eaton Vance Group of Funds since 1998 and is the Chairperson of the Governance Committee. She has been the Paul Hastings Professor of Corporate and Securities Law at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law since 2006. Previously, Ms. Stout was Professor of Law at the University of California at Los Angeles School from 2001-2006.

          ^Harriett Tee Taggart. Ms. Taggart has served as a Trustee in the Eaton Vance Group of Funds since 2011. She currently manages a professional practice, Taggart Associates. Since 2007, Ms. Taggart has been a Director of Albermarle Corporation, a specialty chemical company. Since 2009 she has served as a Director of the Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. Ms. Taggart is also a trustee or member of several major non-profit boards, advisory committees and endowment investment companies. From 1983 through 2006, Ms. Taggart served in several capacities at Wellington Management Company, LLP, an investment management firm, including as a Partner, Senior Vice President and chemical industry sector portfolio manager. Ms. Taggart also served as a Director of the Lubrizol Corporation, a specialty chemicals manufacturer from 2007-2011.^

          Ralph F. Verni. Mr. Verni has served as a Trustee in the Eaton Vance Group of Funds since 2005 and is the Independent Chairperson of the Board and the Chairperson of the Contract Review Committee. Mr. Verni was formerly the Chief Investment

Officer (from 1982-1992), Chief Financial Officer (from 1988-1990) and Director (from 1982-1992) of New England Life. Mr. Verni was also the Chairperson of the New England Mutual Funds from 1982-1992; President and Chief Executive Officer of State Street Management & Research from 1992-2000; Chairperson of the State Street Research Mutual Funds from 1992-2000; Director of W.P. Carey, LLC from 1998-2004; and Director of First Pioneer Farm Credit Corp. from 2002-2006. Mr. Verni has been a Chartered Financial Analyst since 1977.

The Board of Trustees of the Trust have several standing Committees, including the Governance Committee, the Audit Committee, the Portfolio Management Committee, the Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee and the Contract Review Committee. Each of the Committees are comprised of only noninterested Trustees.

Mmes. Stout (Chair), Peters and ^Taggart, and Messrs. Eston, Esty, Freedman, Park, Pearlman and Verni are members of the Governance Committee. The purpose of the Governance Committee is to consider, evaluate and make recommendations to the Board of Trustees with respect to the structure, membership and operation of the Board of Trustees and the Committees thereof, including the nomination and selection of noninterested Trustees and a Chairperson of the Board of Trustees and the compensation of such persons.

The Governance Committee will, when a vacancy exists or is anticipated, consider any nominee for noninterested Trustee recommended by a shareholder if such recommendation is submitted in writing to the Governance Committee, contains sufficient background information concerning the candidate, including evidence the candidate is willing to serve as a noninterested Trustee if selected for the position, and is received in a sufficiently timely manner.

Messrs. Park (Chair), Eston and Verni, and Mmes. Peters and Stout are members of the Audit Committee. The Board of Trustees has designated Mr. Park, a noninterested Trustee, as audit committee financial expert. The Audit Committee’s purposes are to (i) oversee the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting processes, its internal control over financial reporting, and, as appropriate, the internal control over financial reporting of certain service providers; (ii) oversee or, as appropriate, assist Board oversight of the quality and integrity of the Fund’s financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (iii) oversee, or, as appropriate, assist Board oversight of, the Fund’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting, internal control over financial reporting and independent audits; (iv) approve prior to appointment the engagement and, when appropriate, replacement of the independent registered public accounting firm, and, if applicable, nominate the independent registered public accounting firm to be proposed for shareholder ratification in any proxy statement of the Fund; (v) evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of the independent registered public accounting firm and the audit partner in charge of leading the audit; and (vi) prepare, as necessary, audit committee reports consistent with the requirements of applicable SEC and stock exchange rules for inclusion in the proxy statement of the Fund.

Messrs. Verni (Chair), Esty, Freedman, Park and Pearlman, and Mmes. Peters ^and Taggart are members of the Contract Review Committee. The purposes of the Contract Review Committee are to consider, evaluate and make recommendations to the Board of Trustees concerning the following matters: (i) contractual arrangements with each service provider to the Fund, including advisory, sub-advisory, transfer agency, custodial and fund accounting, distribution services and administrative services; (ii) any and all other matters in which any service provider (including Eaton Vance or any affiliated entity thereof) has an actual or potential conflict of interest with the interests of the Fund or investors therein; and (iii) any other matter appropriate for review by the noninterested Trustees, unless the matter is within the responsibilities of the other Committees of the Board of Trustees.

Messrs. Esty (Chair) and Freedman, and Mmes. Peters ^and Taggart are members of the Portfolio Management Committee. The purposes of the Portfolio Management Committee are to: (i) assist the Board of Trustees in its oversight of the portfolio management process employed by the Fund and its investment adviser and sub-adviser(s), if applicable, relative to the Fund’s stated objective(s), strategies and restrictions; (ii) assist the Board of Trustees in its oversight of the trading policies and procedures and risk management techniques applicable to the Fund; and (iii) assist the Board of Trustees in its monitoring of the performance results of all funds and portfolios, giving special attention to the performance of certain funds and portfolios that it or the Board of Trustees identifies from time to time.

Messrs. Pearlman (Chair) and ^Eston, and Ms. Stout are^ members of the Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee. The purposes of the Compliance Reports and Regulatory Matters Committee are to: (i) assist the Board of Trustees in its oversight role with respect to compliance issues and certain other regulatory matters affecting the Fund; (ii) serve as a liaison between the Board of Trustees and the Fund’s CCO; and (iii) serve as a “qualified legal compliance committee” within the rules promulgated by the SEC.

Share Ownership. The following table shows the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee in all Eaton Vance Funds overseen by the Trustee as of December 31, 2010. None of the Trustees owned shares of the Fund as of December 31, 2010 since the Fund had not commenced operations.

As of December 31, 2010, no Noninterested Trustee or any of their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any class of securities of EVC, EVD or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with EVC or EVD.

During the calendar years ended December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2010, no noninterested Trustee (or their immediate family members) had:

During the calendar years ended December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2010, no officer of EVC, EVD or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with EVC or EVD served on the Board of Directors of a company where a noninterested Trustee of the Trust or any of their immediate family members served as an officer.

Trustees of the Fund who are not affiliated with the investment adviser may elect to defer receipt of all or a percentage of their annual fees in accordance with the terms of a Trustees Deferred Compensation Plan (the “Trustees’ Plan”). Under the Trustees’ Plan, an eligible Trustee may elect to have his or her deferred fees invested by the Fund in the shares of one or more funds in the Eaton Vance Family of Funds, and the amount paid to the Trustees under the Trustees’ Plan will be determined based upon the performance of such investments. Deferral of Trustees’ fees in accordance with the Trustees’ Plan will have a negligible effect on the assets, liabilities, and net income per share of the Fund, and will not obligate the Fund to retain the services of any Trustee or obligate the Fund to pay any particular level of compensation to the Trustee. The Trust does not have a retirement plan for Trustees.

The fees and expenses of the Trustees of the Trust are paid by the Fund (and other series of the Trust). (A Trustee of the Trust who is a member of the Eaton Vance organization receives no compensation from the Trust.) During the fiscal year ending December 31, 2011, it is estimated that the Trustees of the Trust will earn the following compensation in their capacities as Trustees from the Trust. For the year ended December 31, 2010, the Trustees earned the following compensation in their capacities as Trustees of the funds in the Eaton Vance fund complex⁽¹⁾:

Organization and Management of Wholly-Owned Subsidiary

The Fund may gain exposure to commodity markets by investing up to 25% of its total assets in Eaton Vance RBA Commodity Subsidiary, Ltd. (the "Subsidiary").

The Subsidiary is an exempted company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, whose registered office is located at the offices of Walkers Corporate Services Limited, Walker House, 87 Mary Street, George Town, Grand Cayman, KY1-9005, Cayman Islands. The Subsidiary’s affairs are overseen by a board currently consisting of one Director, Maureen A. Gemma. Ms. Gemma’s biographical information appears above in “Management and Organization.” The Subsidiary has entered into a separate contract with Eaton Vance whereby Eaton Vance provides investment advisory services to the Subsidiary. In addition, Eaton Vance has entered into a sub-advisory agreement with RBA to manage the Subsidiary’s assets. These agreements continue in effect from year to year so long as such continuance is approved at least annually (i) by the vote of a majority of the noninterested Trustees of the Fund cast in person at a meeting specifically called for the purposes of voting on such approval and (ii) by the Board of Trustees of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the outstanding securities of the Fund. The agreements may be terminated at any time without penalty upon sixty (60) days’ written notice by the Board of Trustees of either party, or by vote of the majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, and each agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment. The Subsidiary will bear the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the custody, transfer agency, and audit services that it receives. The Fund expects that the expenses borne by the Subsidiary will not be material in relation to the value of the Fund’s assets.

The Subsidiary has adopted compliance policies and procedures that are substantially similar to the policies and procedures adopted by the Fund. As a result, Eaton Vance and RBA, in managing the Subsidiary, are subject to the same investment policies and restrictions that apply to the management of the Fund. The Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer oversees implementation of the Subsidiary’s policies and procedures, and makes periodic reports to the Fund’s Board of Trustees regarding the Subsidiary’s compliance with its policies and procedures. The Fund and Subsidiary test for compliance with investment restrictions on a consolidated basis, except that with respect to Fund or Subsidiary borrowings. The Subsidiary is subject to asset segregation requirements to the same extent as the Fund, which are tested for compliance on a consolidated basis as noted, in the preceding sentence.

Please see “Taxes” below for information about certain tax aspects of the Fund’s investment in the Subsidiary.

Organization. The Fund is a series of the Trust, which was organized under Massachusetts law on May 25, 1985 and is operated as an open-end management investment company. The Trust may issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest (no par value per share) in one or more series (such as the Fund). The Trustees of the Trust have divided the shares of the Fund into multiple classes. Each class represents an interest in the Fund, but is subject to different expenses, rights and privileges. The Trustees have the authority under the Declaration of Trust to create additional classes of shares with differing rights and privileges. When issued and outstanding, shares are fully paid and nonassessable by the Trust. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each full share held. Fractional shares may be voted proportionately. Shares of the Fund will be voted together except that only shareholders of a particular class may vote on matters affecting only that class. Shares have no preemptive or conversion rights and are freely transferable. In the event of the liquidation of the Fund, shareholders of each class are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets attributable to that class available for distribution to shareholders.

As permitted by Massachusetts law, there will normally be no meetings of shareholders for the purpose of electing Trustees unless and until such time as less than a majority of the Trustees of the Trust holding office have been elected by shareholders. In such an event the Trustees then in office will call a shareholders’ meeting for the election of Trustees. Except for the foregoing circumstances and unless removed by action of the shareholders in accordance with the Trust’s By-laws, the Trustees shall continue to hold office and may appoint successor Trustees. The Trust’s By-laws provide that no person shall serve as a Trustee if shareholders holding two-thirds of the outstanding shares have removed him or her from that office either by a written declaration filed with the Trust’s custodian or by votes cast at a meeting called for that purpose. The By-laws further provide that under certain circumstances the shareholders may call a meeting to remove a Trustee and that the Trust is required to provide assistance in communication with shareholders about such a meeting.

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust may be amended by the Trustees when authorized by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust, the financial interests of which are affected by the amendment. The Trustees may also amend the Declaration of Trust without the vote or consent of shareholders to change the name of the Trust or any series or to make such other changes (such as reclassifying series or classes of shares or restructuring the Trust) as do not have a materially adverse effect on the financial

interests of shareholders or if they deem it necessary to conform it to applicable federal or state laws or regulations. The Trust’s By-laws provide that the Trust will indemnify its Trustees and officers against liabilities and expenses incurred in connection with any litigation or proceeding in which they may be involved because of their offices with the Trust. However, no indemnification will be provided to any Trustee or officer for any liability to the Trust or shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.

The Trust or any series or class thereof may be terminated by: (1) the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the shares outstanding and entitled to vote at any meeting of shareholders of the Trust or the appropriate series or class thereof, or by an instrument or instruments in writing without a meeting, consented to by the holders of two-thirds of the shares of the Trust or a series or class thereof, provided, however, that, if such termination is recommended by the Trustees, the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust or a series or class thereof entitled to vote thereon shall be sufficient authorization; or (2) by means of an instrument in writing signed by a majority of the Trustees, to be followed by a written notice to shareholders stating that a majority of the Trustees has determined that the continuation of the Trust or a series or a class thereof is not in the best interest of the Trust, such series or class or of their respective shareholders.

Under Massachusetts law, if certain conditions prevail, shareholders of a Massachusetts business trust (such as the Trust) could be deemed to have personal liability for the obligations of the Trust. Numerous investment companies registered under the 1940 Act have been formed as Massachusetts business trusts, and management is not aware of an instance where such liability has been imposed. The Trust’s Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of liability on the part of Fund shareholders and the Trust’s By-laws provide that the Trust shall assume the defense on behalf of any Fund shareholders. The Declaration of Trust also contains provisions limiting the liability of a series or class to that series or class. Moreover, the Trust’s By-laws also provide for indemnification out of Fund property of any shareholder held personally liable solely by reason of being or having been a shareholder for all loss or expense arising from such liability. The assets of the Fund are readily marketable and will ordinarily substantially exceed its liabilities. In light of the nature of the Fund’s business and the nature of its assets, management believes that the possibility of the Fund’s liability exceeding its assets, and therefore the shareholder’s risk of personal liability, is remote.

Proxy Voting Policy. The Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted a proxy voting policy and procedures (the “Fund Policy”), pursuant to which the Trustees have delegated proxy voting responsibility to the investment sub-adviser and adopted the proxy voting policies and procedures of the investment sub-adviser (the “Policies”). An independent proxy voting service has been retained to assist in the voting of Fund proxies through the provision of vote analysis, implementation and record keeping and disclosure services. The Trustees will review the Fund’s proxy voting records from time to time and will annually consider approving the Policies for the upcoming year. For a copy of the Fund Policy and investment sub-adviser Policies, see Appendix D and Appendix E, respectively. Information on how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-262-1122, and (2) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

Investment Advisory Services. Eaton Vance is the investment adviser for the Fund. The investment adviser manages the investments and affairs of the Fund and provides related office facilities and personnel subject to the supervision of the Trust’s Board of Trustees. The investment adviser furnishes investment research, advice and supervision, furnishes an investment program and determines what securities will be purchased, held or sold by the Fund and what portion, if any, of the Fund’s assets will be held uninvested. The Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement requires the investment adviser to pay the salaries and fees of all officers and Trustees of the Trust who are members of the investment adviser’s organization and all personnel of the investment adviser performing services relating to research and investment activities.

For a description of the compensation that the Fund pays to the investment adviser, see the Prospectus. Pursuant an investment sub-advisory agreement, between Eaton Vance and Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC (“RBA”), Eaton Vance pays compensation to RBA for providing sub-advisory services to the Fund.

The Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement and Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement with the investment adviser or sub-adviser continues in effect from year to year so long as such continuance is approved at least annually (i) by the vote of a majority of the noninterested Trustees of the Trust^ cast in person at a meeting specifically called for the purpose of voting on such approval and (ii) by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the ^Fund. The Agreements may be terminated at any time without penalty on sixty (60) days’ written notice by the Board of Trustees or either party, or by vote of the majority of the outstanding voting securities of ^the Fund, and each Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment. The Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement may also be terminated in certain circumstances by the Sub-Adviser upon not less than 20 business days’ written notice to the Investment Adviser. Each Agreement provides that the investment adviser or sub-adviser may render services to others. Each Agreement also provides that the investment adviser or sub-adviser shall not be liable for any loss incurred in connection with the performance of its duties, or action taken or omitted under the Agreement, in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations and duties thereunder, or for any losses sustained in the acquisition, holding or disposition of any security or other investment.

Information About Eaton Vance. Eaton Vance is a business trust organized under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. EV serves as trustee of Eaton Vance. EV and Eaton Vance are wholly-owned subsidiaries of EVC, a Maryland corporation and publicly-held holding company. BMR is an indirect subsidiary of EVC. EVC through its subsidiaries and affiliates engages primarily in investment management, administration and marketing activities. The Directors of EVC are Thomas E. Faust Jr., Ann E. Berman, Leo I. Higdon, Jr., Dorothy E. Puhy, Duncan W. Richardson, Winthrop H. Smith, Jr. and Richard A. Spillane, Jr. All shares of the outstanding Voting Common Stock of EVC are deposited in a Voting Trust, the Voting Trustees of which are Mr. Faust, Jeffrey P. Beale, Cynthia J. Clemson, Maureen A. Gemma, Brian D. Langstraat, Michael R. Mach, Frederick S. Marius, Thomas M. Metzold, Scott H. Page, Mr. Richardson, Walter A. Row, III, G. West Saltonstall, Judith A. Saryan, David M. Stein, Payson F. Swaffield, Mark S. Venezia, Michael W. Weilheimer, Robert J. Whelan and Matthew J. Witkos (all of whom are officers of Eaton Vance or its affiliates). The Voting Trustees have unrestricted voting rights for the election of Directors of EVC. All of the outstanding voting trust receipts issued under said Voting Trust are owned by certain of the officers of Eaton Vance who are also officers, or officers and Directors of EVC and EV. As indicated under “Management and Organization,” all of the officers of the Trust (as well as Mr. Faust who is also a Trustee) hold positions in the Eaton Vance organization.

Code of Ethics. The investment adviser, sub-adviser, principal underwriter, and the Fund have adopted Codes of Ethics governing personal securities transactions. Under the Codes, employees of Eaton Vance, the sub-adviser and the principal underwriter may purchase and sell securities (including securities held or eligible for purchase by the Fund) subject to the provisions of the Codes and certain employees are also subject to pre-clearance, reporting requirements and other procedures.

Information About RBA. RBA is a Delaware limited liability company that was formed under the name Richard Bernstein Capital Management LLC in May 2009. RBA has been an investment adviser registered with the SEC since June 2010. RBA expects to provide advisory services to investment companies, institutional clients and high net worth individuals. At ^June 30, 2011, RBA’s assets under management totaled approximately $470 million.

Portfolio Manager. The portfolio manager of the Fund is listed below. The following table shows, as of ^July 31, 2011, the number of accounts the portfolio manager managed in each of the listed categories and the total assets (in millions of dollars) in the accounts managed within each category. The table also shows the number of accounts with respect to which the advisory fee is based on the performance of the account, if any, and the total assets (in millions of dollars) in those accounts.

Mr. Bernstein did not beneficially own shares of the Fund since the Fund ^had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI, however, Mr. Bernstein beneficially owned ^over $1,000,000 in the Eaton Vance Family of Funds as of December 31, 2010^.

It is possible that conflicts of interest may arise in connection with a portfolio manager’s management of the Fund’s investments on the one hand and the investments of other accounts for which the portfolio manager is responsible for on the other. For example, a portfolio manager may have conflicts of interest in allocating management time, resources and investment opportunities among the Fund and other accounts he or she advises. In addition due to differences in the investment strategies or restrictions between the Fund and the other accounts, a portfolio manager may take action with respect to another account that differs from the action taken with respect to the Fund. In some cases, another account managed by a portfolio manager may compensate the investment adviser based on the performance of the securities held by that account. The existence of such a performance based fee may create additional conflicts of interest for the portfolio manager in the allocation of management time, resources and investment opportunities. Whenever conflicts of interest arise, the portfolio manager will endeavor to exercise his or her discretion in a manner that he or she believes is equitable to all interested persons. The investment adviser has adopted several policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts including a code of ethics and policies that govern the investment adviser’s trading practices, including among other things the aggregation and allocation of trades among clients, brokerage allocation, cross trades and best execution.

Compensation Structure for RBA. Compensation of RBA’s portfolio managers and other investment professionals has several components, depending upon the status of the employee: (1) in all cases, a base salary; (2) in the case of non-partners, a discretionary cash bonus payable annually and based on individual performance and overall firm profits; and (3) in the case of partners, a cash bonus or profit participation payable annually and equal to a defined percentage of overall firm profits. RBA investment personnel

also receive certain insurance and other benefits that are broadly available to all of the firm’s employees. Compensation of all RBA employees is reviewed and evaluated annually. Salaries are paid throughout the year, with any adjustments typically put into effect on January 1^st of the respective year. Cash bonuses and profit participations are typically paid at or shortly after year-end.

Method to Determine Compensation. RBA seeks to compensate its portfolio managers in a manner that is commensurate with their job performance and with the scale and complexity of their responsibilities, and that is competitive with other investment management firms. Because all of RBA’s portfolio managers share responsibility for all of the firm’s managed funds and accounts, each manager’s performance is evaluated based on, inter alia, the individual and composite pre-tax performance of all such funds and accounts (including versus peer groups of funds, as determined by, e.g., Lipper and/or Morningstar) and the respective manager’s perceived contribution to that performance, considering both current-year and longer-term performance objectives and results. While the salaries of RBA portfolio managers and other investment personnel are relatively fixed, cash bonuses and the value of profit participations may fluctuate substantially from year to year, based on changes in the firm’s financial performance and other factors as herein described.

Administrative Services. Eaton Vance also provides administrative services to the Fund. Under its Investment Advisory and Administrative Agreement, Eaton Vance has been engaged to administer the Fund’s affairs, subject to the supervision of the Trustees of the Trust, and shall furnish office space and all necessary office facilities, equipment and personnel for administering the affairs of the Fund.

Sub-Transfer Agency Services. Eaton Vance also serves as sub-transfer agent for the Fund. As sub-transfer agent, Eaton Vance performs the following services directly on behalf of the Fund: (1) provides call center services to financial intermediaries and shareholders; (2) answers written inquiries related to shareholder accounts (matters relating to portfolio management, distribution of shares and other management policy questions will be referred to the Fund); (3) furnishes an SAI to any shareholder who requests one in writing or by telephone from the Fund; and (4) processes transaction requests received via telephone. For the sub-transfer agency services it provides, Eaton Vance receives an aggregate annual fee equal to the lesser of $2.5 million or the actual expenses incurred by Eaton Vance in the performance of those services. This fee is paid to Eaton Vance by the Fund’s transfer agent from fees it receives from the Eaton Vance funds. The Fund will pay a pro rata share of such fee.

Expenses. The Fund is responsible for all expenses not expressly stated to be payable by another party (such as expenses required to be paid pursuant to an agreement with each investment adviser, the principal underwriter or the administrator). In the case of expenses incurred by the Trust, the Fund is responsible for its pro rata share of those expenses. The only expenses of the Fund allocated to a particular class are those incurred under the Distribution Plan applicable to that class (if any) and certain other class-specific expenses.

OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS

Principal Underwriter. Eaton Vance Distributors, Inc. (“EVD”), Two International Place, Boston, MA 02110 is the principal underwriter of the Fund. The principal underwriter acts as principal in selling shares under a Distribution Agreement with the Trust. The expenses of printing copies of prospectuses used to offer shares and other selling literature and of advertising are borne by the principal underwriter. The fees and expenses of qualifying and registering and maintaining qualifications and registrations of the Fund and its shares under federal and state securities laws are borne by the Fund. The Distribution Agreement is renewable annually by the Trust’s Board of Trustees (including a majority of the noninterested Trustees who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Distribution Agreement or any applicable Distribution Plan), may be terminated on sixty days’ notice either by such Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding Fund shares or on six months’ notice by the principal underwriter and is automatically terminated upon assignment. The principal underwriter distributes shares on a “best efforts” basis under which it is required to take and pay for only such shares as may be sold. EVD is a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of EVC. Mr. Faust is a Director of EVD.

Custodian. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), 200 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116, serves as custodian to the Fund. State Street has custody of all cash and securities of the Fund, maintains the general ledger of the Fund and computes the daily net asset value of shares of the Fund. In such capacity it attends to details in connection with the sale, exchange, substitution, transfer or other dealings with the Fund’s investments, receives and disburses all funds and performs various other ministerial duties upon receipt of proper instructions from the Trust. State Street provides services in connection with the preparation of shareholder reports and the electronic filing of such reports with the SEC. EVC and its affiliates and their officers and employees from time to time have transactions with various banks, including State Street. It is Eaton Vance’s opinion that the terms and conditions of such transactions were not and will not be influenced by existing or potential custodial or other relationships between the Fund and such banks.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Deloitte & Touche LLP, 200 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116, is the independent registered public accounting firm of the Fund, providing audit and related services, assistance and consultation with respect to the preparation of filings with the SEC.

Transfer Agent. BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc., P.O. Box 9653, Providence, RI 02940-9653, serves as transfer and dividend disbursing agent for the Fund.

CALCULATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

The net asset value of the Fund is ^determined by State Street (as agent and ^custodian) by subtracting the liabilities of the Fund from the value of its total assets. The Fund ^is closed for business and will not ^issue a net asset value on the following business holidays and any other business day that the New York Stock Exchange (the “Exchange”) is closed: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. ^

The Board of Trustees has approved procedures pursuant to which investments are valued for purposes of determining the Fund’s net asset value. Listed below is a summary of the methods generally used to value investments (some or all of which may be held by the Fund) under the procedures. ^