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Delaware Group Equity Funds IV – ‘N-CSRS’ for 9/30/23

On:  Monday, 12/4/23, at 8:47am ET   ·   Effective:  12/4/23   ·   For:  9/30/23   ·   Accession #:  1206774-23-1293   ·   File #:  811-04413

Previous ‘N-CSRS’:  ‘N-CSRS’ on 6/5/23 for 3/31/23   ·   Latest ‘N-CSRS’:  This Filing   ·   9 References:   

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

12/04/23  Delaware Group Equity Funds IV    N-CSRS      9/30/23    3:1.4M                                   DG3/FADelaware Healthcare Fund Class A (DLHAX) — Class C (DLHCX) — Class R (DLRHX) — Institutional Class (DLHIX)Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund Class A (DFCIX) — Class C (DEEVX) — Class R (DFRIX) — Class R6 (DFZRX) — Institutional Class (DFDIX)Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund Class A (DSGDX) — Class C (DSGEX) — Class R (DSGFX) — Institutional Class (DSGGX)

Semi-Annual Certified Shareholder Report by an Investment Company   —   Form N-CSR   —   ICA’40

Filing Table of Contents

Document/Exhibit                   Description                      Pages   Size 

 1: N-CSRS      Semi-Annual Certified Shareholder Report by an      HTML   1.40M 
                Investment Company                                               
 3: EX-99.906 CERT  Certification -- §906 - SOA'02                  HTML      7K 
 2: EX-99.CERT  Certification -- §302 - SOA'02                      HTML     16K 


‘N-CSRS’   —   Semi-Annual Certified Shareholder Report by an Investment Company

Document Table of Contents

Page (sequential)   (alphabetic) Top
 
11st Page  –  Filing Submission
2Table of Contents
"Disclosure of Fund expenses
"Security type / sector allocations and top 10 equity holdings
"Schedule of investments
"Statement of assets and liabilities
"Statement of operations
"Statements of changes in net assets
"Financial highlights
"Notes to financial statements
"Other Fund information
"The Board concluded that, overall, it was satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided (and expected to be provided) to the Fund by DMC and the Affiliated Sub-Adviser

This is an HTML Document rendered as filed.  [ Alternative Formats ]

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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT
INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number: 811-04413
   
Exact name of registrant as specified in charter: Delaware Group® Equity Funds IV
   
Address of principal executive offices: 610 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
   
Name and address of agent for service: David F. Connor, Esq.
610 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
   
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (800) 523-1918
   
Date of fiscal year end: March 31
   
Date of reporting period: September 30, 2023
  

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Item 1. Reports to Stockholders

   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
 

Semiannual report

   
   
   
   

Alternative / specialty mutual fund

Delaware Healthcare Fund

September 30, 2023





Carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risk factors, charges, and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the Fund’s prospectus and its summary prospectus, which may be obtained by visiting delawarefunds.com/literature or calling 800 523-1918. Investors should read the prospectus and the summary prospectus carefully before investing.

You can obtain shareholder reports and prospectuses online instead of in the mail. Visit delawarefunds.com/edelivery.

  

Table of Contents

Experience Delaware Funds by Macquarie®

Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) is a global asset manager that aims to deliver positive impact for everyone. MAM Public Investments traces its roots to 1929 and partners with institutional and individual clients to deliver specialist active investment capabilities across global equities, fixed income, and multi-asset solutions using a conviction-based, long-term approach to investing. In the US, retail investors recognize our Delaware Funds by Macquarie family of funds as one of the oldest mutual fund families.

If you are interested in learning more about creating an investment plan, contact your financial advisor.

You can learn more about Delaware Funds or obtain a prospectus for Delaware Healthcare Fund at delawarefunds.com/literature.

Manage your account online

Check your account balance and transactions
View statements and tax forms
Make purchases and redemptions

Visit delawarefunds.com/account-access.

Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) is the asset management division of Macquarie Group. MAM is a full-service asset manager offering a diverse range of products across public and private markets including fixed income, equities, multi-asset solutions, private credit, infrastructure, renewables, natural assets, real estate, and asset finance. The Public Investments business is a part of MAM and includes the following investment advisers: Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust (MIMBT), Macquarie Investment Management Austria Kapitalanlage AG, Macquarie Investment Management Global Limited, Macquarie Investment Management Europe Limited, and Macquarie Investment Management Europe S.A.

The Fund is distributed by Delaware Distributors, L.P. (DDLP), an affiliate of MIMBT and Macquarie Group Limited.

Other than Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 (“Macquarie Bank”), any Macquarie Group entity noted in this document is not an authorized deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia). The obligations of these other Macquarie Group entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of Macquarie Bank. Macquarie Bank does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these other Macquarie Group entities. In addition, if this document relates to an investment, (a) the investor is subject to investment risk including possible delays in repayment and loss of income and principal invested and (b) none of Macquarie Bank or any other Macquarie Group entity guarantees any particular rate of return on or the performance of the investment, nor do they guarantee repayment of capital in respect of the investment.

The Fund is governed by US laws and regulations.

Table of contents

Disclosure of Fund expenses 1
Security type / sector allocations and top 10 equity holdings 3
Schedule of investments 5
Statement of assets and liabilities 9
Statement of operations 11
Statements of changes in net assets 12
Financial highlights 14
Notes to financial statements 22
Other Fund information 34

This semiannual report is for the information of Delaware Healthcare Fund shareholders, but it may be used with prospective investors when preceded or accompanied by the Delaware Fund fact sheet for the most recently completed calendar quarter. These documents are available at delawarefunds.com/literature.

Unless otherwise noted, views expressed herein are current as of September 30, 2023, and subject to change for events occurring after such date.

The Fund is not FDIC insured and is not guaranteed. It is possible to lose the principal amount invested.

Advisory services provided by Delaware Management Company, a series of MIMBT, a US registered investment advisor.

All third-party marks cited are the property of their respective owners.

© 2023 Macquarie Management Holdings, Inc.

  

Table of Contents

Disclosure of Fund expenses

For the six-month period from April 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

The Fund seeks maximum long-term capital growth through capital appreciation.

As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, reinvested dividends, or other distributions; redemption fees; and exchange fees; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution and service (12b-1) fees; and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire six-month period from April 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023.

Actual expenses

The first section of the table shown, “Actual Fund return,” provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this section of the table, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first section under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The second section of the table shown, “Hypothetical 5% return,” provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), redemption fees, or exchange fees. Therefore, the second section of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher. The Fund’s expenses shown in the table reflect fee waivers in effect and assume reinvestment of all dividends and distributions.

  1

Table of Contents

Disclosure of Fund expenses

For the six-month period from April 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

Delaware Healthcare Fund

Expense analysis of an investment of $1,000

   Beginning
Account Value
4/1/23
  Ending
Account Value
9/30/23
  Annualized
Expense Ratio
  Expenses
Paid During Period
4/1/23 to 9/30/23*
Actual Fund return            
Class A        $1,000.00             $995.90                  1.21%          $6.04        
Class C   1,000.00    991.90    1.96%   9.76 
Class R   1,000.00    994.10    1.46%   7.28 
Institutional Class   1,000.00    996.80    0.96%   4.79 
Hypothetical 5% return (5% return before expenses)
Class A   $1,000.00   $1,018.95    1.21%   $6.11 
Class C   1,000.00    1,015.20    1.96%   9.87 
Class R   1,000.00    1,017.70    1.46%   7.36 
Institutional Class   1,000.00    1,020.20    0.96%   4.85 

*“Expenses Paid During Period” are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 183/366 (to reflect the one-half year period).

Because actual returns reflect only the most recent six-month period, the returns shown may differ significantly from fiscal year returns.

In addition to the Fund’s expenses reflected above, the Fund also indirectly bears its portion of the fees and expenses of any investment companies (Underlying Funds), in which it invests. The table above does not reflect the expenses of any Underlying Funds.

2  

Table of Contents

Security type / sector allocations and top 10 equity holdings
Delaware Healthcare Fund As of September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

Sector designations may be different from the sector designations presented in other Fund materials. The sector designations may represent the investment manager’s internal sector classifications, which may result in the sector designations for one fund being different from another fund’s sector designations.

Security type / sector  Percentage of net assets
Common Stocks   100.66%
Biotechnology*   33.27%
Blue Chip Medical Products*   48.85%
Healthcare Services   10.45%
Other   1.29%
Small- / Mid-Cap Medical Products   6.80%
Rights   0.00%
Total Value of Securities   100.66%
Liabilities Net of Receivables and Other Assets   (0.66%)
Total Net Assets   100.00%

*To monitor compliance with the Fund’s concentration guidelines as described in the Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, the Biotechnology and Blue Chip Medical Products sectors (as disclosed herein for financial reporting purposes) are subdivided into a variety of “industries” (in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended). The Biotechnology sector consisted of Biotechnology, Healthcare-Products, and Pharmaceuticals. As of September 30, 2023, such amounts, as a percentage of total net assets were 28.36%, 0.85%, and 4.06%, respectively. The Blue Chip Medical Products sector consisted of Biotechnology, Healthcare-Products, and Pharmaceuticals. As of September 30, 2023, such amounts, as a percentage of total net assets were 10.75%, 4.53%, and 33.57%, respectively. The percentage in any such single industry will comply with the Fund’s concentration policy even if the percentage in the Biotechnology and Blue Chip Medical Products sector for financial reporting purposes may exceed 25%.

  3

Table of Contents

Security type / sector allocations and top 10 equity holdings

Delaware Healthcare Fund

Holdings are for informational purposes only and are subject to change at any time. They are not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security.

Top 10 equity holdings  Percentage of net assets
Eli Lilly & Co.   8.82%
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals   8.44%
Amgen   7.35%
UnitedHealth Group   5.24%
AbbVie   4.62%
Merck & Co.   4.15%
Elevance Health   3.75%
Roche Holding   2.99%
Chugai Pharmaceutical   2.96%
Boston Scientific   2.74%
4  

Table of Contents

Schedule of investments  
Delaware Healthcare Fund September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)
   Number of
shares
   Value (US $)  
Common Stocks — 100.66%       
Biotechnology — 33.27%          
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals †   160,000   $3,334,400 
Alkermes †   300,000    8,403,000 
Allogene Therapeutics †   146,779    465,289 
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals †   41,000    7,261,100 
Amarin ADR †   190,000    174,800 
Ambrx Biopharma ADR †   250,000    2,875,000 
AnaptysBio †   93,732    1,683,427 
Arcus Biosciences †   379,100    6,804,845 
Atea Pharmaceuticals †   70,000    210,000 
Athenex †   3,500    53 
BioMarin Pharmaceutical †   124,000    10,971,520 
BioNTech ADR †   18,000    1,955,520 
Cellectis ADR †   226,875    358,463 
Cogent Biosciences †   230,000    2,242,500 
Coherus Biosciences †   498,600    1,864,764 
Compugen †   852,941    793,235 
Contra Surface Oncolog †   350,000    26,950 
Day One Biopharmaceuticals †   110,000    1,349,700 
Dynavax Technologies †   760,000    11,225,200 
Exact Sciences †   91,353    6,232,102 
Fortress Biotech †   100,000    29,030 
Galmed Pharmaceuticals †   20,401    12,648 
Incyte †   80,000    4,621,600 
Intellia Therapeutics †   20,000    632,400 
Intercept Pharmaceuticals †   27,000    500,580 
Karyopharm Therapeutics †   380,000    509,200 
Landos Biopharma †   14,718    56,959 
MacroGenics †   420,000    1,957,200 
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals †   28,500    4,162,140 
MEI Pharma †   30,000    210,300 
Mersana Therapeutics †   150,000    190,500 
Mirati Therapeutics †   60,000    2,613,600 
Moderna †   18,000    1,859,220 
MorphoSys †   300,000    8,192,630 
Mustang Bio †   8,000    16,400 
Myriad Genetics †   50,000    802,000 
Nektar Therapeutics †   256,385    152,703 
Neurocrine Biosciences †   85,000    9,562,500 
NextCure †   150,000    193,500 
ProQR Therapeutics †   620,000    806,000 
Puma Biotechnology †   61,255    161,101 
  5

Table of Contents

Schedule of investments

Delaware Healthcare Fund

   Number of
shares
   Value (US $)  
Common Stocks (continued)      
Biotechnology (continued)          
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals †   75,000   $61,722,000 
REGENXBIO †   149,000    2,452,540 
Rigel Pharmaceuticals †   1,600,000    1,728,000 
Rocket Pharmaceuticals †   58,000    1,188,420 
Roivant Sciences †   338,181    3,949,954 
Sangamo Therapeutics †   400,000    239,920 
Sarepta Therapeutics †   13,000    1,575,860 
Seagen †   80,000    16,972,000 
Sio Gene Therapies †   64,171    24,898 
Syndax Pharmaceuticals †   180,000    2,613,600 
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals †   150,000    2,665,500 
Theravance Biopharma †   208,783    1,801,797 
Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical †   70,000    2,495,500 
uniQure †   706,166    4,738,374 
United Therapeutics †   80,000    18,069,600 
Vertex Pharmaceuticals †   25,000    8,693,500 
Viking Therapeutics †   330,100    3,654,207 
Voyager Therapeutics †   5,700    44,175 
WaVe Life Sciences †   81,955    471,241 
Xencor †   129,191    2,603,199 
XOMA †   3,466    48,836 
Yumanity Therapeutics =, †   750,000    0 
         243,227,200 
Blue Chip Medical Products — 48.85%          
AbbVie   226,559    33,770,884 
Amgen   200,000    53,752,000 
AstraZeneca   131,243    17,777,586 
Biogen †   40,000    10,280,400 
Boston Scientific †   380,000    20,064,000 
Chugai Pharmaceutical   700,000    21,659,529 
Eli Lilly & Co.   120,000    64,455,600 
Euroapi †   8,695    109,670 
Gilead Sciences   195,000    14,613,300 
Johnson & Johnson   76,769    11,956,772 
Merck & Co.   295,000    30,370,250 
Organon & Co.   29,500    512,120 
Pfizer   604,600    20,054,582 
Roche Holding   80,000    21,888,895 
Sanofi   155,000    16,629,908 
Stryker   15,000    4,099,050 
UCB   76,000    6,230,417 
6  

Table of Contents

   Number of
shares
   Value (US $)  
Common Stocks (continued)      
Blue Chip Medical Products (continued)          
Zimmer Biomet Holdings   80,000   $8,977,600 
         357,202,563 
Healthcare Services — 10.45%          
CVS Health   100,000    6,982,000 
Elevance Health   63,000    27,431,460 
Quest Diagnostics   30,000    3,655,800 
UnitedHealth Group   76,000    38,318,440 
         76,387,700 
Other — 1.29%          
Cia de Minas Buenaventura ADR   66,353    565,328 
Fannie Mae †   1,300,000    804,700 
Federal Home Loan Mortgage †   1,050,000    621,600 
Kenvue   186,600    3,746,928 
Sohu.com ADR †   390,722    3,680,601 
         9,419,157 
Small- / Mid-Cap Medical Products — 6.80%          
Halozyme Therapeutics †   230,000    8,786,000 
Illumina †   100,000    13,728,000 
InnoCare Pharma 144A #, †   17,000    12,917 
Intra-Cellular Therapies †   170,000    8,855,300 
Perrigo   210,000    6,709,500 
Viatris   1,170,018    11,536,377 
Zimvie †   8,000    75,280 
         49,703,374 
Total Common Stocks (cost $574,985,329)        735,939,994 
 
Rights — 0.00%          
Ambit Bioscience =   76,500    0 
Total Rights (cost $0)        0 
Total Value of Securities—100.66%
(cost $574,985,329)
       $735,939,994 
Narrow industries are utilized for compliance purposes for concentration whereas broad sectors are used for financial reporting.
Non-income producing security.
= The value of this security was determined using significant unobservable inputs and is reported as a Level 3 security in the disclosure table located in Note 3 in “Notes to financial statements.”
  7

Table of Contents

Schedule of investments

Delaware Healthcare Fund

# Security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. At September 30, 2023, the aggregate value of Rule 144A securities was $12,917, which represents 0.00% of the Fund’s net assets. See Note 7 in “Notes to financial statements.”

Summary of abbreviations:

ADR – American Depositary Receipt

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

8  

Table of Contents

Statement of assets and liabilities  
Delaware Healthcare Fund September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)
Assets:   
Investments, at value*  $735,939,994 
Foreign currencies, at valueΔ   114 
Receivable for fund shares sold   1,740,784 
Foreign tax reclaims receivable   1,283,816 
Dividends receivable   251,209 
Prepaid expenses   59,079 
Other assets   7,050 
Total Assets   739,282,046 
Liabilities:     
Due to custodian   4,780,690 
Payable for fund shares redeemed   2,450,568 
Investment management fees payable to affiliates   494,802 
Other accrued expenses   270,456 
Distribution fees payable to affiliates   94,790 
Administration expenses payable to affiliates   71,577 
Total Liabilities   8,162,883 
Total Net Assets  $731,119,163 
 
Net Assets Consist of:     
Paid-in capital  $537,420,741 
Total distributable earnings (loss)   193,698,422 
Total Net Assets  $731,119,163 
  9

Table of Contents

Statement of assets and liabilities

Delaware Healthcare Fund

Net Asset Value   
    
Class A:     
Net assets  $200,887,590 
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding, unlimited authorization, no par   8,268,507 
Net asset value per share  $24.30 
Sales charge   5.75%
Offering price per share, equal to net asset value per share / (1 - sales charge)  $25.78 
      
Class C:     
Net assets  $60,044,179 
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding, unlimited authorization, no par   2,732,809 
Net asset value per share  $21.97 
      
Class R:     
Net assets  $2,605,467 
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding, unlimited authorization, no par   110,058 
Net asset value per share  $23.67 
      
Institutional Class:     
Net assets  $467,581,927 
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding, unlimited authorization, no par   19,029,717 
Net asset value per share  $24.57 
 
 
     
*Investments, at cost  $574,985,329 
ΔForeign currencies, at cost   116 

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

10  

Table of Contents

Statement of operations  
Delaware Healthcare Fund Six months ended September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)
Investment Income:   
Dividends  $5,849,797 
Foreign tax withheld   (150,892)
    5,698,905 
 
Expenses:     
Management fees   3,295,312 
Distribution expenses — Class A   268,480 
Distribution expenses — Class C   331,876 
Distribution expenses — Class R   6,931 
Dividend disbursing and transfer agent fees and expenses   399,158 
Accounting and administration expenses   76,239 
Reports and statements to shareholders expenses   55,368 
Registration fees   43,057 
Custodian fees   40,518 
Legal fees   24,200 
Trustees’ fees and expenses   18,884 
Audit and tax fees   16,920 
Other   13,658 
    4,590,601 
Less expenses waived   (178,214)
Less expenses paid indirectly   (75)
Total operating expenses   4,412,312 
Net Investment Income (Loss)   1,286,593 
 
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss):     
Net realized gain (loss) on:     
Investments   31,349,796 
Foreign currencies   2,230 
Net realized gain (loss)   31,352,026 
 
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on:     
Investments   (34,140,889)
Foreign currencies   (6,076)
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)   (34,146,965)
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)   (2,794,939)
Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations  $(1,508,346)

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

  11

Table of Contents

Statements of changes in net assets

Delaware Healthcare Fund

   Six months
ended
9/30/23
(Unaudited)
   Year ended
3/31/23
 
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Operations:          
Net investment income (loss)  $1,286,593   $3,437,507 
Net realized gain (loss)   31,352,026    4,756,143 
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)   (34,146,965)   (36,486,720)
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations   (1,508,346)   (28,293,070)
           
Dividends and Distributions to Shareholders from:          
Distributable earnings:          
Class A       (25,169,243)
Class C       (7,000,140)
Class R       (316,970)
Institutional Class       (43,306,161)
        (75,792,514)
           
Capital Share Transactions (See Note 4):          
Proceeds from shares sold:          
Class A   8,965,862    41,110,533 
Class C   787,626    5,829,652 
Class R   183,452    773,400 
Institutional Class   28,053,040    163,212,064 
Net asset value of shares issued upon reinvestment of dividends and distributions:          
Class A       19,308,546 
Class C       6,910,745 
Class R       315,009 
Institutional Class       39,869,728 
    37,989,980    277,329,677 
12  

Table of Contents

   Six months
ended
9/30/23
(Unaudited)
   Year ended
3/31/23
 
Capital Share Transactions (continued):          
Cost of shares redeemed:          
Class A  $(27,033,796)  $(119,145,873)
Class C   (9,809,339)   (19,686,641)
Class R   (611,040)   (1,743,669)
Institutional Class   (83,988,541)   (162,223,197)
    (121,442,716)   (302,799,380)
Decrease in net assets derived from capital share transactions   (83,452,736)   (25,469,703)
Net Decrease in Net Assets   (84,961,082)   (129,555,287)
           
Net Assets:          
Beginning of period   816,080,245    945,635,532 
End of period  $731,119,163   $816,080,245 

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

  13

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Financial highlights

Delaware Healthcare Fund Class A

Selected data for each share of the Fund outstanding throughout each period were as follows:

Net asset value, beginning of period
 
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income (loss)2
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
Total from investment operations
 
Less dividends and distributions from:
Net investment income
Net realized gain
Total dividends and distributions
 
Net asset value, end of period
 
Total return3
 
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
Ratio of expenses to average net assets5
Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived5
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets prior to fees waived
Portfolio turnover

1 Ratios have been annualized and total return and portfolio turnover have not been annualized.
2 Calculated using average shares outstanding.
3 Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value and does not reflect the impact of a sales charge.
4 Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager and/or distributor. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect.
5 Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests.

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

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  Six months ended
9/30/231
   Year ended
  (Unaudited)   3/31/23   3/31/22   3/31/21   3/31/20   3/31/19 
  $24.40   $27.35   $27.71   $22.75   $24.63   $22.63 
                              
                              
   0.03    0.08    0.06    0.03    0.03    (0.03)
   (0.13)   (0.76)   1.06    6.49    0.11    2.44 
   (0.10)   (0.68)   1.12    6.52    0.14    2.41 
                              
                              
               (0.06)       (0.15)
       (2.27)   (1.48)   (1.50)   (2.02)   (0.26)
       (2.27)   (1.48)   (1.56)   (2.02)   (0.41)
                              
  $24.30   $24.40   $27.35   $27.71   $22.75   $24.63 
                              
   (0.41%)4    (2.98%)4    4.44%   28.55%   (0.27%)   10.74%
                              
                              
  $200,888   $219,518   $311,815   $344,531   $272,911   $319,993 
   1.21%   1.23%   1.24%   1.23%   1.27%   1.28%
   1.25%   1.26%   1.24%   1.23%   1.27%   1.28%
   0.23%   0.32%   0.20%   0.11%   0.13%   (0.10%)
   0.19%   0.29%   0.20%   0.11%   0.13%   (0.10%)
   0%   3%   1%   22%   24%   33%
  15

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Financial highlights

Delaware Healthcare Fund Class C

Selected data for each share of the Fund outstanding throughout each period were as follows:

Net asset value, beginning of period
 
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment loss2
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
Total from investment operations
 
Less dividends and distributions from:
Net investment income
Net realized gain
Total dividends and distributions
 
Net asset value, end of period
 
Total return4
 
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
Ratio of expenses to average net assets6
Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived6
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets prior to fees waived
Portfolio turnover

1 Ratios have been annualized and total return and portfolio turnover have not been annualized.
2 Calculated using average shares outstanding.
3 The per share amount of net investment income (loss) does not directly correlate to the amounts reported in the Statement of operations due to class specific expenses.
4 Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value and does not reflect the impact of a sales charge.
5 Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager and/or distributor. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect.
6 Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests.

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

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  Six months ended
9/30/231
   Year ended
  (Unaudited)   3/31/23   3/31/22   3/31/21   3/31/20   3/31/19 
  $22.15   $25.22   $25.86   $21.42   $23.47   $21.61 
                              
                              
   (0.06)3    (0.10)   (0.14)   (0.17)   (0.15)   (0.20)
   (0.12)   (0.70)   0.98    6.11    0.12    2.33 
   (0.18)   (0.80)   0.84    5.94    (0.03)   2.13 
                              
                              
                       (0.01)
       (2.27)   (1.48)   (1.50)   (2.02)   (0.26)
       (2.27)   (1.48)   (1.50)   (2.02)   (0.27)
                              
  $21.97   $22.15   $25.22   $25.86   $21.42   $23.47 
                              
   (0.81%)5    (3.73%)5    3.66%   27.62%   (1.02%)   9.91%
                              
                              
  $60,044   $69,423   $86,748   $112,012   $99,376   $115,843 
   1.96%   1.98%   1.99%   1.98%   2.02%   2.03%
   2.00%   2.01%   1.99%   1.98%   2.02%   2.03%
   (0.52%)   (0.43%)   (0.55%)   (0.64%)   (0.62%)   (0.85%)
   (0.56%)   (0.46%)   (0.55%)   (0.64%)   (0.62%)   (0.85%)
   0%   3%   1%   22%   24%   33%
  17

Table of Contents

Financial highlights

Delaware Healthcare Fund Class R

Selected data for each share of the Fund outstanding throughout each period were as follows:

Net asset value, beginning of period
 
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income (loss)2
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
Total from investment operations
 
Less dividends and distributions from:
Net investment income
Net realized gain
Total dividends and distributions
 
Net asset value, end of period
 
Total return4
 
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
Ratio of expenses to average net assets6
Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived6
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets prior to fees waived
Portfolio turnover

1 Ratios have been annualized and total return and portfolio turnover have not been annualized.
2 Calculated using average shares outstanding.
3 Amount is less than $(0.005) per share.
4 Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value.
5 Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager and/or distributor. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect.
6 Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests.

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

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  Six months ended
9/30/231
   Year ended
  (Unaudited)   3/31/23   3/31/22   3/31/21   3/31/20   3/31/19 
  $23.81   $26.81   $27.26   $22.40   $24.34   $22.37 
                              
                              
   3    0.02    (0.01)   (0.04)   (0.03)   (0.08)
   (0.14)   (0.75)   1.04    6.40    0.11    2.40 
   (0.14)   (0.73)   1.03    6.36    0.08    2.32 
                              
                              
                       (0.09)
       (2.27)   (1.48)   (1.50)   (2.02)   (0.26)
       (2.27)   (1.48)   (1.50)   (2.02)   (0.35)
                              
  $23.67   $23.81   $26.81   $27.26   $22.40   $24.34 
                              
   (0.59%)5    (3.23%)5    4.18%   28.30%   (0.52%)   10.44%
                              
                              
  $2,605   $3,042   $4,130   $4,867   $5,269   $7,080 
   1.46%   1.48%   1.49%   1.48%   1.52%   1.53%
   1.50%   1.51%   1.49%   1.48%   1.52%   1.53%
   (0.02%)   0.07%   (0.05%)   (0.14%)   (0.12%)   (0.35%)
   (0.06%)   0.04%   (0.05%)   (0.14%)   (0.12%)   (0.35%)
   0%   3%   1%   22%   24%   33%
  19

Table of Contents

Financial highlights

Delaware Healthcare Fund Institutional Class

Selected data for each share of the Fund outstanding throughout each period were as follows:

Net asset value, beginning of period
 
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income2
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
Total from investment operations
 
Less dividends and distributions from:
Net investment income
Net realized gain
Total dividends and distributions
 
Net asset value, end of period
 
Total return3
 
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
Ratio of expenses to average net assets5
Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived5
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets prior to fees waived
Portfolio turnover

1 Ratios have been annualized and total return and portfolio turnover have not been annualized.
2 Calculated using average shares outstanding.
3 Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value.
4 Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect.
5 Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests.

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

20  

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  Six months ended
9/30/231
   Year ended
  (Unaudited)   3/31/23   3/31/22   3/31/21   3/31/20   3/31/19 
  $24.65   $27.60   $27.93   $22.91   $24.75   $22.74 
                              
                              
   0.06    0.15    0.13    0.10    0.09    0.04 
   (0.14)   (0.77)   1.06    6.55    0.12    2.43 
   (0.08)   (0.62)   1.19    6.65    0.21    2.47 
                              
                              
       (0.06)   (0.04)   (0.13)   (0.03)   (0.20)
       (2.27)   (1.48)   (1.50)   (2.02)   (0.26)
       (2.33)   (1.52)   (1.63)   (2.05)   (0.46)
                              
  $24.57   $24.65   $27.60   $27.93   $22.91   $24.75 
                              
   (0.32%)4    (2.73%)4    4.69%   28.91%   (0.01%)   10.98%
                              
                              
  $467,582   $524,097   $542,943   $684,831   $518,093   $585,911 
   0.96%   0.98%   0.99%   0.98%   1.02%   1.03%
   1.00%   1.01%   0.99%   0.98%   1.02%   1.03%
   0.48%   0.57%   0.45%   0.36%   0.38%   0.14%
   0.44%   0.54%   0.45%   0.36%   0.38%   0.14%
   0%   3%   1%   22%   24%   33%
  21

Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements

Delaware Healthcare Fund September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

Delaware Group® Equity Funds IV (Trust) is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and offers 9 funds. These financial statements and the related notes pertain to Delaware Healthcare Fund (Fund). The Trust is an open-end investment company. The Fund is considered nondiversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act), and offers Class A, Class C, Class R, and Institutional Class shares. Class A shares are sold with a maximum front-end sales charge of 5.75%. There is no front-end sales charge when you purchase $1 million or more of Class A shares. However, if Delaware Distributors, L.P. (DDLP) paid your financial intermediary a commission on your purchase of $1 million or more of Class A shares, you will have to pay a limited contingent deferred sales charge (Limited CDSC) of 1.00% if you redeem these shares within the first 18 months after your purchase, unless a specific waiver of the Limited CDSC applies. Class C shares have no upfront sales charge, but are sold with a contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) of 1.00%, which will be incurred if redeemed during the first 12 months. Class R and Institutional Class shares are not subject to a sales charge and are offered for sale exclusively to certain eligible investors.

1. Significant Accounting Policies

The Fund follows accounting and reporting guidance under Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services — Investment Companies. The following accounting policies are in accordance with US generally accepted accounting principles (US GAAP) and are consistently followed by the Fund.

Security Valuation — Equity securities and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), except those traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq), are valued at the last quoted sales price as of the time of the regular close of the New York Stock Exchange on the valuation date. Equity securities and ETFs traded on the Nasdaq are valued in accordance with the Nasdaq Official Closing Price, which may not be the last sales price. If, on a particular day, an equity security or ETF does not trade, the mean between the bid and the ask prices will be used, which approximates fair value. Equity securities listed on a foreign exchange are normally valued at the last quoted sales price on the valuation date. Open-end investment companies, other than ETFs, are valued at their published net asset value (NAV). Generally, other securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by Delaware Management Company (DMC). Subject to the oversight of the Trust’s Board of Trustees (Board), DMC, as valuation designee, has adopted policies and procedures to fair value securities for which market quotations are not readily available consistent with the requirements of Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act. In determining whether market quotations are readily available or fair valuation will be used, various factors will be taken into consideration, such as market closures or suspension of trading in a security. Restricted securities and private placements are valued at fair value.

Federal and Foreign Income Taxes — No provision for federal income taxes has been made as the Fund intends to continue to qualify for federal income tax purposes as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and make the requisite distributions to shareholders. The Fund evaluates tax positions taken or

22  

Table of Contents

expected to be taken in the course of preparing the Fund’s tax returns to determine whether the tax positions are “more-likely-than-not” of being sustained by the applicable tax authority. Tax positions not deemed to meet the “more-likely-than-not” threshold are recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current year. Management has analyzed the Fund’s tax positions taken or expected to be taken on the Fund’s federal income tax returns through the six months ended September 30, 2023, and for all open tax years (years ended March 31, 2020March 31, 2023), and has concluded that no provision for federal income tax is required in the Fund’s financial statements. In regard to foreign taxes only, the Fund has open tax years in certain foreign countries in which it invests that may date back to the inception of the Fund. If applicable, the Fund recognizes interest accrued on unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and penalties in “Other” on the “Statement of operations.” During the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund did not incur any interest or tax penalties.

Class Accounting — Investment income, common expenses, and realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments are allocated to the various classes of the Fund on the basis of daily net assets of each class. Distribution expenses relating to a specific class are charged directly to that class.

Foreign Currency Transactions — Transactions denominated in foreign currencies are recorded at the prevailing exchange rates on the valuation date. The value of all assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies is translated daily into US dollars at the exchange rate of such currencies against the US dollar. Transaction gains or losses resulting from changes in exchange rates during the reporting period or upon settlement of the foreign currency transaction are reported in operations for the current period. The Fund generally does not bifurcate that portion of realized gains and losses on investments which is due to changes in foreign exchange rates from that which is due to changes in market prices. These gains and losses are included on the “Statement of operations” under “Net realized gain (loss) on investments.” The Fund reports certain foreign currency related transactions as components of realized gains (losses) for financial reporting purposes, whereas such components are treated as ordinary income (loss) for federal income tax purposes.

Use of Estimates — The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the fair value of investments, the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates and the differences could be material.

Other — Expenses directly attributable to the Fund are charged directly to the Fund. Other expenses common to various funds within the Delaware Funds by Macquarie® (Delaware Funds) are generally allocated among such funds on the basis of average net assets. Management fees and certain other expenses are paid monthly. Security transactions are recorded on the date the securities are purchased or sold (trade date) for financial reporting purposes. Costs used in calculating realized gains and losses on the sale of investment securities are those of the

  23

Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements

Delaware Healthcare Fund

1. Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

specific securities sold. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date and interest income is recorded on an accrual basis. Income and capital gain distributions from any investment companies (Underlying Funds) in which the Fund invests are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Foreign dividends are also recorded on the ex-dividend date or as soon after the ex-dividend date that the Fund is aware of such dividends, net of all tax withholdings, a portion of which may be reclaimable. Withholding taxes and reclaims on foreign dividends have been recorded in accordance with the Fund’s understanding of the applicable country’s tax rules and rates. The Fund declares and pays dividends from net investment income and distributions from net realized gain on investments, if any, at least annually. The Fund may distribute more frequently, if necessary for tax purposes. Dividends and distributions, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date.

The Fund receives earnings credits from its transfer agent when positive cash balances are maintained, which may be used to offset transfer agent fees. If the amount earned is greater than $1, the expenses paid under this arrangement are included on the “Statement of operations” under “Dividend disbursing and transfer agent fees and expenses” with the corresponding expenses offset included under “Less expenses paid indirectly.”

2. Investment Management, Administration Agreements, and Other Transactions with Affiliates

In accordance with the terms of its investment management agreement, the Fund pays DMC, a series of Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust and the investment manager, an annual fee which is calculated daily and paid monthly at the rates of 0.85% on the first $500 million of average daily net assets of the Fund, 0.80% on the next $500 million, 0.75% on the next $1.5 billion, and 0.70% on average daily net assets in excess of $2.5 billion.

DMC has contractually agreed to waive all or a portion of its investment advisory fees and/or pay/reimburse expenses (excluding any distribution and service (12b-1) fees, acquired fund fees and expenses, taxes, interest, short sale dividend and interest expenses, brokerage fees, certain insurance costs, and nonroutine expenses or costs, including, but not limited to, those relating to reorganizations, litigation, conducting shareholder meetings, and liquidations), in order to prevent total annual fund operating expenses from exceeding 0.96% of the Fund’s average daily net assets from April 1, 2023 through July 30, 2024. These waivers and reimbursements may only be terminated by agreement of DMC and the Fund. The waivers and reimbursements are accrued daily and received monthly.

24  

Table of Contents

After consideration of class specific expenses, including 12b-1 fees, the class level operating expense limitation as a percentage of average daily net assets for the period April 1, 2023 through July 30, 2024 is as follows:

  Operating expense limitation as a percentage of average daily net assets
  Class A  Class C  Class R  Institutional Class
  1.21%  1.96%  1.46%  0.96%

DMC entered into a Sub-Advisory Agreement on behalf of the Fund with Macquarie Investment Management Global Limited, which is an affiliate of DMC (“Affiliated Sub-Advisor”). Pursuant to the terms of the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the investment sub-advisory fee is paid by DMC to the Affiliated Sub-Advisor based on the extent to which the Affiliated Sub-Advisor provides services to the Fund.

Delaware Investments Fund Services Company (DIFSC), an affiliate of DMC, provides fund accounting and financial administrative oversight services to the Fund. For these services, DIFSC’s fees are calculated daily and paid monthly, based on the aggregate daily net assets of all funds within the Delaware Funds at the following annual rates: 0.00475% of the first $35 billion; 0.0040% of the next $10 billion; 0.0025% of the next $45 billion; and 0.0015% of aggregate average daily net assets in excess of $90 billion (Total Fee). Each fund in the Delaware Funds pays a minimum of $4,000, which, in aggregate, is subtracted from the Total Fee. Each fund then pays its portion of the remainder of the Total Fee on a relative NAV basis. This amount is included on the “Statement of operations” under “Accounting and administration expenses.” For the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund paid $13,935 for these services.

DIFSC is also the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent of the Fund. For these services, DIFSC’s fees are calculated daily and paid monthly, based on the aggregate daily net assets of the retail funds within the Delaware Funds at the following annual rates: 0.014% of the first $20 billion; 0.011% of the next $5 billion; 0.007% of the next $5 billion; 0.004% of the next $20 billion; 0.002% of the next $25 billion; and 0.0015% of average daily net assets in excess of $75 billion. The fees payable to DIFSC under the shareholder services agreement described above are allocated among all retail funds in the Delaware Funds on a relative NAV basis. This amount is included on the “Statement of operations” under “Dividend disbursing and transfer agent fees and expenses.” For the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund paid $25,497 for these services. Pursuant to a sub-transfer agency agreement between DIFSC and BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. (BNYMIS), BNYMIS provides certain sub-transfer agency services to the Fund. Sub-transfer agency fees are paid by the Fund and are also included on the “Statement of operations” under “Dividend disbursing and transfer agent fees and expenses.” The fees that are calculated daily and paid as invoices are received on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Pursuant to a distribution agreement and distribution plan, the Fund pays DDLP, the distributor and an affiliate of DMC, an annual 12b-1 fee of 0.25%, 1.00%, and 0.50% of the average daily

  25

Table of Contents

Notes to financial statements

Delaware Healthcare Fund

2. Investment Management, Administration Agreements, and Other Transactions with Affiliates (continued)

net assets of the Class A, Class C, and Class R shares, respectively. The fees are calculated daily and paid monthly. Institutional Class shares do not pay a 12b-1 fee.

As provided in the investment management agreement, the Fund bears a portion of the cost of certain resources shared with DMC, including the cost of internal personnel of DMC and/or its affiliates that provide legal and regulatory reporting services to the Fund. For the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund paid $11,509 for internal legal and regulatory reporting services provided by DMC and/or its affiliates’ employees. This amount is included on the “Statement of operations” under “Legal fees.”

For the six months ended September 30, 2023, DDLP earned $21,992 for commissions on sales of the Fund’s Class A shares. For the six months ended September 30, 2023, DDLP received gross CDSC commissions of $2,641 and $1,457 on redemptions of the Fund’s Class A and Class C shares, respectively, and these commissions were entirely used to offset upfront commissions previously paid by DDLP to broker/dealers on sales of those shares.

Trustees’ fees include expenses accrued by the Fund for each Trustee’s retainer and meeting fees. Certain officers of DMC, DIFSC, and DDLP are officers and/or Trustees of the Trust. These officers and Trustees are paid no compensation by the Fund.

In addition to the management fees and other expenses of the Fund, the Fund indirectly bears the investment management fees and other expenses of any Underlying Funds, including ETFs, in which it invests. The amount of these fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund will vary based upon the expense and fee levels of any Underlying Funds and the number of shares that are owned of any Underlying Funds at different times.

3. Investments

For the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund made purchases and sales of investment securities other than short-term investments and US government securities as follows:

Purchases  $2,143,701 
Sales   86,313,286 

At September 30, 2023, the cost and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments for federal income tax purposes have been estimated since final tax characteristics cannot be determined until fiscal year end. At September 30, 2023, the cost and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments for the Fund were as follows:

Cost of investments  $574,985,329 
Aggregate unrealized appreciation of investments  $335,096,310 
Aggregate unrealized depreciation of investments   (174,141,645)
Net unrealized appreciation of investments  $160,954,665 
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US GAAP defines fair value as the price that the Fund would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date under current market conditions. A three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements has been established based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability. Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available under the circumstances. The Fund’s investment in its entirety is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation. The three-level hierarchy of inputs is summarized as follows:

Level 1 –  Inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical investments. (Examples: equity securities, open-end investment companies, futures contracts, and exchange-traded options contracts)
   
Level 2 – Other observable inputs, including, but not limited to: quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in markets that are active, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the assets or liabilities (such as interest rates, yield curves, volatilities, prepayment speeds, loss severities, credit risks, and default rates) or other market-corroborated inputs. (Examples: debt securities, government securities, swap contracts, forward foreign currency exchange contracts, foreign securities utilizing international fair value pricing, broker-quoted securities, and fair valued securities)
   
Level 3 – Significant unobservable inputs, including the Fund’s own assumptions used to determine the fair value of investments. (Examples: broker-quoted securities and fair valued securities)

Level 3 investments are valued using significant unobservable inputs. The Fund may also use an income-based valuation approach in which the anticipated future cash flows of the investment are discounted to calculate fair value. Discounts may also be applied due to the nature or duration of any restrictions on the disposition of the investments. Valuations may also be based upon current market prices of securities that are comparable in coupon, rating, maturity, and industry. The derived value of a Level 3 investment may not represent the value which is received upon disposition and this could impact the results of operations.

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Notes to financial statements

Delaware Healthcare Fund

3. Investments (continued)

The following table summarizes the valuation of the Fund’s investments by fair value hierarchy levels as of September 30, 2023:

   Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total 
Securities                    
Assets:                    
Common Stocks                    
Biotechnology  $243,200,250   $26,950   $1   $243,227,200 
Blue Chip Medical Products   357,202,563            357,202,563 
Healthcare Services   76,387,700            76,387,700 
Other   9,419,157            9,419,157 
Small- / Mid-Cap Medical Products   49,703,374            49,703,374 
Rights           1     
Total Value of Securities  $735,913,044   $26,950   $   $735,939,994 

1The security that has been valued at zero on the “Schedule of investments” is considered to be a Level 3 investment in this table.

During the six months ended September 30, 2023, there were no transfers into or out of Level 3 investments. The Fund’s policy is to recognize transfers into or out of Level 3 investments based on fair value at the beginning of the reporting period.

A reconciliation of Level 3 investments is presented when the Fund has a significant amount of Level 3 investments at the beginning or end of the period in relation to the Fund’s net assets. Management has determined not to provide a reconciliation of Level 3 investments as the Level 3 investments were not considered significant to the Fund’s net assets at the beginning or end of the period. Management has determined not to provide additional disclosure on Level 3 inputs since the Level 3 investments are not considered significant to the Fund’s net assets at the end of the period.

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4. Capital Shares

Transactions in capital shares were as follows:

   Six months
ended
9/30/23
   Year ended
3/31/23
 
Shares sold:          
Class A   360,475    1,597,995 
Class C   34,766    248,394 
Class R   7,560    30,644 
Institutional Class   1,116,989    6,396,019 
           
Shares issued upon reinvestment of dividends and distributions:          
Class A       742,922 
Class C       292,209 
Class R       12,412 
Institutional Class       1,520,005 
    1,519,790    10,840,600 
           
Shares redeemed:          
Class A   (1,087,917)   (4,743,890)
Class C   (436,053)   (846,571)
Class R   (25,280)   (69,336)
Institutional Class   (3,350,634)   (6,323,317)
    (4,899,884)   (11,983,114)
Net decrease   (3,380,094)   (1,142,514)

Certain shareholders may exchange shares of one class for shares of another class in the same Fund. These exchange transactions are included as subscriptions and redemptions in the table above and on the “Statements of changes in net assets.” For the six months ended September 30, 2023 and the year ended March 31, 2023, the Fund had the following exchange transactions:

   Exchange Redemptions   Exchange Subscriptions     
   Class A
Shares
   Class C
Shares
   Institutional
Class
Shares
   Class A
Shares
   Institutional
Class
Shares
   Value 
Six months ended                              
9/30/23   4,402    22,623    2,637    19,959    7,516   $682,750 
Year ended                              
3/31/23   2,557,307    28,903    9,003    29,918    2,537,270    64,320,350 
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Notes to financial statements

Delaware Healthcare Fund

5. Line of Credit

The Fund, along with certain other funds in the Delaware Funds (Participants), is a participant in a $355,000,000 revolving line of credit (Agreement) intended to be used for temporary or emergency purposes as an additional source of liquidity to fund redemptions of investor shares. Under the Agreement, the Participants are charged an annual commitment fee of 0.15%, which is allocated across the Participants based on a weighted average of the respective net assets of each Participant. The Participants are permitted to borrow up to a maximum of one-third of their net assets under the Agreement. Each Participant is individually, and not jointly, liable for its particular advances, if any, under the line of credit. The line of credit available under the Agreement expires on October 30, 2023.

The Fund had no amounts outstanding as of September 30, 2023, or at any time during the period then ended.

6. Securities Lending

The Fund, along with other funds in the Delaware Funds, may lend its securities pursuant to a security lending agreement (Lending Agreement) with The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon). At the time a security is loaned, the borrower must post collateral equal to the required percentage of the market value of the loaned security, including any accrued interest. The required percentage is: (1) 102% with respect to US securities and foreign securities that are denominated and payable in US dollars; and (2) 105% with respect to foreign securities. With respect to each loan, if on any business day the aggregate market value of securities collateral plus cash collateral held is less than the aggregate market value of the securities which are the subject of such loan, the borrower will be notified to provide additional collateral by the end of the following business day, which, together with the collateral already held, will be not less than the applicable initial collateral requirements for such security loan. If the aggregate market value of securities collateral and cash collateral held with respect to a security loan exceeds the applicable initial collateral requirement, upon the request of the borrower, BNY Mellon must return enough collateral to the borrower by the end of the following business day to reduce the value of the remaining collateral to the applicable initial collateral requirement for such security loan. As a result of the foregoing, the value of the collateral held with respect to a loaned security on any particular day, may be more or less than the value of the security on loan. The collateral percentage with respect to the market value of the loaned security is determined by the security lending agent.

Cash collateral received by the Fund is generally invested in an individual separate account. The investment guidelines permit each separate account to hold certain securities that would be considered eligible securities for a money market fund. Cash collateral received is generally invested in government securities; certain obligations issued by government sponsored enterprises; repurchase agreements collateralized by US Treasury securities; obligations issued by the central government of any Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country or its agencies, instrumentalities, or establishments; obligations of supranational

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organizations; commercial paper, notes, bonds, and other debt obligations; certificates of deposit, time deposits, and other bank obligations; certain money market funds; and asset-backed securities. The Fund can also accept US government securities and letters of credit (non-cash collateral) in connection with securities loans.

In the event of default or bankruptcy by the lending agent, realization and/or retention of the collateral may be subject to legal proceedings. In the event the borrower fails to return loaned securities and the collateral received is insufficient to cover the value of the loaned securities and provided such collateral shortfall is not the result of investment losses, the lending agent has agreed to pay the amount of the shortfall to the Fund or, at the discretion of the lending agent, replace the loaned securities. The Fund continues to record dividends or interest, as applicable, on the securities loaned and is subject to changes in value of the securities loaned that may occur during the term of the loan. The Fund has the right under the Lending Agreement to recover the securities from the borrower on demand. With respect to security loans collateralized by non-cash collateral, the Fund receives loan premiums paid by the borrower. With respect to security loans collateralized by cash collateral, the earnings from the collateral investments are shared among the Fund, the security lending agent, and the borrower. The Fund records security lending income net of allocations to the security lending agent and the borrower.

The Fund may incur investment losses as a result of investing securities lending collateral. This could occur if an investment in the collateral investment account defaulted or became impaired. Under those circumstances, the value of the Fund’s cash collateral account may be less than the amount the Fund would be required to return to the borrowers of the securities and the Fund would be required to make up for this shortfall.

At September 30, 2023, the Fund had no securities out on loan.

7. Credit and Market Risks

The global outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, and lower consumer demand, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of COVID-19, and other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many nations or the entire global economy, individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. In addition, the impact of infectious illnesses in emerging market countries may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. Public health crises caused by the COVID-19 outbreak may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally. The duration of the outbreak, its full economic impact and ongoing effects at the macro-level and on individual businesses are unpredictable and may result in significant and prolonged effects on a Fund’s performance.

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Notes to financial statements

Delaware Healthcare Fund

7. Credit and Market Risks (continued)

Investments in equity securities in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the NAV of the Fund to fluctuate.

The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in small companies and may be subject to certain risks associated with ownership of securities of such companies. Investments in small-sized companies may be more volatile than investments in larger companies for a number of reasons, which include limited financial resources or a dependence on narrow product lines.

Some countries in which the Fund may invest require governmental approval for the repatriation of investment income, capital, or the proceeds of sales of securities by foreign investors. In addition, if there is deterioration in a country’s balance of payments or for other reasons, a country may impose temporary restrictions on foreign capital remittances abroad.

The securities exchanges of certain foreign markets are substantially smaller, less liquid, and more volatile than the major securities markets in the US. Consequently, acquisition and disposition of securities by the Fund may be inhibited. In addition, a significant portion of the aggregate market value of equity securities listed on the major securities exchanges in emerging markets is held by a smaller number of investors. This may limit the number of shares available for acquisition or disposition by the Fund.

The Fund is a nondiversified fund that concentrates its investments in the healthcare industry and is subject to the risks associated with that industry. The value of the Fund’s shares will be affected by factors particular to the healthcare and related sectors (such as government regulation) and may fluctuate more widely than that of a fund that invests in a broad range of industries.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, which may include securities with contractual restrictions on resale, securities exempt from registration under Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and other securities which may not be readily marketable. The relative illiquidity of these securities may impair the Fund from disposing of them in a timely manner and at a fair price when it is necessary or desirable to do so. While maintaining oversight, the Board has delegated to DMC the day-to-day functions of determining whether individual securities are liquid for purposes of the Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities. Securities eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A, which are determined to be liquid, are not subject to the Fund’s 15% limit on investments in illiquid securities. Rule 144A securities have been identified on the “Schedule of investments.”

8. Contractual Obligations

The Fund enters into contracts in the normal course of business that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Fund has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these contracts. Management has reviewed the Fund’s existing contracts and expects the risk of loss to be remote.

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9. Subsequent Events

On October 1, 2023, the fees payable to DIFSC for the fund accounting and financial administrative oversight services provided to the Fund as described in Note 2 were revised. As of such date, DIFSC’s fees are payable by the Fund at the following annual rates: 0.0050% of the first $60 billion; 0.00475% of the next $30 billion; and 0.0015% of aggregate average daily net assets in excess of $90 billion.

On October 30, 2023, each Fund, along with the other Participants, entered into an amendment to the Agreement for a $335,000,000 revolving line of credit to be used as described in Note 5. It operates in substantially the same manner as the original Agreement. Under the amendment to the Agreement, the Participants are charged an annual commitment fee of 0.15%, which is allocated across the Participants based on a weighted average of the respective net assets of each Participant. The line of credit available under the Agreement expires on October 28, 2024.

Management has determined that no other material events or transactions occurred subsequent to September 30, 2023, that would require recognition or disclosure in the Fund’s financial statements.

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Other Fund information (Unaudited)

Delaware Healthcare Fund

Liquidity Risk Management Program

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has adopted Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Liquidity Rule”), which requires all open-end funds (other than money market funds) to adopt and implement a program reasonably designed to assess and manage the fund’s “liquidity risk,” defined as the risk that the fund could not meet requests to redeem shares issued by the fund without significant dilution of remaining investors’ interests in the fund.

The Fund has adopted and implemented a liquidity risk management program in accordance with the Liquidity Rule (the “Program”). The Board has designated a member of the US Operational Risk Group of Macquarie Asset Management as the Program Administrator for each Fund in the Trust.

As required by the Liquidity Rule, the Program includes policies and procedures that provide for: (1) assessment, management, and review (no less frequently than annually) of the Fund’s liquidity risk; (2) classification of each of the Fund’s portfolio holdings into one of four liquidity categories (Highly Liquid, Moderately Liquid, Less Liquid, and Illiquid); (3) for funds that do not primarily hold assets that are Highly Liquid, establishing and maintaining a minimum percentage of the Fund’s net assets in Highly Liquid investments (called a “Highly Liquid Investment Minimum” or “HLIM”); and (4) prohibiting the Fund’s acquisition of Illiquid investments if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would hold more than 15% of its net assets in Illiquid assets. The Program also requires reporting to the SEC (on a non-public basis) and to the Board if the Fund’s holdings of Illiquid assets exceed 15% of the Fund’s net assets. Funds with HLIMs must have procedures for addressing HLIM shortfalls, including reporting to the Board and, with respect to HLIM shortfalls lasting more than seven consecutive calendar days, reporting to the SEC (on a non-public basis).

In assessing and managing the Fund’s liquidity risk, the Program Administrator considers, as relevant, a variety of factors, including: (1) the Fund’s investment strategy and liquidity of portfolio investments during both normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions; (2) short-term and long-term cash flow projections for the Fund during both normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions; and (3) the Fund’s holdings of cash and cash equivalents and any borrowing arrangements. Classification of the Fund’s portfolio holdings in the four liquidity categories is based on the number of days it is reasonably expected to take to convert the investment to cash (for Highly Liquid and Moderately Liquid holdings) or to sell or dispose of the investment (for Less Liquid and Illiquid investments), in current market conditions without significantly changing the investment’s market value. The Fund primarily holds assets that are classified as Highly Liquid, and therefore is not required to establish an HLIM.

At a meeting of the Board held on May 23-25, 2023, the Program Administrator provided a written report to the Board addressing the Program’s operation and assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of its implementation for the period from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023. The report concluded that the Program is appropriately designed and effectively implemented and that it meets the requirements of Rule 22e-4 and the Fund’s liquidity needs. The Fund’s HLIM is set at an appropriate level and the Fund complied with its HLIM at all times during the reporting period.

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Board Consideration of Investment Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement at a Meeting Held on August 8-10, 2023

At a meeting held on August 8-10, 2023 (the “Annual Contract Renewal Meeting”), the Board of Trustees (the “Board”), including a majority of Trustees each of whom is not an “interested person” as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Independent Trustees”), approved the renewal of the Delaware Healthcare Fund (the “Fund”) Investment Management Agreement with Delaware Management Company (“DMC”) and the Sub-Advisory Agreement with Macquarie Investment Management Global Limited (“MIMGL” or the “Affiliated Sub-Adviser”).

Prior to the Annual Contract Renewal Meeting, including at a Board meeting held in May 2023, the Trustees conferred extensively among themselves and with representatives of DMC about these matters. Also, the Board was assisted by the Equity Investments Committee and the Fixed Income Multi-Asset Sub-Advised Funds Investments Committee (each an “Investment Committee” and together, the “Investment Committees”), with each Investment Committee assisting the full Board in reviewing investment performance and other matters throughout the year. The Independent Trustees were also assisted in their evaluation of the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement by independent legal counsel, from whom they received separate legal advice and with whom they met separately.

In providing information to the Board, DMC was guided by a detailed set of requests for information submitted to them by independent legal counsel on behalf of the Independent Trustees at the start of the Board’s annual contract renewal process earlier in 2023. Prior to the Annual Contract Renewal Meeting, and in response to the requests, the Board received and reviewed materials specifically relating to the renewal of the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement. In considering and approving the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Trustees considered the information they believed relevant, including but not limited to the information discussed below. The Board considered not only the specific information presented in connection with the Annual Contract Renewal Meeting and the review process for the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, but also the knowledge gained over time through interaction with DMC about various topics. In this regard, the Board reviewed reports of DMC at each of its quarterly meetings, which included information about, among other things, Fund performance, investment strategies, and expenses. In addition, the Investment Committees confer with portfolio managers at various times throughout the year. In considering information relating to the approval of the Fund’s Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Independent Trustees also received information from an independent fund consultant, JDL Consultants, LLC (“JDL”).

The Board did not identify any particular information or consideration that was all-important or controlling, and each individual Trustee may have attributed different weights to various factors.

After its deliberations, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, unanimously approved the continuation of the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement for a one-year term. The following summarizes a number of important, but not necessarily all, factors considered by the Board in support of its approval.

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Other Fund information (Unaudited)

Delaware Healthcare Fund

Board Consideration of Investment Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement at a Meeting Held on August 8-10, 2023 (continued)

Nature, extent, and quality of services. The Board received and considered various information regarding the nature, extent, and quality of the advisory services provided to the Fund by DMC under its Investment Management Agreement and the experience of the officers and employees of DMC who provide these services, including the Fund’s portfolio manager. The Board’s review included consideration of DMC’s investment process and oversight and research and analysis capabilities, and its ability to attract and retain skilled investment professionals. The Board also considered information regarding DMC’s programs for risk management, including investment, operational, liquidity, derivatives (as applicable), valuation, and compliance risks. The Board received information with respect to the cybersecurity program and business continuity plans of DMC and its affiliates.

In addition, the Board considered certain non-advisory services that DMC and its affiliates provide to the Delaware Funds by Macquarie complex (the “Delaware Funds”). Among other things, these services include third party service provider oversight, transfer agency, internal audit, valuation, portfolio trading, and legal and compliance functions. The Board noted DMC’s responsibility for overseeing the preparation of the Delaware Funds’ registration statement and supplements thereto and shareholder reports; responsibility for periodic filings with regulators; organizing Board meetings and preparing materials for such Board meetings; and furnishing analytical and other support to assist the Board. The Board took into account the benefits to shareholders of investing in a Fund that is part of a family of funds managed by an affiliate of Macquarie Group Ltd. (“Macquarie”), the parent company of DMC, and the resources available to DMC as part of Macquarie’s global asset management business.

The Board received and considered various information with respect to the services provided by the Affiliated Sub-Adviser under the Sub-Advisory Agreement and the credentials and experience of the officers and employees of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser who provide these services. The Board considered the division of responsibilities between DMC and the Affiliated Sub-Adviser, and the oversight provided by DMC. The Board also considered the expertise of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser with respect to certain asset classes and/or investment styles. The Board noted that the Affiliated Sub-Adviser is part of Macquarie’s global investment platform that has offices and personnel that are located around the world. The Affiliated Sub-Adviser provides research, investment and trading analysis on the markets and economies of various countries in which the Fund may invest, makes recommendations regarding securities, provides portfolio management services, and assists with security trades, as applicable. The Board took into account that the Sub-Advisory Agreement may benefit the Fund and its shareholders by permitting DMC to use the resources and talents of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser in managing the Fund.

The Board also received and considered information about the nature and extent of services offered and fee rates charged by DMC to other types of clients with investment strategies similar to those of the Fund. In this regard, the Board received information about the significantly greater scope of services, and compliance, reporting and other legal and regulatory obligations and risks of managing registered investment companies compared with those associated with managing

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assets of other types of clients, including third-party sub-advised fund clients, unregistered funds and separately managed accounts.

The Board concluded that, overall, it was satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided (and expected to be provided) to the Fund by DMC and the Affiliated Sub-Adviser.

Investment performance. The Board received and considered information with respect to the investment performance of the Fund, including performance reports and discussions with portfolio managers at meetings of the Board’s Investment Committees throughout the year as well as reports provided by Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., an independent investment company data provider (“Broadridge”), furnished for the Annual Contract Renewal Meeting. The Broadridge reports prepared for the Fund’s institutional share class showed its investment performance in comparison to the institutional share class of a group of similar funds (the “Performance Universe”). The Board received a description of the methodology used by Broadridge to select the peer funds in the Performance Universe. Comparative annualized performance for the Fund was shown for the past 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year or since inception periods, as applicable, ended December 31, 2022.

The Performance Universe for the Fund consisted of the Fund and all retail and institutional health/biotechnology funds, regardless of asset size or primary channel of distribution. The Board noted that the Broadridge report comparison showed that the Fund’s total return for the 1- and 3-year periods was in the first and third quartile, respectively, of its Performance Universe and for the 5- and 10-year periods was in the second quartile of its Performance Universe. The Broadridge report comparison showed that the Fund’s total return for the 1-, 5-, and 10-year periods was above the median of its Performance Universe and for the 3-year period was below the median of its Performance Universe. The Board also noted that the Fund outperformed its benchmark index for the 1-year period and underperformed its benchmark index for 3-, 5-, and 10-year periods. The Board noted that the Fund was generally performing in line with its Performance Universe during the periods under review. The Board noted the explanations from DMC concerning the reasons for the Fund’s relative performance versus its benchmark for the various periods.

Comparative expenses. The Board received and considered expense data for the Fund. DMC provided the Board with information on pricing levels and fee structures for the Fund as of its most recently completed fiscal year. The Broadridge total expenses, for comparative consistency, were shown by Broadridge for Institutional Class shares and comparative total expenses including 12b-1 and non-12b-1 service fees. The Board also considered the comparative analysis of contractual management fees and actual total expense ratios of the Fund versus contractual management fees and actual total expense ratios of a group of peer funds as selected by Broadridge (the “Expense Group”). In reviewing comparative costs, the Fund’s contractual management fee and the actual management fee incurred by the Fund were compared with the contractual management fees (assuming all funds in the Expense Group were similar in size to the Fund) and actual management fees, taking into account any applicable breakpoints and fee waivers, with the Fund’s expense universe, which is comprised of the Fund, its Expense Group and all other similar institutional funds, excluding outliers (the “Expense Universe”). The Fund’s total expenses were also compared with those of its Expense Universe. The Board also received

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Other Fund information (Unaudited)

Delaware Healthcare Fund

Board Consideration of Investment Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement at a Meeting Held on August 8-10, 2023 (continued)

and considered information regarding the Fund’s net operating expense ratios and their various components, including actual management fees, custodian and other non-management fees, and Rule 12b-1 and non-Rule 12b-1 shareholder service fees.

The expense comparisons for the Fund showed that its actual management fee was above the median of its Expense Universe and its actual total expenses were above its Expense Group average. It was noted that consistent with DMC’s waiver methodology, its advisory fee waivers, if any, were at the fund level and not class level.

The Board noted that DMC, and not the Fund, pays the sub-advisory fees to the Affiliated Sub-Adviser and, accordingly, that the retention of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser does not increase the fees and expenses incurred by the Fund.

Based on its consideration of the factors and information it deemed relevant, including those described here, the Board determined that the compensation payable to DMC under the Investment Management Agreement and to the Affiliated Sub-Adviser under the Sub-Advisory Agreement was reasonable.

Economies of scale. The Board received and considered information about the potential for DMC to realize economies of scale in the provision of management services to the Fund, the difficulties of calculating economies of scale at an individual Fund level, and the extent to which potential scale benefits are shared with shareholders, including the extent to which any economies of scale are reflected in the level of management fees charged. DMC discussed its advisory fee pricing and structure for the Delaware Funds, including the current breakpoints. The Board noted that, as of March 31, 2023, the Fund’s net assets exceeded its first breakpoint level and that breakpoints result in a lower advisory fee than would otherwise be the case in the absence of breakpoints, when the asset levels specified in the breakpoints schedule are exceeded. The Board noted that the Fund may also benefit from economies of scale through initial fee setting, fee waivers and expense reimbursements, as well as DMC’s investment in its business, including investments in business infrastructure, technology and cybersecurity.

Management profitability. The Board received and considered the Investment Management Profitability Analysis that addressed the overall profitability of DMC’s business in providing management and other services to the Fund and the Delaware Funds as a whole, including the methodology used by DMC in allocating costs for the purpose of determining profitability. The Board noted DMC’s changes to its cost allocation methodology for its profitability analysis and the explanations for such changes. The Board also reviewed a report prepared by JDL regarding DMC’s profitability as compared to certain peer fund complexes and the Independent Trustees discussed DMC’s profitability in such context with representatives from JDL. The Board recognized that calculating and comparing profitability at the individual fund level is difficult; that DMC’s profit, if any, can vary significantly depending on the particular fund; and that DMC’s support for, and commitment to, a fund is not solely dependent on the profits realized as to that fund.

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The Board also received and considered information about the portion of the total management fee that was retained by DMC after payment of the fee to the Affiliated Sub-Adviser for sub-advisory services. In assessing the reasonableness of this amount, the Board received and evaluated information about the nature and extent of the responsibilities retained and risk assumed by DMC and not delegated to or assumed by the Affiliated Sub-Adviser. Given the affiliation between DMC and the Affiliated Sub-Adviser, the Board ascribed limited relevance to the allocation of fees between them.

Based on its review, the Board determined that DMC’s profitability was not excessive in light of the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund.

Ancillary benefits. The Board received and considered information regarding the extent to which DMC and its affiliates might derive ancillary benefits from fund operations, including the potential for procuring additional business as a result of the prestige and visibility associated with its role as investment manager to the Delaware Funds; the benefits from allocation of fund brokerage to improve trading efficiencies; the portfolio transactions executed through “soft dollar” arrangements; and the fees that various affiliates received for serving as transfer agent and for overseeing fund accounting and financial administration services to the Delaware Funds. The Board considered that it receives periodic reports from DMC that include a representation that any soft dollar arrangements are consistent with regulatory requirements. The Board received information from DMC regarding its view of the performance of its affiliates in providing transfer agent and fund accounting and financial administration oversight services and the organizational structure employed to provide these services pursuant to their contracts with the Fund.

Based on its consideration of the factors and information it deemed relevant, including the costs of providing investment management and other services to the Fund and the ongoing commitment of DMC and its affiliates to the Fund, the Board did not find that any ancillary benefits received by DMC and its affiliates, including the Affiliated Sub-Adviser, were unreasonable.

Conclusion. Based on its review, consideration and evaluation of all factors it believed relevant, including the above-described factors and conclusions, the Board, including all of the Independent Trustees, approved the continuation of DMC’s Investment Management Agreement and of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser’s Sub-Advisory Agreement for an additional one-year period.

Form N-PORT and proxy voting information

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT, as well as a description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies (if any) relating to portfolio securities, is available without charge (i) upon request, by calling 800 523-1918; and (ii) on the SEC’s website at sec.gov. In addition, a description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies (if any) relating to portfolio securities and the Schedule of Investments included in the Fund’s most recent Form N-PORT are available without charge on the Fund’s website at delawarefunds.com/literature.

  39

Table of Contents

Other Fund information (Unaudited)

Delaware Healthcare Fund

Form N-PORT and proxy voting information (continued)

Information (if any) regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recently disclosed 12-month period ended June 30 is available without charge (i) through the Fund’s website at delawarefunds.com/proxy; and (ii) on the SEC’s website at sec.gov.

40  

Table of Contents 

Semiannual report

US equity mutual fund

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

September 30, 2023

Carefully consider the Fund's investment objectives, risk factors, charges, and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the Fund's prospectus and its summary prospectus, which may be obtained by visiting delawarefunds.com/literature or calling 800 523-1918. Investors should read the prospectus and the summary prospectus carefully before investing.

You can obtain shareholder reports and prospectuses online instead of in the mail.
Visit delawarefunds.com/edelivery.

   

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Experience Delaware Funds by Macquarie®

Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) is a global asset manager that aims to deliver positive impact for everyone. MAM Public Investments traces its roots to 1929 and partners with institutional and individual clients to deliver specialist active investment capabilities across global equities, fixed income, and multi-asset solutions using a conviction-based, long-term approach to investing. In the US, retail investors recognize our Delaware Funds by Macquarie family of funds as one of the oldest mutual fund families.

If you are interested in learning more about creating an investment plan, contact your financial advisor.

You can learn more about Delaware Funds or obtain a prospectus for Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund at delawarefunds.com/literature.

Manage your account online

· Check your account balance and transactions

· View statements and tax forms

· Make purchases and redemptions

Visit delawarefunds.com/account-access.

Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) is the asset management division of Macquarie Group. MAM is a full-service asset manager offering a diverse range of products across public and private markets including fixed income, equities, multi-asset solutions, private credit, infrastructure, renewables, natural assets, real estate, and asset finance. The Public Investments business is a part of MAM and includes the following investment advisers: Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust (MIMBT), Macquarie Investment Management Austria Kapitalanlage AG, Macquarie Investment Management Global Limited, Macquarie Investment Management Europe Limited, and Macquarie Investment Management Europe S.A.

The Fund is distributed by Delaware Distributors, L.P. (DDLP), an affiliate of MIMBT and Macquarie Group Limited.

Other than Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 ("Macquarie Bank"), any Macquarie Group entity noted in this document is not an authorized deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia). The obligations of these other Macquarie Group entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of Macquarie Bank. Macquarie Bank does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these other Macquarie Group entities. In addition, if this document relates to an investment, (a) the investor is subject to investment risk including possible delays in repayment and loss of income and principal invested and (b) none of Macquarie Bank or any other Macquarie Group entity guarantees any particular rate of return on or the performance of the investment, nor do they guarantee repayment of capital in respect of the investment.

The Fund is governed by US laws and regulations.

Table of contents

Disclosure of Fund expenses 1
Security type / sector allocations and top 10 equity holdings 3
Schedule of investments 5
Statement of assets and liabilities 8
Statement of operations 10
Statements of changes in net assets 11
Financial highlights 13
Notes to financial statements 23
Other Fund information 35

This semiannual report is for the information of Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund shareholders, but it may be used with prospective investors when preceded or accompanied by the Delaware Fund fact sheet for the most recently completed calendar quarter. These documents are available at delawarefunds.com/literature.

Unless otherwise noted, views expressed herein are current as of September 30, 2023, and subject to change for events occurring after such date.

The Fund is not FDIC insured and is not guaranteed. It is possible to lose the principal amount invested.

Advisory services provided by Delaware Management Company, a series of MIMBT, a US registered investment advisor.

All third-party marks cited are the property of their respective owners.

© 2023 Macquarie Management Holdings, Inc.

   

Table of Contents 

Disclosure of Fund expenses

For the six-month period from April 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, reinvested dividends, or other distributions; redemption fees; and exchange fees; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution and service (12b-1) fees; and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire six-month period from April 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023.

Actual expenses

The first section of the table shown, “Actual Fund return,” provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this section of the table, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first section under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The second section of the table shown, “Hypothetical 5% return,” provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), redemption fees, or exchange fees. Therefore, the second section of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher. The Fund’s expenses shown in the table reflect fee waivers in effect and assume reinvestment of all dividends and distributions.

1 

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Disclosure of Fund expenses

For the six-month period from April 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

Expense analysis of an investment of $1,000

 

   Beginning  Ending     Expenses
   Account Value  Account Value  Annualized  Paid During Period
   4/1/23  9/30/23  Expense Ratio  4/1/23 to 9/30/23*
Actual Fund return                  
Class A   $1,000.00    $946.90   1.13%   $5.50 
Class C     1,000.00    943.30   1.88%     9.13 
Class R     1,000.00    946.00   1.38%     6.71 
Institutional Class     1,000.00    948.00   0.88%     4.29 
Class R6     1,000.00    948.70   0.79%     3.85 
Hypothetical 5% return (5% return before expenses)            
Class A   $1,000.00    $1,019.35   1.13%   $5.70 
Class C     1,000.00    1,015.60   1.88%     9.47 
Class R     1,000.00    1,018.10   1.38%     6.96 
Institutional Class     1,000.00    1,020.60   0.88%     4.45 
Class R6     1,000.00    1,021.05   0.79%     3.99 

 

*“Expenses Paid During Period” are equal to the Fund's annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 183/366 (to reflect the one-half year period).
Because actual returns reflect only the most recent six-month period, the returns shown may differ significantly from fiscal year returns.

In addition to the Fund’s expenses reflected above, the Fund also indirectly bears its portion of the fees and expenses of any investment companies (Underlying Funds), in which it invests. The table above does not reflect the expenses of any Underlying Funds.

2 

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Security type / sector allocations and top 10 equity holdings
Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund As of September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

Sector designations may be different from the sector designations presented in other Fund materials. The sector designations may represent the investment manager’s internal sector classifications, which may result in the sector designations for one fund being different from another fund's sector designations.

Security type / sector  Percentage of net assets
Common Stocks   100.17%
Communication Services   5.49%
Consumer Discretionary   14.12%
Consumer Staples   1.57%
Financials   4.92%
Healthcare   23.65%
Industrials   17.05%
Information Technology*   27.38%
Materials   1.43%
Real Estate   4.56%
Short-Term Investments   0.29%
Total Value of Securities   100.46%
Liabilities Net of Receivables and Other Assets   (0.46)%
Total Net Assets   100.00%
*To monitor compliance with the Fund's concentration guidelines as described in the Fund's Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, the Information Technology sector (as disclosed herein for financial reporting purposes) is subdivided into a variety of “industries” (in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended). The Information Technology sector consisted of Computers, Electrical Components & Equipments, Electronics, Office/Business Equipment, Semiconductors, Software, and Telecommunications. As of September 30, 2023, such amounts, as a percentage of total net assets were 1.92%, 4.51%, 4.13%, 1.00%, 7.55%, 8.12%, and 0.15%, respectively. The percentage in any such single industry will comply with the Fund's concentration policy even if the percentage in the Information Technology sector for financial reporting purposes may exceed 25%.

3 

Table of Contents 

Security type / sector allocations and top 10 equity holdings

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

Holdings are for informational purposes only and are subject to change at any time. They are not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security.

Top 10 equity holdings  Percentage of net assets
CoStar Group   4.56%
Pinterest Class A   3.04%
Dexcom   2.82%
MarketAxess Holdings   2.54%
Trade Desk Class A   2.44%
BorgWarner   2.37%
Monolithic Power Systems   2.33%
Pool   2.21%
Tyler Technologies   2.16%
Repligen   2.12%

 

4 

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Schedule of investments  
Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)
   Number of   
   shares  Value (US $)  
Common Stocks — 100.17% ◆      
Communication Services — 5.49%         
Pinterest Class A †   1,442,263  $38,984,369 
Trade Desk Class A †   400,697   31,314,470 
        70,298,839 
Consumer Discretionary — 14.12%         
BorgWarner   753,316   30,411,367 
Floor & Decor Holdings Class A †   270,965   24,522,332 
Foot Locker   479,476   8,318,909 
Fox Factory Holding †   81,832   8,107,915 
Levi Strauss & Co. Class A   819,669   11,131,105 
Lululemon Athletica †   53,990   20,819,084 
National Vision Holdings †   476,303   7,706,582 
On Holding Class A †   671,032   18,668,110 
Pool   79,319   28,245,496 
Vail Resorts   103,648   22,998,455 
        180,929,355 
Consumer Staples — 1.57%         
Brown-Forman Class B   348,341   20,095,792 
        20,095,792 
Financials — 4.92%         
FactSet Research Systems   29,395   12,853,257 
Kinsale Capital Group   42,476   17,590,586 
MarketAxess Holdings   152,392   32,557,027 
        63,000,870 
Healthcare — 23.65%         
Agilent Technologies   155,884   17,430,949 
Bio-Techne   331,564   22,569,561 
Cooper   60,134   19,123,213 
Dexcom †   387,182   36,124,081 
Edwards Lifesciences †   262,541   18,188,840 
Envista Holdings †   664,267   18,519,764 
GE HealthCare Technologies   95,519   6,499,113 
Genmab ADR †   447,643   15,788,369 
IDEXX Laboratories †   46,546   20,353,169 
Inspire Medical Systems †   61,895   12,282,444 
Intuitive Surgical †   92,660   27,083,591 
Ionis Pharmaceuticals †   203,682   9,239,016 
Mettler-Toledo International †   8,065   8,936,585 
Repligen †   170,594   27,126,152 
Veeva Systems Class A †   107,963   21,965,072 

 

5 

Table of Contents 

Schedule of investments

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

   Number of   
   shares  Value (US $)  
Common Stocks ◆ (continued)      
Healthcare (continued)         
West Pharmaceutical Services   57,948  $21,742,669 
        302,972,588 
Industrials — 17.05%         
A O Smith   295,721   19,556,030 
Copart †   484,042   20,857,370 
Fastenal   393,999   21,528,105 
Generac Holdings †   177,545   19,345,303 
HEICO Class A   208,616   26,957,360 
Howmet Aerospace   354,553   16,398,076 
Lincoln Electric Holdings   95,976   17,447,477 
Paycom Software   91,804   23,802,023 
Rollins   169,576   6,330,272 
Trex †   313,342   19,311,268 
Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies   113,864   12,100,327 
WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings †   357,175   14,854,908 
        218,488,519 
Information Technology — 27.38%         
Arista Networks †   10,448   1,921,701 
Coherent †   438,869   14,324,684 
Crowdstrike Holdings Class A †   147,139   24,628,126 
DocuSign †   89,066   3,740,772 
DoubleVerify Holdings †   449,168   12,554,246 
EngageSmart †   382,222   6,876,174 
HubSpot †   35,231   17,351,268 
Keysight Technologies †   130,179   17,223,983 
Lattice Semiconductor †   169,017   14,523,631 
Littelfuse   64,836   16,035,240 
Microchip Technology   333,408   26,022,494 
Monolithic Power Systems   64,563   29,828,106 
Novanta †   122,793   17,613,428 
Teradyne   262,468   26,367,535 
Trimble †   396,915   21,377,842 
Tyler Technologies †   71,721   27,694,347 
Universal Display   153,293   24,065,468 
Workday Class A †   79,597   17,101,415 
Workiva †   185,108   18,758,845 
Zebra Technologies Class A †   53,899   12,748,730 
        350,758,035 

 

6 

Table of Contents 

   Number of     
   shares    Value (US $)  
Common Stocks ◆ (continued)      
Materials — 1.43%          
Martin Marietta Materials   44,549   $18,286,474 
         18,286,474 
Real Estate — 4.56%          
CoStar Group †   759,259    58,379,425 
         58,379,425 
Total Common Stocks (cost $1,326,881,899)        1,283,209,897 
           
Short-Term Investments — 0.29%          
Money Market Mutual Funds — 0.29%          
BlackRock Liquidity FedFund – Institutional Shares (seven-day effective yield 5.24%)   915,349    915,349 
Fidelity Investments Money Market Government Portfolio – Class I (seven-day effective yield 5.23%)   915,350    915,350 
Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund – Institutional Shares (seven-day effective yield 5.37%)   915,350    915,350 
Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Funds Government Portfolio – Institutional Class (seven-day effective yield 5.27%)   915,349    915,349 
Total Short-Term Investments (cost $3,661,398)        3,661,398 
Total Value of Securities—100.46%
(cost $1,330,543,297)
       $1,286,871,295 

 

Narrow industries are utilized for compliance purposes for concentration whereas broad sectors are used for financial reporting.
Non-income producing security.

Summary of abbreviations:

ADR – American Depositary Receipt

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

7 

Table of Contents 

Statement of assets and liabilities  
Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)
Assets:     
Investments, at value*  $1,286,871,295 
Cash   11,278 
Receivable for securities sold   13,745,521 
Receivable for fund shares sold   1,684,236 
Dividends receivable   193,743 
Prepaid expenses   73,567 
Other assets   27,856 
Total Assets   1,302,607,496 
Liabilities:     
Payable for securities purchased   15,934,715 
Payable for fund shares redeemed   3,568,338 
Other accrued expenses   1,285,564 
Investment management fees payable to affiliates   616,180 
Distribution fees payable to affiliates   173,407 
Administration expenses payable to affiliates   55,632 
Total Liabilities   21,633,836 
Total Net Assets  $1,280,973,660 
      
Net Assets Consist of:     
Paid-in capital  $2,269,068,535 
Total distributable earnings (loss)   (988,094,875)
Total Net Assets  $1,280,973,660 

 

8 

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Net Asset Value   
    
Class A:     
Net assets  $642,227,068 
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding, unlimited authorization, no par   46,193,407 
Net asset value per share  $13.90 
Sales charge   5.75%
Offering price per share, equal to net asset value per share / (1 - sales charge)  $14.75 
      
Class C:     
Net assets  $38,429,016 
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding, unlimited authorization, no par   2,310,678 
Net asset value per share  $16.63 
      
Class R:     
Net assets  $8,045,904 
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding, unlimited authorization, no par   717,175 
Net asset value per share  $11.22 
      
Institutional Class:     
Net assets  $501,017,983 
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding, unlimited authorization, no par   20,217,376 
Net asset value per share  $24.78 
      
Class R6:     
Net assets  $91,253,689 
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding, unlimited authorization, no par   3,657,207 
Net asset value per share  $24.95 
                                   
*Investments, at cost  $1,330,543,297 

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

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Statement of operations  
Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund Six months ended September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)
Investment Income:     
Dividends  $3,491,744 
 
Expenses:     
Management fees   5,023,937 
Distribution expenses — Class A   880,747 
Distribution expenses — Class C   218,956 
Distribution expenses — Class R   21,987 
Dividend disbursing and transfer agent fees and expenses   880,357 
Reports and statements to shareholders expenses   145,888 
Accounting and administration expenses   143,466 
Legal fees   118,672 
Custodian fees   85,247 
Trustees’ fees and expenses   64,356 
Registration fees   56,238 
Audit and tax fees   17,764 
Other   34,286 
    7,691,901 
Less expenses waived   (326,954)
Less expenses paid indirectly   (305)
Total operating expenses   7,364,642 
Net Investment Income (Loss)   (3,872,898)
 
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss):     
Net realized gain (loss) on investments   15,572,084 
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments   (82,575,946)
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)   (67,003,862)
Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations  $(70,876,760)

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

10 

Table of Contents 

Statements of changes in net assets

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

   Six months     
   ended     
   9/30/23   Year ended 
   (Unaudited)   3/31/23 
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Operations:          
Net investment income (loss)  $(3,872,898)  $(17,406,025)
Net realized gain (loss)   15,572,084    (874,812,504)
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)   (82,575,946)   48,250,778 
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations   (70,876,760)   (843,967,751)
           
Dividends and Distributions to Shareholders from:          
Distributable earnings:          
Class A       (151,716,634)
Class C       (8,955,517)
Class R       (2,134,749)
Institutional Class       (94,231,570)
Class R6       (14,384,922)
        (271,423,392)
           
Capital Share Transactions (See Note 4):          
Proceeds from shares sold:          
Class A   11,867,764    54,308,294 
Class C   1,686,934    4,644,350 
Class R   561,272    1,994,786 
Institutional Class   47,487,768    331,245,800 
Class R6   23,562,475    89,920,079 
           
Net asset value of shares issued upon reinvestment of dividends and distributions:          
Class A       148,089,295 
Class C       8,884,249 
Class R       2,131,021 
Institutional Class       86,219,261 
Class R6       14,076,940 
    85,166,213    741,514,075 

 

11 

Table of Contents 

Statements of changes in net assets

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

   Six months     
   ended     
   9/30/23   Year ended 
   (Unaudited)   3/31/23 
Capital Share Transactions (continued):          
Cost of shares redeemed:          
Class A  $(56,783,274)  $(204,654,116)
Class C   (7,231,842)   (25,485,239)
Class R   (917,279)   (2,806,713)
Institutional Class   (146,538,191)   (843,256,566)
Class R6   (21,577,592)   (83,527,953)
    (233,048,178)   (1,159,730,587)
Decrease in net assets derived from capital share transactions   (147,881,965)   (418,216,512)
Net Decrease in Net Assets   (218,758,725)   (1,533,607,655)
           
Net Assets:          
Beginning of period   1,499,732,385    3,033,340,040 
End of period  $1,280,973,660   $1,499,732,385 

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

12 

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Financial highlights

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund Class A

Selected data for each share of the Fund outstanding throughout each period were as follows:

Net asset value, beginning of period
 
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment loss2
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
Total from investment operations
 
Less dividends and distributions from:
Net realized gain
Total dividends and distributions
 
Net asset value, end of period
 
Total return3
 
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
Ratio of expenses to average net assets5
Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived5
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets prior to fees waived
Portfolio turnover
1Ratios have been annualized and total return and portfolio turnover have not been annualized.
2Calculated using average shares outstanding.
3Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value and does not reflect the impact of a sales charge.
4Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager and/or distributor. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect.
5Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests.
6The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate increased substantially during the year ended March 31, 2023 due to a change in the Fund’s portfolio managers and associated repositioning.

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

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Table of Contents 

Six months ended               
9/30/231  Year ended
(Unaudited)  3/31/23  3/31/22  3/31/21  3/31/20  3/31/19
$14.68   $25.06   $43.06   $21.93   $23.85   $22.83 
                            
                            
 (0.05)   (0.18)   (0.37)   (0.38)   (0.26)   (0.20)
 (0.73)   (6.65)   (7.51)   25.13    (0.58)   4.35 
 (0.78)   (6.83)   (7.88)   24.75    (0.84)   4.15 
                            
                            
     (3.55)   (10.12)   (3.62)   (1.08)   (3.13)
     (3.55)   (10.12)   (3.62)   (1.08)   (3.13)
                            
$13.90   $14.68   $25.06   $43.06   $21.93   $23.85 
                            
 (5.31)%4   (27.22)%   (21.65)%   113.53%   (3.96)%   19.68%
                            
                            
$642,227   $722,895   $1,212,013   $1,773,669   $805,989   $901,171 
 1.13%   1.15%   1.04%   1.05%   1.10%   1.12%
 1.17%   1.15%   1.04%   1.05%   1.10%   1.12%
 (0.65)%   (1.05)%   (1.01)%   (1.01)%   (1.04)%   (0.82)%
 (0.69)%   (1.05)%   (1.01)%   (1.01)%   (1.04)%   (0.82)%
 15%   133%6   81%   79%   113%   96%

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Financial highlights

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund Class C

Selected data for each share of the Fund outstanding throughout each period were as follows:

Net asset value, beginning of period
 
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment loss3
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
Total from investment operations
 
Less dividends and distributions from:
Net realized gain
Total dividends and distributions
 
Net asset value, end of period
 
Total return4
 
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
Ratio of expenses to average net assets6
Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived6
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets prior to fees waived
Portfolio turnover
1On September 9, 2022, the Fund declared a 10 for 1 reverse stock split. The net asset values and per share information have been restated to reflect the reverse stock split.
2Ratios have been annualized and total return and portfolio turnover have not been annualized.
3Calculated using average shares outstanding.
4Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value and does not reflect the impact of a sales charge.
5Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager and/or distributor. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect.
6Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests.
7The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate increased substantially during the year ended March 31, 2023 due to a change in the Fund’s portfolio managers and associated repositioning.

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

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Six months ended               
9/30/232  Year ended1
(Unaudited)  3/31/23  3/31/22  3/31/21  3/31/20  3/31/19
$17.63   $29.30   $149.00   $88.10   $102.60   $115.50 
                            
                            
 (0.12)   (0.07)   (1.40)   (2.50)   (1.90)   (1.80)
 (0.88)   (8.05)   (17.10)   99.60    (1.80)   20.20 
 (1.00)   (8.12)   (18.50)   97.10    (3.70)   18.40 
                            
                            
     (3.55)   (101.20)   (36.20)   (10.80)   (31.30)
     (3.55)   (101.20)   (36.20)   (10.80)   (31.30)
                            
$16.63   $17.63   $29.30   $149.00   $88.10   $102.60 
                            
 (5.67)%5   (27.72)%   (22.33)%   111.78%   (4.63)%   18.83%
                            
                            
$38,429   $46,273   $93,375   $173,533   $63,090   $56,065 
 1.88%   1.90%   1.79%   1.80%   1.85%   1.87%
 1.92%   1.90%   1.79%   1.80%   1.85%   1.87%
 (1.40)%   (1.80)%   (1.77)%   (1.76)%   (1.79)%   (1.57)%
 (1.44)%   (1.80)%   (1.77)%   (1.76)%   (1.79)%   (1.57)%
 15%   133%7   81%   79%   113%   96%

16 

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Financial highlights

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund Class R

Selected data for each share of the Fund outstanding throughout each period were as follows:

Net asset value, beginning of period
 
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment loss2
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
Total from investment operations
 
Less dividends and distributions from:
Net realized gain
Total dividends and distributions
 
Net asset value, end of period
 
Total return3
 
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
Ratio of expenses to average net assets5
Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived5
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets prior to fees waived
Portfolio turnover
1Ratios have been annualized and total return and portfolio turnover have not been annualized.
2Calculated using average shares outstanding.
3Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value.
4Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager and/or distributor. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect.
5Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests.
6The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate increased substantially during the year ended March 31, 2023 due to a change in the Fund’s portfolio managers and associated repositioning.

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

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Six months ended               
9/30/231  Year ended
(Unaudited)  3/31/23  3/31/22  3/31/21  3/31/20  3/31/19
$11.86   $21.24   $38.27   $19.74   $21.62   $21.01 
                            
                            
 (0.05)   (0.18)   (0.41)   (0.43)   (0.29)   (0.24)
 (0.59)   (5.65)   (6.50)   22.58    (0.51)   3.98 
 (0.64)   (5.83)   (6.91)   22.15    (0.80)   3.74 
                            
                            
     (3.55)   (10.12)   (3.62)   (1.08)   (3.13)
     (3.55)   (10.12)   (3.62)   (1.08)   (3.13)
                            
$11.22   $11.86   $21.24   $38.27   $19.74   $21.62 
                            
 (5.40)%4   (27.43)%   (21.84)%   112.94%   (4.18)%   19.42%
                            
                            
$8,046   $8,864   $13,230   $18,905   $8,477   $14,143 
 1.38%   1.40%   1.29%   1.30%   1.35%   1.37%
 1.42%   1.40%   1.29%   1.30%   1.35%   1.37%
 (0.90)%   (1.30)%   (1.27)%   (1.26)%   (1.29)%   (1.07)%
 (0.94)%   (1.30)%   (1.27)%   (1.26)%   (1.29)%   (1.07)%
 15%   133%6   81%   79%   113%   96%

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Financial highlights

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund Institutional Class

Selected data for each share of the Fund outstanding throughout each period were as follows:

Net asset value, beginning of period
 
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment loss2
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
Total from investment operations
 
Less dividends and distributions from:
Net realized gain
Total dividends and distributions
 
Net asset value, end of period
 
Total return3
 
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
Ratio of expenses to average net assets5
Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived5
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets prior to fees waived
Portfolio turnover
1Ratios have been annualized and total return and portfolio turnover have not been annualized.
2Calculated using average shares outstanding.
3Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value.
4Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect.
5Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests.
6The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate increased substantially during the year ended March 31, 2023 due to a change in the Fund’s portfolio managers and associated repositioning.

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

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Six months ended               
9/30/231  Year ended
(Unaudited)  3/31/23  3/31/22  3/31/21  3/31/20  3/31/19
$26.14   $40.71   $62.88   $31.14   $33.35   $30.69 
                            
                            
 (0.05)   (0.23)   (0.43)   (0.43)   (0.28)   (0.19)
 (1.31)   (10.79)   (11.62)   35.79    (0.85)   5.98 
 (1.36)   (11.02)   (12.05)   35.36    (1.13)   5.79 
                            
                            
     (3.55)   (10.12)   (3.62)   (1.08)   (3.13)
     (3.55)   (10.12)   (3.62)   (1.08)   (3.13)
                            
$24.78   $26.14   $40.71   $62.88   $31.14   $33.35 
                            
 (5.20)%4   (27.05)%   (21.45)%   114.04%   (3.70)%   19.99%
                            
                            
$501,018   $627,320   $1,590,990   $2,959,703   $706,785   $585,344 
 0.88%   0.90%   0.79%   0.80%   0.85%   0.87%
 0.92%   0.90%   0.79%   0.80%   0.85%   0.87%
 (0.40)%   (0.80)%   (0.76)%   (0.76)%   (0.79)%   (0.57)%
 (0.44)%   (0.80)%   (0.76)%   (0.76)%   (0.79)%   (0.57)%
 15%   133%6   81%   79%   113%   96%

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Table of Contents 

Financial highlights

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund Class R6

Selected data for each share of the Fund outstanding throughout each period were as follows:

Net asset value, beginning of period
 
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment loss2
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
Total from investment operations
 
Less dividends and distributions from:
Net realized gain
Total dividends and distributions
 
Net asset value, end of period
 
Total return3
 
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
Ratio of expenses to average net assets5
Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived5
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets prior to fees waived
Portfolio turnover
1Ratios have been annualized and total return and portfolio turnover have not been annualized.
2Calculated using average shares outstanding.
3Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value.
4Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect.
5Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests.
6The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate increased substantially during the year ended March 31, 2023 due to a change in the Fund’s portfolio managers and associated repositioning.

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

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Six months ended               
9/30/231  Year ended
(Unaudited)  3/31/23  3/31/22  3/31/21  3/31/20  3/31/19
$26.30   $40.90   $63.08   $31.21   $33.40   $30.71 
                            
                            
 (0.04)   (0.20)   (0.38)   (0.41)   (0.25)   (0.16)
 (1.31)   (10.85)   (11.68)   35.90    (0.86)   5.98 
 (1.35)   (11.05)   (12.06)   35.49    (1.11)   5.82 
                            
                            
     (3.55)   (10.12)   (3.62)   (1.08)   (3.13)
     (3.55)   (10.12)   (3.62)   (1.08)   (3.13)
                            
$24.95   $26.30   $40.90   $63.08   $31.21   $33.40 
                            
 (5.13)%4   (26.99)%   (21.39)%   114.20%   (3.63)%   20.08%
                            
                            
$91,254   $94,380   $123,731   $144,385   $17,446   $9,005 
 0.79%   0.81%   0.71%   0.73%   0.77%   0.80%
 0.83%   0.81%   0.71%   0.73%   0.77%   0.80%
 (0.31)%   (0.71)%   (0.69)%   (0.69)%   (0.71)%   (0.50)%
 (0.35)%   (0.71)%   (0.69)%   (0.69)%   (0.71)%   (0.50)%
 15%   133%6   81%   79%   113%   96%

22 

Table of Contents 

Notes to financial statements

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

Delaware Group® Equity Funds IV (Trust) is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and offers 9 funds. These financial statements and the related notes pertain to Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund (Fund). The Trust is an open-end investment company. The Fund is considered diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act), and offers Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional Class, and Class R6 shares. Class A shares are sold with a maximum front-end sales charge of 5.75%. There is no front-end sales charge when you purchase $1 million or more of Class A shares. However, if Delaware Distributors, L.P. (DDLP) paid your financial intermediary a commission on your purchase of $1 million or more of Class A shares, you will have to pay a limited contingent deferred sales charge (Limited CDSC) of 1.00% if you redeem these shares within the first 18 months after your purchase, unless a specific waiver of the Limited CDSC applies. Class C shares have no upfront sales charge, but are sold with a contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) of 1.00%, which will be incurred if redeemed during the first 12 months. Class R, Institutional Class, and Class R6 shares are not subject to a sales charge and are offered for sale exclusively to certain eligible investors. In addition, Class R6 shares do not pay any service fees, sub-accounting fees, and/or sub-transfer agency fees to any brokers, dealers, or other financial intermediaries.

1. Significant Accounting Policies

The Fund follows accounting and reporting guidance under Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services — Investment Companies. The following accounting policies are in accordance with US generally accepted accounting principles (US GAAP) and are consistently followed by the Fund.

Security Valuation — Equity securities and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), except those traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq), are valued at the last quoted sales price as of the time of the regular close of the New York Stock Exchange on the valuation date. Equity securities and ETFs traded on the Nasdaq are valued in accordance with the Nasdaq Official Closing Price, which may not be the last sales price. If, on a particular day, an equity security or ETF does not trade, the mean between the bid and the ask prices will be used, which approximates fair value. Open-end investment companies, other than ETFs, are valued at their published net asset value (NAV). Generally, other securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by Delaware Management Company (DMC). Subject to the oversight of the Trust's Board of Trustees (Board), DMC, as valuation designee, has adopted policies and procedures to fair value securities for which market quotations are not readily available consistent with the requirements of Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act. In determining whether market quotations are readily available or fair valuation will be used, various factors will be taken into consideration, such as market closures or suspension of trading in a security. Restricted securities and private placements are valued at fair value.

Federal Income Taxes — No provision for federal income taxes has been made as the Fund intends to continue to qualify for federal income tax purposes as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and make

23 

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the requisite distributions to shareholders. The Fund evaluates tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing the Fund's tax returns to determine whether the tax positions are “more-likely-than-not” of being sustained by the applicable tax authority. Tax positions not deemed to meet the “more-likely-than-not” threshold are recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current year. Management has analyzed the Fund's tax positions taken or expected to be taken on the Fund's federal income tax returns through the six months ended September 30, 2023, and for all open tax years (years ended March 31, 2020March 31, 2023), and has concluded that no provision for federal income tax is required in the Fund's financial statements. If applicable, the Fund recognizes interest accrued on unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and penalties in “Other” on the “Statement of operations.” During the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund did not incur any interest or tax penalties.

Class Accounting — Investment income, common expenses, and realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments are allocated to the various classes of the Fund on the basis of daily net assets of each class. Distribution expenses relating to a specific class are charged directly to that class. Class R6 shares will not be allocated any expenses related to service fees, sub-accounting fees, and/or sub-transfer agency fees paid to brokers, dealers, or other financial intermediaries.

Use of Estimates — The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the fair value of investments, the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates and the differences could be material.

Other — Expenses directly attributable to the Fund are charged directly to the Fund. Other expenses common to various funds within the Delaware Funds by Macquarie® (Delaware Funds) are generally allocated among such funds on the basis of average net assets. Management fees and certain other expenses are paid monthly. Security transactions are recorded on the date the securities are purchased or sold (trade date) for financial reporting purposes. Costs used in calculating realized gains and losses on the sale of investment securities are those of the specific securities sold. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date and interest income is recorded on an accrual basis. Taxable non-cash dividends are recorded as dividend income. Income and capital gain distributions from any investment companies (Underlying Funds) in which the Fund invests are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Distributions received from investments in real estate investment trusts (REITs) are recorded as dividend income on the ex-dividend date, subject to reclassification upon notice of the character of such distributions by the issuer. The Fund declares and pays dividends from net investment income and distributions from net realized gain on investments, if any, at least annually. The Fund may distribute more frequently, if necessary for tax purposes. Dividends and distributions, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date.

24 

Table of Contents 

Notes to financial statements

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

1. Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

The Fund receives earnings credits from its transfer agent when positive cash balances are maintained, which may be used to offset transfer agent fees. If the amount earned is greater than $1, the expenses paid under this arrangement are included on the “Statement of operations” under “Dividend disbursing and transfer agent fees and expenses” with the corresponding expenses offset included under “Less expenses paid indirectly.”

2. Investment Management, Administration Agreements, and Other Transactions with Affiliates

In accordance with the terms of its investment management agreement, the Fund pays DMC, a series of Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust and the investment manager, an annual fee which is calculated daily and paid monthly at the rates of 0.75% on the first $500 million of average daily net assets of the Fund, 0.70% on the next $500 million, 0.65% on the next $1.5 billion, and 0.60% on average daily net assets in excess of $2.5 billion.

Effective July 31, 2023, DMC has contractually agreed to waive all or a portion of its investment advisory fees and/or pay/reimburse expenses (excluding any distribution and service (12b-1) fees, acquired fund fees and expenses, taxes, interest, short sale dividend and interest expenses, brokerage fees, certain insurance costs, and nonroutine expenses or costs, including, but not limited to, those relating to reorganizations, litigation, conducting shareholder meetings, and liquidations), in order to prevent total annual fund operating expenses from exceeding 0.79% of the Fund's Class A, Class C, Class R, and Institutional Class average daily net assets and 0.71% of the Fund's Class R6 average daily net assets through July 30, 2024. These waivers and reimbursements may only be terminated by agreement of DMC and the Fund. The waivers and reimbursements are accrued daily and received monthly. Prior to July 31, 2023, the Fund had no expense limitation.

After consideration of class specific expenses, including 12b-1 fees, the class level operating expense limitation as a percentage of average daily net assets for the period July 1, 2023 through July 30, 2024 is as follows:

  Operating expense limitation as a percentage of average daily net assets  
  Class A    Class C   Class R   Institutional Class   Class R6 
  1.04%    1.79%   1.29%   0.79%   0.71%

DMC entered into a Sub-Advisory Agreement on behalf of the Fund with Macquarie Investment Management Global Limited, which is an affiliate of DMC (“Affiliated Sub-Advisor”). Pursuant to the terms of the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the investment sub-advisory fee is paid by DMC to the Affiliated Sub-Advisor based on the extent to which the Affiliated Sub-Advisor provides services to the Fund.

Delaware Investments Fund Services Company (DIFSC), an affiliate of DMC, provides fund accounting and financial administrative oversight services to the Fund. For these services, DIFSC’s fees are calculated daily and paid monthly, based on the aggregate daily net assets of

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all funds within the Delaware Funds at the following annual rates: 0.00475% of the first $35 billion; 0.0040% of the next $10 billion; 0.0025% of the next $45 billion; and 0.0015% of aggregate average daily net assets in excess of $90 billion (Total Fee). Each fund in the Delaware Funds pays a minimum of $4,000, which, in aggregate, is subtracted from the Total Fee. Each fund then pays its portion of the remainder of the Total Fee on a relative NAV basis. This amount is included on the “Statement of operations” under “Accounting and administration expenses.” For the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund paid $23,530 for these services.

DIFSC is also the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent of the Fund. For these services, DIFSC’s fees are calculated daily and paid monthly, based on the aggregate daily net assets of the retail funds within the Delaware Funds at the following annual rates: 0.014% of the first $20 billion; 0.011% of the next $5 billion; 0.007% of the next $5 billion; 0.004% of the next $20 billion; 0.002% of the next $25 billion; and 0.0015% of average daily net assets in excess of $75 billion. The fees payable to DIFSC under the shareholder services agreement described above are allocated among all retail funds in the Delaware Funds on a relative NAV basis. This amount is included on the “Statement of operations” under “Dividend disbursing and transfer agent fees and expenses.” For the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund paid $45,996 for these services. Pursuant to a sub-transfer agency agreement between DIFSC and BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. (BNYMIS), BNYMIS provides certain sub-transfer agency services to the Fund. Sub-transfer agency fees are paid by the Fund and are also included on the “Statement of operations” under “Dividend disbursing and transfer agent fees and expenses.” The fees that are calculated daily and paid as invoices are received on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Pursuant to a distribution agreement and distribution plan, the Fund pays DDLP, the distributor and an affiliate of DMC, an annual 12b-1 fee of 0.25%, 1.00%, and 0.50% of the average daily net assets of the Class A, Class C, and Class R shares, respectively. The Board has adopted a formula for calculating 12b-1 fees for the Fund’s Class A shares. The total 12b-1 fees to be paid by Class A shareholders of the Fund will be the sum of: (i) 0.10% of average daily net assets representing shares acquired prior to June 1, 1992, and (ii) 0.25% of average daily net assets representing shares acquired on or after June 1, 1992. All of the Fund’s Class A shareholders bear 12b-1 fees at the same rate, the blended rate, currently 0.25% of average daily net assets, based on the formula described above. This method of calculating Class A 12b-1 fees may be discontinued at the sole discretion of the Board. The fees are calculated daily and paid monthly. Institutional Class and Class R6 shares do not pay a 12b-1 fee.

As provided in the investment management agreement, the Fund bears a portion of the cost of certain resources shared with DMC, including the cost of internal personnel of DMC and/or its affiliates that provide legal and regulatory reporting services to the Fund. For the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund paid $21,976 for internal legal and regulatory reporting services provided by DMC and/or its affiliates’ employees. This amount is included on the “Statement of operations” under “Legal fees.”

26 

Table of Contents 

Notes to financial statements

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

2. Investment Management, Administration Agreements, and Other Transactions with Affiliates (continued)

For the six months ended September 30, 2023, DDLP earned $13,340 for commissions on sales of the Fund’s Class A shares. For the six months ended September 30, 2023, DDLP received gross CDSC commissions of $1,355 and $2,849 on redemptions of the Fund’s Class A and Class C shares, respectively, and these commissions were entirely used to offset upfront commissions previously paid by DDLP to broker/dealers on sales of those shares.

Trustees’ fees include expenses accrued by the Fund for each Trustee’s retainer and meeting fees. Certain officers of DMC, DIFSC, and DDLP are officers and/or Trustees of the Trust. These officers and Trustees are paid no compensation by the Fund.

In addition to the management fees and other expenses of the Fund, the Fund indirectly bears the investment management fees and other expenses of any Underlying Funds, including ETFs, in which it invests. The amount of these fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund will vary based upon the expense and fee levels of any Underlying Funds and the number of shares that are owned of any Underlying Funds at different times.

3. Investments

For the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund made purchases and sales of investment securities other than short-term investments and US government securities as follows:

Purchases  $219,855,986 
Sales   362,105,780 

At September 30, 2023, the cost and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments for federal income tax purposes have been estimated since final tax characteristics cannot be determined until fiscal year end. At September 30, 2023, the cost and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments for the Fund were as follows:

Cost of investments  $1,330,543,297 
Aggregate unrealized appreciation of investments  $83,953,264 
Aggregate unrealized depreciation of investments   (127,625,266)
Net unrealized depreciation of investments  $(43,672,002)

For federal income tax purposes, capital loss carryforwards may be carried forward and applied against future capital gains. At March 31, 2023, the Fund has capital loss carryforwards available to offset future realized capital gains as follows:

Loss carryforward character    
Short-term  Long-term  Total 
$482,129,162  $460,845,121  $942,974,283 

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US GAAP defines fair value as the price that the Fund would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date under current market conditions. A three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements has been established based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability. Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available under the circumstances. The Fund's investment in its entirety is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation. The three-level hierarchy of inputs is summarized as follows:

Level 1 – Inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical investments. (Examples: equity securities, open-end investment companies, futures contracts, and exchange-traded options contracts)
Level 2 – Other observable inputs, including, but not limited to: quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in markets that are active, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the assets or liabilities (such as interest rates, yield curves, volatilities, prepayment speeds, loss severities, credit risks, and default rates) or other market-corroborated inputs. (Examples: debt securities, government securities, swap contracts, forward foreign currency exchange contracts, foreign securities utilizing international fair value pricing, broker-quoted securities, and fair valued securities)
Level 3 – Significant unobservable inputs, including the Fund's own assumptions used to determine the fair value of investments. (Examples: broker-quoted securities and fair valued securities)

Level 3 investments are valued using significant unobservable inputs. The Fund may also use an income-based valuation approach in which the anticipated future cash flows of the investment are discounted to calculate fair value. Discounts may also be applied due to the nature or duration of any restrictions on the disposition of the investments. Valuations may also be based upon current market prices of securities that are comparable in coupon, rating, maturity, and industry. The derived value of a Level 3 investment may not represent the value which is received upon disposition and this could impact the results of operations.

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Notes to financial statements

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

3. Investments (continued)

The following table summarizes the valuation of the Fund’s investments by fair value hierarchy levels as of September 30, 2023:

   Level 1 
Securities     
Assets:     
Common Stocks  $1,283,209,897 
Short-Term Investments   3,661,398 
Total Value of Securities  $1,286,871,295 

During the six months ended September 30, 2023, there were no transfers into or out of Level 3 investments. The Fund’s policy is to recognize transfers into or out of Level 3 investments based on fair value at the beginning of the reporting period.

A reconciliation of Level 3 investments is presented when the Fund has a significant amount of Level 3 investments at the beginning or end of the period in relation to the Fund's net assets. As of September 30, 2023, there were no Level 3 investments.

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4. Capital Shares

Transactions in capital shares were as follows:

   Six months
ended
   Year ended 
   9/30/23   3/31/23 
Shares sold:          
Class A   804,900    3,117,196 
Class C   95,809    1,079,197 
Class R   47,078    146,119 
Institutional Class   1,802,831    11,667,002 
Class R6   885,311    3,182,856 
           
Shares issued upon reinvestment of dividends and distributions:          
Class A       10,115,139 
Class C       503,928 
Class R       179,985 
Institutional Class       3,309,761 
Class R6       537,083 
    3,635,929    33,838,266 
           
Shares from reverse stock split:          
Class C       (24,760,404)
           
Shares redeemed:          
Class A   (3,849,989)   (12,348,914)
Class C   (410,068)   (6,048,561)
Class R   (77,180)   (201,708)
Institutional Class   (5,587,337)   (30,056,623)
Class R6   (816,114)   (3,156,966)
    (10,740,688)   (76,573,176)
Net decrease   (7,104,759)   (42,734,910)

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Notes to financial statements

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

4. Capital Shares (continued)

Certain shareholders may exchange shares of one class for shares of another class in the same Fund. These exchange transactions are included as subscriptions and redemptions in the table on the previous page and on the “Statements of changes in net assets.” For the six months ended September 30, 2023 and the year ended March 31, 2023, the Fund had the following exchange transactions:

    Exchange Redemptions   Exchange Subscriptions     
    Class A
Shares
   Class C
Shares
   Institutional
Class
Shares
   Class A
Shares
   Institutional
Class
Shares
   Class R6
Shares
   Value 
Six months ended                                    
9/30/23    28,114    14,921    5,815    22,636    15,568    3,343   $826,853 
Year ended                                    
3/31/23    372,204    25,720    248,869    13,906    214,913    241,328    12,198,688 

5. Line of Credit

The Fund, along with certain other funds in the Delaware Funds (Participants), is a participant in a $355,000,000 revolving line of credit (Agreement) intended to be used for temporary or emergency purposes as an additional source of liquidity to fund redemptions of investor shares. Under the Agreement, the Participants are charged an annual commitment fee of 0.15%, which is allocated across the Participants based on a weighted average of the respective net assets of each Participant. The Participants are permitted to borrow up to a maximum of one-third of their net assets under the Agreement. Each Participant is individually, and not jointly, liable for its particular advances, if any, under the line of credit. The line of credit available under the Agreement expires on October 30, 2023.

The Fund had no amounts outstanding as of September 30, 2023, or at any time during the period then ended.

6. Securities Lending

The Fund, along with other funds in the Delaware Funds, may lend its securities pursuant to a security lending agreement (Lending Agreement) with The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon). At the time a security is loaned, the borrower must post collateral equal to the required percentage of the market value of the loaned security, including any accrued interest. The required percentage is: (1) 102% with respect to US securities and foreign securities that are denominated and payable in US dollars; and (2) 105% with respect to foreign securities. With respect to each loan, if on any business day the aggregate market value of securities collateral plus cash collateral held is less than the aggregate market value of the securities which are the subject of such loan, the borrower will be notified to provide additional collateral by the end of the following business day, which, together with the collateral already held, will be not less than the applicable initial collateral requirements for such security loan. If the aggregate market value of securities collateral and cash collateral held with respect to a security loan exceeds the

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applicable initial collateral requirement, upon the request of the borrower, BNY Mellon must return enough collateral to the borrower by the end of the following business day to reduce the value of the remaining collateral to the applicable initial collateral requirement for such security loan. As a result of the foregoing, the value of the collateral held with respect to a loaned security on any particular day, may be more or less than the value of the security on loan. The collateral percentage with respect to the market value of the loaned security is determined by the security lending agent.

Cash collateral received by the Fund is generally invested in an individual separate account. The investment guidelines permit each separate account to hold certain securities that would be considered eligible securities for a money market fund. Cash collateral received is generally invested in government securities; certain obligations issued by government sponsored enterprises; repurchase agreements collateralized by US Treasury securities; obligations issued by the central government of any Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country or its agencies, instrumentalities, or establishments; obligations of supranational organizations; commercial paper, notes, bonds, and other debt obligations; certificates of deposit, time deposits, and other bank obligations; certain money market funds; and asset-backed securities. The Fund can also accept US government securities and letters of credit (non-cash collateral) in connection with securities loans.

In the event of default or bankruptcy by the lending agent, realization and/or retention of the collateral may be subject to legal proceedings. In the event the borrower fails to return loaned securities and the collateral received is insufficient to cover the value of the loaned securities and provided such collateral shortfall is not the result of investment losses, the lending agent has agreed to pay the amount of the shortfall to the Fund or, at the discretion of the lending agent, replace the loaned securities. The Fund continues to record dividends or interest, as applicable, on the securities loaned and is subject to changes in value of the securities loaned that may occur during the term of the loan. The Fund has the right under the Lending Agreement to recover the securities from the borrower on demand. With respect to security loans collateralized by non-cash collateral, the Fund receives loan premiums paid by the borrower. With respect to security loans collateralized by cash collateral, the earnings from the collateral investments are shared among the Fund, the security lending agent, and the borrower. The Fund records security lending income net of allocations to the security lending agent and the borrower.

The Fund may incur investment losses as a result of investing securities lending collateral. This could occur if an investment in the collateral investment account defaulted or became impaired. Under those circumstances, the value of the Fund's cash collateral account may be less than the amount the Fund would be required to return to the borrowers of the securities and the Fund would be required to make up for this shortfall.

At September 30, 2023, the Fund had no securities out on loan.

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Notes to financial statements

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

7. Credit and Market Risks

The global outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, and lower consumer demand, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of COVID-19, and other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many nations or the entire global economy, individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. In addition, the impact of infectious illnesses in emerging market countries may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. Public health crises caused by the COVID-19 outbreak may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally. The duration of the outbreak, its full economic impact and ongoing effects at the macro-level and on individual businesses are unpredictable and may result in significant and prolonged effects on a Fund's performance.

Investments in equity securities in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the NAV of the Fund to fluctuate.

The Fund invests in growth stocks (such as those in the technology sector), which reflect projections of future earnings and revenue. These prices may rise or fall dramatically depending on whether those projections are met. These companies’ stock prices may be more volatile, particularly over the short term.

The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in small- and mid-sized companies and may be subject to certain risks associated with ownership of securities of such companies. Investments in small- and mid-sized companies may be more volatile than investments in larger companies for a number of reasons, which include limited financial resources or a dependence on narrow product lines.

The Fund invests in REITs and is subject to the risks associated with that industry. If the Fund holds real estate directly or receives rental income directly from real estate holdings, its tax status as a regulated investment company may be jeopardized. There were no direct real estate holdings during the six months ended September 30, 2023. The Fund’s REIT holdings are also affected by interest rate changes, particularly if the REITs it holds use floating rate debt to finance their ongoing operations.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, which may include securities with contractual restrictions on resale, securities exempt from registration under Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and other securities which may not be readily marketable. The relative illiquidity of these securities may impair the Fund from disposing of them in a timely manner and at a fair price when it is necessary or desirable to do so. While maintaining oversight, the Board has delegated to DMC the day-to-day functions of determining whether individual securities are liquid for purposes of the Fund’s

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limitation on investments in illiquid securities. Securities eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A, which are determined to be liquid, are not subject to the Fund’s 15% limit on investments in illiquid securities. As of September 30, 2023, there were no Rule 144A securities held by the Fund.

8. Contractual Obligations

The Fund enters into contracts in the normal course of business that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Fund's maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Fund has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these contracts. Management has reviewed the Fund's existing contracts and expects the risk of loss to be remote.

9. Subsequent Events

On October 1, 2023, the fees payable to DIFSC for the fund accounting and financial administrative oversight services provided to the Fund as described in Note 2 were revised. As of such date, DIFSC’s fees are payable by the Fund at the following annual rates: 0.0050% of the first $60 billion; 0.00475% of the next $30 billion; and 0.0015% of aggregate average daily net assets in excess of $90 billion.

On October 30, 2023, each Fund, along with the other Participants, entered into an amendment to the Agreement for a $335,000,000 revolving line of credit to be used as described in Note 5. It operates in substantially the same manner as the original Agreement. Under the amendment to the Agreement, the Participants are charged an annual commitment fee of 0.15%, which is allocated across the Participants based on a weighted average of the respective net assets of each Participant. The line of credit available under the Agreement expires on October 28, 2024.

Management has determined that no other material events or transactions occurred subsequent to September 30, 2023, that would require recognition or disclosure in the Fund's financial statements.

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Other Fund information (Unaudited)

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

Liquidity Risk Management Program

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has adopted Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Liquidity Rule”), which requires all open-end funds (other than money market funds) to adopt and implement a program reasonably designed to assess and manage the fund’s “liquidity risk,” defined as the risk that the fund could not meet requests to redeem shares issued by the fund without significant dilution of remaining investors’ interests in the fund.

The Fund has adopted and implemented a liquidity risk management program in accordance with the Liquidity Rule (the “Program”). The Board has designated a member of the US Operational Risk Group of Macquarie Asset Management as the Program Administrator for each Fund in the Trust.

As required by the Liquidity Rule, the Program includes policies and procedures that provide for: (1) assessment, management, and review (no less frequently than annually) of the Fund’s liquidity risk; (2) classification of each of the Fund’s portfolio holdings into one of four liquidity categories (Highly Liquid, Moderately Liquid, Less Liquid, and Illiquid); (3) for funds that do not primarily hold assets that are Highly Liquid, establishing and maintaining a minimum percentage of the Fund’s net assets in Highly Liquid investments (called a “Highly Liquid Investment Minimum” or “HLIM”); and (4) prohibiting the Fund’s acquisition of Illiquid investments if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would hold more than 15% of its net assets in Illiquid assets. The Program also requires reporting to the SEC (on a non-public basis) and to the Board if the Fund’s holdings of Illiquid assets exceed 15% of the Fund’s net assets. Funds with HLIMs must have procedures for addressing HLIM shortfalls, including reporting to the Board and, with respect to HLIM shortfalls lasting more than seven consecutive calendar days, reporting to the SEC (on a non-public basis).

In assessing and managing the Fund’s liquidity risk, the Program Administrator considers, as relevant, a variety of factors, including: (1) the Fund’s investment strategy and liquidity of portfolio investments during both normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions; (2) short-term and long-term cash flow projections for the Fund during both normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions; and (3) the Fund’s holdings of cash and cash equivalents and any borrowing arrangements. Classification of the Fund’s portfolio holdings in the four liquidity categories is based on the number of days it is reasonably expected to take to convert the investment to cash (for Highly Liquid and Moderately Liquid holdings) or to sell or dispose of the investment (for Less Liquid and Illiquid investments), in current market conditions without significantly changing the investment’s market value. The Fund primarily holds assets that are classified as Highly Liquid, and therefore is not required to establish an HLIM.

At a meeting of the Board held on May 23-25, 2023, the Program Administrator provided a written report to the Board addressing the Program’s operation and assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of its implementation for the period from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023. The report concluded that the Program is appropriately designed and effectively implemented and that it meets the requirements of Rule 22e-4 and the Fund’s liquidity needs. The Fund’s HLIM is set at an appropriate level and the Fund complied with its HLIM at all times during the reporting period.

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Board Consideration of Investment Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement at a Meeting Held on August 8-10, 2023

At a meeting held on August 8-10, 2023 (the “Annual Contract Renewal Meeting”), the Board of Trustees (the “Board”), including a majority of Trustees each of whom is not an “interested person” as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Independent Trustees”), approved the renewal of the Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund (the “Fund”) Investment Management Agreement with Delaware Management Company (“DMC”) and the Sub-Advisory Agreement with Macquarie Investment Management Global Limited (“MIMGL” or the “Affiliated Sub-Adviser”).

Prior to the Annual Contract Renewal Meeting, including at a Board meeting held in May 2023, the Trustees conferred extensively among themselves and with representatives of DMC about these matters. Also, the Board was assisted by the Equity Investments Committee and the Fixed Income Multi-Asset Sub-Advised Funds Investments Committee (each an “Investment Committee” and together, the “Investment Committees”), with each Investment Committee assisting the full Board in reviewing investment performance and other matters throughout the year. The Independent Trustees were also assisted in their evaluation of the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement by independent legal counsel, from whom they received separate legal advice and with whom they met separately.

In providing information to the Board, DMC was guided by a detailed set of requests for information submitted to them by independent legal counsel on behalf of the Independent Trustees at the start of the Board’s annual contract renewal process earlier in 2023. Prior to the Annual Contract Renewal Meeting, and in response to the requests, the Board received and reviewed materials specifically relating to the renewal of the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement. In considering and approving the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Trustees considered the information they believed relevant, including but not limited to the information discussed below. The Board considered not only the specific information presented in connection with the Annual Contract Renewal Meeting and the review process for the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, but also the knowledge gained over time through interaction with DMC about various topics. In this regard, the Board reviewed reports of DMC at each of its quarterly meetings, which included information about, among other things, Fund performance, investment strategies, and expenses. In addition, the Investment Committees confer with portfolio managers at various times throughout the year. In considering information relating to the approval of the Fund’s Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Independent Trustees also received information from an independent fund consultant, JDL Consultants, LLC (“JDL”).

The Board did not identify any particular information or consideration that was all-important or controlling, and each individual Trustee may have attributed different weights to various factors.

After its deliberations, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, unanimously approved the continuation of the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement for a

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Other Fund information (Unaudited)

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

Board Consideration of Investment Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement at a Meeting Held on August 8-10, 2023 (continued)

one-year term. The following summarizes a number of important, but not necessarily all, factors considered by the Board in support of its approval.

Nature, extent, and quality of services. The Board received and considered various information regarding the nature, extent, and quality of the advisory services provided to the Fund by DMC under its Investment Management Agreement and the experience of the officers and employees of DMC who provide these services, including the Fund’s portfolio managers. The Board’s review included consideration of DMC’s investment process and oversight and research and analysis capabilities, and its ability to attract and retain skilled investment professionals. The Board also considered information regarding DMC’s programs for risk management, including investment, operational, liquidity, derivatives (as applicable), valuation, and compliance risks. The Board received information with respect to the cybersecurity program and business continuity plans of DMC and its affiliates.

In addition, the Board considered certain non-advisory services that DMC and its affiliates provide to the Delaware Funds by Macquarie complex (the “Delaware Funds”). Among other things, these services include third party service provider oversight, transfer agency, internal audit, valuation, portfolio trading, and legal and compliance functions. The Board noted DMC’s responsibility for overseeing the preparation of the Delaware Funds’ registration statement and supplements thereto and shareholder reports; responsibility for periodic filings with regulators; organizing Board meetings and preparing materials for such Board meetings; and furnishing analytical and other support to assist the Board. The Board took into account the benefits to shareholders of investing in a Fund that is part of a family of funds managed by an affiliate of Macquarie Group Ltd. (“Macquarie”), the parent company of DMC, and the resources available to DMC as part of Macquarie’s global asset management business.

The Board received and considered various information with respect to the services provided by the Affiliated Sub-Adviser under the Sub-Advisory Agreement and the credentials and experience of the officers and employees of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser who provide these services. The Board considered the division of responsibilities between DMC and the Affiliated Sub-Adviser, and the oversight provided by DMC. The Board also considered the expertise of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser with respect to certain asset classes and/or investment styles. The Board noted that the Affiliated Sub-Adviser is part of Macquarie’s global investment platform that has offices and personnel that are located around the world. The Affiliated Sub-Adviser provides research, investment and trading analysis on the markets and economies of various countries in which the Fund may invest, makes recommendations regarding securities, provides portfolio management services and assists with security trades, as applicable. The Board took into account that the Sub-Advisory Agreement may benefit the Fund and its shareholders by permitting DMC to use the resources and talents of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser in managing the Fund.

The Board also received and considered information about the nature and extent of services offered and fee rates charged by DMC to other types of clients with investment strategies similar to those of the Fund. In this regard, the Board received information about the significantly greater

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scope of services, and compliance, reporting and other legal and regulatory obligations and risks of managing registered investment companies compared with those associated with managing assets of other types of clients, including third-party sub-advised fund clients, unregistered funds and separately managed accounts.

The Board concluded that, overall, it was satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided (and expected to be provided) to the Fund by DMC and the Affiliated Sub-Adviser.

Investment performance. The Board received and considered information with respect to the investment performance of the Fund, including performance reports and discussions with portfolio managers at meetings of the Board’s Investment Committees throughout the year as well as reports provided by Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., an independent investment company data provider (“Broadridge”), furnished for the Annual Contract Renewal Meeting. The Broadridge reports prepared for the Fund’s institutional share class showed its investment performance in comparison to the institutional share class of a group of similar funds (the “Performance Universe”). The Board received a description of the methodology used by Broadridge to select the peer funds in the Performance Universe. Comparative annualized performance for the Fund was shown for the past 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year or since inception periods, as applicable, ended December 31, 2022.

The Performance Universe consists of the Fund and all retail and institutional mid-cap growth funds, regardless of asset size or primary channel of distribution. The Board noted that the Broadridge report comparison showed that the Fund’s total return for the 1- and 3-year periods was in the fourth quartile of its Performance Universe and for the 5- and 10-year periods was in the third quartile of its Performance Universe. The Broadridge report comparison showed that the Fund’s total return for 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods was below the median of its Performance Universe. The Board also noted that the Fund underperformed its benchmark index for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods. The Board, however, noted that the investment performance of the current portfolio management team only began as of December 2022 and that the Fund’s investment strategy changed as of April 28, 2023. The Board noted the limited period of performance data available since the Fund changed its portfolio management team and investment strategy and that it would continue to evaluate the Fund’s performance. The Board noted the explanations from DMC and the Affiliated Sub-Adviser concerning the reasons for the Fund’s relative performance versus its Performance Universe and benchmark index for the various periods.

Comparative expenses. The Board received and considered expense data for the Fund. DMC provided the Board with information on pricing levels and fee structures for the Fund as of its most recently completed fiscal year. The Broadridge total expenses, for comparative consistency, were shown by Broadridge for Institutional Class shares and comparative total expenses including 12b-1 and non-12b-1 service fees. The Board also considered the comparative analysis of contractual management fees and actual total expense ratios of the Fund versus contractual management fees and actual total expense ratios of a group of peer funds as selected by Broadridge (the “Expense Group”). In reviewing comparative costs, the Fund’s contractual management fee and the actual management fee incurred by the Fund were compared with the contractual management fees (assuming all funds in the Expense Group were similar in size to

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Other Fund information (Unaudited)

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

Board Consideration of Investment Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement at a Meeting Held on August 8-10, 2023 (continued)

the Fund) and actual management fees, taking into account any applicable breakpoints and fee waivers, with the Fund’s expense universe, which is comprised of the Fund, its Expense Group and all other similar institutional funds, excluding outliers (the “Expense Universe”). The Fund’s total expenses were also compared with those of its Expense Universe. The Board also received and considered information regarding the Fund’s net operating expense ratios and their various components, including actual management fees, custodian and other non-management fees, and Rule 12b-1 and non-Rule 12b-1 shareholder service fees.

The expense comparisons for the Fund showed that its actual management fee was below the median of its Expense Universe and its actual total expenses were below its Expense Group average. It was noted that consistent with DMC’s waiver methodology, its advisory fee waivers, if any, were at the fund level and not class level.

The Board noted that DMC, and not the Fund, pays the sub-advisory fees to the Affiliated Sub-Adviser and, accordingly, that the retention of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser does not increase the fees and expenses incurred by the Fund.

Based on its consideration of the factors and information it deemed relevant, including those described here, the Board determined that the compensation payable to DMC under the Investment Management Agreement and to the Affiliated Sub-Adviser under the Sub-Advisory Agreement was reasonable.

Economies of scale. The Board received and considered information about the potential for DMC to realize economies of scale in the provision of management services to the Fund, the difficulties of calculating economies of scale at an individual Fund level, and the extent to which potential scale benefits are shared with shareholders, including the extent to which any economies of scale are reflected in the level of management fees charged. DMC discussed its advisory fee pricing and structure for the Delaware Funds, including the current breakpoints. The Board noted that, as of March 31, 2023, the Fund’s net assets exceeded its second breakpoint level and that breakpoints result in a lower advisory fee than would otherwise be the case in the absence of breakpoints, when the asset levels specified in the breakpoints schedule are exceeded. The Board noted that the Fund may also benefit from economies of scale through initial fee setting, fee waivers and expense reimbursements, as well as DMC’s investment in its business, including investments in business infrastructure, technology and cybersecurity.

Management profitability. The Board received and considered the Investment Management Profitability Analysis that addressed the overall profitability of DMC’s business in providing management and other services to the Fund and the Delaware Funds as a whole, including the methodology used by DMC in allocating costs for the purpose of determining profitability. The Board noted DMC’s changes to its cost allocation methodology for its profitability analysis and the explanations for such changes. The Board also reviewed a report prepared by JDL regarding DMC’s profitability as compared to certain peer fund complexes and the Independent Trustees discussed DMC’s profitability in such context with representatives from JDL. The Board recognized that calculating and comparing profitability at the individual fund level is difficult; that

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DMC’s profit, if any, can vary significantly depending on the particular fund; and that DMC’s support for, and commitment to, a fund is not solely dependent on the profits realized as to that fund.

The Board also received and considered information about the portion of the total management fee that was retained by DMC after payment of the fee to the Affiliated Sub-Adviser for sub-advisory services. In assessing the reasonableness of this amount, the Board received and evaluated information about the nature and extent of the responsibilities retained and risk assumed by DMC and not delegated to or assumed by the Affiliated Sub-Adviser. Given the affiliation between DMC and the Affiliated Sub-Adviser, the Board ascribed limited relevance to the allocation of fees between them.

Based on its review, the Board determined that DMC’s profitability was not excessive in light of the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund.

Ancillary benefits. The Board received and considered information regarding the extent to which DMC and its affiliates might derive ancillary benefits from fund operations, including the potential for procuring additional business as a result of the prestige and visibility associated with its role as investment manager to the Delaware Funds; the benefits from allocation of fund brokerage to improve trading efficiencies; the portfolio transactions executed through “soft dollar” arrangements; and the fees that various affiliates received for serving as transfer agent and for overseeing fund accounting and financial administration services to the Delaware Funds. The Board considered that it receives periodic reports from DMC that include a representation that any soft dollar arrangements are consistent with regulatory requirements. The Board received information from DMC regarding its view of the performance of its affiliates in providing transfer agent and fund accounting and financial administration oversight services and the organizational structure employed to provide these services pursuant to their contracts with the Fund.

Based on its consideration of the factors and information it deemed relevant, including the costs of providing investment management and other services to the Fund and the ongoing commitment of DMC and its affiliates to the Fund, the Board did not find that any ancillary benefits received by DMC and its affiliates, including the Affiliated Sub-Adviser, were unreasonable.

Conclusion. Based on its review, consideration and evaluation of all factors it believed relevant, including the above-described factors and conclusions, the Board, including all of the Independent Trustees, approved the continuation of DMC’s Investment Management Agreement and of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser’s Sub-Advisory Agreement for an additional one-year period.

40 

Table of Contents 

Other Fund information (Unaudited)

Delaware Mid Cap Growth Equity Fund

Form N-PORT and proxy voting information

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT, as well as a description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies (if any) relating to portfolio securities, is available without charge (i) upon request, by calling 800 523-1918; and (ii) on the SEC’s website at sec.gov. In addition, a description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies (if any) relating to portfolio securities and the Schedule of Investments included in the Fund’s most recent Form N-PORT are available without charge on the Fund’s website at delawarefunds.com/literature.

Information (if any) regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recently disclosed 12-month period ended June 30 is available without charge (i) through the Fund’s website at delawarefunds.com/proxy; and (ii) on the SEC’s website at sec.gov.

41 

Table of Contents 

   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
 

Semiannual report

   
   
   
   

US equity mutual fund

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund

September 30, 2023





Carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risk factors, charges, and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the Fund’s prospectus and its summary prospectus, which may be obtained by visiting delawarefunds.com/literature or calling 800 523-1918. Investors should read the prospectus and the summary prospectus carefully before investing.

You can obtain shareholder reports and prospectuses online instead of in the mail.
Visit delawarefunds.com/edelivery.

  

Table of Contents 

Experience Delaware Funds by Macquarie®

Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) is a global asset manager that aims to deliver positive impact for everyone. MAM Public Investments traces its roots to 1929 and partners with institutional and individual clients to deliver specialist active investment capabilities across global equities, fixed income, and multi-asset solutions using a conviction-based, long-term approach to investing. In the US, retail investors recognize our Delaware Funds by Macquarie family of funds as one of the oldest mutual fund families.

If you are interested in learning more about creating an investment plan, contact your financial advisor.

You can learn more about Delaware Funds or obtain a prospectus for Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund at delawarefunds.com/literature.

Manage your account online

Check your account balance and transactions
View statements and tax forms
Make purchases and redemptions

Visit delawarefunds.com/account-access.

Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) is the asset management division of Macquarie Group. MAM is a full-service asset manager offering a diverse range of products across public and private markets including fixed income, equities, multi-asset solutions, private credit, infrastructure, renewables, natural assets, real estate, and asset finance. The Public Investments business is a part of MAM and includes the following investment advisers: Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust (MIMBT), Macquarie Investment Management Austria Kapitalanlage AG, Macquarie Investment Management Global Limited, Macquarie Investment Management Europe Limited, and Macquarie Investment Management Europe S.A.

The Fund is distributed by Delaware Distributors, L.P. (DDLP), an affiliate of MIMBT and Macquarie Group Limited.

Other than Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 (“Macquarie Bank”), any Macquarie Group entity noted in this document is not an authorized deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia). The obligations of these other Macquarie Group entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of Macquarie Bank. Macquarie Bank does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these other Macquarie Group entities. In addition, if this document relates to an investment, (a) the investor is subject to investment risk including possible delays in repayment and loss of income and principal invested and (b) none of Macquarie Bank or any other Macquarie Group entity guarantees any particular rate of return on or the performance of the investment, nor do they guarantee repayment of capital in respect of the investment.

The Fund is governed by US laws and regulations.

Table of contents

Disclosure of Fund expenses 1
Security type / sector allocations and top 10 equity holdings 3
Schedule of investments 4
Statement of assets and liabilities 7
Statement of operations 9
Statements of changes in net assets 10
Financial highlights 12
Notes to financial statements 20
Other Fund information 31

This semiannual report is for the information of Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund shareholders, but it may be used with prospective investors when preceded or accompanied by the Delaware Fund fact sheet for the most recently completed calendar quarter. These documents are available at delawarefunds.com/literature.

Unless otherwise noted, views expressed herein are current as of September 30, 2023, and subject to change for events occurring after such date.

The Fund is not FDIC insured and is not guaranteed. It is possible to lose the principal amount invested.

Advisory services provided by Delaware Management Company, a series of MIMBT, a US registered investment advisor.

All third-party marks cited are the property of their respective owners.

© 2023 Macquarie Management Holdings, Inc.

  

Table of Contents 

Disclosure of Fund expenses

For the six-month period from April 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, reinvested dividends, or other distributions; redemption fees; and exchange fees; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution and service (12b-1) fees; and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire six-month period from April 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023.

Actual expenses

The first section of the table shown, “Actual Fund return,” provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this section of the table, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first section under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The second section of the table shown, “Hypothetical 5% return,” provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), redemption fees, or exchange fees. Therefore, the second section of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher. The Fund’s expenses shown in the table reflect fee waivers in effect and assume reinvestment of all dividends and distributions.

  1

Table of Contents 

Disclosure of Fund expenses

For the six-month period from April 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund

Expense analysis of an investment of $1,000

   Beginning
Account Value
4/1/23
  Ending
Account Value
9/30/23
  Annualized
Expense Ratio
  Expenses
Paid During Period
4/1/23 to 9/30/23*
Actual Fund return            
Class A         $1,000.00             $1,028.50                  1.14%          $5.78        
Class C   1,000.00    1,024.70    1.89%   9.57 
Class R   1,000.00    1,027.00    1.39%   7.04 
Institutional Class   1,000.00    1,029.00    0.89%   4.51 
Hypothetical 5% return (5% return before expenses)
Class A   $1,000.00    $1,019.30    1.14%   $5.76 
Class C   1,000.00    1,015.55    1.89%   9.52 
Class R   1,000.00    1,018.05    1.39%   7.01 
Institutional Class   1,000.00    1,020.55    0.89%   4.50 

*“Expenses Paid During Period” are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 183/366 (to reflect the one-half year period).

Because actual returns reflect only the most recent six-month period, the returns shown may differ significantly from fiscal year returns.

In addition to the Fund’s expenses reflected above, the Fund also indirectly bears its portion of the fees and expenses of any investment companies (Underlying Funds), in which it invests. The table above does not reflect the expenses of any Underlying Funds.

2  

Table of Contents 

Security type / sector allocations and top 10 equity holdings
Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund As of September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

Sector designations may be different from the sector designations presented in other Fund materials. The sector designations may represent the investment manager’s internal sector classifications, which may result in the sector designations for one fund being different from another fund’s sector designations.

Security type / sector  Percentage of net assets
Common Stocks   98.05%
Communication Services   2.83%
Consumer Discretionary   11.91%
Consumer Staples   3.63%
Energy   5.11%
Financials   8.43%
Healthcare   20.19%
Industrials   20.81%
Information Technology   23.15%
Materials   1.99%
Short-Term Investments   2.13%
Total Value of Securities   100.18%
Liabilities Net of Receivables and Other Assets   (0.18%)
Total Net Assets   100.00%

Holdings are for informational purposes only and are subject to change at any time. They are not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security.

Top 10 equity holdings  Percentage of net assets
CyberArk Software   2.84%
Kinsale Capital Group   2.70%
Weatherford International   2.69%
DoubleVerify Holdings   2.62%
Parsons   2.54%
Clean Harbors   2.44%
CBIZ   2.39%
Progyny   2.30%
Sprout Social Class A   2.17%
SiteOne Landscape Supply   2.10%
  3

Table of Contents 

Schedule of investments  
Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)
   Number of
shares
   Value (US $) 
Common Stocks — 98.05%        
Communication Services — 2.83%          
IMAX †   90,854   $1,755,299 
Iridium Communications   35,549    1,617,124 
         3,372,423 
Consumer Discretionary — 11.91%          
Abercrombie & Fitch Class A †   16,451    927,343 
Boot Barn Holdings †   21,629    1,756,058 
First Watch Restaurant Group †   54,454    941,510 
Fox Factory Holding †   4,110    407,219 
Light & Wonder †   18,544    1,322,744 
Meritage Homes   11,814    1,445,915 
Red Rock Resorts Class A   55,247    2,265,127 
Texas Roadhouse   17,803    1,710,868 
Visteon †   13,081    1,806,094 
Wingstop   9,081    1,633,127 
         14,216,005 
Consumer Staples — 3.63%          
BellRing Brands †   37,325    1,538,910 
elf Beauty †   11,154    1,225,044 
MGP Ingredients   14,871    1,568,593 
         4,332,547 
Energy — 5.11%          
Cactus Class A   38,659    1,941,069 
SM Energy   23,882    946,921 
Weatherford International †   35,537    3,210,057 
         6,098,047 
Financials — 8.43%          
Flywire †   78,142    2,491,948 
Houlihan Lokey   21,246    2,275,872 
Kinsale Capital Group   7,776    3,220,275 
Seacoast Banking   39,885    875,875 
Shift4 Payments Class A †   21,674    1,200,089 
         10,064,059 
Healthcare — 20.19%          
Acadia Healthcare †   23,907    1,680,901 
Axonics †   26,222    1,471,579 
CryoPort †   61,363    841,287 
Evolent Health Class A †   60,322    1,642,568 
Halozyme Therapeutics †   41,494    1,585,071 
Harmony Biosciences Holdings †   53,770    1,762,043 
4  

Table of Contents 

   Number of
shares
   Value (US $) 
Common Stocks (continued)        
Healthcare (continued)          
HealthEquity †   10,290   $751,684 
Inmode †   65,773    2,003,446 
Insmed †   60,595    1,530,024 
Option Care Health †   52,926    1,712,156 
Pacira BioSciences †   31,938    979,858 
Progyny †   80,726    2,746,299 
R1 RCM †   112,477    1,695,028 
TransMedics Group †   28,486    1,559,608 
Vericel †   63,416    2,125,704 
         24,087,256 
Industrials — 20.81%          
Casella Waste Systems Class A †   14,203    1,083,689 
CBIZ †   54,850    2,846,715 
Chart Industries †   7,212    1,219,693 
Clean Harbors †   17,399    2,911,897 
EnerSys   21,410    2,026,885 
Federal Signal   38,017    2,270,755 
Herc Holdings   15,194    1,807,174 
Kirby †   24,736    2,048,141 
Legalzoom.com †   56,569    618,865 
Parsons †   55,697    3,027,132 
Paycor HCM †   107,665    2,457,992 
SiteOne Landscape Supply †   15,332    2,506,015 
         24,824,953 
Information Technology — 23.15%          
Advanced Energy Industries   11,987    1,236,099 
Allegro MicroSystems †   62,795    2,005,672 
Belden   21,953    2,119,562 
Box Class A †   40,088    970,531 
Calix †   34,647    1,588,219 
CyberArk Software †   20,697    3,389,548 
DoubleVerify Holdings †   111,887    3,127,242 
Instructure Holdings †   56,337    1,430,960 
Jamf Holding †   20,093    354,842 
Onto Innovation †   14,554    1,855,926 
Power Integrations   13,540    1,033,237 
Rambus †   29,344    1,637,102 
Sprout Social Class A †   51,881    2,587,824 
Super Micro Computer †   6,886    1,888,279 
  5

Table of Contents 

Schedule of investments

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund

   Number of
shares
   Value (US $) 
Common Stocks (continued)        
Information Technology (continued)          
Tenable Holdings †   53,404   $2,392,499 
         27,617,542 
Materials — 1.99%          
ATI †   57,676    2,373,367 
         2,373,367 
Total Common Stocks (cost $117,043,423)        116,986,199 
 
Short-Term Investments — 2.13%          
Money Market Mutual Funds — 2.13%          
BlackRock Liquidity FedFund – Institutional Shares
(seven-day effective yield 5.24%)
   636,492    636,492 
Fidelity Investments Money Market Government Portfolio –
Class I (seven-day effective yield 5.23%)
   636,492    636,492 
Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund –
Institutional Shares (seven-day effective yield 5.37%)
   636,491    636,491 
Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Funds Government
Portfolio – Institutional Class (seven-day effective yield 5.27%)
   636,491    636,491 
Total Short-Term Investments (cost $2,545,966)        2,545,966 
Total Value of Securities—100.18%
(cost $119,589,389)
       $119,532,165 
Non-income producing security.

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

6  

Table of Contents 

Statement of assets and liabilities  
Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)
Assets:    
Investments, at value*  $119,532,165 
Cash   918 
Receivable for securities sold   628,131 
Receivable for fund shares sold   479,986 
Prepaid expenses   66,136 
Dividends receivable   13,582 
Other assets   1,460 
Total Assets   120,722,378 
Liabilities:     
Payable for fund shares redeemed   655,512 
Payable for securities purchased   455,595 
Other accrued expenses   199,214 
Investment management fees payable to affiliates   64,175 
Administration expenses payable to affiliates   22,118 
Distribution fees payable to affiliates   8,206 
Total Liabilities   1,404,820 
Total Net Assets  $119,317,558 
 
Net Assets Consist of:     
Paid-in capital  $193,210,111 
Total distributable earnings (loss)   (73,892,553)
Total Net Assets  $119,317,558 
  7

Table of Contents 

Statement of assets and liabilities

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund

Net Asset Value    
     
Class A:     
Net assets  $19,545,749 
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding, unlimited authorization, no par   2,165,157 
Net asset value per share  $9.03 
Sales charge   5.75%
Offering price per share, equal to net asset value per share / (1 - sales charge)  $9.58 
      
Class C:     
Net assets  $4,151,038 
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding, unlimited authorization, no par   499,682 
Net asset value per share  $8.31 
      
Class R:     
Net assets  $1,269,844 
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding, unlimited authorization, no par   144,905 
Net asset value per share  $8.76 
      
Institutional Class:     
Net assets  $94,350,927 
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding, unlimited authorization, no par   10,207,842 
Net asset value per share  $9.24 
 
 
*Investments, at cost  $119,589,389 

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

8  

Table of Contents 

Statement of operations  
Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund Six months ended September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)
Investment Income:    
Dividends  $245,828 
 
Expenses:     
Management fees   464,068 
Distribution expenses — Class A   24,542 
Distribution expenses — Class C   22,620 
Distribution expenses — Class R   3,207 
Dividend disbursing and transfer agent fees and expenses   69,149 
Registration fees   36,907 
Accounting and administration expenses   29,418 
Reports and statements to shareholders expenses   20,425 
Audit and tax fees   13,959 
Legal fees   5,625 
Custodian fees   4,551 
Trustees’ fees and expenses   4,134 
Other   7,165 
    705,770 
Less expenses waived   (104,544)
Less expenses paid indirectly   (21)
Total operating expenses   601,205 
Net Investment Income (Loss)   (355,377)
 
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss):     
Net realized gain (loss) on investments   9,576,930 
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments   (5,867,449)
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)   3,709,481 
Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations  $3,354,104 

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

  9

Table of Contents 

Statements of changes in net assets

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund

   Six months
ended
9/30/23
(Unaudited)
   Year ended
3/31/23
 
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Operations:          
Net investment income (loss)  $(355,377)  $(1,453,535)
Net realized gain (loss)   9,576,930    (64,093,770)
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)   (5,867,449)   10,193,276 
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations   3,354,104    (55,354,029)
 
Dividends and Distributions to Shareholders from:          
Distributable earnings:          
Class A       (7,296)
Class C       (1,719)
Class R       (425)
Institutional Class       (46,269)
        (55,709)
 
Capital Share Transactions (See Note 4):          
Proceeds from shares sold:          
Class A   2,690,663    11,847,661 
Class C   387,984    1,150,239 
Class R   22,824    154,607 
Institutional Class   20,604,214    107,579,678 
Net asset value of shares issued upon reinvestment of dividends and distributions:          
Class A       7,285 
Class C       1,719 
Class R       425 
Institutional Class       45,457 
    23,705,685    120,787,071 
10  

Table of Contents 

   Six months
ended
9/30/23
(Unaudited)
   Year ended
3/31/23
 
Capital Share Transactions (continued):          
Cost of shares redeemed:          
Class A  $(2,009,584)  $(7,914,063)
Class C   (794,035)   (1,236,101)
Class R   (10,593)   (285,865)
Institutional Class   (24,265,698)   (151,198,327)
    (27,079,910)   (160,634,356)
Decrease in net assets derived from capital share transactions   (3,374,225)   (39,847,285)
Net Decrease in Net Assets   (20,121)   (95,257,023)
           
Net Assets:          
Beginning of period   119,337,679    214,594,702 
End of period  $119,317,558   $119,337,679 

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

  11

Table of Contents 

Financial highlights

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund Class A

Selected data for each share of the Fund outstanding throughout each period were as follows:

Net asset value, beginning of period
 
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment loss2
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
Total from investment operations
 
Less dividends and distributions from:
Net realized gain
Total dividends and distributions
 
Net asset value, end of period
 
Total return4
 
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
Ratio of expenses to average net assets6
Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived6
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets prior to fees waived
Portfolio turnover

1 Ratios have been annualized and total return and portfolio turnover have not been annualized.
2 Calculated using average shares outstanding.
3 Amount is less than $0.005 per share.
4 Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value and does not reflect the impact of a sales charge.
5 Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager and/or distributor. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect.
6 Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests.

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

12  

Table of Contents 

  Six months ended
9/30/231 
   Year ended
  (Unaudited)   3/31/23   3/31/22   3/31/21   3/31/20   3/31/19 
  $8.78   $11.84   $17.63   $9.23   $10.39   $11.59 
 
 
   (0.03)   (0.10)   (0.19)   (0.21)   (0.13)   (0.14)
   0.28    (2.96)   (3.51)   11.79    (0.88)   2.33 
   0.25    (3.06)   (3.70)   11.58    (1.01)   2.19 
 
 
       3    (2.09)   (3.18)   (0.15)   (3.39)
       3    (2.09)   (3.18)   (0.15)   (3.39)
 
  $9.03   $8.78   $11.84   $17.63   $9.23   $10.39 
 
   2.85%5    (25.82%)5    (22.58%)   128.96%5    (9.93%)5    22.47%5 
 
 
  $19,546   $18,410   $19,180   $25,560   $2,053   $2,330 
   1.14%   1.27%   1.28%   1.30%   1.30%   1.30%
   1.31%   1.37%   1.28%   1.31%   1.65%   2.68%
   (0.71%)   (1.18%)   (1.21%)   (1.21%)   (1.26%)   (1.19%)
   (0.88%)   (1.28%)   (1.21%)   (1.22%)   (1.61%)   (2.57%)
   58%   122%   115%   118%   139%   158%
  13

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Financial highlights

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund Class C

Selected data for each share of the Fund outstanding throughout each period were as follows:

Net asset value, beginning of period
 
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment loss2
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
Total from investment operations
 
Less dividends and distributions from:
Net realized gain
Total dividends and distributions
 
Net asset value, end of period
 
Total return4
 
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
Ratio of expenses to average net assets6
Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived6
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets prior to fees waived
Portfolio turnover

1 Ratios have been annualized and total return and portfolio turnover have not been annualized.
2 Calculated using average shares outstanding.
3 Amount is less than $0.005 per share.
4 Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value and does not reflect the impact of a sales charge.
5 Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager and/or distributor. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect.
6 Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests.

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

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  Six months ended
9/30/231 
   Year ended
  (Unaudited)   3/31/23   3/31/22   3/31/21   3/31/20   3/31/19 
  $8.11   $11.01   $16.68   $8.88   $10.08   $11.43 
 
 
   (0.06)   (0.16)   (0.29)   (0.32)   (0.20)   (0.21)
   0.26    (2.74)   (3.29)   11.30    (0.85)   2.25 
   0.20    (2.90)   (3.58)   10.98    (1.05)   2.04 
 
 
       3    (2.09)   (3.18)   (0.15)   (3.39)
       3    (2.09)   (3.18)   (0.15)   (3.39)
 
  $8.31   $8.11   $11.01   $16.68   $8.88   $10.08 
 
   2.47%5    (26.31%)5    (23.18%)   127.18%5    (10.64%)5    21.42%5 
 
 
  $4,151   $4,434   $6,155   $7,564   $773   $478 
   1.89%   2.02%   2.03%   2.05%   2.05%   2.05%
   2.06%   2.12%   2.03%   2.06%   2.40%   3.43%
   (1.46%)   (1.93%)   (1.96%)   (1.96%)   (2.01%)   (1.94%)
   (1.63%)   (2.03%)   (1.96%)   (1.97%)   (2.36%)   (3.32%)
   58%   122%   115%   118%   139%   158%
  15

Table of Contents 

Financial highlights

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund Class R

Selected data for each share of the Fund outstanding throughout each period were as follows:

Net asset value, beginning of period
 
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment loss2
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
Total from investment operations
 
Less dividends and distributions from:
Net realized gain
Total dividends and distributions
 
Net asset value, end of period
 
Total return4
 
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
Ratio of expenses to average net assets6
Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived6
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets prior to fees waived
Portfolio turnover

1 Ratios have been annualized and total return and portfolio turnover have not been annualized.
2 Calculated using average shares outstanding.
3 Amount is less than $0.005 per share.
4 Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value.
5 Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager and/or distributor. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect.
6 Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests.

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

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  Six months ended
9/30/231 
   Year ended
  (Unaudited)   3/31/23   3/31/22   3/31/21   3/31/20   3/31/19 
  $8.53   $11.53   $17.28   $9.10   $10.27   $11.53 
 
 
   (0.04)   (0.12)   (0.23)   (0.23)   (0.16)   (0.17)
   0.27    (2.88)   (3.43)   11.59    (0.86)   2.30 
   0.23    (3.00)   (3.66)   11.36    (1.02)   2.13 
 
 
       3    (2.09)   (3.18)   (0.15)   (3.39)
       3    (2.09)   (3.18)   (0.15)   (3.39)
 
  $8.76   $8.53   $11.53   $17.28   $9.10   $10.27 
 
   2.70%5    (25.99%)5    (22.82%)   128.36%5    (10.15%)5    22.05%5 
 
 
  $1,270   $1,225   $1,851   $2,975   $1,120   $1,577 
   1.39%   1.52%   1.53%   1.55%   1.55%   1.55%
   1.56%   1.62%   1.53%   1.56%   1.90%   2.93%
   (0.96%)   (1.43%)   (1.46%)   (1.46%)   (1.51%)   (1.44%)
   (1.13%)   (1.53%)   (1.46%)   (1.47%)   (1.86%)   (2.82%)
   58%   122%   115%   118%   139%   158%
  17

Table of Contents 

Financial highlights

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund Institutional Class

Selected data for each share of the Fund outstanding throughout each period were as follows:

Net asset value, beginning of period
 
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment loss2
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
Total from investment operations
 
Less dividends and distributions from:
Net realized gain
Total dividends and distributions
 
Net asset value, end of period
 
Total return4
 
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
Ratio of expenses to average net assets6
Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived6
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets prior to fees waived
Portfolio turnover

1 Ratios have been annualized and total return and portfolio turnover have not been annualized.
2 Calculated using average shares outstanding.
3 Amount is less than $0.005 per share.
4 Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value.
5 Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect.
6 Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests.

See accompanying notes, which are an integral part of the financial statements.

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  Six months ended
9/30/231 
   Year ended
  (Unaudited)   3/31/23   3/31/22   3/31/21   3/31/20   3/31/19 
  $8.98   $12.07   $17.89   $9.33   $10.47   $11.64 
 
 
   (0.02)   (0.08)   (0.15)   (0.15)   (0.11)   (0.11)
   0.28    (3.01)   (3.58)   11.89    (0.88)   2.33 
   0.26    (3.09)   (3.73)   11.74    (0.99)   2.22 
 
 
       3    (2.09)   (3.18)   (0.15)   (3.39)
       3    (2.09)   (3.18)   (0.15)   (3.39)
 
  $9.24   $8.98   $12.07   $17.89   $9.33   $10.47 
 
   2.90%5    (25.58%)5    (22.42%)   129.33%5    (9.66%)5    22.68%5 
 
 
  $94,351   $95,269   $187,409   $142,615   $58,923   $8,931 
   0.89%   1.02%   1.03%   1.05%   1.05%   1.05%
   1.06%   1.12%   1.03%   1.06%   1.40%   2.43%
   (0.46%)   (0.93%)   (0.96%)   (0.96%)   (1.01%)   (0.94%)
   (0.63%)   (1.03%)   (0.96%)   (0.97%)   (1.36%)   (2.32%)
   58%   122%   115%   118%   139%   158%
  19

Table of Contents 

Notes to financial statements

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund September 30, 2023 (Unaudited)

Delaware Group® Equity Funds IV (Trust) is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and offers 9 funds. These financial statements and the related notes pertain to Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund (Fund). The Trust is an open-end investment company. The Fund is considered diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act), and offers Class A, Class C, Class R, and Institutional Class shares. Class A shares are sold with a maximum front-end sales charge of 5.75%. There is no front-end sales charge when you purchase $1 million or more of Class A shares. However, if Delaware Distributors, L.P. (DDLP) paid your financial intermediary a commission on your purchase of $1 million or more of Class A shares, you will have to pay a limited contingent deferred sales charge (Limited CDSC) of 1.00% if you redeem these shares within the first 18 months after your purchase, unless a specific waiver of the Limited CDSC applies. Class C shares have no upfront sales charge, but are sold with a contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) of 1.00%, which will be incurred if redeemed during the first 12 months. Class R and Institutional Class shares are not subject to a sales charge and are offered for sale exclusively to certain eligible investors.

1. Significant Accounting Policies

The Fund follows accounting and reporting guidance under Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services — Investment Companies. The following accounting policies are in accordance with US generally accepted accounting principles (US GAAP) and are consistently followed by the Fund.

Security Valuation — Equity securities and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), except those traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq), are valued at the last quoted sales price as of the time of the regular close of the New York Stock Exchange on the valuation date. Equity securities and ETFs traded on the Nasdaq are valued in accordance with the Nasdaq Official Closing Price, which may not be the last sales price. If, on a particular day, an equity security or ETF does not trade, the mean between the bid and the ask prices will be used, which approximates fair value. Open-end investment companies, other than ETFs, are valued at their published net asset value (NAV). Generally, other securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by Delaware Management Company (DMC). Subject to the oversight of the Trust’s Board of Trustees (Board), DMC, as valuation designee, has adopted policies and procedures to fair value securities for which market quotations are not readily available consistent with the requirements of Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act. In determining whether market quotations are readily available or fair valuation will be used, various factors will be taken into consideration, such as market closures or suspension of trading in a security. Restricted securities and private placements are valued at fair value.

Federal Income Taxes — No provision for federal income taxes has been made as the Fund intends to continue to qualify for federal income tax purposes as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and make the requisite distributions to shareholders. The Fund evaluates tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing the Fund’s tax returns to determine whether the tax positions

20  

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are “more-likely-than-not” of being sustained by the applicable tax authority. Tax positions not deemed to meet the “more-likely-than-not” threshold are recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current year. Management has analyzed the Fund’s tax positions taken or expected to be taken on the Fund’s federal income tax returns through the six months ended September 30, 2023, and for all open tax years (years ended March 31, 2020March 31, 2023), and has concluded that no provision for federal income tax is required in the Fund’s financial statements. If applicable, the Fund recognizes interest accrued on unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and penalties in “Other” on the “Statement of operations.” During the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund did not incur any interest or tax penalties.

Class Accounting — Investment income, common expenses, and realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments are allocated to the various classes of the Fund on the basis of daily net assets of each class. Distribution expenses relating to a specific class are charged directly to that class.

Use of Estimates — The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the fair value of investments, the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates and the differences could be material.

Other — Expenses directly attributable to the Fund are charged directly to the Fund. Other expenses common to various funds within the Delaware Funds by Macquarie® (Delaware Funds) are generally allocated among such funds on the basis of average net assets. Management fees and certain other expenses are paid monthly. Security transactions are recorded on the date the securities are purchased or sold (trade date) for financial reporting purposes. Costs used in calculating realized gains and losses on the sale of investment securities are those of the specific securities sold. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date and interest income is recorded on an accrual basis. Income and capital gain distributions from any investment companies (Underlying Funds) in which the Fund invests are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Distributions received from investments in real estate investment trusts (REITs) are recorded as dividend income on the ex-dividend date, subject to reclassification upon notice of the character of such distributions by the issuer. The Fund declares and pays dividends from net investment income and distributions from net realized gain on investments, if any, at least annually. The Fund may distribute more frequently, if necessary for tax purposes. Dividends and distributions, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date.

The Fund receives earnings credits from its transfer agent when positive cash balances are maintained, which may be used to offset transfer agent fees. If the amount earned is greater than $1, the expenses paid under this arrangement are included on the “Statement of operations” under “Dividend disbursing and transfer agent fees and expenses” with the corresponding expenses offset included under “Less expenses paid indirectly.”

  21

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Notes to financial statements

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund

2. Investment Management, Administration Agreements, and Other Transactions with Affiliates

In accordance with the terms of its investment management agreement, the Fund pays DMC, a series of Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust and the investment manager, an annual fee which is calculated daily and paid monthly at the rates of 0.75% on the first $500 million of average daily net assets of the Fund, 0.70% on the next $500 million, 0.65% on the next $1.5 billion, and 0.60% on average daily net assets in excess of $2.5 billion.

DMC has contractually agreed to waive all or a portion of its investment advisory fees and/or pay/reimburse expenses (excluding any distribution and service (12b-1) fees, acquired fund fees and expenses, taxes, interest, short sale dividend and interest expenses, brokerage fees, certain insurance costs, and nonroutine expenses or costs, including, but not limited to, those relating to reorganizations, litigation, conducting shareholder meetings, and liquidations), in order to prevent total annual fund operating expenses from exceeding 0.89% of the Fund’s average daily net assets from April 1, 2023 through July 30, 2024. These waivers and reimbursements may only be terminated by agreement of DMC and the Fund. The waivers and reimbursements are accrued daily and received monthly.

After consideration of class specific expenses, including 12b-1 fees, the class level operating expense limitation as a percentage of average daily net assets for the period April 1, 2023 through July 30, 2024 is as follows:

  Operating expense limitation as a percentage of average daily net assets
  Class A  Class C  Class R  Institutional Class
  1.14%  1.89%  0.89%  1.39%

DMC entered into a Sub-Advisory Agreement on behalf of the Fund with Macquarie Investment Management Global Limited, an affiliate of DMC (“Affiliated Sub-Advisor”). Pursuant to the terms of the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the investment sub-advisory fee is paid by DMC to the Affiliated Sub-Advisor based on the extent to which the Affiliated Sub-Advisor provides services to the Fund.

Delaware Investments Fund Services Company (DIFSC), an affiliate of DMC, provides fund accounting and financial administrative oversight services to the Fund. For these services, DIFSC’s fees are calculated daily and paid monthly, based on the aggregate daily net assets of all funds within the Delaware Funds at the following annual rates: 0.00475% of the first $35 billion; 0.0040% of the next $10 billion; 0.0025% of the next $45 billion; and 0.0015% of aggregate average daily net assets in excess of $90 billion (Total Fee). Each fund in the Delaware Funds pays a minimum of $4,000, which, in aggregate, is subtracted from the Total Fee. Each fund then pays its portion of the remainder of the Total Fee on a relative NAV basis. This amount is included on the “Statement of operations” under “Accounting and administration expenses.” For the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund paid $3,865 for these services.

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DIFSC is also the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent of the Fund. For these services, DIFSC’s fees are calculated daily and paid monthly, based on the aggregate daily net assets of the retail funds within the Delaware Funds at the following annual rates: 0.014% of the first $20 billion; 0.011% of the next $5 billion; 0.007% of the next $5 billion; 0.004% of the next $20 billion; 0.002% of the next $25 billion; and 0.0015% of average daily net assets in excess of $75 billion. The fees payable to DIFSC under the shareholder services agreement described above are allocated among all retail funds in the Delaware Funds on a relative NAV basis. This amount is included on the “Statement of operations” under “Dividend disbursing and transfer agent fees and expenses.” For the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund paid $3,981 for these services. Pursuant to a sub-transfer agency agreement between DIFSC and BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. (BNYMIS), BNYMIS provides certain sub-transfer agency services to the Fund. Sub-transfer agency fees are paid by the Fund and are also included on the “Statement of operations” under “Dividend disbursing and transfer agent fees and expenses.” The fees that are calculated daily and paid as invoices are received on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Pursuant to a distribution agreement and distribution plan, the Fund pays DDLP, the distributor and an affiliate of DMC, an annual 12b-1 fee of 0.25%, 1.00%, and 0.50% of the average daily net assets of the Class A, Class C, and Class R shares, respectively. The fees are calculated daily and paid monthly. Institutional Class shares do not pay a 12b-1 fee.

As provided in the investment management agreement, the Fund bears a portion of the cost of certain resources shared with DMC, including the cost of internal personnel of DMC and/or its affiliates that provide legal and regulatory reporting services to the Fund. For the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund paid $1,795 for internal legal and regulatory reporting services provided by DMC and/or its affiliates’ employees. This amount is included on the “Statement of operations” under “Legal fees.”

For the six months ended September 30, 2023, DDLP earned $4,789 for commissions on sales of the Fund’s Class A shares. For the six months ended September 30, 2023, DDLP received gross CDSC commissions of $45 on redemptions of the Fund’s Class A shares, and these commissions were entirely used to offset upfront commissions previously paid by DDLP to broker/dealers on sales of those shares.

Trustees’ fees include expenses accrued by the Fund for each Trustee’s retainer and meeting fees. Certain officers of DMC, DIFSC, and DDLP are officers and/or Trustees of the Trust. These officers and Trustees are paid no compensation by the Fund.

In addition to the management fees and other expenses of the Fund, the Fund indirectly bears the investment management fees and other expenses of any Underlying Funds, including ETFs, in which it invests. The amount of these fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund will vary based upon the expense and fee levels of any Underlying Funds and the number of shares that are owned of any Underlying Funds at different times.

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Table of Contents 

Notes to financial statements

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund

3. Investments

For the six months ended September 30, 2023, the Fund made purchases and sales of investment securities other than short-term investments and US government securities as follows:

Purchases  $69,680,335 
Sales   72,190,393 

At September 30, 2023, the cost and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments for federal income tax purposes have been estimated since final tax characteristics cannot be determined until fiscal year end. At September 30, 2023, the cost and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments for the Fund were as follows:

Cost of investments  $119,589,389 
Aggregate unrealized appreciation of investments  $8,686,152 
Aggregate unrealized depreciation of investments   (8,743,376)
Net unrealized depreciation of investments  $(57,224)

For federal income tax purposes, capital loss carryforwards may be carried forward and applied against future capital gains. At March 31, 2023, the Fund has capital loss carryforwards available to offset future realized capital gains as follows:

  Loss carryforward character   
  Short-term  Long-term  Total
  $56,687,316  $24,515,900  $81,203,216

US GAAP defines fair value as the price that the Fund would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date under current market conditions. A three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements has been established based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability. Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available under the circumstances. The Fund’s investment in its entirety is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation. The three-level hierarchy of inputs is summarized as follows:

Level 1 –  Inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical investments. (Examples: equity securities, open-end investment companies, futures contracts, and exchange-traded options contracts)
   
Level 2 –  Other observable inputs, including, but not limited to: quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in markets that are active, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or
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  liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the assets or liabilities (such as interest rates, yield curves, volatilities, prepayment speeds, loss severities, credit risks, and default rates) or other market-corroborated inputs. (Examples: debt securities, government securities, swap contracts, forward foreign currency exchange contracts, foreign securities utilizing international fair value pricing, broker-quoted securities, and fair valued securities)
   
Level 3 –  Significant unobservable inputs, including the Fund’s own assumptions used to determine the fair value of investments. (Examples: broker-quoted securities and fair valued securities)

Level 3 investments are valued using significant unobservable inputs. The Fund may also use an income-based valuation approach in which the anticipated future cash flows of the investment are discounted to calculate fair value. Discounts may also be applied due to the nature or duration of any restrictions on the disposition of the investments. Valuations may also be based upon current market prices of securities that are comparable in coupon, rating, maturity, and industry. The derived value of a Level 3 investment may not represent the value which is received upon disposition and this could impact the results of operations.

The following table summarizes the valuation of the Fund’s investments by fair value hierarchy levels as of September 30, 2023:

   Level 1 
Securities     
Assets:     
Common Stocks  $116,986,199 
Short-Term Investments   2,545,966 
Total Value of Securities  $119,532,165 

During the six months ended September 30, 2023, there were no transfers into or out of Level 3 investments. The Fund’s policy is to recognize transfers into or out of Level 3 investments based on fair value at the beginning of the reporting period.

A reconciliation of Level 3 investments is presented when the Fund has a significant amount of Level 3 investments at the beginning or end of the period in relation to the Fund’s net assets. As of September 30, 2023, there were no Level 3 investments.

  25

Table of Contents 

Notes to financial statements

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund

4. Capital Shares

Transactions in capital shares were as follows:

   Six months
ended
9/30/23
   Year ended
3/31/23
 
Shares sold:          
Class A   287,164    1,414,377 
Class C   45,384    142,817 
Class R   2,599    19,236 
Institutional Class   2,190,347    12,555,763 
Shares issued upon reinvestment of dividends and distributions:          
Class A       841 
Class C       214 
Class R       50 
Institutional Class       5,136 
    2,525,494    14,138,434 
 
Shares redeemed:          
Class A   (218,586)   (939,166)
Class C   (92,411)   (155,121)
Class R   (1,254)   (36,262)
Institutional Class   (2,591,845)   (17,474,946)
    (2,904,096)   (18,605,495)
Net decrease   (378,602)   (4,467,061)

Certain shareholders may exchange shares of one class for shares of another class in the same Fund. These exchange transactions are included as subscriptions and redemptions in the table above and on the “Statements of changes in net assets.” For the six months ended September 30, 2023 and the year ended March 31, 2023, the Fund had the following exchange transactions:

   Exchange Redemptions Exchange Subscriptions     
   Class A
Shares
   Class C
Shares
   Class A
Shares
   Institutional
Class
Shares
   Value 
Six months ended                         
9/30/23   451    8,919    8,221    441   $80,246 
Year ended                         
3/31/23   6,001    399    371    5,870    57,481 
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5. Line of Credit

The Fund, along with certain other funds in the Delaware Funds (Participants), is a participant in a $355,000,000 revolving line of credit (Agreement) intended to be used for temporary or emergency purposes as an additional source of liquidity to fund redemptions of investor shares. Under the Agreement, the Participants are charged an annual commitment fee of 0.15%, which is allocated across the Participants based on a weighted average of the respective net assets of each Participant. The Participants are permitted to borrow up to a maximum of one-third of their net assets under the Agreement. Each Participant is individually, and not jointly, liable for its particular advances, if any, under the line of credit. The line of credit available under the Agreement expires on October 30, 2023.

The Fund had no amounts outstanding as of September 30, 2023, or at any time during the period then ended.

6. Securities Lending

The Fund, along with other funds in the Delaware Funds, may lend its securities pursuant to a security lending agreement (Lending Agreement) with The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon). At the time a security is loaned, the borrower must post collateral equal to the required percentage of the market value of the loaned security, including any accrued interest. The required percentage is: (1) 102% with respect to US securities and foreign securities that are denominated and payable in US dollars; and (2) 105% with respect to foreign securities. With respect to each loan, if on any business day the aggregate market value of securities collateral plus cash collateral held is less than the aggregate market value of the securities which are the subject of such loan, the borrower will be notified to provide additional collateral by the end of the following business day, which, together with the collateral already held, will be not less than the applicable initial collateral requirements for such security loan. If the aggregate market value of securities collateral and cash collateral held with respect to a security loan exceeds the applicable initial collateral requirement, upon the request of the borrower, BNY Mellon must return enough collateral to the borrower by the end of the following business day to reduce the value of the remaining collateral to the applicable initial collateral requirement for such security loan. As a result of the foregoing, the value of the collateral held with respect to a loaned security on any particular day, may be more or less than the value of the security on loan. The collateral percentage with respect to the market value of the loaned security is determined by the security lending agent.

Cash collateral received by the Fund is generally invested in an individual separate account. The investment guidelines permit each separate account to hold certain securities that would be considered eligible securities for a money market fund. Cash collateral received is generally invested in government securities; certain obligations issued by government sponsored enterprises; repurchase agreements collateralized by US Treasury securities; obligations issued by the central government of any Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country or its agencies, instrumentalities, or establishments; obligations of supranational

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Notes to financial statements

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund

6. Securities Lending (continued)

organizations; commercial paper, notes, bonds, and other debt obligations; certificates of deposit, time deposits, and other bank obligations; certain money market funds; and asset-backed securities. The Fund can also accept US government securities and letters of credit (non-cash collateral) in connection with securities loans.

In the event of default or bankruptcy by the lending agent, realization and/or retention of the collateral may be subject to legal proceedings. In the event the borrower fails to return loaned securities and the collateral received is insufficient to cover the value of the loaned securities and provided such collateral shortfall is not the result of investment losses, the lending agent has agreed to pay the amount of the shortfall to the Fund or, at the discretion of the lending agent, replace the loaned securities. The Fund continues to record dividends or interest, as applicable, on the securities loaned and is subject to changes in value of the securities loaned that may occur during the term of the loan. The Fund has the right under the Lending Agreement to recover the securities from the borrower on demand. With respect to security loans collateralized by non-cash collateral, the Fund receives loan premiums paid by the borrower. With respect to security loans collateralized by cash collateral, the earnings from the collateral investments are shared among the Fund, the security lending agent, and the borrower. The Fund records security lending income net of allocations to the security lending agent and the borrower.

The Fund may incur investment losses as a result of investing securities lending collateral. This could occur if an investment in the collateral investment account defaulted or became impaired. Under those circumstances, the value of the Fund’s cash collateral account may be less than the amount the Fund would be required to return to the borrowers of the securities and the Fund would be required to make up for this shortfall.

At September 30, 2023, the Fund had no securities out on loan.

7. Credit and Market Risks

The global outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, and lower consumer demand, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of COVID-19, and other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many nations or the entire global economy, individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. In addition, the impact of infectious illnesses in emerging market countries may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. Public health crises caused by the COVID-19 outbreak may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally. The duration of the outbreak, its full economic impact and ongoing effects at the macro-level and on individual businesses are unpredictable and may result in significant and prolonged effects on a Fund’s performance.

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Investments in equity securities in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the NAV of the Fund to fluctuate.

The Fund invests in growth stocks (such as those in the information technology sector), which reflect projections of future earnings and revenue. These prices may rise or fall dramatically depending on whether those projections are met. These companies’ stock prices may be more volatile, particularly over the short term.

The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in small companies and may be subject to certain risks associated with ownership of securities of such companies. Investments in small-sized companies may be more volatile than investments in larger companies for a number of reasons, which include limited financial resources or a dependence on narrow product lines.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, which may include securities with contractual restrictions on resale, securities exempt from registration under Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and other securities which may not be readily marketable. The relative illiquidity of these securities may impair the Fund from disposing of them in a timely manner and at a fair price when it is necessary or desirable to do so. While maintaining oversight, the Board has delegated to DMC, the day-to-day functions of determining whether individual securities are liquid for purposes of the Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities. Securities eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A, which are determined to be liquid, are not subject to the Fund’s 15% limit on investments in illiquid securities. As of September 30, 2023, there were no Rule 144A securities held by the Fund.

8. Contractual Obligations

The Fund enters into contracts in the normal course of business that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Fund has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these contracts. Management has reviewed the Fund’s existing contracts and expects the risk of loss to be remote.

9. Subsequent Events

On October 1, 2023, the fees payable to DIFSC for the fund accounting and financial administrative oversight services provided to the Fund as described in Note 2 were revised. As of such date, DIFSC’s fees are payable by the Fund at the following annual rates: 0.0050% of the first $60 billion; 0.00475% of the next $30 billion; and 0.0015% of aggregate average daily net assets in excess of $90 billion.

On October 30, 2023, each Fund, along with the other Participants, entered into an amendment to the Agreement for a $335,000,000 revolving line of credit to be used as described in Note 5. It operates in substantially the same manner as the original Agreement. Under the amendment to the Agreement, the Participants are charged an annual commitment fee of 0.15%, which is

  29

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Notes to financial statements

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund

9. Subsequent Events (continued)

allocated across the Participants based on a weighted average of the respective net assets of each Participant. The line of credit available under the Agreement expires on October 28, 2024.

Management has determined that no other material events or transactions occurred subsequent to September 30, 2023, that would require recognition or disclosure in the Fund’s financial statements.

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Other Fund information (Unaudited)

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund

Liquidity Risk Management Program

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has adopted Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Liquidity Rule”), which requires all open-end funds (other than money market funds) to adopt and implement a program reasonably designed to assess and manage the fund’s “liquidity risk,” defined as the risk that the fund could not meet requests to redeem shares issued by the fund without significant dilution of remaining investors’ interests in the fund.

The Fund has adopted and implemented a liquidity risk management program in accordance with the Liquidity Rule (the “Program”). The Board has designated a member of the US Operational Risk Group of Macquarie Asset Management as the Program Administrator for each Fund in the Trust.

As required by the Liquidity Rule, the Program includes policies and procedures that provide for: (1) assessment, management, and review (no less frequently than annually) of the Fund’s liquidity risk; (2) classification of each of the Fund’s portfolio holdings into one of four liquidity categories (Highly Liquid, Moderately Liquid, Less Liquid, and Illiquid); (3) for funds that do not primarily hold assets that are Highly Liquid, establishing and maintaining a minimum percentage of the Fund’s net assets in Highly Liquid investments (called a “Highly Liquid Investment Minimum” or “HLIM”); and (4) prohibiting the Fund’s acquisition of Illiquid investments if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would hold more than 15% of its net assets in Illiquid assets. The Program also requires reporting to the SEC (on a non-public basis) and to the Board if the Fund’s holdings of Illiquid assets exceed 15% of the Fund’s net assets. Funds with HLIMs must have procedures for addressing HLIM shortfalls, including reporting to the Board and, with respect to HLIM shortfalls lasting more than seven consecutive calendar days, reporting to the SEC (on a non-public basis).

In assessing and managing the Fund’s liquidity risk, the Program Administrator considers, as relevant, a variety of factors, including: (1) the Fund’s investment strategy and liquidity of portfolio investments during both normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions; (2) short-term and long-term cash flow projections for the Fund during both normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions; and (3) the Fund’s holdings of cash and cash equivalents and any borrowing arrangements. Classification of the Fund’s portfolio holdings in the four liquidity categories is based on the number of days it is reasonably expected to take to convert the investment to cash (for Highly Liquid and Moderately Liquid holdings) or to sell or dispose of the investment (for Less Liquid and Illiquid investments), in current market conditions without significantly changing the investment’s market value. The Fund primarily holds assets that are classified as Highly Liquid, and therefore is not required to establish an HLIM.

At a meeting of the Board held on May 23-25, 2023, the Program Administrator provided a written report to the Board addressing the Program’s operation and assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of its implementation for the period from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023. The report concluded that the Program is appropriately designed and effectively implemented and that it meets the requirements of Rule 22e-4 and the Fund’s liquidity needs. The Fund’s HLIM is set at an appropriate level and the Fund complied with its HLIM at all times during the reporting period.

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Other Fund information (Unaudited)

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund

Board Consideration of Investment Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreements at a Meeting Held on August 8-10, 2023

At a meeting held on August 8-10, 2023 (the “Annual Contract Renewal Meeting”), the Board of Trustees (the “Board”), including a majority of Trustees each of whom is not an “interested person” as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Independent Trustees”), approved the renewal of the Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”) Investment Management Agreement with Delaware Management Company (“DMC”) and the Sub-Advisory Agreement with Macquarie Investment Management Global Limited (“MIMGL” or the “Affiliated Sub-Adviser”).

Prior to the Annual Contract Renewal Meeting, including at a Board meeting held in May 2023, the Trustees conferred extensively among themselves and with representatives of DMC about these matters. Also, the Board was assisted by the Equity Investments Committee and the Fixed Income Multi-Asset Sub-Advised Funds Investments Committee (each an “Investment Committee” and together, the “Investment Committees”), with each Investment Committee assisting the full Board in reviewing investment performance and other matters throughout the year. The Independent Trustees were also assisted in their evaluation of the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement by independent legal counsel, from whom they received separate legal advice and with whom they met separately.

In providing information to the Board, DMC was guided by a detailed set of requests for information submitted to them by independent legal counsel on behalf of the Independent Trustees at the start of the Board’s annual contract renewal process earlier in 2023. Prior to the Annual Contract Renewal Meeting, and in response to the requests, the Board received and reviewed materials specifically relating to the renewal of the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement. In considering and approving the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Trustees considered the information they believed relevant, including but not limited to the information discussed below. The Board considered not only the specific information presented in connection with the Annual Contract Renewal Meeting and the review process for the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, but also the knowledge gained over time through interaction with DMC about various topics. In this regard, the Board reviewed reports of DMC at each of its quarterly meetings, which included information about, among other things, Fund performance, investment strategies, and expenses. In addition, the Investment Committees confer with portfolio managers at various times throughout the year. In considering information relating to the approval of the Fund’s Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Independent Trustees also received information from an independent fund consultant, JDL Consultants, LLC (“JDL”).

The Board did not identify any particular information or consideration that was all-important or controlling, and each individual Trustee may have attributed different weights to various factors.

After its deliberations, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, unanimously approved the continuation of the Investment Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement for a

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one-year term. The following summarizes a number of important, but not necessarily all, factors considered by the Board in support of its approval.

Nature, extent, and quality of services. The Board received and considered various information regarding the nature, extent, and quality of the advisory services provided to the Fund by DMC under its Investment Management Agreement and the experience of the officers and employees of DMC who provide these services, including the Fund’s portfolio managers. The Board’s review included consideration of DMC’s investment process and oversight and research and analysis capabilities, and its ability to attract and retain skilled investment professionals. The Board also considered information regarding DMC’s programs for risk management, including investment, operational, liquidity, derivatives (as applicable), valuation, and compliance risks. The Board received information with respect to the cybersecurity program and business continuity plans of DMC and its affiliates.

In addition, the Board considered certain non-advisory services that DMC and its affiliates provide to the Delaware Funds by Macquarie complex (the “Delaware Funds”). Among other things, these services include third party service provider oversight, transfer agency, internal audit, valuation, portfolio trading, and legal and compliance functions. The Board noted DMC’s responsibility for overseeing the preparation of the Delaware Funds’ registration statement and supplements thereto and shareholder reports; responsibility for periodic filings with regulators; organizing Board meetings and preparing materials for such Board meetings; and furnishing analytical and other support to assist the Board. The Board took into account the benefits to shareholders of investing in a Fund that is part of a family of funds managed by an affiliate of Macquarie Group Ltd. (“Macquarie”), the parent company of DMC, and the resources available to DMC as part of Macquarie’s global asset management business.

The Board received and considered various information with respect to the services provided by the Affiliated Sub-Adviser under the Sub-Advisory Agreement and the credentials and experience of the officers and employees of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser who provide these services. The Board considered the division of responsibilities between DMC and the Affiliated Sub-Adviser, and the oversight provided by DMC. The Board also considered the expertise of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser with respect to certain asset classes and/or investment styles. The Board noted that the Affiliated Sub-Adviser is part of Macquarie’s global investment platform that has offices and personnel that are located around the world. The Affiliated Sub-Adviser provides research, investment and trading analysis on the markets and economies of various countries in which the Fund may invest, makes recommendations regarding securities, provides portfolio management services and assists with security trades, as applicable. The Board took into account that the Sub-Advisory Agreement may benefit the Fund and its shareholders by permitting DMC to use the resources and talents of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser in managing the Fund.

The Board also received and considered information about the nature and extent of services offered and fee rates charged by DMC to other types of clients with investment strategies similar to those of the Fund. In this regard, the Board received information about the significantly greater scope of services, and compliance, reporting and other legal and regulatory obligations and risks of managing registered investment companies compared with those associated with managing

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Other Fund information (Unaudited)

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund

Board Consideration of Investment Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreements at a Meeting Held on August 8-10, 2023 (continued)

assets of other types of clients, including third-party sub-advised fund clients, unregistered funds and separately managed accounts.

The Board concluded that, overall, it was satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided (and expected to be provided) to the Fund by DMC and the Affiliated Sub-Adviser.

Investment performance. The Board received and considered information with respect to the investment performance of the Fund, including performance reports and discussions with portfolio managers at meetings of the Board’s Investment Committees throughout the year as well as reports provided by Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., an independent investment company data provider (“Broadridge”), furnished for the Annual Contract Renewal Meeting. The Broadridge reports prepared for the Fund’s institutional share class showed its investment performance in comparison to the institutional share class of a group of similar funds (the “Performance Universe”). The Board received a description of the methodology used by Broadridge to select the peer funds in the Performance Universe. Comparative annualized performance for the Fund was shown for the past 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year or since inception periods, as applicable, ended December 31, 2022.

The Performance Universe consists of the Fund and all retail and institutional small-cap growth funds, regardless of asset size or primary channel of distribution. The Board noted that the Broadridge report comparison showed that the Fund’s total return for the 1- and 3-year periods was in the fourth quartile of its Performance Universe and for the 5-year and since inception periods was in the second quartile of its Performance Universe. The Broadridge report comparison showed that the Fund’s total return for the 1- and 3-year periods was below the median of its Performance Universe and for the 5-year and since inception periods was above the median of its Performance Universe. The Board also noted that the Fund underperformed its benchmark index for the 1- and 3-year periods and outperformed its benchmark index for the 5-year and since inception periods. The Board noted that the Fund was generally performing in line with its Performance Universe and benchmark index for the 5-year and since inception periods. The Board, however, noted that the investment performance of the current portfolio management team and investment strategy only began as of December 2022. The Board noted the explanations from DMC and from the Affiliated Sub-Adviser concerning the reasons for the Fund’s relative performance versus its Performance Universe for the 1- and 3-year periods.

Comparative expenses. The Board received and considered expense data for the Fund. DMC provided the Board with information on pricing levels and fee structures for the Fund as of its most recently completed fiscal year. The Broadridge total expenses, for comparative consistency, were shown by Broadridge total expenses including 12b-1 and non-Rule 12b-1 service fees. The Board also considered the comparative analysis of contractual management fees and actual total expense ratios of the Fund versus contractual management fees and actual total expense ratios of a group of peer funds as selected by Broadridge (the “Expense Group”). In reviewing comparative costs, the Fund’s contractual management fee and the actual management fee incurred by the Fund were compared with the contractual management fees (assuming all funds

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in the Expense Group were similar in size to the Fund) and actual management fees, taking into account any applicable breakpoints and fee waivers, with the Fund’s expense universe, which is comprised of the Fund, its Expense Group and all other similar institutional funds, excluding outliers (the “Expense Universe”). The Fund’s total expenses were also compared with those of its Expense Universe. The Board also received and considered information regarding the Fund’s net operating expense ratios and their various components, including actual management fees, custodian and other non-management fees, and Rule 12b-1 and non-Rule 12b-1 shareholder service fees.

The expense comparisons for the Fund showed that its actual management fee was below the median of its Expense Universe and its actual total expenses were above its Expense Group average. It was noted that consistent with DMC’s waiver methodology, its advisory fee waivers, if any, were at the fund level and not class level.

The Board noted that DMC, and not the Fund, pays the sub-advisory fees to the Affiliated Sub-Adviser and, accordingly, that the retention of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser does not increase the fees and expenses incurred by the Fund.

Based on its consideration of the factors and information it deemed relevant, including those described here, the Board determined that the compensation payable to DMC under the Investment Management Agreement and to the Affiliated Sub-Adviser under the Sub-Advisory Agreement was reasonable.

Economies of scale. The Board received and considered information about the potential for DMC to realize economies of scale in the provision of management services to the Fund, the difficulties of calculating economies of scale at an individual Fund level, and the extent to which potential scale benefits are shared with shareholders, including the extent to which any economies of scale are reflected in the level of management fees charged. DMC discussed its advisory fee pricing and structure for the Delaware Funds, including the current breakpoints. The Board noted that the Fund may also benefit from economies of scale through initial fee setting, fee waivers and expense reimbursements, as well as DMC’s investment in its business, including investments in business infrastructure, technology and cybersecurity.

Management profitability. The Board received and considered the Investment Management Profitability Analysis that addressed the overall profitability of DMC’s business in providing management and other services to the Fund and the Delaware Funds as a whole, including the methodology used by DMC in allocating costs for the purpose of determining profitability. The Board noted DMC’s changes to its cost allocation methodology for its profitability analysis and the explanations for such changes. The Board also reviewed a report prepared by JDL regarding DMC’s profitability as compared to certain peer fund complexes and the Independent Trustees discussed DMC’s profitability in such context with representatives from JDL. The Board recognized that calculating and comparing profitability at the individual fund level is difficult; that DMC’s profit, if any, can vary significantly depending on the particular fund; and that DMC’s support for, and commitment to, a fund is not solely dependent on the profits realized as to that fund.

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Other Fund information (Unaudited)

Delaware Small Cap Growth Fund

Board Consideration of Investment Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreements at a Meeting Held on August 8-10, 2023 (continued)

The Board also received and considered information about the portion of the total management fee that was retained by DMC after payment of the fee to the Affiliated Sub-Adviser for sub-advisory services. In assessing the reasonableness of this amount, the Board received and evaluated information about the nature and extent of the responsibilities retained and risk assumed by DMC and not delegated to or assumed by the Affiliated Sub-Adviser. Given the affiliation between DMC and the Affiliated Sub-Adviser, the Board ascribed limited relevance to the allocation of fees between them.

Based on its review, the Board determined that DMC’s profitability was not excessive in light of the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund.

Ancillary benefits. The Board received and considered information regarding the extent to which DMC and its affiliates might derive ancillary benefits from fund operations, including the potential for procuring additional business as a result of the prestige and visibility associated with its role as investment manager to the Delaware Funds; the benefits from allocation of fund brokerage to improve trading efficiencies; the portfolio transactions executed through “soft dollar” arrangements; and the fees that various affiliates received for serving as transfer agent and for overseeing fund accounting and financial administration services to the Delaware Funds. The Board considered that it receives periodic reports from DMC that include a representation that any soft dollar arrangements are consistent with regulatory requirements. The Board received information from DMC regarding its view of the performance of its affiliates in providing transfer agent and fund accounting and financial administration oversight services and the organizational structure employed to provide these services pursuant to their contracts with the Fund.

Based on its consideration of the factors and information it deemed relevant, including the costs of providing investment management and other services to the Fund and the ongoing commitment of DMC and its affiliates to the Fund, the Board did not find that any ancillary benefits received by DMC and its affiliates, including the Affiliated Sub-Adviser, were unreasonable.

Conclusion. Based on its review, consideration and evaluation of all factors it believed relevant, including the above-described factors and conclusions, the Board, including all of the Independent Trustees, approved the continuation of DMC’s Investment Management Agreement and of the Affiliated Sub-Adviser’s Sub-Advisory Agreement for an additional one-year period.

Form N-PORT and proxy voting information

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT, as well as a description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies (if any) relating to portfolio securities, is available without charge (i) upon request, by calling 800 523-1918; and (ii) on the SEC’s website at sec.gov. In addition, a description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies (if any) relating to portfolio securities and the Schedule of Investments included in

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the Fund’s most recent Form N-PORT are available without charge on the Fund’s website at delawarefunds.com/literature.

Information (if any) regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recently disclosed 12-month period ended June 30 is available without charge (i) through the Fund’s website at delawarefunds.com/proxy; and (ii) on the SEC’s website at sec.gov.

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Item 2. Code of Ethics

Not applicable.

Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert

Not applicable.

Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services

Not applicable.

Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants

Not applicable.

Item 6. Investments

  (a) Included as part of report to shareholders filed under Item 1 of this Form N-CSR.
     
  (b) Divestment of securities in accordance with Section 13(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940.

Not applicable.

Item 7. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies

Not applicable.

Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies

Not applicable.

Item 9. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Companies and Affiliated Purchasers

Not applicable.

Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

Not applicable.

Item 11. Controls and Procedures

The registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (17 CFR 270.30a-3(c))) are effective, as of a date within 90 days of the filing of this report, based on their evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-3(b)) and Rules 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b)

  

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</PAGE>

under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (17 CFR 240.13a-15(b) or 240.15d-15(b)) and provide reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed by the registrant in its reports or statements filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

There were no significant changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-3(d)) that occurred during the period covered by the report to stockholders included herein that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Item 12. Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

Not applicable.

Item 13. Exhibits

(a) (1) Code of Ethics

Not applicable.

(2) Certifications of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 30a-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 are attached hereto as Exhibit 99.CERT.

(3) Written solicitations to purchase securities pursuant to Rule 23c-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Not applicable.

(b) Certifications pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.906CERT.
  

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf, by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

DELAWARE GROUP® EQUITY FUNDS IV

/s/SHAWN K. LYTLE  
By: Shawn K. Lytle  
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
Date: December 4, 2023  

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

/s/SHAWN K. LYTLE  
By: Shawn K. Lytle  
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
Date: December 4, 2023  
/s/RICHARD SALUS  
By: Richard Salus  
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Date: December 4, 2023  
  

Dates Referenced Herein   and   Documents Incorporated by Reference

Referenced-On Page
This ‘N-CSRS’ Filing    Date First  Last      Other Filings
10/28/242
7/30/242
Filed on / Effective on:12/4/234
10/30/232
10/1/232
For Period end:9/30/2312
7/31/232485BPOS,  497K
7/1/232
4/28/232
4/1/232
3/31/23224F-2NT,  N-CEN,  N-CSR,  N-CSRS,  NPORT-P,  NPORT-P/A
12/31/222
9/9/222
4/1/222
3/31/20224F-2NT,  N-CEN,  N-CSR,  N-CSRS,  N-MFP2,  NPORT-P
6/1/922
 List all Filings 


9 Subsequent Filings that Reference this Filing

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

 3/06/24  Delaware Group Adviser Funds      497         3/06/24    1:15M                                    Pietrzykowski Kris… R/FA
 3/06/24  Delaware Group Equity Funds II    497         3/06/24    1:15M                                    Pietrzykowski Kris… R/FA
 3/06/24  Ivy Funds                         497         3/06/24    1:15M                                    Pietrzykowski Kris… R/FA
 3/01/24  Delaware Group Adviser Funds      N-14/A                12:15M                                    Pietrzykowski Kris… R/FA
 3/01/24  Delaware Group Equity Funds II    N-14/A                12:15M                                    Pietrzykowski Kris… R/FA
 3/01/24  Ivy Funds                         N-14/A                12:15M                                    Pietrzykowski Kris… R/FA
 1/18/24  Delaware Group Adviser Funds      N-14                  14:13M                                    Pietrzykowski Kris… R/FA
 1/18/24  Delaware Group Equity Funds II    N-14                  14:13M                                    Pietrzykowski Kris… R/FA
 1/18/24  Ivy Funds                         N-14                  14:13M                                    Pietrzykowski Kris… R/FA
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