Trusted Insight for Independent Oversight

MFDF is an independent association for independent directors of mutual funds, ETFs, closed-end funds, and other registered investment companies.

MFDF helps independent directors navigate an evolving regulatory environment and steward shareholders’ investments. MFDF provides tailored educational resources and facilitates peer-to-peer networking, with offerings that include webinars, white papers, and interactive conferences. As an independent association, MFDF’s membership includes a wide range of fund boards and represents a diverse community of directors.

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Educational Offerings

MFDF provides comprehensive and high-quality educational resources tailored to independent directors. Explore upcoming programs, including webinars, single-day in-person seminars, multi-day conferences, and informal networking discussions.

Insights for the Field

The nature of the work of independent directors is ever-evolving. Read the latest news, practical guidance, comment letters to regulators, and other viewpoints.

Become a Member

Your goal is to steward your investors’ resources. We promise to steward yours. We take our role as your trusted partner seriously. And we pride ourselves on accessible membership dues and meaningful opportunities to learn and connect.

March 25, 2025 SEC Delays Names Rule Implementation

On March 14, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a release that delays the compliance date for the amended Names Rule under Rule 35d-1 for six months.

March 24, 2025 SEC Acting Chair Uyeda Delivers Remarks to Investment Management Industry

In his address, Acting Chair Uyeda noted that the Commission desires a return to a rulemaking process that engages stakeholders and allows for a longer period of time to comment on rule proposals.

March 21, 2025 Senate Banking Schedules Atkins’ Confirmation Hearing

The Senate Banking Committee announced plans to hold a nomination hearing for Paul Atkins to serve as Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday, March 27 at 10:00am ET.

March 20, 2025 Broadridge Publishes Active ETF Report

The report outlines current trends in the active ETF space and discusses “clones, siblings, and cousins,” definitions that connect similar established active mutual funds to ETF products.

March 19, 2025 SEC Delays Treasury Clearing Rules

In a press release the Commission noted it delayed compliance dates “by one year to Dec. 31, 2026, for eligible cash market transactions, and June 30, 2027, for eligible repo market transactions.”

Upcoming Events

Full calendar

Atlanta April 2, 2025
Director Discussion Series - Open Forum (Atlanta)
MFDF will host an in-person Director Discussion Series lunch in Atlant to facilitate discussions for independent directors and CCOs to discuss timely issues brought up by participants. The event will be in-person from 12 pm - 2 pm at the offices of Voya Investment Management in Atlanta.
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April 3, 2025
Protectors & Partners: Best Practices of Director Oversight of Fund Management and Selected Fund Service Providers
Join Paul Felsch of Helios Compliance Consulting as he discusses the purposes of board oversight in third-party providers and best practices for oversight of fund management and other service providers The webinar will broadcast live from 2 pm - 3 pm (ET).
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April 10, 2025
Exploring a Decade of Transformation in US & European Fund Fee Trends
Join Broadridge's Jeff Tjornehoj as he highlights the findings from the 2024 Broadridge white paper on key factors affecting the fund fees across the US, UK, Ireland, and Luxembourg.. The webinar will broadcast live from 2 pm - 3 pm (ET).
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Newest Resources

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MFDF Member Series - Leveraging MFDF Membership to Locate Future Directors

Leslie Beckbridge, MFDF's Operations and Member Services Manager, highlighted MFDF's Director Candidate Database, a service that provides curated candidate lists in response to member boards' requirements. The webinar provided an overview of the Database, discussed how members can use it as part of succession planning efforts, and shared insights to get the best results from your inquiry.

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Board Diversity Resources

Explore news and resources relating to fund board diversity.

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