Strategy. To achieve the Emerging Markets Social Core Equity Portfolios investment objective, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (the Advisor) implements an integrated investment approach that combines research, portfolio design, portfolio management, and trading functions. As further described below, the Portfolios design emphasizes long-term drivers of expected returns identified by the Advisors research, while balancing risk through broad diversification across companies, sectors, and countries. The Advisors portfolio management and trading processes further balance those long-term drivers of expected returns with shorter-term drivers of expected returns and trading costs. The Emerging Markets Social Core Equity Portfolio is designed to purchase a broad and diverse group of equity securities within a market capitalization weighted universe (e.g., the larger the company, the greater the proportion of … Show more… To achieve the Emerging Markets Social Core Equity Portfolios investment objective, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (the Advisor) implements an integrated investment approach that combines research, portfolio design, portfolio management, and trading functions. As further described below, the Portfolios design emphasizes long-term drivers of expected returns identified by the Advisors research, while balancing risk through broad diversification across companies, sectors, and countries. The Advisors portfolio management and trading processes further balance those long-term drivers of expected returns with shorter-term drivers of expected returns and trading costs. The Emerging Markets Social Core Equity Portfolio is designed to purchase a broad and diverse group of equity securities within a market capitalization weighted universe (e.g., the larger the company, the greater the proportion of the universe it represents) of non-U.S. companies associated with emerging markets authorized for investment by the Advisors Investment Committee (Approved Markets), which may include frontier markets (emerging market countries in an earlier stage of development) (the Emerging Markets Universe). The Portfolio invests in companies of all sizes, with meaningfully increased exposure to smaller capitalization, lower relative price, and higher profitability companies as compared to their representation in the Emerging Markets Universe, while excluding securities of certain emerging markets companies based upon the Portfolios social issue screens. The Portfolios meaningfully increased exposure to smaller capitalization, lower relative price, and higher profitability companies may be achieved by decreasing the allocation of the Portfolios assets to larger capitalization, higher relative price, or lower profitability companies relative to their weight in the Emerging Markets Universe. An equity issuer is considered to have a high relative price (i.e., a growth stock) primarily because it has a high price in relation to its book value. An equity issuer is considered to have a low relative price (i.e., a value stock) primarily because it has a low price in relation to its book value. In assessing relative price, the Advisor may consider additional factors such as price to cash flow or price to earnings ratios. An equity issuer is considered to have high profitability because it has high earnings or profits from operations in relation to its book value or assets. The criteria the Advisor uses for assessing relative price and profitability are subject to change from time to time. Additionally, the representation of securities in the Portfolio as compared to their representation in the Emerging Markets Universe may be affected by the Portfolios social issue screens. The Advisor may also increase or reduce the Emerging Markets Social Core Equity Portfolios exposure to an eligible company, or exclude a company, based on shorter-term considerations, such as a companys price momentum, short-run reversals, and investment characteristics. In assessing a companys investment characteristics, the Advisor considers ratios such as recent changes in assets divided by total assets. The criteria the Advisor uses for assessing a companys investment characteristics are subject to change from time to time. In addition, the Advisor seeks to reduce trading costs using a flexible trading approach that looks for opportunities to participate in the available market liquidity, while managing turnover and explicit transaction costs. As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Emerging Markets Social Core Equity Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its net assets in emerging markets equity securities that are defined in the prospectus as Approved Markets securities. The Portfolio may gain exposure to companies in Approved Markets by purchasing equity securities in the form of depositary receipts, which may be listed or traded outside the issuers domicile country. The Portfolio may also invest in China A-shares (equity securities of companies listed in China) and variable interest entities (special structures that utilize contractual arrangements to provide exposure to certain Chinese companies). The Emerging Markets Social Core Equity Portfolio may purchase or sell futures contracts and options on futures contracts for Approved Markets or other equity market securities and indices, including those of the United States, to increase or decrease equity market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Portfolio. Because many of the Portfolios investments may be denominated in foreign currencies, the Portfolio may enter into foreign currency exchange transactions, including foreign currency forward contracts, in connection with the settlement of foreign securities or to transfer cash balances from one currency to another currency. The above-referenced investments are not subject to, although they may incorporate, the Portfolios social criteria. The Emerging Markets Social Core Equity Portfolio may lend its portfolio securities to generate additional income. The Emerging Markets Social Core Equity Portfolio seeks to purchase securities that are consistent with the Portfolios social issue screens, which are monitored by, or based upon information from, an independent third party. The Portfolio seeks to exclude from its investment portfolio those companies that are identified by the Portfolios social issue screens, as further discussed below. The Portfolios social issue screens are designed to identify companies that: (1) earn at least 10% of their total annual revenue through the production and/or sale of conventional or nuclear weapons, their weapon systems, or key intended components of these products, or the provision of weapon systems support and service related to nuclear weapons, such as the repair and maintenance of nuclear weapons ; (2) have demonstrated complicity in genocide in Sudan, for example, by having ties to the Sudanese military or government, selling or distributing military equipment to a party based in Sudan or operating within Sudan borders, or generating 10% or more of its total assets or revenues in Sudan from the oil, mineral or power sectors; (3) earn at least 10% of their total annual revenue through the production and/or sale of tobacco ( this criteria does not cover products designed as an aid to quit smoking) , alcoholic beverages as an intoxicating agent ( this criteria does not cover packaging such as bottles, cans, corks or caps) , or cannabis products; (4) earn at least 10% of their total annual revenue from the ownership or operation of gambling facilities, licensing their brand name to gambling products, or providing support or services to the gambling industry; (5) directly participate in abortions, or develop or manufacture abortive agents or contraceptives; (6) earn at least 10% of their total annual revenue from the retail, distribution or production of pornographic products (this criteria does not cover companies that offer content sharing platforms that are not pornography focused but allow third-party users to upload pornographic content; (7) are involved in the production of landmines, cluster munitions, or key intended components of such weapons; (8) produce firearms (i.e., using an explosive charge as a propellant) intended for civilian use ; (9) have had involvement in severe child labor controversies (factors that may be considered for determining severity include, but are not limited to, a history of involvement in child labor-related legal cases, widespread or egregious instances of child labor, resistance to improved practices, and criticism by non-governmental organizations and/or other third-party observers) ; (10) conduct stem cell research using cells derived from human embryos or fetal tissue, or use fetal cell lines in the development of vaccines or other biopharmaceuticals; (11) operate or manage, or provide staffing services to, for-profit correctional and/or detention facilities ( this criteria does not cover provision of maintenance or non-management services, including staffing for such services) ; (12) have material involvement in severe environmental, social or governance controversies that indicate operations inconsistent with responsible business conduct standards, such as those defined by the United Nations Global Compact Principles and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises; (13) have relatively high carbon intensity or potential emissions from reserves or scaled potential emissions from reserves; and/or (14) have thermal or metallurgical coal reserves. The Emerging Markets Social Core Equity Portfolio may modify this list of social issue screens, at any time, without prior shareholder approval or notice. (See Additional Information on Investment Objectives and PoliciesApplying the Portfolios Social Criteria in this Prospectus.) Show less