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.

February 10, 2026 K&L Client Alert Highlights Developments in Crypto Space

The alert notes that the SEC has taken several steps to ease that burden including issuing guidance to “clarify SEC custody rules by allowing state trust companies to hold digital assets subject to certain conditions and confirming when broker-dealers can hold digital assets.”

February 9, 2026 Event of Interest: Dechert to Host Interval Funds Webinar

Partners from Dechert will cover critical developments affecting interval funds, notably current market trends, the SEC's regulatory priorities, key findings from recent sweep examinations, and the emerging impact of tokenization.

February 5, 2026 Register Now: MFDF Fund Governance and Regulatory Insights Conference

One panel of interest covers “Oversight of Alternatives and Private Funds in Registered Structures.” The panel moderated by Sanjeev Handa, an independent trustee and chair of the Audit Committee for the Carlyle Tactical Private Credit Fund and an independent trustee for Oak Hill CLO Enhanced Equity II, will discuss key areas of interest for fund directors including valuation, conflicts of interest, risk management, compliance, and portfolio management.

February 4, 2026 Interesting Listen: ‘Odd Lots’ Podcast Highlights Private Credit Growth

The podcast highlights the growth of private credit as an asset class and what it takes to succeed in this space as an asset manager. Michael Zawadzki at Blackstone discusses the role private credit plays for middle market companies and infrastructure projects and specifically touches on the increased financing role private credit plays in AI infrastructure development.

February 3, 2026 SEC Divisions Release Joint Statement on Tokenized Securities

Notably, this means that tokenization does not impact the application of the federal securities laws to such securities even though it may have significant impact on disclosure, custody and trading, among other areas.

Upcoming Events

Full calendar

February 23, 2026
Updates on the Role of AI in Compliance: Insights from ACA's 2025 AI Benchmarking Report
As part of MFDF's AI for Fund Boards webinar series, Carlo di Florio, President of ACA Group, returns to highlight the latest findings from ACA's 2025 AI Benchmarking Report. The webinar will broadcast live from 2 pm - 3 pm (ET).
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Washington March 5, 2026
2026 Fund Governance & Regulatory Insights Conference
MFDF's annual FGRI Conference bring independent directors together with legislators, regulators, and other industry experts to discuss governance and regulatory issues of critical concern to fund directors. This program is scheduled to be in-person starting at 8 am on March 5, 2026 and conclude at 12 pm on March 6, 2026.
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March 10, 2026
In Focus: How to Talk About Board Diversity
During MFDF's next In Focus session, Julie Zuraw, President & CEO of Invest Ahead, will pull from the Invest Ahead Board Diversity Language Toolkit to provide fresh ways to have challenging conversations in the boardroom about diversity. This virtual discussion is scheduled for 11 am to 12 pm (ET) on March 10, 2026.
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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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