1. Organization:

The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II (the “Trust”) is organized as a Massachusetts business trust under an Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated February 18, 1997. The Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, as an open-end management investment company with 18 funds. The financial statements herein are those of the Cardinal Small Cap Value Fund (the “Fund”). The Fund commenced operations on April 1, 2014. The Fund is diversified and its investment objective is to seek to achieve long-term capital appreciation. The Fund invests primarily (at least 80% of its net assets) in securities of small capitalization companies. The financial statements of the remaining funds of the Trust are presented separately. The assets of each fund are segregated, and a shareholder’s interest is limited to the fund in which shares are held.

2. Significant Accounting Policies:

The following are significant accounting policies, which are consistently followed in the preparation of the financial statements of the Fund. The Fund is an investment company that applies the accounting and reporting guidance issued in Topic 946 by the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”).

Use of Estimates — The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the fair value of assets, the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosures 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 such differences could be material.

Security Valuation — Securities listed on a securities exchange, market or automated quotation system for which quotations are readily available (except for securities traded on NASDAQ), including securities traded over the counter, are valued at the last quoted sale price on an exchange or market (foreign or domestic) on which they are traded on valuation date (or at approximately 4:00 pm ET if a security’s primary exchange is normally open at that time), or, if there is no such reported sale on the valuation date, at the most recent quoted bid price. For securities traded on NASDAQ, the NASDAQ Official Closing Price will be used.

Securities for which market prices are not “readily available” are valued in accordance with fair value procedures established by the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”). The Fund’s fair value procedures are implemented through a fair value

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committee (the “Committee”) designated by the Board. Some of the more common reasons that may necessitate that a security be valued using fair value procedures include: the security’s trading has been halted or suspended; the security has been de-listed from a national exchange; the security’s primary trading market is temporarily closed at a time when under normal conditions it would be open; the security has not been traded for an extended period of time; the security’s primary pricing source is not able or willing to provide a price; or trading of the security is subject to local government imposed restrictions. When a security is valued in accordance with the fair value procedures, the Committee will determine the value after taking into consideration relevant information reasonably available to the Committee.

In accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosure under U.S. GAAP, the Fund discloses fair value of its investments in a hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure the fair value. The objective of a fair value measurement is to determine the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (an exit price). Accordingly, the fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

Investments are classified within the level of the lowest significant input considered in determining fair value. Investments classified within Level 3 whose fair value measurement considers several inputs may include Level 1 or Level 2 inputs as components of the overall fair value measurement.

For the year ended October 31, 2020, there have been no significant changes to the

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Fund’s fair valuation methodology.

Federal Income Taxes — It is the Fund’s intention to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company for Federal income tax purposes by complying with the appropriate provisions of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Accordingly, no provision for Federal income taxes have been made in the financial statements.

The Fund evaluates tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing the Fund’s tax returns to determine whether it is “more-likely-than-not” (i.e., greater than 50-percent) that each tax position will be sustained upon examination by a taxing authority based on the technical merits of the position. Tax positions not deemed to meet the more-likely-than-not threshold are recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current year. The Fund did not record any tax provision in the current period. However, management’s conclusions regarding tax positions taken may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to, examination by tax authorities (i.e., all open tax year ends, since inception), on-going analysis of and changes to tax laws, regulations and interpretations thereof.

As of and during the year ended October 31, 2020, the Fund did not have a liability for any unrecognized tax benefits. The Fund recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense in the Statement of Operations. During the year, the Fund did not incur any interest or penalties.

Security Transactions and Investment Income — Security transactions are accounted for on trade date basis for financial reporting purposes. Costs used in determining realized gains and losses on the sale of investment securities are based on the specific identification method. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Interest income is recognized on the accrual basis from settlement date.

Investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”) — Dividend income from REITs is recorded based on the income included in distributions received from the REIT investments using published REIT reclassifications, including some management estimates when actual amounts are not available. Distributions received in excess of this estimated amount are recorded as a reduction of the cost of investments or reclassified to capital gains. The actual amounts of income, return of capital, and capital gains are only determined by each REIT after its fiscal year-end, and may differ from the estimated amounts.

Expenses — Expenses that are directly related to the Fund are charged to the

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Fund. Other operating expenses of the Trust are prorated to the funds based on the number of funds and/or relative daily net assets.

Dividends and Distributions to Shareholders — The Fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income annually. Distributions from net realized capital gains, if any, are declared and paid annually. All distributions are recorded on ex-dividend date.

Cash — Idle cash may be swept into various time deposit accounts and is classified as cash on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. The Fund maintains cash in bank deposit accounts which, at times, may exceed United States federally insured limits. Amounts invested are available on the same business day.

3. Transactions with Affiliates:

Certain officers of the Trust are also employees of SEI Investments Global Funds Services (the “Administrator”), a wholly owned subsidiary of SEI Investments Company, and/or SEI Investments Distribution Co. (the “Distributor”). Such officers are paid no fees by the Trust, other than the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) as described below, for serving as officers of the Trust.

A portion of the services provided by the CCO and his staff, whom are employees of the Administrator, are paid for by the Trust as incurred. The services include regulatory oversight of the Trust’s advisors and service providers, as required by SEC regulations. The CCO’s services and fees have been approved by and are reviewed by the Board.

4. Administration, Distribution, Custodian and Transfer Agent Agreements:

The Fund and the Administrator are parties to an Administration Agreement, under which the Administrator provides administrative services to the Fund. For these services, the Administrator is paid an asset based fee, which will vary depending on the number of share classes and the average daily net assets of the Fund. For the year ended October 31, 2020, the Fund paid $102,136 for these services.

The Trust and the Distributor are parties to a Distribution Agreement. The Distributor receives no fees under the agreement.

MUFG Union Bank, N.A. acts as custodian (the “Custodian”) for the Fund. The Custodian plays no role in determining the investment policies of the Fund or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Fund.

Apex Fund Services serves as the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent for the Fund under a transfer agency agreement with the Trust.

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5. Investment Advisory Agreement:

Under the terms of an investment advisory agreement, Cardinal Capital Management, L.L.C. (the “Adviser”) provides investment advisory services to the Fund at a fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly at an annual rate of 0.70% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. The Adviser has contractually agreed to reduce fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep the Institutional Class Shares’ total annual operating expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding (i) 0.99% of the Fund’s Institutional Class Shares’ average daily net assets from March 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021, and (ii) 1.00% of the Fund’s Institutional Class Shares’ average daily net assets for periods prior to February 28, 2020. This Agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board, for any reason at any time; or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on February 28, 2021. Refer to waiver of investment advisory fees on the Statement of Operations for fees waived for the year ended October 31, 2020. In addition, if at any point it becomes unnecessary for the Adviser to reduce fees or make expense reimbursements, the board may permit the Adviser to retain the difference between total annual operating expenses and 1.00% to recapture all or a portion of its prior reductions or reimbursements made during the preceding three-year period. As of October 31, 2020, fees which were previously waived and/or reimbursed by the Adviser which may be subject to possible future reimbursement to the Adviser were $59,298 and $45,344, expiring in 2021 and 2023, respectively.

6. Share Transactions:

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7. Investment Transactions:

For the year ended October 31, 2020, the Fund made purchases of $33,020,181 and sales of $47,602,320 in investment securities other than long-term U.S. Government and short-term securities. There were no purchases or sales of long-term U.S. Government securities.

8. Federal Tax Information:

The amount and character of income and capital gain distributions to be paid, if any, are determined in accordance with Federal income tax regulations, which may differ from U.S. GAAP. As a result, net investment income (loss) and net realized gain (loss) on investment transactions for a reporting period may differ significantly from distributions during such period. These book/tax differences may be temporary or permanent. The permanent differences primarily consist of reclassification of long term capital gain distribution on REITs. There were no permanent differences that were credited or charged to Paid-in Capital and Distributable Earnings as of October 31, 2020.

The tax character of dividends and distributions declared during the years ended October 31, 2020 and 2019 were as follows:

As of October 31, 2020, the components of Accumulated Loss on a tax basis were as follows:

For Federal income tax purposes, capital loss carryforwards may be carried forward indefinitely and applied against all future capital gains. Losses carried forward are as follows:

For Federal income tax purposes the difference between Federal tax cost and book cost primarily relates to wash sales, which cannot be used for Federal income tax purposes in the current year and have been deferred for use in future years. The Federal tax cost

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and aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation for the investments held by the Fund at October 31, 2020, were as follows:

9. Risks:

Equity Market Risk — The risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time.

Similarly, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund.

Manager Risk — The performance of the Fund is dependent upon the portfolio managers’ skill in making appropriate investments. The Adviser’s investment strategy may fail to produce the intended result. As a result, the Fund may underperform its benchmark or peers.

MLP Risk — MLPs are limited partnerships in which the ownership units are publicly traded. MLPs often own several properties or businesses (or own interests) that are related to oil and gas industries or other natural resources, but they also may finance other projects. To the extent that an MLP’s interests are all in a particular industry, the MLP will be negatively impacted by economic events adversely impacting that industry. Additional risks of investing in a MLP also include those involved in investing in a partnership as opposed to a corporation. For example, state law governing partnerships is often less restrictive than state law governing corporations. Accordingly, there may be fewer protections afforded to investors in a MLP than investors in a corporation. For example, investors in MLPs may have limited voting rights or be liable under certain circumstances for amounts greater than the amount of their investment. In addition, MLPs may be subject to state taxation in certain jurisdictions which will have the effect of reducing the amount of income paid by the MLP to its investors.

REIT Risk — REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and usually operate, income-producing real estate. REITs are susceptible to the risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, such as the following: declines in property values; increases in

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property taxes, operating expenses, interest rates or competition; overbuilding; zoning changes; and losses from casualty or condemnation. REITs typically incur fees that are separate from those of the Fund. Accordingly, the Fund’s investments in REITs will result in the layering of expenses such that shareholders will indirectly bear a proportionate share of the REITs’ operating expenses, in addition to paying Fund expenses.

Small Capitalization Companies Risk — The risk that small capitalization companies in which the Fund invests may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies. In particular, small capitalization companies may have limited product lines, markets and financial resources and may depend upon a relatively small management group. Therefore, small capitalization stocks may be more volatile than those of larger companies. Small capitalization stocks may be traded over-the-counter or listed on an exchange. The market for small capitalization companies may be less liquid than the market for larger capitalization companies.

Value Style Risk — If the Adviser’s assessment of market conditions, or a company’s value or its prospects for exceeding earnings expectations is inaccurate, the Fund could suffer losses or produce poor performance relative to other funds. In addition, “value stocks” may continue to be undervalued by the market for long periods of time.

The foregoing is not intended to be a complete discussion of all risks associated with the investment strategies of the Funds. Please refer to the current prospectus for a discussion of the risks associated with investing in the Funds.

10. Concentration of Shareholders:

At October 31, 2020, 78% of Institutional Class Shares total shares outstanding were held by four record shareholders each owning 10% or greater of the aggregate total shares outstanding. These shareholders were comprised of a record shareholder and several omnibus accounts that were held on behalf of various individual shareholders.

In the normal course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that provide general indemnifications. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is dependent on future claims that may be made against the Fund and, therefore, cannot be established; however, based on experience, the risk of loss from such claim is considered remote.

11. New Accounting Pronouncement:

In August 2018, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820). The new guidance includes additions and modifications to disclosures requirements for fair value measurements. For public entities, the amendments are effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after

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December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Fund early adopted this guidance as of November 1, 2019. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the financial statements.

12. Subsequent Events:

The Fund has evaluated the need for additional disclosures and/or adjustments resulting from subsequent events through the date the financial statements were issued. Based on this evaluation, no additional disclosures and/or adjustments were required to the financial statements.

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