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 811-22655

Northern Lights Fund Trust III

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

225 Pictoria Drive, Ste 450, Cincinatti, Ohio                        45246

(Address of principal executive offices)             (Zip code)

The Corporation Trust Company

1209 Orange Street Wilmington, DE 19801

(Name and address of agent for service)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 631-470-2688

Date of fiscal year end: 9/30

Date of reporting period: 9/30/22

Item 1. Reports to Stockholders.

	Annual Report
	September 30, 2022
	Investor Information: 1-855-525-2151
This report and the financial statements contained herein are submitted for the general information of shareholders and are not authorized for distribution to prospective investors unless preceded or accompanied by an effective prospectus. Nothing herein contained is to be considered an offer of sale or solicitation of an offer to buy shares of The Covered Bridge Fund. Such offering is made only by prospectus, which includes details as to offering price and other material information.
Distributed by Northern Lights Distributors, LLC
Member FINRA

Dear Fellow Shareholders,

The 12-month period ended September 30, 2022, was a difficult year for both equity markets and fixed income markets in the U.S. and around the world. It was an environment in which both stock market averages and bond market indexes were down more than 10% with few places to hide. The Covered Bridge Fund (TCBIX) performed well on a relative basis and was down 7.40% outperforming the S&P 500 which was down 15.5%. During this time the markets continued to see a turnaround in dividend and value oriented equity strategies compared to growth stocks and our disciplined approach to writing covered calls helped cushion the downside in performance.

As inflation rates in the United States have moved significantly higher, interest rates have followed and are likely to continue to rise. This has had a negative impact on equity prices and volatility has returned in a meaningful way. Higher interest rates and increased volatility are two important components of option pricing and both are having a positive effect on option prices allowing greater income to be earned from the option premiums received. The primary objective of the Fund is income generation. The Fund was able to achieve a total income distribution, which includes dividends, call premiums, and capital gains of $0.756 a share. This was higher than the $0.674 distributed in the previous fiscal year.

Throughout the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, there were only two sectors of the U.S. stock market that had positive performance: Energy and Utilities. It is of no surprise the best performing investments in the portfolio were Chesapeake Energy Corporation (3.1%) and Chevron Corporation (2.0%). With demand for energy rebounding off Covid-19 lows and a fixed total supply of oil, due in part to geopolitical conflict, it set up for high energy prices and robust performance for producers. We believe the energy sector will continue to outperform in this environment.

Consumer Staples proved once again to be a relatively safe place to invest amid elevated volatility. The Coca-Cola Company (0.0%) was the best performing consumer company in the Fund over the previous period. Coca-Cola was able to defend its market share and maintain profit margins in an inflationary environment. As Coca-Cola increased in price it was called away from the Fund and we will look to reinvest at more attractive valuations in the future.

As inflation started to hit levels not seen in several decades, the U.S. Financial sector faced considerable headwinds. As recession fears grew, Fed rate tightening materialized leading to a partially inverted yield curve. These factors drove down stock prices, particularly in the banking industry. JPMorgan Chase &  Co. (3.6%) and Truist Financial Corporation. (2.3%) were among

The Covered Bridge Fund | 651-424-0043 | info@thecoveredbridgefund.com

the lagging performers in the Fund. We strongly believe these are now priced at attractive levels and we anticipate this sector to rebound substantially as we work through the current financial and macroeconomic landscape.

We remain very encouraged by the opportunity that lies ahead given the performance of high dividend-paying value oriented securities, the rise in interest rates, and the increase in volatility. These factors may allow the Fund to generate much greater income from option premiums going forward. In fact, the Fund continues to receive more premium income than it has in the past. Interest rates around the world continue to rise from exceptionally low levels which is causing investors to look for alternative sources of income beyond traditional fixed income securities and the Fund is designed specifically to meet this need.

The Fund will stick to its discipline of buying what we believe to be good large capitalization companies that pay above average dividends and overwriting approximately half of each position.

Thank you for being a Covered Bridge Fund shareholder.

Sincerely,

John Schonberg, CFA & 
Michael Dashner, CFA

The Covered Bridge Fund | 651-424-0043 | info@thecoveredbridgefund.com

Maximum Sales Charge of 5.25%

Performance data quoted above is historical. Past performance does not guarantee future results and current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate, so that shares when redeemed may be worth more or less than their original cost. For performance information current to the most recent month-end, please call 855-525-2151

1There is no assurance that the fund will achieve its investment objectives. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. The Fund’s investment adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and/or absorb expenses of the Fund, at least until January 31, 2023, in order to limit the Fund’s expenses to 1.65% and 1.40% for Class A and Class I shares, respectively. Absent this contractual agreement the Fund’s gross total annual operating expenses would be 1.73% for Class A and 1.48% for Class I. Please review the fund’s prospectus for more information regarding the fund’s fees and expenses.

Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investors cannot directly invest in an index and unmanaged index returns do not reflect any fees, expenses or sales charges. The data shown is for information purposes only and meant to represent how the fund may be allocated to different types of portfolios.

Investors cannot directly invest in an index and unmanaged index returns do not reflect any fees, expenses or sales charges. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives.

Mutual funds involve risk including the possible loss of principal. Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Covered Bridge Fund. This and other important information about the Fund is contained in the prospectus, which can be obtained at www.THECOVEREDBRIDGEFUND.com or by calling +1-855-525-2151. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing.

The Covered Bridge Fund | 651-424-0043 | info@thecoveredbridgefund.com

Important Definitions: The Russell 1000 Index: a subset of the Russell 3000 Index, represents the 1000 top companies by market capitalization in the United States. The BXM: tracks the performance of a hypothetical covered call strategy on the S&P 500 Index. The S&P 500 Index: is an unmanaged composite of 500 large capitalization companies. This index is widely used by professional investors as a performance benchmark for large-cap stocks. The referenced indices are shown for general market comparisons and are not meant to represent the Fund.

The Covered Bridge Fund is distributed by Northern Lights Distributors, LLC member FINRA/SIPC. Stonebridge Capital Advisors, LLC is not affiliated with Northern Lights Distributors, LLC. 8214-NLD-10272022

The Covered Bridge Fund | 651-424-0043 | info@thecoveredbridgefund.com

Composition of the change in value of a $10,000 investment

The Fund’s performance figures* for the periods ended September 30, 2022, compared to its benchmark:

The performance data quoted is historical. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate. An investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Total return is calculated assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. Total returns would have been lower had the adviser not waived its fees and reimbursed a portion of the Fund’s expenses. Returns for periods greater than one year are annualized. The Fund’s investment adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and/or absorb expenses of the Fund, at least until January 31, 2023, to ensure that the net annual Fund operating expenses (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses and certain other non-operating expenses) will not exceed 1.65% and 1.40%, respectively for Class A and Class I, subject to possible recoupment from the Fund in future years. The Fund’s total gross annual operating expenses per its prospectus dated February 1, 2022, including underlying funds, are 1.73% for Class A and 1.48% for Class I. Class A shares are subject to a maximum sales charge imposed on purchases of 5.25%. Class A and Class I shares are subject to a redemption fee of 1.00% of the amount redeemed if held less than 90 days. The above performance figures do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would have to pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. For performance information current to the most recent month-end, please call 1-855-525-2151.

Portfolio Composition as of September 30, 2022

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

Per share data and ratios for a share of beneficial interest throughout each year presented.

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

Per share data and ratios for a share of beneficial interest throughout each year presented.

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

The Covered Bridge Fund (the “Fund”) is a diversified series of shares of beneficial interest of Northern Lights Fund Trust III (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on December 5, 2011 and registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company. The investment objective of the Fund is to seek current income and realized gains from writing options with capital appreciation as a secondary objective. The Fund commenced operations on October 1, 2013.

The Fund currently offers Class A and Class I shares. Class A shares are offered at net asset value plus a maximum sales charge of 5.25%. Class I shares are offered at net asset value. The Fund charges a fee of 1% on redemptions of shares held for less than 90 days. Each class represents an interest in the same assets of the Fund and classes are identical except for differences in their sales charge structures and distribution charges. All classes of shares have equal voting privileges except that each class has exclusive voting rights with respect to its service and/or distribution plans. The Fund’s income, expenses (other than class specific distribution fees) and realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated proportionately each day based upon the relative net assets of each class.

The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Fund in preparation of its financial statements. These policies are in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The preparation of financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect 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 income and expenses for the year. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Fund is an investment company and accordingly follows the investment company accounting and reporting guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946 “Financial Services Investment Companies” including FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2013-08.

Security Valuation – The Fund’s securities are valued at the last sale price on the exchange in which such securities are primarily traded, as of the close of business on the day the securities are being valued. In the absence of a sale on the primary exchange, a security shall be valued at the mean between the current bid and ask prices on the day of valuation. NASDAQ traded securities are valued using the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (“NOCP”). Exchange traded options are valued at the last sale price or in the absence of a sale, at the mean between the current bid and ask prices. Short-term debt obligations having 60 days or less remaining until maturity, at time of purchase, may be valued at amortized cost.

Securities for which current market quotations are not readily available or for which quotations are not deemed to be representative of market values are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the direction of the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) in accordance with the Trust’s Portfolio Securities Valuation Procedures (the “Procedures”). The Procedures consider the following factors, among others, to determine a security’s fair value: the nature and pricing history (if any) of the security; whether any dealer quotations for the security are available; and possible valuation methodologies that could be used to determine the fair value of the security.

The Fund may hold securities, such as private investments, interests in commodity pools, other non-traded securities or temporarily illiquid securities, for which market quotations are not readily available or are determined to be unreliable. These securities will be valued using the “fair value” procedures approved by the Board. The Board has delegated execution of these procedures to the Adviser as its valuation designee (the “Valuation Designee”). The Board may also enlist third party consultants such a valuation specialist at a public accounting firm, valuation consultant or financial officer of a security issuer on an as-needed basis to assist the Valuation Designee in determining a security-specific fair value. The Board is responsible for reviewing and approving fair value methodologies utilized by the Valuation Designee, which approval shall be based upon whether the Valuation Designee followed the valuation procedures established by the Board.

Fair Valuation Process – The applicable investments are valued by the Valuation Designee pursuant to valuation procedures established by the Board. For example, fair value determinations are required for the following securities: (i) securities for which market quotations are insufficient or not readily available on a particular business day (including securities for which there is a short and temporary lapse in the provision of a price by the regular pricing source); (ii) securities for which, in the judgment of the Valuation Designee, the prices or values available do not represent the fair value of the instrument; factors which may cause the Valuation Designee to make such a judgment include, but are not limited to, the following: only a bid price or an asked price is available; the spread between bid and asked prices is substantial; the frequency of sales; the thinness of the market; the size of reported trades; and

actions of the securities markets, such as the suspension or limitation of trading; (iii) securities determined to be illiquid; and (iv) securities with respect to which an event that will affect the value thereof has occurred (a “significant event”) since the closing prices were established on the principal exchange on which they are traded, but prior to a Fund’s calculation of its net asset value. Specifically, interests in commodity pools or managed futures pools are valued on a daily basis by reference to the closing market prices of each futures contract or other asset held by a pool, as adjusted for pool expenses. Restricted or illiquid securities, such as private investments or non-traded securities are valued based upon the current bid for the security from two or more independent dealers or other parties reasonably familiar with the facts and circumstances of the security (who should take into consideration all relevant factors as may be appropriate under the circumstances). If a current bid from such independent dealers or other independent parties is unavailable, the Valuation Designee shall determine, the fair value of such security using the following factors: (i) the type of security; (ii) the cost at date of purchase; (iii) the size and nature of the Fund’s holdings; (iv) the discount from market value of unrestricted securities of the same class at the time of purchase and subsequent thereto; (v) information as to any transactions or offers with respect to the security; (vi) the nature and duration of restrictions on disposition of the security and the existence of any registration rights; (vii) how the yield of the security compares to similar securities of companies of similar or equal creditworthiness; (viii) the level of recent trades of similar or comparable securities; (ix) the liquidity characteristics of the security; (x) current market conditions; and (xi) the market value of any securities into which the security is convertible or exchangeable.

The Fund utilizes various methods to measure the fair value of all of its investments on a recurring basis. GAAP establishes a hierarchy that prioritizes inputs to valuation methods. The three levels of input are:

Level 1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities that the Fund has the ability to access.

Level 2 – Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include quoted prices for the identical instrument in an inactive market, prices for similar instruments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates and similar data.

Level 3 – Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs are not available, representing the Fund’s own assumptions about the assumptions a market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on the best information available.

The availability of observable inputs can vary from security to security and is affected by a wide variety of factors, including, for example, the type of security, whether the security is new and not yet established in the marketplace, the liquidity of markets, and other characteristics particular to the security. To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in Level 3.

The inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement falls in its entirety, is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety.

The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

The following tables summarize the inputs used as of September 30, 2022 for the Fund’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value:

The Fund did not hold any Level 3 securities during the year ended September 30, 2022.

Foreign Currency Translations – The books and records of the Fund are maintained in US dollars. The market values of securities which are not traded in US currency are recorded in the financial statements after translation to US dollars based on the applicable exchange rates at the end of the period. The costs of such securities are translated at exchange rates prevailing when acquired. Related interest, dividends and withholding taxes are accrued at the rates of exchange prevailing on the respective dates of such transactions.

Net realized gains and losses on foreign currency transactions represent net gains and losses from currency realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions and the difference between income accrued versus income received. The effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on investments in securities are included with the net realized and unrealized gain or loss on investment securities.

Option Transactions – The Fund is subject to equity price risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objective and may purchase or sell options to help hedge against risk. When the Fund writes a call option, an amount equal to the premium received is included in the statement of assets and liabilities as a liability. The amount of the liability is subsequently marked-to-market to reflect the current market value of the option. If an option expires on its stipulated expiration date or if the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction, a gain or loss is realized. If a written call option is exercised, a gain or loss is realized for the sale of the underlying security and the proceeds from the sale are increased by the premium originally received. As writer of an option, the Fund has no control over whether the option will be exercised and, as a result, retains the market risk of an unfavorable change in the price of the security underlying the written option.

The Fund may purchase put and call options. Put options are purchased to hedge against a decline in the value of securities held in the Fund’s portfolio. If such a decline occurs, the put options will permit the Fund to sell the securities underlying such options at the exercise price, or to close out the options at a profit. The premium paid for a put or call option plus any transaction costs will reduce the benefit, if any, realized by the Fund upon exercise of the option, and, unless the price of the underlying security rises or declines sufficiently, the option may expire worthless to the Fund. In addition, in the event that the price of the security in connection with which an option was purchased moves in a direction favorable to the Fund, the benefits realized by the Fund as a result of such favorable movement will be reduced by the amount of the premium paid for the option and related transaction costs. Written and purchased options are non-income producing securities. With purchased options, there is minimal counterparty risk to the Fund since these options are exchange traded and the exchange’s clearinghouse, as counterparty to all exchange traded options, guarantees against a possible default.

The notional value of the derivative instruments outstanding as of September 30, 2022 as disclosed in the Schedule of Investments and the amounts realized and changes in unrealized gains and losses on derivative instruments during the period as disclosed within the Statement of Operations serve as indicators of the volume of derivative activity for the Fund.

Impact of Derivatives on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Statement of Operations – The following is a summary of the location of derivative investments on the Fund’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of September 30, 2022:

The following is a summary of the location of derivative investments in the Fund’s Statement of Operations for the year ended September 30, 2022:

Security Transactions and Investment Income – Investment security transactions are accounted for on a trade date basis. Cost is determined and gains and losses are based upon the specific identification method for both financial statement and federal income tax purposes. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date and interest income is recorded on an accrual basis. Purchase discounts and premiums on securities are accreted and amortized over the life of the respective securities.

Withholding taxes on foreign dividends have been provided for in accordance with the Fund’s understanding of the applicable country’s tax rules and rates.

Expenses – Expenses of the Trust that are directly identifiable to a specific fund are charged to that fund. Expenses that are not readily identifiable to a specific fund are allocated in such a manner as deemed equitable, taking into consideration the nature and type of expense and the relative sizes of the funds in the Trust.

Federal Income Taxes – The Fund complies with the requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies and will distribute all of its taxable income, if any, to shareholders. Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes is required in the financial statements. The Fund recognizes the tax benefits of uncertain tax positions only where the position is “more likely than not” to be sustained assuming examination by tax authorities. Management has analyzed the Fund’s tax positions and has concluded that no liability for unrecognized tax benefits should be recorded related to uncertain tax positions taken on returns filed for open tax years ended September 30, 2019 – September 30, 2021, or expected to be taken in the Fund’s September 30, 2022 tax returns. The Fund identifies its major tax jurisdictions as U.S. federal, Ohio and foreign jurisdictions where the Fund makes significant investments. The Fund is not aware of any tax positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits will change materially in the next twelve months.

Dividends and Distributions to Shareholders – Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid quarterly, and distributions from net realized capital gains, if any, are declared and paid annually. Dividends and distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Dividends from net investment income and distributions from net realized gains are determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ from GAAP. These “book/tax” differences are considered either temporary (e.g. deferred losses) or permanent in nature. To the extent these differences are permanent in nature, such amounts are reclassified within the composition of net assets based on their federal tax-basis treatment; temporary differences do not require reclassification. Any such reclassifications will have no effect on net assets, results of operations, or net asset values per share of the Fund.

Indemnification – The Trust indemnifies its officers and Trustees for certain liabilities that may arise from the performance of their duties to the Trust. Additionally, in the normal course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that contain a variety of representations and warranties and which provide general indemnities. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet occurred. However, based on experience, the risk of loss due to these warranties and indemnities appears to be remote.

For cash management purposes, the Fund may concentrate cash with the Fund’s custodian. As of September 30, 2022, the Fund held $8,335,011 in cash at U.S. Bank, N.A. and $2,144,850 in cash at Interactive Brokers.

Advisory Fees – Stonebridge Capital Advisors, LLC serves as the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”). Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund, the Adviser, under the oversight of the Board, directs the daily operations of the Fund and supervises the performance of administrative and professional services provided by others. As compensation for this service and the related expenses borne by the Adviser, the Fund pays the Adviser a management fee, computed and accrued daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of 1.00% of the average daily net assets. For the year ended September 30, 2022, the Adviser earned management fees of $1,135,870.

The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive all or part of its management fees and/or make payments to limit Fund expenses (exclusive of any front-end or contingent deferred loads; brokerage fees and commissions; acquired fund fees and expenses; borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expense on securities sold short); taxes; and extraordinary expenses, such as litigation expenses (which may include indemnification of Fund officers and Trustees, contractual indemnification of Fund service providers (other than

the Adviser))) at least until January 31, 2023, so that the total annual operating expenses of the Fund do not exceed 1.65% and 1.40% of the average daily net assets for its Class A and Class I shares, respectively. Contractual waivers and expense payments may be recouped by the Adviser from the Fund, to the extent that overall expenses fall below the lesser of the expense limitation then in place or in place at time of waiver, within three years of when the amounts were waived. During the year ended September 30, 2022, the Adviser did not waive any fees pursuant to its contractual agreement.

As of September 30, 2022, the following amounts are subject to recapture by the Adviser by September 30 of the following years:

Distributor – The distributor of the Fund is Northern Lights Distributors, LLC (“NLD” or the “Distributor”). The Trust, with respect to the Fund, has adopted the Trust’s Master Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plan for the Fund’s Class A shares (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, to pay for certain distribution activities and shareholder services. The Plan provides a monthly service and/or distribution fee that is calculated by the Fund at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Class A shares. For the year ended September 30, 2022, pursuant to the Plan, the Fund paid $41,409. No such fees are payable with respect to Class I shares.

The Distributor acts as the Fund’s principal underwriter in a continuous public offering of the Fund’s Class A shares. For the year ended September 30, 2022, the Distributor received $68,669 in underwriting commissions for sales of Class A shares, of which $11,316 was retained by the principal underwriter or other affiliated broker-dealers.

In addition, certain affiliates of the Distributor provide services to the Fund as follows:

Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC (“UFS”) – UFS, an affiliate of the Distributor, provides administration, fund accounting, and transfer agent services to the Trust. Pursuant to separate servicing agreements with UFS, the Fund pays UFS customary fees for providing administration, fund accounting and transfer agency services to the Fund. Certain officers of the Trust are also officers of UFS, and are not paid any fees directly by the Fund for serving in such capacities.

Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC (“NLCS”) – NLCS, an affiliate of UFS and the Distributor, provides a Chief Compliance Officer to the Trust, as well as related compliance services, pursuant to a consulting agreement between NLCS and the Trust. Under the terms of such agreement, NLCS receives customary fees from the Fund.

Blu Giant, LLC (“Blu Giant”) – Blu Giant, an affiliate of UFS and the Distributor, provides EDGAR conversion and filing services as well as print management services for the Fund on an ad-hoc basis. For the provision of these services, Blu Giant receives customary fees from the Fund.

The cost of purchases and proceeds from the sale of securities, other than short-term securities, for the year ended September 30, 2022, amounted to $176,801,938 and $155,950,030, respectively.

The Fund may assess a short-term redemption fee of 1.00% of the total redemption amount if a shareholder sells their shares after holding them for less than 90 days. The Fund received redemption fees of $8,520 and $1,935, for the year ended September 30, 2021 and 2022 respectively.

The identified cost of investments in securities owned by the Fund for federal income tax purposes and its respective gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation at September 30, 2022, were as follows:

The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended September 30, 2022 and September 30, 2021 were as follows:

As of September 30, 2022, the components of accumulated earnings/ (deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:

The difference between book basis and tax basis accumulated net realized losses and unrealized depreciation from investments is primarily attributable to the tax deferral of losses on wash sales. In addition, the amount listed under other book/tax differences is primarily attributable to the tax deferral of losses on straddles.

During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022, the Fund utilized tax equalization which is the use of earnings and profits distributions to shareholders on redemption of shares as part of the dividends paid deduction for income tax purposes. Permanent book and tax differences, primarily attributable to tax adjustments for use of tax equalization credits, resulted in reclassifications for the Fund for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022, as follows:

The beneficial ownership, either directly or indirectly, of more than 25% of the voting securities of a fund creates presumption of control of the fund, under Section 2(a)(9) of the 1940 Act. As of September 30, 2022, Charles Schwab & Co, Inc. and Pershing LLC, accounts holding shares for the benefit of others in nominee name, held approximately 41% and 25%, respectively, of the voting securities of the Fund’s Class I shares. The Fund has no knowledge as to whether any beneficial owner included in these nominee accounts holds more than 25% of the voting shares of either class.

In October 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) adopted new regulations governing the use of derivatives by registered investment companies (“Rule 18f-4”). Rule 18f-4 imposes limits on the amount of derivatives a Fund can enter into, eliminates the asset segregation framework currently used by funds to comply with Section 18 of the 1940 Act, treats derivatives as senior securities and requires funds whose use of derivatives is more than a limited specified exposure amount to establish and maintain a comprehensive derivatives risk management program and appoint a derivatives risk manager.

Subsequent events after the date of the Statement of Assets and Liabilities have been evaluated through the date the financial statements were issued. Management has determined that no events or transactions occurred requiring adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Trustees of Northern Lights Fund Trust III

and the Shareholders of The Covered Bridge Fund

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of The Covered Bridge Fund, a series of shares of beneficial interest in Northern Lights Fund Trust III (the “Fund”), including the schedule of investments, as of September 30, 2022, and the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the years in the two-year period then ended and the financial highlights for each of the years in the five-year period then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of September 30, 2022, and the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the years in the two-year period then ended and its financial highlights for each of the years in the five-year period then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities law and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Fund is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risk of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of September 30, 2022 by correspondence with the custodian and brokers. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

BBD, LLP

We have served as the auditor of one or more of the Funds in the Northern Lights Fund Trust III since 2013.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

November 28, 2022

As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, such as sales charges and redemption fees; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution and/or shareholder servicing 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 period beginning April 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022.

Actual Expenses

The “Actual” lines in the table below provide information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information below, 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 table 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 “Hypothetical” lines in the table below provide 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 balances or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of 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), or redemption fees. Therefore, 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.