Protection and Proper Use of Fund Assets
Our assets are to be used only for legitimate business purposes. You should protect our assets and ensure that they are used efficiently.
Incidental personal use of telephones, cell phones, fax machines, copy machines, digital scanners, personal computers or tablets and similar equipment is generally allowed if there is no significant added cost to us, it does not interfere with your work duties, and is not related to an illegal activity or to any outside business.
Compliance with Applicable Laws, Rules and Regulations
Each of us has a duty to comply with all laws, rules and regulations that apply to our business. The Fund has a separate insider trading policy with which directors, managers, officers and employees of the Funds and the Adviser must comply. A copy of such Statement on the Prohibition of Insider Trading is included as Appendix I of the Funds’ Compliance Manual. Please talk to our Chief Compliance Officer if you have any questions about how to comply with the above regulations and other laws, rules and regulations.
In addition, we expect you to comply with all of our policies and procedures that apply to you. We may modify or update our policies and procedures in the future and may adopt new fund policies and procedures from time-to-time. Access persons who are employees of FS Investments are also expected to observe the terms of the Franklin Square Holdings, L.P. Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. You are also expected to observe the terms of any confidentiality agreement, employment agreement or other similar agreement that applies to you.
Equal Opportunity; Harassment
We are committed to providing equal opportunity in all of our employment practices including selection, hiring, promotion, transfer, and compensation of all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, sex or gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, national origin, disability, citizenship status, marital status or any other status protected by law. With this in mind, there are certain behaviors that will not be tolerated. These include harassment, violence, intimidation, and discrimination of any kind involving race, color, sex or gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, national origin, disability, citizenship status, marital status, or any other status protected by law.
Gifts and Entertainment
Gifts can appear to compromise the integrity and honesty of our personnel. On the other hand, business colleagues often wish to provide small gifts to others as a way of demonstrating appreciation or interest. We have attempted to balance these considerations in the policy which follows.
No Access Person employed by the Funds or the Adviser shall accept a gift or other thing of more than de minimis value ($100 or less) from any person or entity that does business with, or is soliciting business from, the Funds. Gifts exceeding that amount per person must be returned and the gift, its approximate value and its disposition reported to the Chief Compliance Officer, or his or her designee. Gifts to the Company as a whole or to an entire department (for example, accounting, analysts, etc.) may exceed the $100 limitation, but such gifts must be approved by the Chief Compliance Officer, or his or her designee.
No Employee may provide or accept extravagant or excessive entertainment to or from any person or entity that does or seeks to do business with or on behalf of the Company. Access Persons may provide or accept a business entertainment event, such as a meal or a sporting event, if the person or entity providing the entertainment is present. If the individual providing entertainment is also providing transportation and/or lodging, such transportation or lodging should be precleared with the CCO, or their designee, regardless of value.
Standards for giving gifts are identical to those governing the acceptance of gifts (that is, gifts given should be restricted to items worth $100 or less).
On the whole, good taste and judgment must be exercised in both the receipt and giving of gifts. Every person subject to this Code must avoid gifts or entertainment that would compromise the Funds’ standing or reputation. If you are offered or receive any gift which is either prohibited or questionable, you must inform the Chief Compliance Officer, or his or her designee, immediately. Outside Trustees are not subject to these requirements.
All gifts, whether received or given, shall be reflected in the gift log using the online compliance portal, ComplySci, on FS Inside (or other acceptable means) and must contain a basic description of the gift, a good faith estimate of the value of the gift, and a description of its disposition (i.e., accepted, rejected, returned to sender, etc.).
Solicitation of gifts is strictly prohibited.