CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS
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
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 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. Such persons of the Funds and the Adviser may accept gifts in the form of customary business entertainment (meals, tickets to sporting or other entertainment events) so long as the giver will be present at the entertainment. Gifts to the Funds 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.
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 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 on FSInside (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.
The direct or indirect giving of, offering to give or promising to give, money or anything of value to a foreign official, a foreign political party or party official, or any candidate for foreign political office in order to corruptly obtain or retain a business benefit, is generally prohibited and is subject to additional requirements and limitations. If you intend to give, offer or promise such a gift, you must inform the Chief Compliance Officer immediately. Outside Trustees are not subject to these requirements.