Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration File No.: 333-255980
BLACKROCK CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Supplement dated April 19, 2022 to the
Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”),
each dated July 12, 2021, as supplemented to date
This supplement amends certain information in the Prospectus and SAI, each dated July 12, 2021 (as supplemented to date), of BlackRock Credit Strategies Fund (the “Fund”). Unless otherwise indicated, all other information included in the Prospectus and SAI that is not inconsistent with the information set forth in this supplement remains unchanged. Capitalized terms not otherwise defined in this supplement have the same meanings as in the Prospectus and SAI, as applicable.
Effective immediately, the following changes are made to the Fund’s Prospectus and SAI, as applicable:
The section of the Prospectus entitled “Management of the Fund — Portfolio Managers” is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:
Portfolio Managers
Information regarding the portfolio managers of the Fund is set forth below. Further information regarding the portfolio managers, including other accounts managed, compensation, ownership of Fund shares, and possible conflicts of interest, is available in the Fund’s SAI.
The Fund is managed by a team of financial professionals. James Keenan, CFA, and Jeff Cucunato are jointly and primarily responsible for setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the Fund’s investment process and performance. David Delbos, Patrick Wolfe and Eric Yuan are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
| Portfolio Manager | Primary Role | Since | Title and Recent Biography | |||
| James Keenan, CFA | Jointly and primarily responsible for setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the Fund’s investment process and performance. | 2019 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2008 and Head of the Leveraged Finance Portfolio Team; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2006 to 2007; Vice President of BlackRock, Inc. from 2004 to 2005. | |||
| Jeff Cucunato | Jointly and primarily responsible setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. | 2019 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2005. | |||
| David Delbos | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. | 2019 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2012; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2007 to 2011; Vice President of BlackRock, Inc. from 2005 to 2006. |
| Portfolio Manager | Primary Role | Since | Title and Recent Biography | |||
| Patrick Wolfe | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. | 2019 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2019; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2018 to 2019; Director of Structured Credit of TCP since 2018; Vice President of Structured Credit of TCP from 2017 to 2018; Senior Associate of TCP from 2016 to 2017; Structured Credit Analyst of TCP from 2013 to 2016; Structured Credit Group of Deutsche Bank from 2007 to 2013. | |||
| Eric Yuan | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. | 2022 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2018; Managing Director of TCP from 2015 to 2018. |
The section of the SAI entitled “Management of the Fund — Portfolio Management” is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:
Portfolio Management
Portfolio Manager Assets Under Management
The following table sets forth information about funds and accounts other than the Fund for which the portfolio manager is primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management as of December 31, 2020:
| Number of Other Accounts Managed and Assets by Account Type | Number of Other Accounts and Assets for Which Advisory Fee is Performance-Based | |||||||||||
| Name of Portfolio Manager | Other Registered Investment Companies | Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | Other Accounts | Other Registered Investment Companies | Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | Other Accounts | ||||||
| James Keenan | 21 $42.60 Billion | 30 $16.85 Billion | 20 $10.19 Billion | 0 $0 | 0 $0 | 6 $1.38 Billion | ||||||
| Jeff Cucunato | 11 $4.14 Billion | 3 $472.4 Million | 2 $1.39 Billion | 0 $0 | 0 $0 | 1 $131.6 Million | ||||||
| David Delbos | 24 $41.71 Billion | 21 $14.75 Billion | 54 $16.49 Billion | 0 $0 | 0 $0 | 5 $1.25 Billion | ||||||
| Patrick Wolfe | 0 $0 | 0 $0 | 0 $0 | 0 $0 | 0 $0 | 0 $0 | ||||||
| Eric Yuan* | 0 $0 | 0 $0 | 0 $0 | 0 $0 | 0 $0 | 0 $0 | ||||||
| * | Information provided as of February 28, 2022. |
- 2 -
Portfolio Manager Compensation Overview
The discussion below describes the portfolio managers’ compensation as of December 31, 2020 for James Keenan, Jeff Cucunato, David Delbos and Patrick Wolfe and as of February 28, 2022 for Eric Yuan.
BlackRock’s financial arrangements with its portfolio managers, its competitive compensation and its career path emphasis at all levels reflect the value senior management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of components and may vary from year to year based on a number of factors. The principal components of compensation include a base salary, a performance-based discretionary bonus, participation in various benefits programs and one or more of the incentive compensation programs established by BlackRock.
Base Compensation. Generally, portfolio managers receive base compensation based on their position with the firm.
Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is a function of several components: the performance of BlackRock, Inc., the performance of the portfolio manager’s group within BlackRock, the investment performance, including risk-adjusted returns, of the firm’s assets under management or supervision by that portfolio manager relative to predetermined benchmarks, and the individual’s performance and contribution to the overall performance of these portfolios and BlackRock. In most cases, these benchmarks are the same as the benchmark or benchmarks against which the performance of the Funds or other accounts managed by the portfolio managers are measured. Among other things, BlackRock’s Chief Investment Officers make a subjective determination with respect to each portfolio manager’s compensation based on the performance of the funds and other accounts managed by each portfolio manager relative to the various benchmarks. Performance of fixed income funds is measured on a pre-tax and/or after-tax basis over various time periods including 1-, 3- and 5- year periods, as applicable. With respect to these portfolio managers, such benchmarks for the Fund and other accounts are:
| Portfolio Managers | Applicable Benchmarks | |||
James Keenan David Delbos | A combination of market-based indices (e.g., The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Cap Index), certain customized indices and certain fund industry peer groups. | |||
| Jeff Cucunato | Bloomberg Barclays US Credit Index | |||
Patrick Wolfe Eric Yuan | None |
Distribution of Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is distributed to portfolio managers in a combination of cash, deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards, and/or deferred cash awards that notionally track the return of certain BlackRock investment products.
Portfolio managers receive their annual discretionary incentive compensation in the form of cash. Portfolio managers whose total compensation is above a specified threshold also receive deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards annually as part of their discretionary incentive compensation. Paying a portion of discretionary incentive compensation in the form of deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock puts compensation earned by a portfolio manager for a given year “at risk” based on BlackRock’s ability to sustain and improve its performance over future periods. In some cases, additional deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock may be granted to certain key employees as part of a long-term incentive award to aid in retention, align interests with long-term shareholders and motivate performance. Deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards are generally granted in the form of BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units that vest pursuant to the terms of the applicable plan and, once vested, settle in BlackRock, Inc. common stock. Messrs. Cucunato, Delbos and Keenan have deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards. Messrs. Wolfe and Yuan are eligible to receive deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards.
- 3 -
For certain portfolio managers, a portion of the discretionary incentive compensation is also distributed in the form of deferred cash awards that notionally track the returns of select BlackRock investment products they manage, which provides direct alignment of portfolio manager discretionary incentive compensation with investment product results. Deferred cash awards vest ratably over a number of years and, once vested, settle in the form of cash. Only portfolio managers who manage specified products and whose total compensation is above a specified threshold are eligible to participate in the deferred cash award program.
Other Compensation Benefits. In addition to base salary and discretionary incentive compensation, portfolio managers may be eligible to receive or participate in one or more of the following:
Incentive Savings Plans – BlackRock, Inc. has created a variety of incentive savings plans in which BlackRock, Inc. employees are eligible to participate, including a 401(k) plan, the BlackRock Retirement Savings Plan (RSP), and the BlackRock Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP). The employer contribution components of the RSP include a company match equal to 50% of the first 8% of eligible pay contributed to the plan capped at $5,000 per year, and a company retirement contribution equal to 3-5% of eligible compensation up to the Internal Revenue Service limit ($285,000 for 2020). The RSP offers a range of investment options, including registered investment companies and collective investment funds managed by the firm. BlackRock, Inc. contributions follow the investment direction set by participants for their own contributions or, absent participant investment direction, are invested into a target date fund that corresponds to, or is closest to, the year in which the participant attains age 65. The ESPP allows for investment in BlackRock, Inc. common stock at a 5% discount on the fair market value of the stock on the purchase date. Annual participation in the ESPP is limited to the purchase of 1,000 shares of common stock or a dollar value of $25,000 based on its fair market value on the purchase date. All of the eligible portfolio managers are eligible to participate in these plans.
Securities Ownership of Portfolio Managers
As of December 31, 2020, the end of the Fund’s most recently completed fiscal period, the dollar range of securities beneficially owned by each portfolio manager in the Fund is shown below:
| Portfolio Manager | Dollar Range of Equity Securities Beneficially Owned | ||||
| James Keenan | $500,001-$1,000,000 | ||||
| Jeff Cucunato | $50,001-$100,000 | ||||
| David Delbos | $100,001-$500,000 | ||||
| Patrick Wolfe | $50,001-$100,000 | ||||
| Eric Yuan* | None | ||||
| * | Information provided as of February 28, 2022. |
Portfolio Manager Potential Material Conflicts of Interest
BlackRock has built a professional working environment, firm-wide compliance culture and compliance procedures and systems designed to protect against potential incentives that may favor one account over another. BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures that address the allocation of investment opportunities, execution of portfolio transactions, personal trading by employees and other potential conflicts of interest that are designed to ensure that all client accounts are treated equitably over time. Nevertheless, BlackRock furnishes investment management and advisory services to numerous clients in addition to the Fund, and BlackRock may, consistent with applicable law, make investment recommendations to other clients or accounts (including accounts which are hedge funds or have performance or higher fees paid to BlackRock, or in which portfolio managers have a personal interest in the receipt of such fees), which may be the same as or different from those made to the Fund. In addition, BlackRock, Inc., its affiliates and significant shareholders and any officer, director,
- 4 -
shareholder or employee may or may not have an interest in the securities whose purchase and sale BlackRock recommends to the Fund. BlackRock, Inc., or any of its affiliates or significant shareholders, or any officer, director, shareholder, employee or any member of their families may take different actions than those recommended to the Fund by BlackRock with respect to the same securities. Moreover, BlackRock may refrain from rendering any advice or services concerning securities of companies of which any of BlackRock, Inc.’s (or its affiliates’ or significant shareholders’) officers, directors or employees are directors or officers, or companies as to which BlackRock, Inc. or any of its affiliates or significant shareholders or the officers, directors and employees of any of them has any substantial economic interest or possesses material non-public information. Certain portfolio managers also may manage accounts whose investment strategies may at times be opposed to the strategy utilized for a fund. It should also be noted that Messrs. Keenan, Cucunato, Delbos, Wolfe and Yuan may be managing hedge fund and/or long only accounts, or may be part of a team managing hedge fund and/or long only accounts, subject to incentive fees. Messrs. Keenan, Cucunato, Delbos, Wolfe and Yuan may therefore be entitled to receive a portion of any incentive fees earned on such accounts.
As a fiduciary, BlackRock owes a duty of loyalty to its clients and must treat each client fairly. When BlackRock purchases or sells securities for more than one account, the trades must be allocated in a manner consistent with its fiduciary duties. BlackRock attempts to allocate investments in a fair and equitable manner among client accounts, with no account receiving preferential treatment. To this end, BlackRock, Inc. has adopted policies that are intended to ensure reasonable efficiency in client transactions and provide BlackRock with sufficient flexibility to allocate investments in a manner that is consistent with the particular investment discipline and client base, as appropriate.
Investors should retain this supplement for future reference.
PRSAI-CSF-0422SUP
- 5 -