CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
We have entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement with the Adviser. The Adviser is controlled by Scott Gordon, its Partner and the Executive Chairperson of our Board and our Co-Chief Investment Officer, by John Mazarakis, a Partner of the Adviser, by Andreas Bodmeier, a Partner of the Adviser, and by Anthony Cappell, a Partner of the Adviser. In addition, Dino Colonna, our President, Umesh Mahajan, our Secretary and Co-Chief Investment Officer, and Peter Sack, our CEO, are Partners of the Adviser. Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, fees payable to the Adviser will be equal to (a) a base management fee of 1.75% of the value of our gross assets (i.e., total assets held before deduction of any liabilities), which includes investments acquired with the use of leverage and excludes cash and cash equivalents and (b) an incentive fee based on our performance. The incentive fee consists of two parts. The first part of the incentive fee, the Incentive Fee on Income, is calculated and payable quarterly in arrears and equals 20% of our “Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income” for the quarter, subject to a preferred return, or “hurdle,” and a “catch-up” feature. The second part of the incentive fee, the Incentive Fee on Capital Gains, is determined and payable in arrears as of the end of each fiscal year (or upon termination of the Investment Advisory Agreement) and equals 20% of our realized capital gains on a cumulative basis from inception through the end of the fiscal year, if any, computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation on a cumulative basis, less the aggregate amount of any previously paid Incentive Fees on Capital Gains.
On October 1, 2024, the Company and the Adviser entered into an expense limitation agreement (the “Expense Limitation Agreement”) pursuant to which the Adviser agreed to cap the Company’s operating expenses (excluding base management fees, incentive fees, expenses related to the Loan Portfolio Acquisition, and litigation and indemnification expenses) at an annualized rate of 2.15% of the Company’s net assets through the period ending September 30, 2025. On February 14, 2025, the Board approved a clarification, as proposed by the Company and the Adviser, of the Expense Limitation Agreement, that any interest expense, fees, and other costs associated with raising debt and/or equity capital for the Company are not subject to, and do not count towards, the expense cap of 2.15% per annum under the Expense Limitation Agreement. The Expense Limitation Agreement expired in accordance with its terms on September 30, 2025 and was not renewed.
We have entered into the Administration Agreement with the Adviser, under which the Adviser will provide administrative services for us, including office facilities and equipment and clerical, bookkeeping and record-keeping services at such facilities. Under the Administration Agreement, the Adviser also will perform, or oversee the performance of, our required administrative services, which includes being responsible for the financial records which we are required to maintain and preparing reports to our stockholders and reports filed with the SEC. In addition, the Adviser will assist us in determining and publishing our net asset value, overseeing the preparation and filing of our tax returns and the printing and dissemination of reports to our stockholders, and generally overseeing the payment of our expenses and the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to us by others. We reimburse the Adviser for the costs and expenses incurred by the Adviser in performing its obligations and providing personnel and facilities under the Administration Agreement (including costs and expenses incurred by the Adviser in connection with the delegation of its obligations under the Administration Agreement to a sub-administrator). We are generally not responsible for the compensation of the Adviser’s employees or any overhead expenses of the Adviser (including rent, office equipment and utilities). However, we may reimburse the Adviser for an allocable portion of the compensation paid by the Adviser (or its affiliates) to the CCO and the CFO and their respective staffs (based on a percentage of time such individuals devote, on an estimated basis, to our business affairs). The Adviser may also provide on our behalf managerial assistance to our portfolio companies. The Administration Agreement may be terminated by either party without penalty upon 60 days’ written notice to the other party.
We have entered into a license agreement with the Adviser, pursuant to which the Adviser has agreed to grant us a nonexclusive, royalty-free license to use the name “Chicago Atlantic.” Under this agreement, we will have a right to use the “Chicago Atlantic” name for so long as the Adviser or one of its affiliates remains our investment adviser. Other than with respect to this limited license, we will have no legal right to the “Chicago Atlantic” name.
Chicago Atlantic Admin, LLC and Chicago Atlantic Financial Services, LLC (the “Loan Administrators”), each serve as a loan administrator and collateral agent for certain loans within the Company’s investment portfolio. Among other customary responsibilities as described in each respective loan document, the Loan Administrators are responsible for: (a) the collection of interest, loan fees, and principal payments from portfolio companies, and (b) the subsequent disbursement of the allocable portion of such collections to the lender(s), including the Company. Each Loan Administrator is an affiliated entity under common control with Chicago Atlantic Group, LP, and accordingly is a related party of the Company.
We have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers. The indemnification agreements are intended to provide our directors and executive officers with the maximum indemnification permitted under Maryland law and the 1940 Act. Each indemnification agreement provides that we will indemnify the director or executive officer who is a party to the agreement, including the advancement of legal expenses, if, by reason of his or her corporate status, such director or executive officer is, or is threatened to be, made a party to or a witness in any threatened, pending, or completed proceeding, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law and the 1940 Act.