EXHIBIT
B: SOX CODE OF ETHICS
CODE OF ETHICS
PURSUANT TO SECTION 406 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY
ACT OF 2002 FOR PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE AND SENIOR
FINANCIAL OFFICERS
Adopted: September 14, 2004; Amended
September 23, 2025
Covered
Officers/Purpose of the Code
Pursuant
to Section 406 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, this Code of Ethics (“Code”)
has been adopted by HC Capital Trust (the “Fund”) and applies to the Fund’s
Principal Executive and Senior Financial Officers (the “Covered Officers” each
of whom is identified in Exhibit A) for the purpose of promoting:
● honest and ethical
conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of
interest between personal and professional relationships;
● full, fair,
accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that
the Fund files with, or submits to, the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) and in other public communications made by the Fund;
● compliance with
applicable laws and governmental rules and regulations;
● the prompt
internal reporting of violations of the Code to an appropriate person or
persons identified in the Code; and
● accountability for
adherence to the Code.
Each
Covered Officer should adhere to a high standard of business ethics and should
be sensitive to situations that may give rise to conflicts of interest.
Covered Officers
Should Handle Ethically Any Actual or Apparent Conflicts of Interest
Overview
. A “conflict of
interest” occurs when a Covered Officer’s private interest interferes with the
interests of, or his service to, the Fund For example, a conflict of interest
would arise if a Covered Officer, or a member of the Covered Officer’s family,
receives improper personal benefits as a result of the Covered Officer’s
position with the Fund Certain conflicts of interest arise out of the
relationships between Covered Officers and the Fund and already are subject to
conflict of interest provisions and procedures in the Investment Company Act of
1940 (including the regulations thereunder, the “1940 Act”) and the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940 (including the regulations thereunder, the “Investment
Advisers Act”). Indeed, conflicts of interest are endemic for certain
registered management investment companies and those conflicts are both
substantially and procedurally dealt with under the 1940 Act. For example,
Covered Officers may not engage in certain transactions with the Fund because
of their status as “affiliated persons” of such Fund. The compliance program
of the Fund and the compliance programs of its investment adviser (including
sub-advisers), principal underwriter and administrator (each a “Service
Provider” and, collectively, the “Service Providers”) are reasonably designed
to prevent, or identify and correct, violations of many of those provisions,
although they are not designed to provide absolute assurance as to those
matters. This Code does not, and is not intended to, repeat or replace these
programs and procedures, and such conflicts fall outside of the parameters of
this Code.
Although
typically not presenting an opportunity for improper personal benefit,
conflicts arise from, or as a result of, the contractual relationship between
the Fund and its Service Providers of which the Covered Officers are also
officers or employees. As a result, this Code recognizes that the Covered
Officers will, in the normal course of their duties (whether for the Fund or
for a Service Provider, or for both), be involved in establishing policies and
implementing decisions that will have different effects on the Service
Providers and the Fund. The participation of the Covered Officers in such
activities is inherent in the contractual relationships between the Fund and
its Service Providers and is consistent with the performance by the Covered
Officers of their duties as officers of the Fund. Thus, if performed in
conformity with the provisions of the 1940 Act, the Investment Advisers Act,
other applicable law and the Fund’s constitutional documents, such activities
will be deemed to have been handled ethically. Frequently, the 1940 Act
establishes, as a mechanism for dealing with conflicts, disclosure to and
approval by the Directors/Trustees of a fund who are not “interested persons”
of such fund under the 1940 Act. In addition, it is recognized by the Fund’s
Board of Trustees (“Board”) that the Covered Officers may also be officers or
employees of one or more other investment companies covered by other codes and
that such service, by itself, does not give rise to a conflict of interest.
Other
conflicts of interest are covered by the Code, even if such conflicts of
interest are not the subject of provisions of the 1940 Act and the Investment
Advisers Act. The following Section provides examples of conflicts of interest
under the Code, but Covered Officers should bear in mind that these examples
are not exhaustive. The overarching principle is that the personal interest of
a Covered Officer should not be placed before the interest of the Fund unless
the personal interest has been disclosed to and approved by other officers of
such Fund or such Fund’s Board or a committee of the Fund’s Board that has no
such personal interest.
Compliance
and Disclosure
Each
Covered Officer must not:
● use
his personal influence or personal relationships improperly to influence
investment decisions or financial reporting by the Fund whereby the Covered
Officer would benefit personally to the detriment of such Fund;
● cause
the Fund to take action, or fail to take action, for the individual personal
benefit of the Covered Officer rather than the benefit of such Fund;
● retaliate
against any other Covered Officer or any employee of the Fund or its Service
Providers for reports of potential violations that are made in good faith; or
● knowingly
misrepresent, or cause others to misrepresent, facts about the Fund to others,
whether within or outside such Fund, including to such Fund’s Board and
auditors, and to governmental regulators and self-regulatory organizations.
Each
Covered Officer should, to the extent appropriate within his area of
responsibility, consult with other officers and employees of the Fund and the
Service Providers or with counsel to the Fund with the goal of promoting full,
fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in the registration
statements or periodic reports that the Fund files with, or submit to, the SEC
(which, for sake of clarity, does not include any sales literature, omitting
prospectuses, or “tombstone” advertising prepared by the Fund’s principal
underwriter(s)); and
It
is the responsibility of each Covered Officer to promote compliance with the
standards and restrictions imposed by applicable laws, rules and regulations.
Reporting
and Accountability
Each
Covered Officer must:
● upon
adoption of the Code (or thereafter as applicable, upon becoming a Covered
Officer) and annually thereafter, affirm in writing to the Fund that he/she has
received, read, and understands the Code (Appendix B includes a certification
that may be used for this purpose);
● provide
full and fair responses to all questions asked in any Trustee and Officer
Questionnaire provided by the Fund as well as with respect to any supplemental
request for information; and
● notify
the Chief Compliance Officer of the Fund promptly if he/she is convinced to a
moral certainty that there has been a material violation of this Code.
The
Chief Compliance Officer of the Fund is responsible for applying this Code to
specific situations in which questions are presented under it and has the
authority to interpret this Code in any particular situation.
The
Fund will follow these procedures in investigating and enforcing this Code:
● the
Chief Compliance Officer will take all appropriate action to investigate any
potential material violations reported to him, which actions may include the
use of internal or external counsel, accountants or other personnel;
● if,
after such investigation, the Chief Compliance Officer believes that no
material violation has occurred, the Chief Compliance Officer is not required
to take any further action;
● any
matter that the Chief Compliance Officer believes is a material violation will
be reported to the Fund’s Board or a committee of the Fund’s Board;
● if
the Fund’s Board or a committee of the Fund’s Board concurs that a material
violation has occurred, it will inform and make a recommendation to the Board,
which will consider appropriate action, which may include review of, and
appropriate modifications to applicable policies and procedures; notification
to appropriate personnel of a Service Provider or its board; or a
recommendation to dismiss the Covered Officer;
● the
Fund’s Board or a committee of the Fund’s Board will be authorized to grant
waivers, as it deems appropriate; and
● any
changes to or waivers of this Code will, to the extent required, be disclosed
as provided by SEC rules.
Other Policies and Procedures
This
Code shall be the sole code of ethics adopted by the Fund for purposes of
Section 406 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules and forms applicable to
registered investment companies thereunder. Insofar as other policies or
procedures of the Fund or the Fund’s Service Providers govern or purport to
govern the behavior or activities of the Covered Officers who are subject to
this Code, they are superseded by this Code to the extent that they conflict
with the provisions of this Code. The Fund’s and its Service Providers’ codes
of ethics under Rule 17j-l under the 1940 Act and the Service Providers’ more
detailed compliance policies and procedures are separate requirements applying
to the Covered Officers and others, and are not part of this Code.
Any
material amendments to this Code, other than amendments to Exhibit A, must be
approved or ratified by a majority vote of the Board.
All
reports and records prepared or maintained pursuant to this Code will be
considered confidential and shall be maintained and protected accordingly.
Except as otherwise required by law or this Code, such matters shall not be
disclosed to anyone except as permitted by the Board.
The
Code is intended solely for the internal use by the Fund and does not
constitute an admission, by or on behalf of the Fund, as to any fact,
circumstance, or legal conclusion.
Adopted: September 14, 2004
Amended: September 23, 2025
Persons Covered by
this Code of Ethics
Geoffrey Trzepacz
– President (Principal Executive Officer)
Colette
Bergman – Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer)
Amended June 14,
2016 – Changed Colette Bull’s name to Colette Bergman.
Amended February
1, 2017 – Added Jonathan J. Hirtle as President (Principal Executive Officer)
Amended December 12, 2018 – Added Geoffrey Trzepacz as President (Principal
Executive Officer)